Symantec recently published a Security Response document – Threats to virtual environments published 8/12/2014.

This whitepaper provides a good outline that virtual servers are equally vulnerable to attack from Viruses and Malware as a physical server would be.  In fact they are even more vulnerable if the computer that is running a management console can modify the virtual disks of a hypervisor – in that case you can infect several systems at once.  Such malware already exists Crisis

The Best Practices are exactly the same for virtual as for physical servers.

Hardening
Advanced Malware Protection
Access Control
Disaster Recovery
Updating
Logging

I find many organizations think since it is virtual you do not have to backup the systems, that is a problem just waiting to happen. I also see people not wanting to implement Antivirus protection in fear that it will affect performance there are products from many vendors that will work with your virtual environment of choice.  And it does not matter physical or virtual you want to keep your operating system and applications as up-to-date as possible to keep things safe as they can be.

Michael Spice can help you keep your virtual and physical servers secure and protected, contact us for information.