TippingPoint and Qualys team up on network security

Security vendors TippingPoint and Qualys have banded together to offer enterprises a comprehensive set of network security tools.

The companies said that the partnership will allow businesses to defend against known and emerging threats, and create reports that show where and how their networks might be vulnerable.

The reports could be used to assess the impact of new patches or other system changes before rolling them out, for example.

Under the partnership, TippingPoint's Intrusion Prevention System will be integrated with QualysGuard Vulnerability Management to offer what the pair claim will be complete protection.

"Qualys is a leader in vulnerability management, and has developed an extensive knowledge base of vulnerabilities," said Alan Kessler, president of TippingPoint.

"Mapping our Digital Vaccine filters to these known vulnerabilities provides customers with an effective solution for improving security, achieving compliance with regulatory requirements and reducing total cost of operation."

The tie-up will give enterprises a combined view of vulnerabilities and the patches that can fix them, according to the companies, and protect systems from being exploited by the latest viruses and worms.

Philippe Courtot, chairman and chief executive at Qualys, argued that it is increasingly important for IT vendors to work together, as no single vendor can offer total protection.

"We are delighted to partner with TippingPoint to tightly couple vulnerability management with intrusion prevention, thus bringing to market a joint solution that helps customers become more effective in defending against cyber attacks, and expedites their compliance initiatives at a cost they can afford," he added.