Trend Micro launches a breakthrough encryption solution for the cloud

Private and public clouds provide compelling business value in lowering costs and increasing business agility, but also present new security gaps and operational challenges that conventional defenses cannot resolve. For example, IDC conducted a survey of 263 IT executives, CIOs and their line of business colleagues to gauge their opinions and understand their companies' use of IT Cloud Services. Security ranked first as the greatest challenge or issue attributed to cloud computing. SecureCloud was designed to address these concerns: It alleviates data security, privacy and compliance risks associated with deploying information into any cloud-computing environment.

"Security has been one of the greatest inhibitors to cloud-computing adoption. Now, as cloud computing takes shape and enterprises are starting to put data in the cloud, security must evolve to protect and control the data. Enterprises want assurance that their data and applications are secure before they move critical processes into the cloud. Trend Micro SecureCloud gives confidence to enterprises, who can rest assured that that their data is secure and fully within their control,"

said Steve Quane, chief product officer of Trend Micro.

"Trend Micro has been working alongside VMware to help ensure that SecureCloud provides support for the latest VMware vCloud™ API so customers can continue on their cloud computing journey. SecureCloud's identity and integrity checking provides a solution for those looking to deploy their own private clouds while helping to ensure compliance and separation of data," said Parag Patel, vice president, Global Strategic Alliances, VMware.

"Trend Micro SecureCloud's key management solution gives control over when and where data is accessed. These technologies encrypt public and private clouds so enterprises can operate safely and securely in these multi-tenant environments. This type of solution is awaited by the enterprises and organizations that search for in-the-cloud IT cost effectiveness, but must not abandon security needs and obligations," said Eric Domage, Security Software & Services Research Manager, IDC Western Europe.

You're always in control because you hold the encryption keys

SecureCloud's patent-pending approach integrates unique policy-based key management, industry-standard encryption and virtual-server authentication to safely and easily deploy data into private or public cloud environments. This lightweight approach enables cloud users to secure sensitive information without having to install a vastly more complex secure file infrastructure. It can deliver services in a private cloud that resides in the enterprise datacenter, a public cloud outside the enterprise managed by third-party service providers, or a hybrid cloud that combines private and public clouds. Since users choose and manage their own security solution, they gain the freedom and power to move to whichever provider or deployment model fits their needs.

SecureCloud gives users exclusive custody over their encryption keys, where other encryption solutions might share or keep custody of keys. This approach provides "separation of duties," allowing cloud customers the ability to leverage the efficiencies and benefits of cloud services while maintaining authority over the information within their environments. SecureCloud also helps users comply with security standards set in regulations like HITECH, PCI DSS and GLBA by safeguarding sensitive and personally identifiable information with strong encryption techniques. Ultimately, giving data owners the exclusive ability to dictate when and where encryption keys are deployed allows them to maintain complete control over their information and operate safely in any cloud computing environment.

Expanding Trend Micro's product family for public and private cloud environments

Trend Micro has invested heavily in a family of multi-layered protection for cloud and virtual environments.

Currently, Trend Micro Deep Security prevents data theft, business disruptions, and compliance violations with comprehensive server security for today's virtualized datacenter. The latest release of Deep Security now includes agent-less anti-malware, virtualization-aware intelligence, and leverages VMware vShield Endpoint technology for stronger server protection against data breaches and greater compliance. In addition, Trend Micro Core Protection for Virtual Machines delivers malware protection for active and dormant virtual servers in VMware vSphere environments.

Trend Micro SecureCloud enhances an already broad solution lineup for cloud security, but is specific to the security and governance of data stored and used in private or public clouds. The new solution can complement and work alongside Trend Micro Deep Security: While Deep Security provides a secure container into which customers can put their applications and manipulate their data, SecureCloud encrypts and controls data stored outside the container so that only its encryption key owners can access it.

SecureCloud Beta Availability & Cloud Platform Requirements

Delivered as Software-as-a-Service, SecureCloud represents a robust solution for safeguarding information in private clouds and public Infrastructure-as-a-Service environments. Trend Micro SecureCloud is available immediately and interested beta participants can apply to participate at securecloud.com. SecureCloud beta supports Amazon EC2, Eucalyptus, or the VMware platform and is expected to be generally available in Q4 2010.

Trend Micro SecureCloud is part of Trend Micro Enterprise Security - a tightly integrated offering of content security products, services and solutions which is powered by the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network infrastructure. Trend Micro Enterprise Security delivers maximum protection from emerging threats while minimizing the cost and complexity of security management.