Configuresoft Integrates Compliance into Operational Processes and Practices.

VirtualCenter Plug-in Helps Customers Achieve Continuous Compliance

LAS VEGAS -- Configuresoft, a leading enterprise server configuration management company, today announced the availability of the VirtualCenter Plug-in for Enterprise Configuration Manager (ECM). The Plug-in extends VMware's VirtualCenter and integrates compliance into the operational processes and practices of the virtual environment.

With the explosive growth of Virtual Machines, system administrators are often dealing with 10x the server count and need tools that continue to automate process and extend their reach across the operational management disciplines.

VirtualCenter is the tool of choice for operational management of the virtual infrastructure and until today there was no easy way to assess the compliance of ESX hosts and VM guests to the standard build, corporate security policies, best practices or regulatory standards and requirements. By integrating Configuresoft's award-winning Enterprise Configuration Manager (ECM) into VirtualCenter, systems administrators can now quickly and seamlessly move between day to day operational management, compliance assessment and remediation.

"To successfully manage the deployment of the virtual environment, IT Operations need to empower systems administrators with tools that increase productivity and ensure that operational practices include security and compliance considerations," said Andi Mann, research director, Enterprise Management Associates. "By deploying the controls required and then assuring continuous compliance to policy and security hardening guidelines, organizations can confidently accelerate the deployment of business-critical applications into the virtual world."

Extending the accessible tools available from VirtualCenter not only brings compliance into the operational processes but also helps to greatly increase the system administrator's productivity as ECM provides the technical controls to ensure Clean IT across the virtual infrastructure.

Using VMware's Plug-in technology, Configuresoft has extended VirtualCenter with the following capabilities:

* Compliance tab that provides both ESX host and VM guest assessment results within VirtualCenter

* Drill down into compliance assessment of all hosts/guests across the infrastructure

* "Right-Click" launch of ECM actions and reporting on all hosts/guests, reports including: machine details, security posture summary and details, storage and network details, etc.

* "Right-Click" view of ESX log files and configuration files

* In context launch of the ECM portal from the VirtualCenter toolbar 

"We're excited to extend Configuresoft's compliance solutions into VMware's industry-leading VirtualCenter, providing VMware customers with a fast path into compliance assessment," said Mike Paschal, executive vice president Product Group, Configuresoft. "This integration enables organizations to quickly extend the reach of the systems administrators to manage and control the growing virtual environment."

About Configuresoft

Configuresoft, the world's leading enterprise configuration management provider, delivers automated and optimized Lean IT, secure and compliant Clean IT, and energy-efficient Green IT to IT Operations. Hundreds of organizations, including 13 of the world's 25 largest companies, rely on Configuresoft to effectively and efficiently manage the complexity of today's physical and virtualized IT environments. Configuresoft's team of security and policy experts ensures continuous compliance with regulatory requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley and industry standards such as PCI DSS and Microsoft and VMware Hardening Guides. To contact Configuresoft, please call 888-447-2220 or visit www.configuresoft.com.