Traditional Vulnerability Scanner vs. Security Audit Platform: A Comparison for MSPs

Find out how lywand's security audit platform differs from traditional vulnerability scanners and which solution is best suited to your MSP business.

As a managed service provider (MSP) or IT service provider, you are faced with the challenge of offering your customers the most effective security solutions.

In an age when cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, it is crucial to use the right tools to maximize security and make the best use of your resources. In this article, we compare traditional vulnerability scanners with the lywand Security Audit Platform and help you make the best decision for your business.

Data Analysis with Vulnerability Scanners

What are Vulnerability Scanners?

Vulnerability scanners are automated tools that scan networks, systems, and applications for known security vulnerabilities. They use databases of published vulnerabilities (e.g. CVEs) to check whether your customers' systems are vulnerable.

Benefits of Vulnerability Scanners for MSPs

Automation through vulnerability scanners enables MSPs to perform regular scans without manual effort. These tools can check various systems and applications simultaneously, ensuring broad coverage of your clients' IT infrastructure. By quickly identifying known vulnerabilities, you can take timely action to increase your clients' security.

Limitations of Vulnerability Scanners

Despite their advantages, vulnerability scanners often generate many false positives, which leads to additional analysis work. The reports are often technically complex and require expert knowledge to interpret and derive appropriate measures. Furthermore, the focus is on known vulnerabilities, so that new threats or configuration errors may be overlooked. The implementation of the measures often requires a great deal of manual effort and human resources.

The Lywand Security Audit Platform: Customized for the Needs of MSPs

The lywand Security Audit Platform was developed specifically to provide MSPs and IT service providers with an efficient and effective way to proactively improve their clients' security. It goes beyond the capabilities of traditional vulnerability scanners and offers a range of additional features.

Security Dashboard of the Security Audit Platform

Advantages of the lywand Platform for MSPs

Lywand performs a comprehensive analysis of the entire IT infrastructure, including external and internal systems, configurations, and system settings. The results are presented in an easy-to-understand format that facilitates communication with your customers and gives them a clear picture of the security situation.

The platform provides specific recommendations for action that are tailored to your customers' individual environments. Features such as Auto Healing can automatically eliminate up to 80% of internal vulnerabilities, significantly reducing the need for manual intervention.

Special Features of the lywand Platform

  • Multi-tenant interface

    The multi-tenant interface allows you to keep track of the security situation of all your customers and manage them easily and conveniently. This enables you to efficiently support multiple customers at the same time and facilitates the management of security measures across different clients.

  • Cross-customer analyses

    Lywand enables detailed analysis across multiple customers. You can find out how you can most effectively improve the security situation for all customers at the same time. This feature helps you identify trends and develop prioritized measures that have the greatest impact on overall security.

  • Open API and connection to ticketing systems

    The platform offers an open API and seamless integration with ticketing systems. You can manage all tickets in one place and process actions directly in your existing workflow. This increases efficiency and ensures that no important tasks are overlooked.

  • Whitelabeling

    Present the platform in your own branding and determine what your customers are allowed to see and what communication they should receive. By white labeling, you strengthen your brand presence and promote your customers' trust in your services.

  • Customer accesses

    Give your customers access to the platform and determine which authorizations are appropriate. This allows your customers to view their company's security situation and track progress, while you retain control over the accessible information.

You can find all the functions of the Security Audit Platform here.

Direct Comparison: Conventional Vulnerability Scanner vs. lywand

Characteristic

Conventional Vulnerability Scanner

Lywand Security Audit Platform

Utilization

Identification of vulnerabilities in networks, systems and applications through selective scans.

Automated, regular checks and sustainable improvement of the IT security situation of SMEs.

Features

Support for managing multiple customer networks.

Scanning networks, devices and applications for known security vulnerabilities.

Checking for open ports and outdated software.

Creating a technical report for the customer's IT department.

Multi-tenant interface for managing multiple customers.

Whitelabeling for adaptation to your own branding.

Automated security check of the entire IT infrastructure.

Concrete recommendations for improving security.

Auto-Healing function for automatically eliminating internal vulnerabilities.

Management report and presentation using a company analogy for customers.

User

Security professionals.

Specifically designed for MSPs and IT service providers.

Can be used without in-depth security expertise.

Target group

Large companies and SMEs that have technical staff available to evaluate the reports.

In particular for SMEs that require a simple and automated solution for comprehensive security analyses.

Which Solution is Right for Your MSP Business?

Vulnerability Scanners are Useful if...

  • You already have a team of security professionals who can interpret the results and take action.

  • The focus is on quickly identifying known vulnerabilities.

  • Your customers mainly need basic security checks.

The lywand Platform is the Better Choice if...

  • You want to provide a comprehensive security analysis for your customers.

  • You want to continuously review your own work and raise your quality to a permanently higher level.

  • Communication of security risks in an understandable form is important.

  • You want to automate processes and reduce manual effort.

  • You value integration with existing systems and your own branding options.

Conclusion

Both solutions have their place and can be used effectively depending on the requirements. Traditional vulnerability scanners are well suited for regular checks for known security vulnerabilities, especially if the necessary expertise is available to evaluate them.

The lywand Security Audit Platform, on the other hand, offers a holistic approach that not only identifies vulnerabilities but also suggests specific solutions and facilitates their implementation. Through automation, user-friendly reports and additional features such as whitelabeling and integration with ticketing systems, MSPs can make their internal processes more efficient and offer their customers greater added value.

Would you Like to Expand Your Portfolio With Automated Security Audits?

Contact us to learn how the lywand Security Audit Platform can take your MSP business to the next level.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Vulnerability scanners are automated tools that check networks, systems, and applications for known security vulnerabilities. They use databases of published vulnerabilities (such as CVEs) to see if your customers' systems are vulnerable to those vulnerabilities. Through targeted scans, they identify security gaps that can then be addressed.

Vulnerability scanners enable managed service providers (MSPs) to carry out automated security checks in a targeted manner. They can scan multiple systems and applications simultaneously, ensuring broad coverage of the customer's IT infrastructure. The rapid identification of vulnerabilities makes it possible to take prompt action to improve security.

Traditional vulnerability scanners can often generate a high number of false positives, which leads to additional analysis work. The reports are often technically complex and require expert knowledge to interpret. Furthermore, they mainly focus on known vulnerabilities and can overlook new types of threats or configuration errors. Implementing the measures often requires a great deal of manual work and human resources.

The lywand Security Audit Platform is a comprehensive security solution that goes beyond the functions of a traditional vulnerability scanner. It provides a holistic analysis of the entire IT infrastructure, including external and internal systems, and delivers specific recommendations for improving security. The platform is specially designed to meet the needs of MSPs and IT service providers.

Lywand offers advanced features such as a multi-tenant interface, cross-client analysis, whitelabeling and automatic vulnerability remediation (auto healing). The platform presents results in an understandable way and provides specific measures, while traditional vulnerability scanners are limited to identifying known vulnerabilities and providing technical reports.

Lywand enables MSPs to efficiently manage and improve their customers' security posture. It reduces manual effort through automated scans and actions. The platform facilitates communication with customers through clear reports and strengthens the MSP's brand presence with whitelabeling.

Some of the special features include:

  • Multi-tenant interface: Manage multiple customers and their security status in one place.

  • Cross-customer analysis: Detailed evaluations across all customers to prioritize measures.

  • Open API & integration with ticketing systems: Seamless integration into existing workflows.

  • Whitelabeling: Customize the platform to match your own branding.

  • Customer access: Individual access permissions for customers.

A vulnerability scanner is useful if the MSP has a team of security experts who can interpret technical reports and implement measures. If the focus is on quickly identifying known vulnerabilities and basic security checks are mainly required, a vulnerability scanner may be sufficient.

Lywand is advantageous if the MSP wants a comprehensive security analysis, if communicating security risks in an understandable way is important, and if processes are to be automated to reduce manual effort. The platform is ideal if integration into existing systems, flexibility in the service offering, and individual customer care are desired.

Important criteria are:

  • Deployment: Do your customers need a selective vulnerability assessment or a regular, automated review of the IT security situation for sustainable improvement?

  • Range of functions: Is the detection of known security vulnerabilities and the provision of technical reports sufficient, or are you looking for a solution with additional functions such as automated recommendations for action, cross-customer analyses and automatic vulnerability remediation?

  • Ease of use: Does your team have security experts to evaluate the reports, or is a platform that can be used without in-depth expertise more important?

  • Customer value: Would you like to offer your customers additional services such as access or easy-to-understand reports at the management level?

Rene Offenthaler

October 7, 2024

Category

Guide

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