Patent ID: 8918785

Claim:
A system for managing a virtual machine network comprising: an interface component for obtaining requests, the requests corresponding to requests for execution of a virtual machine network activity; a memory component for storing virtual machine network assessment profiles, wherein the virtual machine network assessment profiles comprise at least one assessment preference associated with individual security assessment events of a plurality of security assessment events, wherein the individual security assessment events each correspond to a respective activity associated with execution of the virtual machine network or a respective request for execution of a virtual machine network activity, and wherein each assessment preference corresponds to at least one of an assessment timing, an assessment type, and an assessment extent; and a virtual machine assessment manager operable to: detect an activity associated with the execution of the virtual machine network or a request for execution of a virtual machine network activity; dynamically determine a security assessment event from the plurality of security assessment events based, at least in part, on the detected activity or detected request; identify an assessment profile from the virtual machine network assessment profiles stored in the memory component for the determined security assessment event; determine an assessment preference for the virtual machine network, the assessment preference specified in the assessment profile; and cause performance of a security assessment on the virtual machine network based on the determined assessment preference.