Shoestring Virtualization - Reducing the Risk to Small Business Data from Compromised Remote Networks

Many organizations with significant amounts of data worth protecting also have robust security awareness programs and clear, detailed security policies. When employees from these companies remote in from an infected network, what happens then? A user can be fully compliant with all organizational policies and procedures and be up to date on all security awareness training, but the networks used to remotely access corporate data are populated by users beyond the scope of organizational policy. The use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to remotely access organizational networks has become commonplace, but this may not be enough. This paper will examine different technical approaches to mitigate the problem. Companies can restrict remote access to company-issued hardware, which has benefits but also carries significant costs. Another option is to provide enterprise virtual desktop infrastructure, but this is cost-prohibitive for many small businesses. Local desktop virtualization provides the best solution. Using software such as VMware Player and a custom-built, restricted image provides the company full control of the desktop environment and can restrict data storage to company-controlled servers.