VMware : Recent News Is All the More Reason to Maximize Your VMware Carbon Black Implementation

In December 2021, a major HR and payroll service provider was targeted by a ransomware attack that shut down its ability to process payrolls and severed access to staff management tools. The customers using the company's private cloud were most affected, and employees experienced payroll and benefits breakdowns during the holiday season.

While the breached organization has been transparent about the incident and is diligently working to support customers and restore services, the damage to the company's standing in its industry is significant.

This attack is just the latest example of the reputation and financial damage that a cybersecurity breach can cause, and it serves as a reminder to all organizations to ensure that their cybersecurity investments are operating optimally. Cloud-native security, such as VMware Carbon Black, is imperative to achieve resilience and defend against advanced and ever-evolving cyberattacks. But to truly maximize your investment in cybersecurity, it's vital to execute best practices from implementation to maintenance and beyond.

If your organization finds itself delaying regular reviews of its cybersecurity setup due to lack of time, lack of staff or competing priorities, it may be time to consider external support to ensure business continuity. The following common scenarios can affect an organization's ability to achieve a successful implementation:

• Do you have a first-time implementation and need guidance on the most beneficial deployment for your organization and technology environment?
• Did you purchase additional licenses and need support adding new sensors or agents to an existing implementation?
• Would you like to ensure the health of your implementation's general configuration, review policies and protocols, update with new UI features, or upgrade an on-premises server?
• Do you have new staff and want to safeguard complete and proper transfer of knowledge to minimize downtime and follow best practices?

If any of these scenarios sound familiar to your situation, keep reading to learn how VMware Professional Services may be the secret to your future cybersecurity success.

Additional instances that require A+ implementation

Despite your best efforts and cybersecurity vigilance, your organization may still need to manage or remedy an array of scenarios to optimize your cybersecurity implementation.

1. Security incident: Once an incident is contained, it's best to strengthen protocols and further secure the environment, moving an organization from a reactive state to a proactive state.
2. Architecture review: Some environments benefit from a thorough review of on-premises products and customized troubleshooting to find the best configuration and installation for your circumstances.
3. Failed implementation: Without implementation support, an organization's competing priorities or complex environments can sometimes cause rushed or incomplete implementations.

VMware Professional Services can help you deflect negative consequences and get the most out of your implementation.

How do VMware Professional Services' teams work?

Teams typically consist of, at minimum, one project manager and one technical services security consultant. For complex environments, an architect may join the team.

The project manager oversees the scope, schedule and budget for the project and is the primary point of contact for project-related concerns or escalations. The technical services security consultant is the technical lead, providing guidance and best practices on purchased products and ensuring that an organization's staff is comfortable maintaining the products post-project.

The architect develops the overall product design within large-scale and complex environments and works with the technical services security consultant for final implementation.

Trained to work in environments of any size - from those with hundreds to millions of licenses - VMware Professional Services teams are adaptive, adjust to your needs, and work with you to find your "why" to execute the implementation that will best maximize your investment. Services may be remote or on-premises and designed to meet your goals and desired outcomes.

Why your implementation health matters

Companies across the world and in every industry are possible ransomware targets, and threat actors are growing bolder. The cyber threat landscape continues to escalate as threat actors target organizations with an aim for maximum business disruption.

While vigilance through cybersecurity from VMware Carbon Black is a start in achieving excellent security and resilience, executing the best possible implementation through external support from VMware Professional Services will help your organization establish the protocols and safeguards that best fit your technology environment. A successful implementation - customized for your organization's environment - will help you harness the full power of VMware Carbon Black to support business continuity and maximize the value of your investment.