Review: CloudPassage Halo

If one controls the virtual environment - as in a private cloud - one probably has access to the vCenter if using VMware, for example. Still, administering security from the vCenter is a challenge for a big environment. If one is in a public cloud, it can be an even bigger challenge. That's where Halo enters the picture.

Halo is a virtual security command-and-control center - sort of like a virtual security operations center (SOC) - that lets one manage such security functions as firewall automation, file integrity monitoring, configuration security, vulnerability scanning and security event alerts. Everything can be automated and all security functions on virtual servers are monitored continuously.

Multifactor authentication is accomplished using GhostPorts, an add-on to Halo that authenticates through an SMS message to a mobile device or through the use of UbiKey, a one-time authentication tool. GhostPorts lets any authorized user authenticate from anywhere while blocking unauthorized users. 

Halo is an attractively priced security-as-a-service offering. The company has been in existence since 2010 and secures more than 5,000 servers currently. The Halo Daemon is completely relocatable within the virtual environment since it is part of the virtual machine itself. That means that as VMware, using vMotion, the tool moves virtual machines around, while the Daemon goes along for the ride, ensuring seamless control of security within the cloud.

This is well worth looking at. We liked its functionality and its automation, as well as the security of the service itself.