"This is particularly true at board level. Start talking virtualization and eyes start to glaze over so you can imagine how tough it is when you start talking about how to secure it," he said.

"When the bad guys get root access to a virtual machine the world is their oyster."

The vendor's virtualization product is only three months old but Lim expects solid takeup which will drive further expansion for Reflex Security in the local market. Lim expects to recruit another four staff during the year, adding that Australian customers are skeptical if a vendor doesn't have local representation.

"Australian customers expects vendors from the US to invest locally and to provide solid support," he said.

The global CEO of Reflex Security is Jim Watson, who spent 10 years in Australia and established Gartner's APAC operations 20 years ago.