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reviewer1708782 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Security Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Consultant
Nov 23, 2021
Excellent continuous monitoring, helpful technical support, easy to scale, and simple to install
Pros and Cons
  • "The most recent is VMDR, which provides a comprehensive overview of how to detect, patch, and remediate specific vulnerabilities."
  • "Qualys currently does not have any features for scanning SCADA, IoT, and Industrial Control Systems."

What is our primary use case?

Qualys' main function is to scan IT systems. It does the scanning of computer systems.

What is most valuable?

Continuous Monitoring is excellent because it is entirely dependent on the agent, and the Agent Scan, is also quite good. 

I also like the asset tagging, asset grouping features, and the dashboard, because we can customize and create our own dashboard. That's quite good. 

The most recent is VMDR, which provides a comprehensive overview of how to detect, patch, and remediate specific vulnerabilities. That is also an excellent module.

What needs improvement?

The dashboard itself could be improved, while we can customize it, they can create different tabs where we can see the trending vulnerabilities, how many there are, or how many have been fixed, as in the most recent scan report, so that trend analysis is a little easier.

Aside from that, the solution itself is fairly generic in nature. What they can do is pretty much customize everything and provide a relevant solution for everything. For example, because Qualys has a Cloud Agent that scans a system's entire inventory. As a result, they can test their use cases to determine whether or not a vulnerability has been confirmed. If they can do so, they can also provide us with a straightforward solution to a specific problem rather than a generic one. That could be one area where they can improve. 

Qualys does not currently have an IoT, SCADA vulnerability assessment, they can significantly improve their IoT, SCADA, and ICS (Industrial Control Systems) vulnerability assessment technique. When you compare with Tenable SC it has more features than Qualys VM.

If you see power grids, large oil stations, they fall under SCADA and Industrial Control Systems. These systems are very different from standard IT systems. Qualys currently does not have any features for scanning SCADA, IoT, and Industrial Control Systems.

I believe they can improve on the addition of devices. Assume I have two lakhs of devices that cannot all be added at the same time. For example, if I have two lakhs of devices, and two lakhs of those devices have a Cloud Agent, adding all of those devices at once is not easy. We have to add it 1,000 at a time, which takes a long time when there are two lakhs of assets to add. If we do 1,000 at a time, we'll have to do it for around two lakhs, which is quite difficult.

They can increase their frequency of working faster, similar to the time constraint they currently have. The second thing they can improve is the addition of assets. They can almost completely automate the process of adding assets, or they can increase the maximum number of assets that can be added in one go. They are only allowed to add 1,000 assets. If I want to add two lakh assets, it will be extremely difficult to do so by adding 1,000, at a time.

That is a fairly technical issue. Most of the false positives reported by Qualys or the inability to detect a cumulative patch update, if any, are the few things that they can improve and incorporate. 

As I previously stated, it would be extremely beneficial if they could implement scanning, vulnerability scanning of IoT systems, Industrial Control Systems, and SCADA devices.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Qualys VM for approximately four years.

We have been using multiple Qualys modules, such as VMDR, Cloud Agent, AssetView, and Continuous Monitoring. The most recent version that we are using is 4.14.

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Qualys VMDR
December 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's reasonably steady. When we say stable version, there is also room for improvement in that Qualys will not be able to handle large amounts of data at once. When you do billions of scans, such as a scan for millions of devices, it becomes extremely slow, and gathering data and populating the report becomes extremely tedious. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is quite good. We can pretty much rely on the tool. It is easy to scale. 

If the organization grows, we can pretty much scale it to most of the areas. The only problem is that they must primarily work on Industrial Control Systems and lightweight devices such as CCTV cameras, and lightweight devices. As a result, they are required to work in that field, otherwise, it is pretty good.

Based on my previous experience, there were approximately 300 or more users using Qualys in organizations with a population of more than two lakh people. Currently, I see that approximately 400 users are using it, and the size of the organization is significantly larger than the previous one.

We use this solution daily.

How are customer service and support?

Technicals support is pretty good. Since I've been working in this, they've been friendly and straightforward, and we were able to get the most out of them.

We have suggested areas for improvement, and they have been working on them. They always make a good impression on us.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

As a consultant, I've worked on a variety of projects in a variety of organizations.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple and straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We initially had assistance from the vendor, but once we had a good understanding of it, we scaled it in our organization.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Because I've been using Qualys for quite some time, I was looking for a comparison of several solutions such as Tenable SC, Rapid7, InsightVM, and Tenable Nessus. I was curious to know if there were any other tools that were better than Qualys.

I was looking for more information about Tenable SC and wanted to compare it to Qualys in more detail, with parameters such as, how the false positives are detected in Tenable SC and how good it is in comparison to Qualys. In a similar manner, in comparison to Qualys, we learn about its usability, interface, and how user-friendly it is. Those are the few things I was looking for, and I'm still looking for more information about Tenable right now.

What other advice do I have?

They have the ability to improve SCADA. SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, and IoT stands for Internet of Things scanning.

Recommending this solution would depend on the organization, the requirements, and the devices they have.

For a typical IT system, it is very good to go with this solution. Microsoft, Deloitte, and the majority of organizations still use it, it is pretty much good to go. But, once again, it is entirely dependent on how the organization is, what type of devices they have, and what kind of scans they would like to have, it is entirely dependent.

In a broad sense, it is a good solution to go with.

I would rate Qualys VM an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2201862 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Jun 13, 2023
Efficient automation feature and provides us with a comprehensive security solution
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is automation."
  • "Qualys VMDR is basically susceptible to false positives, and false negatives."

What is our primary use case?

Qualys VMDR is a vulnerability management and detection response tool. It belongs to the first generation of vulnerability assessment tools. It enables us to manually identify vulnerable keys and fix them. It is built as a cutting-edge continuous platform where we can detect and protect. With this product, we can respond to specific vulnerabilities, going beyond just using artificial intelligence features. We have implemented VMDR across our cloud, physical interfaces, endpoints, and log servers. It's a good digital product for our organization.

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved our organization in many ways. We needed to have a security solution that focuses on different types of things. We discussed budgeting for the cloud and the need for an alternative to taking care of malware. Additionally, we have to consider various attacks. Therefore, Qualys VMDR is a great tool that helps us improve.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is automation.

What needs improvement?

Qualys VMDR is basically susceptible to false positives, and false negatives. We receive a lot of false positives in there. VMDR can be considered a complex solution, especially for enterprises with limited resources or organizations. It requires extensive knowledge as an engineer. So, when using this tool, you need to utilize other tools to remediate the false security issues.

So maybe it should also have the ability to automatically identify and address false positives. In additional features, an automated process for remediating false positives. We might be looking for new types of signatures that can help us identify and address specific issues.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qualys VMDR for one last year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

It took us one month to set up.

What was our ROI?

I have seen an ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is very reasonable, so you can definitely go with all the endpoints it offers.  

What other advice do I have?

Just consider the licenses we have within VMware. They could replicate some of these features, which are used for premium customers. So, it might be useful to include those features in the subscription plans.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Qualys VMDR
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Qualys VMDR. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,425 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Gabriel Clement - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead IT Security and Remediation at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Nov 19, 2022
Cloud-based vulnerability management solution that provides protection of our systems but could offer improved performance
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution gives us insight into our environment and improves our security. It helps us to maintain a good patching system whereby we know that XYZ is vulnerable within the system."
  • "Qualys could be improved in its overall performance compared to other vulnerability management or scanning tools."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution to scan the servers on the network. It is used predominantly by our information security team.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution gives us insight into our environment and improves our security. It helps us to maintain a good patching system whereby we know that XYZ is vulnerable within the system. 

What is most valuable?

Qualys makes us proactive in terms of handling patching and effective when it comes to scanning out network.

What needs improvement?

Qualys could be improved in its overall performance compared to other vulnerability management or scanning tools. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for five years. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have previously used Nessus. Overall, Nessus is a better tool because it provides greater insight into all vulnerabilities, some of which are skipped by Qualys. 

How was the initial setup?

This solution is very easy to set up. 

What about the implementation team?

We worked with a third party to complete deployment. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

In Nigerian Naira, we spend about roughly four to five million to use this solution and this is expensive compared to solutions like Nessus.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others to run a proof of concept and to exhaust all functionality if considering Qualys. This may take between 15 and 60 days to complete. 

I would rate this solution a six out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Jan Vobruba - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Security Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5
Oct 19, 2022
Easy to use, well supported with continually improving functionality
Pros and Cons
  • "Provides great functionality."
  • "Finding things in management can be quite difficult."

What is our primary use case?

Our customers use Qualys for vulnerability management, it's a way for them to discover the kinds of vulnerabilities they have on their systems. We are a partner with Qualys and I'm an infrastructure security consultant. We currently have 20 clients using Qualys. 

How has it helped my organization?

The functionality continues to improve and knowing when there are security issues is very helpful. 

What is most valuable?

I like the Qualys Cloud Agent because it's very easy to use. It has a low impact and is supported on Windows, Linux, and others. I deploy process scanners, which are usually connected to core switches so customers can replicate all the connections. Almost all our customers try to use the agents because they're already installed and integrated into the cloud and communicate with Qualys management. There are no problems and it's really better than using some virtual appliance to scan the various kinds of assets. Qualys has a lot of information and it's great to integrate with the Central Management Database.

What needs improvement?

If you're not overly experienced and you're looking for something in their management, it can sometimes be quite difficult because they can move buttons around without sending an update. Previously, if you deployed the Cloud Agent, you could define which tech would be under the agent and where it would be deployed. It now requires some text preparation and the Cloud Agent then downloads the specific profile defined without any indication that this might happen. If you are not using vulnerability management, you are not able to create the correct patch process for all applications stored on the system.

It would be helpful if Qualys would integrate with more systems like ServiceNow, Jira, and so on, to create some tickets and integrate them into the active directory, because each group works differently and if you need to prepare a ticket, it must be defined to a specific group of people. Qualys just created a kit on ServiceNow, but it doesn't have the correct group of people in the active directory.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for three years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. If you need more resources they can be added to the backend, depending on the circumstances and requirements. If you are able to deploy in the VMDR licensing, you are able to deploy unlimited virtual active appliances to discounted appliances. It all depends on your resources. 

How was the initial setup?

Each customer is different and if you need to deploy a more active virtual process that will affect the implementation. If a customer wants to use policy compliance on their machines that can add to deployment time too. I tend to deploy myself because I'm usually making the POCs of Qualys.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I believe the annual cost is approximately $40 per asset in VMDR, although it also depends on the circumstances. It contains all the features one needs although if you need synchronization with ServiceNow and CMDB, there is an additional cost. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I constantly speak to other companies to find out what they're doing and what the differences are between the different products. My job is to find the best solution for my customers so it's important to know what's on the market.

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
PeerSpot user
Sr Security Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Oct 5, 2022
Reliable solution with good vulnerability management
Pros and Cons
  • "Qualys VM's best features are vulnerability management and customizable scoring."
  • "Qualys VM's vulnerability scan could be improved, especially the number of CVE numbers it can manage at a time."

What is our primary use case?

I use Qualys VM for vulnerability scanning, enterprise management, web application scanning, and patch deployment.

What is most valuable?

Qualys VM's best features are vulnerability management and customizable scoring.

What needs improvement?

Qualys VM's vulnerability scan could be improved, especially the number of CVE numbers it can manage at a time. It could also be more user-friendly. In the next release, Qualys VM should include threat intelligence and external test service management.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Qualys VM for around six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Qualys VM is stable and reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Qualys VM is quite easy to scale.

How are customer service and support?

Qualys' customer service could be better.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not user-friendly.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Tenable but chose Qualys VM because of its management features.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Qualys VM eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1906245 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Analyst at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jul 20, 2022
A robust and user-friendly cloud-based service that gives you immediate, global visibility into potential vulnerabilities and threats
Pros and Cons
  • "I find Qualys VM very robust, and it's very useful for vulnerability management and patch management. The value that it brings to my environment is economies of scale. There is no limitation on adding any endpoints. You go by the rule, and it's added once another endpoint is added to our environment. It's automatically installed, and it's less work from our end. It frees up my license automatically if I don't need an endpoint or if my machine is decommissioned. I like the dashboard displays because I don't see any duplication. The most important part is vulnerability management and prioritization. Unlike Symantec, it shows the kind of vulnerability I would want to patch first. It provides a holistic view of the kind of vulnerabilities and the ones I should remediate first. I don't have to do a scan; it just brings up those critical kinds of vulnerabilities like zero-day vulnerabilities and tells me to prioritize them. You have to prioritize these vulnerabilities first and go on with the rest. The dashboard shows me the ones that have been fixed, so I don't have to complete an aging report. The user experience and the graphical interface are good. As it's user-friendly and understandable on an executive level, it brings real value. We also use this solution because it's robust and flexibile."
  • "The price could be better. Asset view is still a legacy feature. I'm not able to extract the information about the asset with complete details. It would be better if they fixed that in the next release. I know Qualys is already working on it, so I'm hopeful it will be available in the next five or six months. That would be something that's changed where I seek improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We're using the entire suite except for Patch Management. I use Qualys VM for my production environment on Amazon AWS. I also use it for my endpoints and some BDI solutions that require on-premise solutions, and I use it for both.

What is most valuable?

I find Qualys VM very robust, and it's very useful for vulnerability management and patch management. The value that it brings to my environment is economies of scale. There is no limitation on adding any endpoints. You go by the rule, and it's added once another endpoint is added to our environment. It's automatically installed, and it's less work from our end. It frees up my license automatically if I don't need an endpoint or if my machine is decommissioned.

I like the dashboard displays because I don't see any duplication. The most important part is vulnerability management and prioritization. Unlike Symantec, it shows the kind of vulnerability I would want to patch first. It provides a holistic view of the kind of vulnerabilities and the ones I should remediate first.

I don't have to do a scan; it just brings up those critical kinds of vulnerabilities like zero-day vulnerabilities and tells me to prioritize them. You have to prioritize these vulnerabilities first and go on with the rest. The dashboard shows me the ones that have been fixed, so I don't have to complete an aging report.

The user experience and the graphical interface are good. As it's user-friendly and understandable on an executive level, it brings real value. We also use this solution because it's robust and flexibile. 

What needs improvement?

The price could be better. Asset view is still a legacy feature. I'm not able to extract the information about the asset with complete details. It would be better if they fixed that in the next release.

I know Qualys is already working on it, so I'm hopeful it will be available in the next five or six months. That would be something that's changed where I seek improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Qualys VM for the past six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Qualys VM is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Qualys VM is a scalable solution. We currently have about 4500 users in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

Support could be a little bit faster. I haven't been granted access to their support portal, but I have a technical support engineer who's always available, and there is only one person I can talk to. But the problem is if he's absent, I'm left waiting for access to his portal. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Symantec before but switched to Qualys VM as there's no limitation to adding endpoints. The other reason everyone moved to Qualys VM was its robustness and flexibility. I think that's something that's there, and there was no hassle in deploying the agent. All I had to do was get these machines that were enrolled in our MDM solutions.

How was the initial setup?

As it's a cloud agent, there wasn't any specific setup. It's also managed centrally by Qualys, and when they always release a new update, all we have to do is push it. So, the maintenance requirement is minimum at best.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed this solution by ourselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Qualys VM is quite expensive. It's a subscription-based license, and it's yearly. Right now, it's open for me, and I don't have any limitations or caps on the licenses. They are seeing if the product is viable for 4500 users. I can add as much as I want, and at the end of the subscription, they'll let me know how many licenses were actually used and bill me accordingly.

On a scale from one to five, I would give their pricing a three. It's still expensive.

What other advice do I have?

If you're going for an on-premises solution, you should dive into the POC. Because I wasn't procuring an on-premises solution, it was pretty easy for me, and the support was quite helpful. But if you're going to deploy it on-premises, you should go through a proper procedure of going through the POC and getting to know the product. I would rate it at the top because it's better than Nexpose, it's better than Tenable, and it's better than Symantec.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Qualys VM an eight. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Minh-Do - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager (Journey Expert) - ANZ Deposits at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jun 16, 2022
Great automatic detection but slow performance
Pros and Cons
  • "Qualys VM's most valuable feature is automatic detection."
  • "Qualys VM should improve its methodology."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use Qualys VM to manage vulnerability tickets.

What is most valuable?

Qualys VM's most valuable feature is automatic detection.

What needs improvement?

Qualys VM should improve its methodology.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Qualys VM for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Qualys VM is stable but slow.

How are customer service and support?

Qualys' technical support is quite good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was quite straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Qualys VM as seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Tim Cranny - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal at a tech services company with self employed
Real User
May 29, 2022
Good return on investment, ease of deployment, and metrics
Pros and Cons
  • "The Vulnerability Management and Patch Management features are the most valuable features of this solution."
  • "Endpoint stability and fault resolution could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

It is a SaaS solution with agents distributed at endpoints.

How has it helped my organization?

Qualys VM has improved the way the organization functions.

What is most valuable?

The Vulnerability Management and Patch Management features are the most valuable features of this solution.

The most valuable qualities of Qualys VM are its ease of deployment and metrics.

What needs improvement?

Endpoint stability and fault resolution could be improved.

I would like to see the solution's footprint expanded to include iOS and iPads in the next release.

One example of how it could be better would be better handling of end-of-life systems and better feedback on job failures.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been working with Qualys VM for just over two years.

It is a cloud platform. I'm not sure if a version is associated with that. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Qualys VM is quite good, but not fantastic. I would rate it an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Qualys VM is very good.

This solution is used by five security or system administrators in our organization.

We have no plans to expand our usage; it is already widely deployed.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is mediocre at best.

I would rate them a two out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were previously using Lansweeper, which was not scalable.

How was the initial setup?

I would rate the initial setup a three out of five.

It took several weeks to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

We completed the deployment in-house.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are no additional fees in addition to the standard licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend identifying the right metrics to drive the program.

I would rate Qualys VM an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Qualys VMDR Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Qualys VMDR Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.