Person 1: “Hey, our operations and manufacturing have stopped.
Person 2: Wait, how’d that happen?
Person 1: We’ve been attacked!
Person 2: But it’s just machines, what could they attack for?
Person 1: A ransom of $ 1 million!”
Nobody in a company would want to have this conversation but many already have and still are.
Cyber-attacks are becoming more complex, and enterprises need to level-up their defenses to secure their IT environments. Vulnerability Management tools have become companies detect, assess, prioritize, and remediate CVEs and beyond. These tools provide the backbone for proactive defense strategies against cyberattacks.
But not all vulnerability management tools are created equally. With so many options available, it is challenging to decide which one fits your needs. In this blog, we’ll compare the top VM solutions, including SanerNow Vulnerability Management, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, ServiceNow, CrowdStrike, Wiz, Qualys, AWS, Rapid7, and SAP. We will examine the features, functionalities, and how they stack up against each other.
Key Features of an Effective Vulnerability Management Tool
Before diving into each tool’s specifics, it’s important to establish a baseline. A reliable Vulnerability Management solution should offer:
- Comprehensive asset discovery: It should provide visibility into all assets, including software, hardware, and cloud environments.
- Real-time vulnerability assessment: The ability to scan continuously and identify vulnerabilities as they arise.
- Risk prioritization: Not all vulnerabilities are equally dangerous, a robust tool prioritizes based on their risk impact.
- Automated remediation: The tool should automate patch deployment or remediations steps to reduce human intervention.
- Customizable dashboards and reports: Security teams need a clear view of their security posture; hence customizable reports are essential.
Now let’s dive into Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs SanerNow and Others
- SanerNow Vulnerability Management
SecPod’s SanerNow stands out for its lightweight agent, continuous real-time scanning, and an extensive database of vulnerabilities (190,000+). It automates the entire vulnerability management lifecycle, from scanning to prioritizing to remediation. SanerNow’s key advantage is its ability to support multiple OS platforms, making it a versatile choice for diverse IT environments.
- ServiceNow Vulnerability Management
ServiceNow is well-known for its IT service management capabilities, and its vulnerability management module is no different. Also, it offers automated workflows, connects vulnerabilities to IT assets, and integrates with various patching solutions. ServiceNow excels in organizations that already use its ITSM platform as it can seamlessly leverage existing workflows for vulnerability management. However, it’s only suited for enterprises already using its ITSM platform.
- CrowdStrike Vulnerability Management
CrowdStrike Falcon, while primarily known as an endpoint protection platform, includes a robust vulnerability management feature. It works in environments that prioritize endpoint protection and threat intelligence. With CrowdStrike, you get a cloud-native solution that offers real-time visibility into vulnerabilities as part of its broader cybersecurity suite. However, it focuses only on endpoint protection, offering fewer features for network-wide vulnerability management.
- Wiz Vulnerability Management
Wiz focuses heavily on cloud security and offers unique capabilities for monitoring cloud workloads and applications. It is used in identifying both vulnerabilities and misconfigurations across major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. If your infrastructure is heavily cloud-based, Wiz might be the best fit for your needs. However, the limitation is only for cloud environments, lacking support for on-premises systems.
- Qualys Vulnerability Management
Qualys has been a staple in the vulnerability management market for years. Its platform provides comprehensive scanning for on-premises, cloud, and container environments. Qualys is known for its depth of scanning capabilities and is suitable for larger enterprises needing detailed insights into their vulnerability landscape. However, the platform is complex to use and difficult for smaller teams.
- AWS Vulnerability Management
AWS offers its own vulnerability management through Amazon Inspector. This service assesses vulnerabilities in Amazon EC2 instances and container workloads. Its deep integration with AWS services makes it an ideal choice for organizations heavily relying on AWS infrastructure. Also, it only works with AWS, making it unstable for hybrid or cloud IT environments.
- Rapid7 Vulnerability Management
Rapid7’s InsightVM offers vulnerability scanning and risk assessment capabilities. It provides visibility into your network, allowing you to prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk score. With integrations into popular IT and security tools, Rapid7 provides a balance between ease of use and comprehensive security insights. However, Rapid7 can be resource intensive, potentially impacting performance on larger networks.
- SAP Vulnerability Management
SAP’s vulnerability management focuses on business-critical systems like ERP applications. It offers integrated solutions to manage security risks associated with SAP software. This solution is particularly valuable for organizations with heavy investments in SAP applications, offering tailored security monitoring. Since it is only tailored to SAP environments, its offering is limited to use outside of SAP systems.
- Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is a part of Microsoft’s broader security ecosystem. It integrates smoothly with Windows environments and offers real-time insights into system vulnerabilities. It shines in its ability to work within Microsoft infrastructures, offering automated patching, continuous monitoring, and deep integration with other Microsoft services like Azure and Office 365. However, this is the strongest only in Windows systems and lacks cross-platform support for other operating systems.
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Vs SanerNow and Others!
| Tool | Agent Performance | Supported Environments | Real-time Scanning | Risk Prioritization | Patch Management Integration | Custom Reporting |
| SanerNow Vulnerability Management | Lightweight and effective | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | CISA SSVC based risk prioritization | Fully integrated with patch SanerNow patch management | Highly customizable and detailed reporting |
| ServiceNow Vulnerability Management | Moderate | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Prioritized based on IT workflows | Limited patching options | Customizable but ITSM specific |
| CrowdStrike Vulnerability Management | Heavy for endpoints | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Endpoint risk scoring | Limited integration with patching tools | Basic, not focused on VM |
| Wiz Vulnerability Management | Cloud-native, no agent required | AWS, Azure, GCP | Yes | Cloud-native prioritization | Limited patching automation | Limited reporting options |
| Qualys Vulnerability Management | Moderate | Cloud containers | Yes | Detailed prioritization | Full patch management integration | Customizable, may be complex |
| AWS Vulnerability Management | Lightweight for AWS workloads | AWS | Yes | AWS-native risk scoring | Integration with AWS patching tools only | Limited AWS-centric |
| Rapid7 Vulnerability Management | Moderate | On-prem, Cloud | Yes | Advanced risk prioritization | Patch management integration | Customizable |
| SAP Vulnerability Management | N/A | SAP based applications | No | SAP-specific risk scoring | Limited patching integration | Customizable SAP-focused |
| Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management | Moderate | Windows, Azure | Yes | Microsoft 365 integrated | Integration with Microsoft patching | Customizable windows-centric |
Conclusion
Choosing the right vulnerability management tool is a crucial decision that depends heavily on your company’s specific environment, needs, and budget. While each tool discussed here SanerNow, Microsoft Defender, ServiceNow, CrowdStrike, Wiz, Qualys, AWS, Rapid7, and SAP offers strong features, they each come with unique capabilities and limitations.
Also, for enterprises needing a versatile, cross-platform solution with a streamlined approach to the entire vulnerability management lifecycle, SanerNow is an excellent choice!
