Qualys now supports macOS in its cloud security tools
Qualys,
sometimes
described
as
one
of
the
pioneering
SaaS
vendors,
has
bent
with
the
times
to
begin
offering
Mac
support
within
its
cloud
security
offering.
Qualys,
sometimes
described
as
one
of
the
pioneering
SaaS
vendors,
has
bent
with
the
times
to
begin
offering
Mac
support
within
its
cloud
security
offering.
A
pioneer
in
SaaS
goes
Mac
Since
it
launched
in
1999,
Qualys
has
traditionally
offered
its
services
to
PCs,
mobile
devices,
and
cloud-native
applications. The
company’s
original
2000
product,
QualysGuard,
was
distinguished
as
one
of
the
first
to
market
vulnerability
management
tools.
What’s
also
interesting
about
the
offer
is
that
it
has
strategic
partnerships
with
key
managed
service
providers
and
consultancies,
such
as
Wipro,
Verizon,
BT,
Symantec,
and
others.
The
company
claims
existing
clients
include
most
Forbes
Global
100
and
Fortune
100
firms.
The
introduction
of
Mac
support
proves
the
growing
status of
Macs
in
enterprise
IT,
representing
the
momentum
the
platform
continues
to
build,
particularly
since
the
launch
of
M-series
Macs.
“In
the
past
few
years,
many
of
our
customers
have
seen
a
sharp
increase
in
the
number
of
Mac
devices
introduced
to
their
environment,”
wrote
Eran
Livne,
senior
director
of
product
management
at
Qualys,
in
a
company
blog
announcing
the
move.
A
Mac
tool
for
Windows
admins
Livne
argues
that
the
introduction
of
macOS
patch
management
by
Qualys
means
IT
will
be
able
to
stick
with
tools
admins
already
use
for
Windows
and
Linux
devices
while
securing
the
enterprise
environment.
Features
include:
-
The
same
smart
automation
and
remediation
workflows
as
available
for
Windows
systems. -
The
ability
of
Qualys
Cloud
Mac
Agent
to
detect
and
deploy
Mac
OS
patches
and
patches
for
third-party
Mac
apps. -
Full
integration
with
the
Qualys
VMDR
and
the
current
patch
management
offering.
“Customers
told
us
how
using
one
solution
not
only
for
the
detection
of
vulnerabilities,
but
also
for
understanding
the
risk
of
those
vulnerabilities
and
being
able
to
efficiently
respond
and
remediate
those
vulnerabilities
save
them
time
and
allow
them
to
become
significantly
more
secure,”
Livne
said.
Qualys
has
consciously
built
its
Mac
support
in
such
a
way
that
existing
Windows
admins
will
find
the
tool
familiar. Jobs
can
be
run
on
demand,
at
scheduled
times,
or
during
defined
maintenance
windows.
Admins
can
also
use
the
tool
to
reboot
a
system,
if
required.
The
company
is
offering
existing
customers
trial
licenses
so
they
can
begin
testing
the
Mac
support
across
their
fleets.
Apple
and
the
future
of
the
enterprise
The
Mac
device
management
space
is
flourishing
as
Apple
deployments
in
the
enterprise
continue
to
accelerate.
This
is
prompting
the
appearance
of
new
competitors
in
a
area
arguably
first
explored
by
Jamf,
with
brand
new
MDM
start-ups
entering
the
fray
and
established
companies
such
as
Qualys
adding
Apple
support
to
existing
solutions.
Increased
competition
emerges
as
companies
themselves
seek
to
bring
their
Security
Service
Edge
(SSE)
solutions
into
increasingly
tight
budgetary
controls.
A
recent
Gartner
report
claims
that
by
2025,
80%
of
enterprises
will
have
adopted
a
strategy
to
unify
web,
cloud
services,
and
private
application
access
from
a
single
vendor’s
SSE
platform.
Of
course,
within
this
convergence
of
forces
the
debate
will
evolve
in
two
directions:
those
who
believe
enterprise
tech
is
best
served
through
reliance
on
best-in-breed
solutions
providing
the
best
possible
support
for
dedicated
platforms,
and
those
seeking
tools
with
which
to
manage
multiple
platforms
from
one
place.
For
Apple,
that
this
debate
has
emerged
at
all
testifies
to
the
success
the
company
has
enjoyed
as
the
iPhone
exposed
numerous
industries
to
an
accelerating
tide
of
digital
transformation.
The
fact
that
established
Windows-centric
companies
now
choose
to
introduce
Mac
support
within
their
enterprise
products
shows
the
extent
of
change
that
has
taken — and
is
expected
to
continue
to
take —
place.
Please
follow
me
on Mastodon,
or
join
me
in
the AppleHolic’s
bar
&
grill and Apple Discussions groups
on
MeWe.
About Author
