infoTECH Feature

September 10, 2014

IBM's SoftLayer Adding Intel TXT Brings New Security Features to the Cloud

Thanks to cloud computing, many enterprises of all sizes have been able to streamline operations and boost productivity; employees, in fact, are able to access cloud resources and applications online when they want or need it, anywhere, anytime. Shifting to the cloud is a decision that makes sense for those that seek an efficient and cost-effective system that can be used to fulfill many business’ requirements while relieving IT staff from the burden of carrying out daily system maintenance and upgrades of an on-site infrastructure.

Although there are many ways a business can benefit from the cloud, the security and reliability of the service remains a concern.

A move towards a cloud infrastructure requires trusting an external hosted service provider and finding the right third party able to deliver reliable cloud-based applications and services, while keeping data stored in a cloud secure and private. Enabling access to cloud applications and info through physical and/or virtual servers to users (via any device) needs extending traditional network security protection into the cloud.

With security and privacy being the biggest concerns about cloud computing, solutions for data protection are paramount. IBM (News - Alert), for example, aims to address the serious security challenges posed by cloud computing with a platform that can give a business what it needs for visibility and control with proven security solutions for cloud adoption.

Thanks in part to IBM’s $2 billion acquisition of cloud services provider SoftLayer (News - Alert), a cloud computing infrastructure provider, companies can now take advantage of IBM Cloud to transition from an on-premises environment to a globally integrated hybrid cloud model to easily control, manage and secure data and business applications. Using IBM's SoftLayer cloud infrastructure for new services for the enterprise will fuel hybrid cloud growth for IBM with new clients and services, said Erich Clementi, SVP, IBM Global Technology (News - Alert) Services. The solution also allows software-as-a-service (SaaS) business offerings to drive business innovation or help to speed business adoption of public and private cloud solutions too, he adds.

According to IBM Cloud Services Division, SoftLayer's services will complement the existing security and openness of the IBM SmartCloud portfolio that provides deployment options that offer simplicity and speed. It will enable a faster, broader transformation for small, medium and large businesses with a range of performance and security models for a dedicated or shared computing resource. It enables tailoring the privacy, data security and overall computing performance to the client's needs while protecting cloud assets.

A post yesterday from CdrInfo, which mentions IBM and Intel (News - Alert) bringing new security features to the cloud, tells “IBM's SoftLayer will be the first cloud platform to offer its customers bare metal servers powered by Intel Cloud Technology that provides monitoring and security down to the microchip level.”

The IBM Cloud and SoftLayer infrastructure combined with Intel Trusted Execution Technology (Intel TXT), a built-in security capability that is available today on SoftLayer bare metal servers (on the following Intel processors, including Intel Xeon E5-2600 v2, Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3, and Intel Xeon E5-4600) and operates with a Trusted Platform module (TPM) can boost security in the cloud. Intel TXT provides strong hardware-enhanced security and authentication capabilities integrated into the processor to help overcome some of the most challenging aspects of cloud security, said Jason Waxman, general manager, Intel Cloud Infrastructure Group.

He explains that Intel TXT enables a service provider or enterprise to verify their cloud infrastructure to ensure workloads are on secure, trusted hosts and meet policy and compliance requirements. It can be installed to provide hardware monitoring and security controls from software-based attacks, while giving clients the highest performing cloud infrastructure available. Adding Intel TXT, which is available on select servers, as per the post, allows clients to build trusted computing pools of IT resources in the cloud with an added level of visibility and control. It can also help assure businesses that a workload from a known location on SoftLayer infrastructure is running on trusted hardware as to reduce the infrastructure exposure to malicious attacks.




Edited by Maurice Nagle
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