Web applications security testing specialist Cenzic announced the latest version of its flagship scanning platform on Monday, adding new capabilities for inspecting programs utilizing virtualization technologies made by VMWare.
While leading software development platform makers, including IBM and HP, have invested heavily in acquiring assets from the applications testing tools market over the last year in an effort to force programmers to improve the quality of their work, hundreds of millions of existing Web applications still need to be examined for potential flaws, Cenzic officials maintain.
However, because companies are often resistant to the idea of pointing vulnerability-testing tools at their live applications -- based largely on fears of bringing the programs down or corrupting the data they handle -- many businesses have been reluctant to begin scanning all of their programs for potential flaws.
By linking its Cenzic Hailstorm Enterprise ARC (Application Risk Controller) package with VMware's Lab Manager and Virtual Center technologies, said officials with the apps testing software vendor, the company has been able to blend its security skills with widely-distributed virtualization tools being used by many large businesses today, and therein lower the impact of the vulnerability-scouring process.
The ability to use the virtualized environments provided by the Lab Manager and Virtual Center products to test exact copies of their applications without putting their real operations or data at risk should spur even greater interest in adopting applications scanning tools altogether, Cenzic executives contend.
"We think that offering the ability for companies to test their production applications in a virtual staging environment, where they aren't exposed the same risks of slowing operations or corrupting data, will be a big deal," said John Weinschenk, chief executive of Cenzic.
"The reason some people have avoided this level of testing is because they are too worried about disrupting their business, but the truth is these are the real applications that have the data they want to protect and that are being attacked on a daily basis" he said. "They've been searching for something that can protect uptime while searching for problems, and virtualization is the key to all of that."
In addition to giving companies more flexibility for initially testing their applications for security flaws, the executive maintains that the new Hailstorm-VMWare features will also make it more palatable for organizations to engage in "continuous testing" to stay abreast of any new defects they may discover in their applications over time.
Weinschenk said that most large businesses are already using virtualization tools with a vast majority of Fortune 100 companies investing specifically in VMWare's products.
Many of those companies are actively looking for additional areas where they can bring the tools to bear on their IT operations, he said, and the CEO contends that applications security testing will be received as an attractive opportunity to embrace virtualization even further.
Expanding the horizons of virtualization
Describing VMware's products as a "gaming console" and Cenzic's new tools as the "next big game," the executive said that once IT leaders realize that they can use the platforms together to more safely search their production apps for problems, he believes it will prove a significant boon to his company's prospects.
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts
This white paper provides guidance on how to develop a strategic approach to managing and monitoring logs, a key function required for compliance with many regulatory mandates and a critical defense against security threats.
Download now! »
Learn about the processes and technologies that support security information management (SIM) operations, as well as the business case for SIM. The series examines different options for implementing SIM and gives you evaluation criteria for selecting the best option for your organization.
Download now! »
Learn the strategies, actions, and capabilities that Best-in-Class organizations employ and technologies they choose to obtain superior performance against various security performance metrics. This report provides guidelines for identifying which security solutions to consume as a MSS and defines best practices for choosing and managing MSSPs.
Download now! »
1 Recommendation
