--- title: Microsegmentation Terminology « ipSpace.net blog | daily.dev description: A clarification of the term 'microsegmentation' and how it differs from 'security groups'. Microsegmentation, as originally defined (attributed to VMware at... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/microsegmentation-terminology-ipspace-net-blog-fq2sstwgw twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Microsegmentation Terminology « ipSpace.net blog | daily.dev og:description: A clarification of the term 'microsegmentation' and how it differs from 'security groups'. Microsegmentation, as originally defined (attributed to VMware at... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/microsegmentation-terminology-ipspace-net-blog-fq2sstwgw og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/fq2sSTwgW.png og:image:alt: Microsegmentation Terminology « ipSpace.net blog og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Microsegmentation Terminology « ipSpace.net blog **[ipSpace.net Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A clarification of the term 'microsegmentation' and how it differs from 'security groups'. Microsegmentation, as originally defined (attributed to VMware at the NSX launch), means placing a packet filter in front of every individual endpoint — every VM, container, or end-user device. Security groups and security tags are configuration mechanisms or data-plane markers that simplify those filters, but ultimately all traffic rules must be translated into standard 5-tuple packet filters. The post also argues that the microsegmentation filter should sit outside the protected endpoint to prevent root exploits from disabling it, and briefly compares implementations across VMware NSX, Cisco ACI, AWS, and Azure. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the original definition of microsegmentation in networking? Microsegmentation, as originally defined at the VMware NSX launch, means the ability to protect every individual endpoint by placing a packet filter in front of every VM, container, or end-user device. This is distinct from security groups, which are configuration mechanisms that simplify packet filters but ultimately still compile down to standard 5-tuple rules. Implementations include VMware NSX, AWS/Azure security groups, and Cisco ACI. _Network architects debating segmentation strategies track terminology shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### Why should microsegmentation packet filters be placed outside the protected endpoint rather than inside? Placing the packet filter outside the protected endpoint prevents a root-level exploit on that endpoint from disabling the filter itself. If the filter runs inside the VM or container, a compromised root process can simply turn it off, eliminating the security boundary. An external filter — enforced by the hypervisor or network fabric — remains in effect regardless of what happens inside the endpoint. _Teams hardening zero-trust architectures find discussions on enforcement placement like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Microsegmentation vs Network Segmentation: The Question Every Security Team Eventually Asks](https://daily.dev/posts/microsegmentation-vs-network-segmentation-the-question-every-security-team-eventually-asks-e41gzevdt) · Security Boulevard · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Understanding Kubernetes Microsegmentation](https://daily.dev/posts/understanding-kubernetes-microsegmentation-yfwknnvex) · cilium · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The Network Segmentation Spectrum](https://daily.dev/posts/the-network-segmentation-spectrum-j7tjmrdwd) · Isovalent · 4 upvotes · 0 comments - [Segmentation Remains a Foundational Security Concept](https://daily.dev/posts/segmentation-remains-a-foundational-security-concept-siye4tpod) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Why agentic systems need microsegmentation](https://daily.dev/posts/why-agentic-systems-need-microsegmentation-vlltbxt2l) · InfoWorld · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/microsegmentation-terminology-ipspace-net-blog-fq2sstwgw) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Microsegmentation Terminology « ipSpace.net blog","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsegmentation-terminology-ipspace-net-blog-fq2sstwgw","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsegmentation-terminology-ipspace-net-blog-fq2sstwgw"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T08:53:55.679Z","dateModified":"2026-08-11T09:15:36.806Z","description":"A clarification of the term 'microsegmentation' and how it differs from 'security groups'. 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