Qualys enhances its free cloud service BrowserCheck Business Edition

Qualys announced at RSA Conference 2013 that Qualys BrowserCheck Business Edition, the company’s free cloud service, now gives organizations end-to-end automation for continuously monitoring which browsers, plugins, security settings and OS updates are present on users’ computers.

IT administrators can now use the solution’s web console to install BrowserCheck on employees’ and contractors’ computers, set up periodic automatic scans that are undetected by the users, and view reports of the results. Using the service, businesses can more effectively manage computer security across their organizations and show compliance auditors that systems are being kept up-to-date.

The enhanced Qualys BrowserCheck Business Edition web console automates the continuous monitoring of browser-related software on employees’ computers and helps them update their systems when needed. It provides:

• Automated Deployment. IT administrators can download a Microsoft System Installer (MSI) file that can be pushed to users’ PCs through software-deployment tools such as Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). This file adds a small extension to the IE, Chrome and Firefox web browsers that performs the BrowserCheck scans and communicates securely with the BrowserCheck web console.
• Automated Scanning. BrowserCheck can silently scan users’ computers daily, weekly or monthly – without requiring any effort by the user. It identifies which browsers and plugins are installed on each computer, which security packages (such as antivirus, firewalls and disk encryption) are enabled, and whether any Microsoft Security Updates are missing.
• Automated Tracking. The results of each scan are securely transmitted to the BrowserCheck web console for analysis and archiving. IT administrators can see the current status of each computer and examine specific scans to see how a particular machine has changed over time.
• Automated User Notification with “Fix It” Buttons. When a BrowserCheck scan detects that something is out-of-date, it notifies the user and shows which software or setting needs updating. The user can then click a simple “Fix It” button to download the appropriate patch or update directly from vendors’ websites.

“The constant churn of fixes and patches from software vendors makes it difficult for businesses to accurately track what’s on their computers and whether they’re up-to-date,” said Philippe Courtot, chairman and CEO of Qualys. “By providing automated, continuous monitoring, Qualys BrowserCheck gives businesses a reliable way to measure and manage what they actually have so that they can follow best practices for security and address growing compliance mandates.”