WatchGuard AuditScan, Powered by Qualys, Delivers Proactive Vulnerability Assessment Services to Small-to-Medium-Sized Enterprises

Seattle, WA — September 22, 2003 — WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: WGRD), a leading provider of Internet security solutions, will offer its customers network vulnerability assessment (VA) services in partnership with Qualys, Inc., a leading Web Service Provider (WSP) of network security audits and vulnerability management. The new service, called WatchGuard AuditScan, enables customers to identify and resolve security vulnerabilities in real time. The AuditScan service complements the day-to-day defense provided by WatchGuard security appliances and enhances the proactive protection already available to WatchGuard customers through the company’s current LiveSecurity subscription service offering.

The WatchGuard AuditScan service, powered by Qualys, will be offered as an option to WatchGuard customers through the LiveSecurity service. Every WatchGuard product is delivered with a renewable subscription to the LiveSecurity service, which is designed to help customers stay ahead of emerging threats and ensure access to the tools and support necessary to proactively manage network security efficiently and cost-effectively.

According to the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), 99 percent of all network intrusions occurred based on known vulnerabilities and could have been prevented with proactive vulnerability assessment. AuditScan is designed to enable organizations to perform independent network security audits quickly, easily and cost effectively through its Web service architecture without incurring the burden and cost of deploying and maintaining complex software and hardware.

“In the wake of recent worms and cyber attacks, regular and independent security audits are becoming an absolute requirement to protect our network, ensure compliance and perform timely remediation,” said Tad Seckinger, vice president of information systems, Independent National Bank. “As a customer of both WatchGuard and Qualys, I see the bundling of services as a cost-effective, time-saving proposition that will allow me to better secure the business against potential security threats.”

“It’s becoming a necessity for companies of all sizes to conduct independent security audits on a frequent basis,” said Jason Wright, program leader/network security, Frost & Sullivan. “Not only does VA support regulatory compliance, but it provides a proactive layer of security against increasingly sophisticated attacks like the Slammer and Blaster worms we’ve seen over the past several months. The key is to incorporate this service into the overall security program in a way that minimizes the impact on resources and maximizes protection against emerging threats. An IT administrator that is already overburdened needs a tool from a trusted source that is easy to buy, deploy and manage.”

“Growing enterprises want best-of-breed solutions, but don’t necessarily have the time to research and implement services like vulnerability assessment,” said Jim Cady, CEO, WatchGuard. “We’re meeting an expressed customer need by serving as an aggregator of security solutions and delivering an enterprise-class vulnerability assessment service as a part of the total WatchGuard solution. Qualys has one of the best VA services available today. It offers accuracy by maintaining a database of vulnerabilities that is one of the largest and most up-to-date in the industry, and it gives customers an easy-to-use service with in-depth remediation and educational tools.”

“With more than 200,000 appliances sold, WatchGuard has a well-deserved reputation for both its security expertise and for its understanding of the needs of the small-to-medium-sized enterprise,” said Philippe Courtot, CEO, Qualys. “We feel that this partnership will be a win for our joint customers. Getting access to our Web-based services through WatchGuard – a vendor they already trust for firewall, VPN, intrusion protection functionality and a wide range of other security features – makes it easy for them to add another important layer to their network security.”

About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

WatchGuard is a leading provider of Internet security solutions for small- to medium-sized enterprises worldwide, delivering integrated products and services that are robust as well as easy to buy, deploy and manage. WatchGuard security appliances are designed to deliver powerful firewall and VPN performance, outstanding security, intrusion prevention and networking features, scalability, and flexibility in an affordable, integrated solution. Every WatchGuard product comes with an initial subscription to the company’s innovative LiveSecurity service, which is designed to protect customers against constantly emerging threats by providing timely systematic updates, security intelligence and expert information. As a recent addition to its suite of security solutions, the company now offers customers the WatchGuard AuditScan service, powered by Qualys, a vulnerability assessment service that provides another layer of proactive perimeter protection to complement the security appliance. For more information, please call (206) 521-8340 or visit www.watchguard.com

About QualysGuard

QualysGuard is an on-demand security audit service delivered over the web that enables organizations to effectively manage their vulnerabilities and maintain control over their network security with centralized reports, verified remedies, and full remediation workflow capabilities with trouble tickets. QualysGuard provides comprehensive reports on vulnerabilities including severity levels, time to fix estimates and impact on business, plus trend analysis on security issues. By continuously and proactively monitoring all network access points, QualysGuard dramatically reduces security managers’ time researching, scanning and fixing network exposures and enables companies to eliminate network vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

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