1. A machine-implemented method, comprising: establishing, within a global operating system environment provided by an operating system (OS) kernel, a first non-global zone which serves as a first virtual platform for supporting and isolating user processes, wherein the first non-global zone is a separate and distinct OS partition of the global operating system environment having a first zone identifier associated therewith, and wherein the first non-global zone is established and exists without requiring any user processes to be running therein; establishing, within the global operating system environment, a second non-global zone which serves as a second virtual platform for supporting and isolating user processes, wherein the second non-global zone is a separate and distinct OS partition of the global operating system environment having a second zone identifier associated therewith, and wherein the second non-global zone is established and exists without requiring any user processes to be running therein; executing a first set of one or more user processes within the first non-global zone; executing a second set of one or more user processes within the second non-global zone; and isolating the first set of one or more user processes within the first non-global zone and the second set of one or more user processes within the second non-global zone such that the first set of one or more user processes cannot access processes in the second non-global zone and the second set of one or more user processes cannot access processes in the first non-global zone; wherein the first and second non-global zones are established by the OS kernel, and wherein the OS kernel enforces zone boundaries to isolate the first set of one or more user processes within the first non-global zone and the second set of one or more user processes within the second non-global zone.