Qualys
Overview
Qualys is the leading provider of on demand IT security risk and compliance solutions – delivered as a service. Qualys solutions enable organizations of all sizes to easily and cost-effectively ensure that their business technology systems remain highly secure and within regulatory compliance.
In recent years, the demands on companies and government agencies to protect their networks and applications from attacker exploits that threaten the security of proprietary information—including customer data—have skyrocketed. Not only has the dependence on IT systems increased for nearly every business, but so have the financial motivations of criminals to breach those systems.
The result is an increase in the sophistication of attacks that jeopardize the confidentiality, integrity and availability of applications, data and critical business networks. At the same time, the demands of regulatory compliance have risen dramatically. Whether it’s the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or the multitude of state data breach disclosure acts such as SB-1386, regulatory compliance has touched nearly every organization— from small internet merchants to multinational corporations.
Qualys’ on demand security risk and compliance management solutions make it possible for organizations to strengthen the security of their networks and conduct automated security audits that ensure regulatory compliance and adherence to internal security policies. Qualys is the only security company that delivers these solutions through a single Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform: QualysGuard’. All of Qualys’ on demand solutions can be deployed within hours anywhere around the globe, providing customers an immediate view of their security and compliance posture. As a result, QualysGuard is the most widely deployed security on demand solution in the world, performing more than 500 million IP audits (maps and scans) per year.
The Pioneer of On Demand Security
Qualys was founded in 1999 at the height of the technology bubble, when network security was just beginning to appear on the agendas of executive management meetings around the globe. The company launched QualysGuard in December 2000, making Qualys among the first entrants in the vulnerability management market. QualysGuard moved to market with a powerful combination of highly accurate and easy-to-use scanning technology and a pioneered a revolutionary new approach to delivering security applications through the Web, which would later be called “Software-as-a-Service.”
Qualys witnessed its customers experiencing the on demand power and flexibility with the SaaS model compared to the traditional enterprise software approach: lower total cost of ownership, the ability to access and manage the application from any Web browser, and never-before-seen access to new and upgraded applications—thanks to the shorter SaaS development cycles that help address new and emerging security threats.
In 2005, Qualys extended its QualysGuard product line to help customers better manage IT compliance issues—which are inextricably intertwined with vulnerability management—including what has now become the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Qualys’ move into IT compliance leverages and significantly aids its existing client base in such heavily regulated industries as financial services, retail, manufacturing, government, and health care. In 2008 Qualys introduced QualysGuard Policy Compliance which extends QualysGuard’s global scanning capabilities to collect IT compliance data from hosts and other assets within the organization, and maps this information into policies to document compliance with regulations and mandates. In 2008, Qualys launched QualysGuard Web Application Scanning (WAS). This year, Qualys launched QualysGuard Malware Detection and Qualys SECURE Seal to help organizations protect their web sites from malware and vulnerabilities.