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Learn Strategies for Protecting Virtualized InfrastructureMerit Network is pleased to host an interactive video presentation of the SANS Institute's Security 557 course, "Virtualization Security and Operations." The class will be held Wednesday and Thursday, January 20-21, 2010, at Merit's offices in Ann Arbor. It will be of value to security, systems, and network administrators and engineers who need to understand VMware and virtualization security techniques.Register nowIn this innovative presentation, the course will be delivered via interactive teleconference to several participating sites across the U.S, presented by a SANS instructor at a remote location. A full course description appears below. The registration fee for attendees from educational institutions and state and local governments is $795, a savings of well over 60% compared to the standard price of $2550 when delivered in a classroom setting. This is a unique opportunity to engage in very high-quality security training at a tremendous savings. In accordance with the SANS Institute's policies, the reduced price is available only to attendees from educational institutions and state and local governments. Others may attend for the retail price of $2,550. Details about the courseOne of today's most rapidly evolving and widely deployed technologies is server virtualization. Many organizations have realized significant cost savings from implementing virtualized servers, and systems administrators love the ease of deployment and management for virtualized systems. There are even security benefits to virtualization: easier business continuity and disaster recovery, single points of control over multiple systems, role-based access, and additional auditing and logging capabilities for large infrastructures.With these benefits comes a dark side, however. Virtualization technology is the focus of many new potential threats and exploits, and presents new vulnerabilities that must be managed. In addition, there are a vast number of configuration options that security and systems administrators need to understand, with an added layer of complexity that has to be managed by operations teams. Virtualization technologies also connect to network infrastructure and storage networks, and require careful planning with regard to access controls, user permissions, and traditional security controls. Attendees at this course will learn about virtualization security fundamentals, with an in-depth treatment of today's most pressing virtualization security concerns: known attacks and threats, theoretical attack methods, and numerous real-world examples. Then we'll turn our attention to today's most popular enterprise server virtualization product, VMware Infrastructure 3. Attendees will learn about every aspect of locking down ESX Server and VirtualCenter management server, as well as best practices for securing the virtual machine guests that reside on ESX platforms. We'll also cover virtualization networking techniques in detail, laying out proven strategies for proper segmentation, virtual switching and routing considerations, network access controls and layer 2 policies, as well as how to build virtual DMZs and integrate with existing network infrastructure. Finally, attendees will learn essential strategies for securing storage interfaces to Virtual Infrastructure 3, as well as best practices for backup, recovery, and redundancy. We'll then wrap up with extensive information about compliance ramifications from virtualization, strategies to create and maintain compliance-focused controls using VMware, and operations processes and concepts to focus on, such as change and configuration management, separation of duties, and least privilege. Who Should Attend?This course is ideal for:
PrerequisitesBasic knowledge of systems and networking, some exposure to VMware ESX is helpful but not essential.Laptop requirementStudents are required to bring a laptop that has been properly configured in advance. Please note that there are very specific laptop requirements for this course. If your laptop does not meet these minimum requirements you will not be able to run the labs, and you will not get full value out of the course. Laptop requirements and preparation steps are given at:Laptop Setup Requirements About SANSThe SANS Institute is the most trusted and by far the largest source for information security training and certification in the world. It also develops, maintains, and makes available at no cost, the largest collection of research documents about various aspects of information security, and it operates the Internet's early warning system - Internet Storm Center. SANS also sponsored the creation of GIAC a leading industry security certification. The SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. Its programs now reach more than 165,000 security professionals around the world. A range of individuals from auditors and network administrators, to chief information security officers are sharing the lessons they learn and are jointly finding solutions to the challenges they face. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners in varied global organizations from corporations to universities working together to help the entire information security community.Location, times and registration"Virtualization Security and Operations" will be held at the Michigan Information Technology Center, 1000 Oakbrook Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Wednesday and Thursday, January 20-21, 2010. Each day will begin with continental breakfast at 8:15 a.m., with the agenda beginning at 9:00 a.m. and concluding by 5:00 p.m.Registration for attendees from educational institutions and state and local governments is $795; others may attend for $2,550. Continental breakfast, snacks and beverages will be provided each day. Wireless Internet service is available in the classroom. Registration is available online, and payment can be made by credit card, check, or purchase order. Registration may be canceled up to 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, minus a processing fee of $35. Cancellations are not available after January 6; substitutions are allowed if necessary. Register now by using the following link: Register for SANS 557For more information, please contact More Merit Events. |