Cable & Wireless a-Services Selects Qualys to Deliver Online Security Solution

Cable & Wireless a-Services to Utilise QualysGuard Platform for Network Vulnerability Assessment of US and UK Data Centres

— April 25, 2001 — Qualys, a leader in the emerging field of online network vulnerability assessment services, is today announcing an agreement with Cable & Wireless a-Services, a global company established by Cable & Wireless, in alliance with Compaq and Microsoft. Cable & Wireless a-Services will be utilising Qualys’ flagship product, QualysGuard, to audit its US and UK datacentres in order to fortify against network vulnerabilities.

Cable & Wireless a-Services, provides businesses with an IT infrastructure solution that combines hosted business applications with Internet access, end user Internet appliances such as desktop PCs and handheld devices, and 24x7 services and support. With businesses increasingly vulnerable to external attacks on their IT networks, Cable & Wireless a-Services will be deploying QualysGuard as a security safeguard, providing its customers with added peace of mind.

Chris Ellis, VP Engineering, of Cable & Wireless a-Services, comments: “The Cable & Wireless a-Services solution offers small and medium sized businesses access to an entire IT infrastructure including the network, the hardware, the software, and the services. We need to ensure that the infrastructure is highly secure as we are responsible for mission critical data and applications. Independent security monitoring is vital for our business, and QualysGuard will enable us to continuously monitor the network, and ensure that we are able to deliver a highly secure service to our customers.”

Qualys recently launch its UK operation, following the company’s success in Europe and the US, and its QualysGuard platform is the first online service to provide automated network security audits to detect and assess Internet vulnerabilities. It follows the ASP business model and is provided on a subscription basis allowing companies to undertake an unlimited number of audits at a fixed cost, and without the hassle of deploying or upgrading any hardware or software.

Philippe Courtot, chairman and CEO of Qualys, comments: “Under the current climate, sporadic vulnerability checks do not provide the level of security that is needed for effective protection against network intrusion. QualysGuard will give Cable & Wireless a-services access to on-going network vulnerability assessment. The company will be able to conduct network checks as frequently as required, drawing from a daily updated database of known threats to the network perimeter.”

“The new-generation QualysGuard platform, launched today, will make it even easier for Managed Security Providers to quickly integrate vulnerability assessment and monitoring solutions into their security offerings,” he added.

About Cable & Wireless a-Services

Cable & Wireless a-Services is a global company established by Cable & Wireless - in alliance with Compaq and Microsoft - to provide businesses with a revolutionary new way to deploy IT and business applications.

About Cable & Wireless

Cable & Wireless is a major global telecommunications business with revenue of over £9 billion (US$14 billion) in the year to 31 March 2000 and customers in 70 countries. Its operations around the world offer a full range of telecommunications services. Cable & Wireless’ focus for future growth is on IP (Internet Protocol) and data services and solutions for business customers. It is developing advanced IP networks and value-added services in the US, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region in support of this strategy. With the capability of its global IP infrastructure and its strength in key markets, Cable & Wireless holds a unique position in terms of global coverage and services to business customers.

About Qualys

With more than 2,000 subscribers ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, Qualys has become the leader in on demand vulnerability management and policy compliance. The company allows security managers to strengthen the security of their networks effectively, conduct automated security audits and ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations. Qualys’ on demand technology offers customers significant economic advantages, requiring no capital outlay or infrastructure to deploy and manage. Its distributed scanning capabilities and unprecedented scalability make it ideal for large, distributed organisations. Hundreds of large companies have deployed Qualys on a global scale, including AXA, DuPont, Hershey Foods, ICI Ltd, Novartis, Sodexho, Standard Chartered Bank and many others. Qualys is headquartered in Redwood City, California, with European offices in France, Germany and the U.K., and Asian representatives in Japan, Singapore, Australia, Korea and the Republic of China. For more information, please visit www.qualys.com.


Qualys, the Qualys logo and QualysGuard are proprietary trademarks of Qualys, Inc. All other products or names may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact:
Tami Casey
Qualys
media@qualys.com