Gartner Research

A Comparison of Vulnerability and Security Configuration Assessment Solutions

Published: 01 August 2017

ID: G00322810

Analyst(s): Mark Judd, Anton Chuvakin, Augusto Barros

Summary

Vulnerability assessment tools play a critical role in enterprise vulnerability management. Technical professionals implementing VA tools can use this assessment to compare enterprise-ready VA tools based on modern use cases, expanded core capabilities and emerging focus areas.

Table Of Contents

Comparison

  • Vendor Criteria
  • Highlights Comparison

Analysis

  • VA/SCA Market
    • Market Basics
    • Market Drivers
    • VA/SCA Deployment Options
    • Vendor Enterprise Readiness
    • VA and SCA Integration
  • Vulnerability Assessment Market Trends
    • Effective Prioritization Is Still an Issue
    • Highly Specialized VA May Still Require Special-Purpose Tools
    • Organizations Are Seeing the Limitations of VA Tools Versus Homegrown Application Vulnerabilities
    • VA Versus DAST: Key Differences
  • Market Evolution and Potential Disruptors
  • Alternative Approaches

Guidance

  • For Large Deployments, Choose Vendors That Can Demonstrate Proven Experience With Similar Projects
  • Plan Your VA Deployment Architecturally, Then Talk to References
  • Compare Vendors on Core Capabilities First, but Don't Stop There
  • Use a Dedicated Product for VA
  • Match the Vendor's VA/SCA Approach to Your Own
  • Know Where the General-Purpose VA Tool Reaches Its Limits
  • Steer Compliance-Focused VA Projects Toward a Risk-Based Approach
  • Assess Vulnerability Prioritization Capabilities, and Consider Additional Tools If Necessary

The Details

  • Comprehensive Capability Comparison
  • Vendor Profiles
    • BeyondTrust
    • Qualys
    • Rapid7
    • Tenable Network Security
    • Tripwire

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