VMware is fast becoming the foremost competitor in the cloud computing realm, and to add to its product portfolio, VMware is launching new data loss prevention (DLP) features in an updated version of its virtual system security product, vShield, at the upcoming VMworld conference later this month.

Based on technology from the RSA Data Loss Prevention Suite, vShield 5, features a data discovery solution that will find out sensitive data such as that for financial and business information, payment card information and healthcare is being scanned or not on the VMware virtual-machine environment.  RSA’s built-in approach to security helps enable organizations to leverage their existing infrastructure to protect against the risks associated with unprotected sensitive data.

As part of the new VMware cloud infrastructure suite, vShield, will enable customers to accurately discover and classify sensitive data residing within virtual environments. But more robust DLP features like monitoring and blocking data leaks in transit would not be a part of this release. As confirmed from Dean Coza, VMware’s director of product management for security products, who said, “It’s not full DLP. VMware does plan to release a set of open APIs that vendors and companies could use to capture VMware-based information generated about DLP-sensitive data, their policies and reports.”

The DLP discovery capability solution provides 80 pre-defined policies that facilitate compliance with regulations in the U.S. and worldwide for patient healthcare data, payment card and commercial data. Using the vShield’s checklist policies, customers can consistently safeguard data across the enterprise and rationalize security procedures for both physical and virtual environments.

VMware is also planning to showcase its hypervisor-based application, vShield App5, at the conference. vShield App5 is tightly integrate with vShield Data Security, vShield Inside Navigator, vShield App and vCenter Configuration Manager components to offer virtualization optimized intrusion prevention solutions.

Following the vSphere 5 launch, VMware also increased its limited vRAM allotment from 30 percent to 100 percent.  The increase in vRAM entitlements will be implemented for all versions of vSphere and would not cost more than one vSphere Enterprise Plus license. VMware’s vSphere 5 is designed to eradicate scalability limits and technical barriers and maximize the opportunities in virtualization space. It support VMs with up to 32 virtual cores, and each VM can support up to 1TB of RAM. VMware vSphere Storage Appliance, VMware vShield 5 and VMware vCentre Site Recovery Manager 5 are also part of the vSphere 5 release.

As the demand for cloud computing, virtualization and infrastructures increases day by day, VMware’s portfolio through vShield, vShield App, vSphere 5 and other products makes them even more dominant in the market.