IT contractors should be aware that virtualised data storage systems can be subject to the same security threats as traditional storage systems, according to a security software company.

The biggest problem with virtualisation is that many firms think of it as a "magic bullet security solution" and get careless with security as a result, Sunbelt Software claims.

Last week, IT security firm Core Security Technologies exposed significant flaws with certain versions of Microsoft's virtualisation software.

Chris Boyd, malware researcher at Sunbelt Software, said: "There is always a chance that something malicious can make the leap from the virtual machine (VM) to the real environment.

"It's a very good idea to set up a solid security framework inside the VM, just like you would with a real environment."

According to a survey from network equipment supplier Cisco, two-thirds of businesses believe virtualisation will be the top networking investment over the next five years.

Firms also expected the energy efficiency of virtualised networks to be the same to be the "top green networking initiative" over the same period.