Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing data security, in particular for cloud computing environments, are described. In an embodiment, a software component monitors events at a node in a computing system and on detection of an event of a particular type, interrupts a message associated with the event. Before the message is allowed to continue towards its intended destination, a security template is selected based on the message (e.g. the data in the message and identifiers within the message) and this template is used to determine what data protection methods are applied to each data element in the message. A modified data packet is created by applying the security template and then this modified data packet is inserted into the message in place of the data packet in the interrupted message.

Abstract: A virtual testbed for system verification test is provided in which emulated responses are associated with certain steps of a system verification test. The emulated responses can be manually entered or populated with previous test results obtained from execution of the emulation-enabled steps on a real testbed. When the emulation-enabled steps are executed, the system verification test uses the emulated responses as the responses corresponding to the actions of the emulation-enabled steps as if the steps were executed on the real testbed, without actually executing the emulation-enabled steps on the real testbed. Therefore, the virtual testbed of the present invention allows development of test scripts for system verification test without constant, actual access to the real testbed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing data security, in particular for cloud computing environments, are described. In an embodiment, a software component monitors events at a node in a computing system and on detection of an event of a particular type, interrupts a message associated with the event. Before the message is allowed to continue towards its intended destination, a security template is selected based on the message (e.g. the data in the message and identifiers within the message) and this template is used to determine what data protection methods are applied to each data element in the message. A modified data packet is created by applying the security template and then this modified data packet is inserted into the message in place of the data packet in the interrupted message.

Abstract: A virtual testbed for system verification test is provided in which emulated responses are associated with certain steps of a system verification test. The emulated responses can be manually entered or populated with previous test results obtained from execution of the emulation-enabled steps on a real testbed. When the emulation-enabled steps are executed, the system verification test uses the emulated responses as the responses corresponding to the actions of the emulation-enabled steps as if the steps were executed on the real testbed, without actually executing the emulation-enabled steps on the real testbed. Therefore, the virtual testbed of the present invention allows development of test scripts for system verification test without constant, actual access to the real testbed.