PKWARE announced vZip, a software application that secures and reduces sensitive data within dormant virtual machines.

With vZip, organizations eliminate costs related to non-compliance and data security breaches. Organizations that must comply with PCI security regulations will satisfy the specific PCI requirement of securing dormant virtual machines with vZip.

Because vZip plugs directly into the VMware vSphere environment, it reduces complexity. It's easily installed and requires minimal user training.

"With more than half of all data center workloads now virtualized, enterprises need defined virtualization security processes," according to Neil MacDonald, Vice President, VP and Gartner Fellow Emeritus. "Dormant virtual machines pose a more significant security risk than their physical counterparts. Stealing a VM becomes as simple as stealing a file. VMs, like files, should be encrypted to protect their contents and be protected from tampering."

"Prior to the introduction of vZip, there was no cost-effective way to easily secure virtual machines within the administrator workflow," said John Courtney, Senior Director of the Virtualization Practice at PKWARE. "vZip reduces the storage requirements of dormant VMs by up to 80%, allowing the software to pay for itself. Security-minded companies can meet PCI compliance regulations and reap the additional benefit of saving storage costs."