Encryption at rest – Worth the effort for vSphere HCI?
Encrypting data drives makes sense on a laptop. If you turn it off and it gets lost, a key has to be provided to decrypt the data on the drives to make it readable. But what about the disks of…
Category VMware
Secure ESXi
In a previous article, I described how to activate UEFI Boot, which will disable the ESXi OS from loading 3rd party packages. What is execInstalledOnly enforcement? execInstalledOnly will ensure that non-signed scripts can be run against the ESXi. Important to…
MFA for Remote Desktop
Option 1: Duo MFA for RDP (fast, easy, proven) Pros: High-level install steps: ▶ Link to official Duo guide:Duo MFA for Windows RDP – Step-by-Step Option 2: Azure MFA with NPS Extension (Microsoft “native” method) Pros: High-level install steps: ▶ Link to official Microsoft guide:Configure NPS…
UEFI Secure Boot
UEFI Secure Boot is a platform feature within the UEFI specification that ensures the system boots using only the software trusted by the hardware manufacturer. Secure Boot provides a verification mechanism in which the firmware validates a boot loader before executing…
Update switches via Code
A use case I was presented recently was how multiple switches can be upgraded via automation tooling. Prerequesits As with any automation, standardisation is key. For this to work the switches should be close to the same model, the ports…
Resize VM through Code
A prevalent task for a VMware admin is to power down VM X and add more CPU or RAM to the VM. Infrastructure as code enthusiasts suggest that any operation performed manually should be automated. Let us look at how…
Securing vCenter and ESXi Hosts: A VMware Architect’s Guide
In the evolving threat landscape, vCenter Server and ESXi hosts remain high-value targets in the data center. As the foundational control and compute planes of your virtual infrastructure, securing them is essential. Whether you’re operating in a regulated environment or…
Access Hierarchy in vCenter
Ever wondered how you can give a user access to some artifacts within a vCenter and then deny the same user access to other artifacts? The access hierarchy in vCenter is role-based, leveraging permissions applied at various object levels in…