Sourcefire, the cyber security house famous for Snort, the open source network intrusion prevention and detection system, has set up a Virtual 3D Partner Program so cloud computing companies and OEMs can leverage its new Virtual 3D Sensor and Virtual Defense Center appliances.

The Sensor appliance, for instance, lets cloud vendors protect customer information residing in the cloud.

Sourcefire says the appliances can inspect traffic between virtual machines, while making it easier to deploy and manage sensors at remote sites where resource may be limited. Partners can implement Sourcefire’s solutions on existing customer hardware or within a cloud infrastructure for increased protection.

Sourcefire VP of biz dev Matt McCormick says that “While security is a top concern for every organization, many require solutions that can be placed on existing hardware or in the cloud….We are enabling partners to easily provide customers with value-added protection without requiring new hardware investments.”