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reviewer2584884 - PeerSpot reviewer
Foundation Services Director at a leisure / travel company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 10
Oct 28, 2024
Makes first-party and third-party patching easy, and the risk-based approach helps to direct efforts
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the ease of managing both first-party and third-party patching, the generation of dashboards, and the provision of real-time information."
  • "There is room for improvement in the detection logic. It sometimes detects open vulnerabilities that are not truly there, such as orphan files that are not really exploitable. It would be helpful if they were classified as information-only rather than Sev 4 or Sev 5."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is to try to reduce our time to remediate. One of our sister teams, the attack surface team, uses the scanning piece. Therefore, we thought it would be best to close the ecosystem and use the patching piece. The feedback from the PoC made it evident that making a shift was necessary.

By implementing Qualys Patch Management, we wanted to reduce the meantime to remediate and have the ability to weigh our threats so that we are not just patching everything; we are patching what is most critical to our environment.

The automation capability that it has to create jobs, set them, and forget them was very intriguing to our business.

How has it helped my organization?

The risk-based approach is beneficial because not everything that requires a patch poses a true risk. It makes much more sense because everything that requires a patch may not necessarily be an exposure or true risk. As a leader, it allows me to make sure that I am directing our efforts into something that means. We are not chasing things around because that does not produce a lot of value in the end. 

We were able to realize its benefits immediately. We configured it and used it in the test and a few production machines. It was easy to build jobs and associate the tags that were being used. With the full knowledge base that Qualys has, we did not have to decipher what scanning is saying versus what the actual resolution is. Having all that built into one solution is just great.

Qualys Patch Management gives us a single source of truth for assets and vulnerabilities that need to be assessed, prioritized, and remediated. That is why we purchased it.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the ease of managing both first-party and third-party patching, the generation of dashboards, and the provision of real-time information. It provides real-time information, with the agent checking in every four hours, offering nearly up-to-date information at any time of the day. This is in contrast to our previous tool, where we did not have this capability.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in the detection logic. It sometimes detects open vulnerabilities that are not truly there, such as orphan files that are not really exploitable. It would be helpful if they were classified as information-only rather than Sev 4 or Sev 5.

Buyer's Guide
Qualys Patch Management
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about Qualys Patch Management. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
899,283 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qualys Patch Management for a couple of months. We are a new customer for Qualys Patch Management. We are just onboarding it.

We have done a couple of PoCs for two to three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have not experienced any downtime, glitches, or bugs, so I would rate its stability very high.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Qualys Patch Management appears to be dynamic. It should be able to scale with our needs as the organization grows.

How are customer service and support?

I am still investigating this aspect. I have not had a need to open any tickets or cases.

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

We previously used Ivanti. We switched to Qualys to simplify our toolset because we faced challenges bridging the gaps between what Qualys was identifying and what Ivanti was reporting. This change was made to reduce confusion and the effort involved in aligning two systems.

We already had the vulnerability management piece from Qualys, and we just added Patch Management.

The scanning piece has definitely reduced risks, and now, with Patch Management, we will be able to bridge the gap and see further reductions in risks.

How was the initial setup?

Qualys vulnerability management is in the cloud, but with us turning on the Patch Management piece, it is probably going to be a hybrid setup. We will have a piece in the cloud and then some data collector pieces that will allow us to locally deploy patches versus having the machines go out on the Internet.

It is pretty straightforward. We are still in the process of onboarding. We are not done yet.

What about the implementation team?

Seven people are currently involved in the implementation phase. Its usage will be global. Phase one is just our server management. We have about 2,100 servers. Our IT group has about 45 to 50 people.

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

Qualys Patch Management is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

When we did our PoC, we already had the VMDR piece. We enabled the patch piece and brought the right hand and the left hand together. This integration automatically should include all the relevant patches and configuration changes required to remediate vulnerabilities detected by VMDR. It will be crucial. That is still to be determined, but when two of our critical service delivery organizations are using the same sheet of music or the same tool, it makes us more agile and more responsive to the threats we are trying to protect our business against.

I would rate Qualys Patch Management a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Yuvaraaj Adhithya - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Analyst at WPP
Real User
Top 5
Sep 2, 2024
User-friendly and scalable but needs better support and more features
Pros and Cons
  • "For a few applications, you do not need to go and download the patches from the network or somewhere else. They have the patches or the latest updates in the directory. You can just select a patch and deploy it to a server. You can create a patch job and select the patch. Everything is within the interface. You do not need to go out of it."
  • "One of the challenges that we have faced with the Patch Management tool is that you cannot patch all the things. There are some limitations, whereas, in SCCM, we can create a package and just deploy that through it. Anything is deployable through SCCM, whereas Patch Management is very selective."

What is our primary use case?

Qualys has a scanning tool for viruses, vulnerability, and malware detections. They recently launched Qualys Patch Management for patching applications or server sites. We previously used tools like SCCM or Microsoft Intune. Qualys Patch Management is a replacement for all those kinds of tools, but we mainly use it for patching the applications, not the servers.

How has it helped my organization?

If a server has two applications, and one has a patch and the other one does not have a patch, you do not need to worry. You just select the server and the patches you want to deploy. If you have selected four patches but only two are applicable, it will only deploy the ones that are applicable. The other two are skipped so that there are no issues or errors with the existing image. That is an advantage of this solution.

There is no automation. You have to manually create a job. There is a scanned report, and based on that, you can select a patch or server. You can select multiple servers or multiple patches. 

We have used the solution's Risk Reduction Recommendation Report. After the remediation, we run the scan again. It is simple.

Using Patch Management, we have not seen any improvement in our patch rates.

What is most valuable?

For a few applications, you do not need to go and download the patches from the network or somewhere else. They have the patches or the latest updates in the directory. You can just select a patch and deploy it to a server. You can create a patch job and select the patch. Everything is within the interface. You do not need to go out of it.

It is user-friendly. It is not complex.

What needs improvement?

The Qualys Scanning tool is one of the best tools for scanning purposes, virus detection, and vulnerability detection, whereas Qualys Patch Management is helpful only in a few cases, not in all cases.

There are multiple tools for patching, such as SCCM, Intune, or Ivanti. One of the challenges that we have faced with the Patch Management tool is that you cannot patch all the things. There are some limitations, whereas, in SCCM, we can create a package and just deploy that through it. Anything is deployable through SCCM, whereas Patch Management is very selective. They should support more applications. For example, you cannot push a patch on Oracle.

There is not much automation. For example, with SCCM, you can push anything, but that is not the case with Qualys.

We have faced a few corruptions while patching. Even though a patch is feasible through Qualys Patch Management, when we try to push it to our servers, we face some errors or interruptions. When we push the patch, something gets blocked and the patch fails. Even if the patch is within the directory of Qualys, we cannot push it. There are some errors.

The Qualys support team can be more communicative. Just sharing a knowledge-based article does not help all the clients or all people. A knowledge-based article might be useful for a technical person, but it does not help someone who is not very technical. They should have a call-based approach. Even companies like Microsoft provide an option for a call for a support case, which allows you to discuss the issue and troubleshoot it quickly. Qualys should improve their support. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution from the beginning or since it was launched. It was launched recently. It has been one to two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. I would rate it a nine out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate it a ten out of ten for scalability. Its scalability is very good. It can be expanded, but it also depends on the licensing part.

It is being used for the whole organization for patch management. We have 70 to 80 users using this solution.

How are customer service and support?

We faced challenges with their support for the issues that we raised. When you raise a case, they just share a knowledge-based article with you. It is very tough to catch them over a call and have a live troubleshooting session to understand the issue. You cannot just be dependent on the knowledge base articles. Sometimes, you have to go in-depth and do research to understand the cause of the issue. Their support team was not very helpful or communicative.

The experience might vary based on the priority of the case. It might be different when you have a high-priority case. The cases that we raise are at P3 or P4 levels because we are not completely dependent on Qualys Patch Management. For a P1 or P2 case, they might have a different approach.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

Previously, we were using Ivanti and SCCM. They are more comprehensive, and you can push anything. You can even create a script or a package and push it through them, and it will be deployed on all the servers. Qualys Patch Management is very limited compared to SCCM, Intune, or Ivanti. Having said that, it is quite new. It was launched one or two years ago. They need some time to improve their services.

How was the initial setup?

Its deployment is straightforward.

We have both cloud and on-prem servers. We do patch deployment on both. We can do an immediate deployment or a scheduled deployment. It takes time based on the application size, server count, etc. If the file is of a few MBs, it does not take more than one or two minutes. If it is a huge file, then it will take longer, but everything is reasonable. I have not seen any delays. The run time is good. It is not an issue. The only issue is that a few blockers need to be corrected.

It does not require much maintenance, but the support should be better from their side.

Once you have deployed a job, it runs automatically. You need to go and check it only if there is a failure. You do not need to manually manage anything. Once a job is created, it runs automatically at a scheduled time. All that is automatically done at the backend.

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

It is affordable, but they should provide features as per the rate they are charging. We have a big infrastructure with about 80,000 licenses. We expect better support from the Qualys team. So, it is affordable, but more features should be there, and the support should be better.

What other advice do I have?

At this time, I would not recommend Qualys Patch Management because there are multiple features that need to be developed from their end. You cannot deploy everything through it. I might recommend it in the future. It needs some time to be fully developed.

I would rate Qualys Patch Management a six out of ten because of the support quality and lack of features.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Qualys Patch Management
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about Qualys Patch Management. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
899,283 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2645955 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 5
Feb 6, 2025
Prioritization and syncing increase risk reduction and has good integrations available
Pros and Cons
  • "The integrations with VMware include configurations to mitigate vulnerabilities. It helps us identify permissions and whatever is applicable for the vulnerability for faster patching."
  • "We've been able to reduce organizational risk by 50%."
  • "The patch status and patch completion information should be improved."
  • "The patch status and patch completion information should be improved. If a patch fails due to some reason, such as a Windows error, the error code that gets published should be more detailed."

What is our primary use case?

I have used this management system to remediate vulnerabilities.

How has it helped my organization?

There are a few vulnerabilities we can remediate very quickly. It reduces the time delay. If there are configuration-level changes, we can create and push scripts. 

It helps us increase visibility for faster remediation. 

What is most valuable?

Syncing between the MBR and patches is the feature. Another valuable feature is pushing configuration-level changes for a script, which leads to a single solution for all the changes. 

From a risk perspective, prioritization helps us more by allowing us to see the visibility of assets with more critical vulnerabilities. We can then push the patches immediately to remediate or reduce risk as soon as possible. That is the major advantage I have.

The integrations with VMware include configurations to mitigate vulnerabilities. It helps us identify permissions and whatever is applicable for the vulnerability for faster patching. 

It helps us remediate vulnerabilities without involving our security team. This helps further relieve time delays. We've saved around 50% of time with patching with Qualys.

The solution provides a single source of truth. We have everything all in one place, saving 40% of our time when compared to the older approach. We don't have to look at different platforms or move back and forth between tools between patching and validation. 

It has effective risk reduction recommendation reports. It streamlines remediation and gives us more data on the vulnerabilities. It helps us to identify the risk factors and levels of risk for increased prioritization.

Our patch rates have increased significantly. 

We've been able to reduce organizational risk by 50%.

What needs improvement?

The patch status and patch completion information should be improved. If a patch fails due to some reason, such as a Windows error, the error code that gets published should be more detailed. This would make it easier for us to identify where the issue lies, whether at the network level, machine level, or elsewhere. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for the past three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is rated ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is rated ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate technical support as nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I used different solutions like KACE, among others. We switched so we could use a single tool to make the process as simple as possible.

How was the initial setup?

We use a hybrid cloud approach.

The setup was just about enabling a module for it. Since the system is already deployed, we only had to enable the module.

We use it across multiple locations.

There is no maintenance required once deployed.

What was our ROI?

As I said previously, it has reduced the risk by fifty percent compared to the previous solution. Everything is in SaaS.

What other advice do I have?

As a single tool, it is a better choice. I would recommend the solution to other users. 

I would rate the overall solution as nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Darrell Elmore - PeerSpot reviewer
System Architect at a leisure / travel company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 5
Oct 28, 2024
Streamlines patch management with a single pane of glass and risk-based approach
Pros and Cons
  • "Patch Management gave my side and the security side a single pane of glass and the ability to better coordinate the delivery of patches."
  • "A patch contract is a bundle of patches that we are going to roll out. I would like to reference those patches from separate jobs. They explained at a conference that it cannot be done, but that is my main complaint. I wish that the whole schema was a little bit clearer because there is a little bit of cloudiness around it."

What is our primary use case?

Initially, we were using Qualys Patch Management for TruRisk vulnerability detections. I am on the risk operations side, so I also used it to determine ways to fix a particular vulnerability and address it.

How has it helped my organization?

I used Patch Management with Qualys VMDR when I was doing a proof of concept with Patch management. It works well. To me, it was just a shortcut or another way to patch a system versus doing it with the job, but it was straightforward.

We were able to realize its benefits immediately. Patch Management gave my side and the security side a single pane of glass and the ability to better coordinate the delivery of patches. After using it, I felt a lot more comfortable with it. 

TruRisk gives the confidence that we are attacking the major issues, but we do leverage our security team to make the final decision. It does help.

Patch Management gives us a single source of truth for assets and vulnerabilities that need to be assessed, prioritized, and remediated.

Currently, we are in a hybrid environment until we fully transition over. We have Ivanti and Qualys. They are two separate agents, two separate infrastructures. Moving to Qualys Patch Management gives us instant access to all of the systems we have. We do not have to worry about building up new infrastructure. We just go and start patching. It streamlines everything a lot, especially the dialogue between our teams, that is, the risk side versus the security side. It reduces confusion over patches.

Patch Management has definitely given us the opportunity to do more hands-off patching. Some in my team are manually pushing the patches out. We click a button, schedule it, and shoot it out. We are going to take advantage of zero-touch patching for browsers. We are going to do a lot more scheduled or agent-based patching. It will be hands-off. It will free us up to do more analytical things and spread ourselves out to other tasks.

Patch Management will help us reduce our organization's risk. We have not had the opportunity to start using it the way we want to. We are still early on, but just from what I see, I expect that it would have a significant impact on our ability to patch. Personally, I think the impact will be significant.

What is most valuable?

We recently got their Patch Management solution, which is the most important thing for me at this time. Previously, vulnerability detection was most valuable.

Patch Management's risk-based approach to creating automation to address risks is very important. I just came from the conference, and I understand it a lot more. It definitely is important. I like it a lot.

What needs improvement?

I would like a more clear distinction in terms of something I call a patch contract. A patch contract is a bundle of patches that we are going to roll out. I would like to reference those patches from separate jobs. They explained at a conference that it cannot be done, but that is my main complaint. I wish that the whole schema was a little bit clearer because there is a little bit of cloudiness around it. Everything else seems to be fairly straightforward.

Additionally, I know there is a cost associated with this, but it would be nice if instead of us having to roll and host our own custom files on AWS or something like that, Qualys could provide some space, even if just a gigabyte or 500 megabytes.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for about a year or two.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Overall, I have not experienced any issues with Qualys as a whole, although the security team once mentioned something about the system being down. I will learn more as I get more and more into patching with it.

How are customer service and support?

I have not yet contacted their support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

Right now, we are using a mixture of security controls and endpoint management. I have used solutions like Ivanti, Altiris, Intune, and WSUS, among others. I have seen a lot of patch management solutions.

Ivanti is closest to Qualys. Both of them are built on the same Shavlik engine. Qualys is better for my situation because it is cloud-based. I do not have to worry about on-prem things I do right now. I am familiar with Patch Management because underneath it is the same Shavlik engine that is used by Ivanti. I am familiar with the log files and things like that.

How was the initial setup?

That was the easiest thing to do. All the hard work had already been done. After the security team has the agents installed, we start working our magic. It does not get easier than that.

We have not yet fully deployed it, so I cannot say how long it takes to fully deploy it, but getting it established and started was quick.

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

From what I have heard, Qualys Patch Management is pricey, which is a main barrier to entry. Another aspect that I do not like about Qualys is that they do not add new patch management functionalities to the existing package. It is a separate SKU, so you have to pay more money.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Qualys Patch Management a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Security Consultant at Onity
Consultant
Top 20
Apr 8, 2025
Streamlines patch management and customer support excels with timely responses
Pros and Cons
  • "The consolidated report we received from the solution was very time-saving because, in the dashboard, we could get all the patch details for a particular patch and all the assets listed."
  • "My overall rating for Qualys Patch Management is a ten out of ten."
  • "False positives were the biggest concern. We also had some concerns with respect to the Cloud Agent."

What is our primary use case?

In the previous company, the customer was using Qualys Patch Management tool, and they were using more than one lakh assets in that organization. The Qualys Patch Management tool helped significantly in that case.

How has it helped my organization?

The risk-based approach Qualys Patch Management uses is very good for easily getting the details. That is one of the factors in the prioritization of the vulnerability. We can see if a patch is or is not available. The details are easily obtained through risk analysis. If everything is available, we still need to know which one to prioritize, and this approach helps us significantly with priorities.

We saw an improvement in our patch rates from using Qualys Patch Management, especially with respect to automated patches. 

We got the consolidated data, and using automated Patch Management for a few assets saved a lot of time because we don't have to do it manually or raise tickets for everything. 

By trusting Qualys Patch Management, we remediated many vulnerabilities, especially with Windows.

What is most valuable?

The consolidated report we received from the solution was very time-saving because, in the dashboard, we could get all the patch details for a particular patch and all the assets listed. That was very easy. Instead of going through Excel sheets, we could easily pull up the data and produce it based on the operating system, distribution, and other things. 

What needs improvement?

False positives were the biggest concern. 

We also had some concerns with respect to the Cloud Agent. VMDR is something that whoever uses Qualys Patch Management will always use. We used both, but sometimes we got different details in Patch Management and VMDR. The data differs, especially with Cloud Agent-installed assets. We have had to contact their technical support many times, especially for Cloud Agent troubleshooting. We raised many feature requests with Qualys for Cloud Agent and faced many issues with it. Cloud Agent always gave us trouble, not just with Qualys, but with other tools too. However, compared with others, Qualys did have more issues with Cloud Agent.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used Qualys Patch Management for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The platform maintenance is according to what we have seen. A few times Qualys was not reachable for very few minutes, but stability-wise, it is a very good product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, Qualys Patch Management is a very good product. I never faced any issues with any of that.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate them a ten out of ten for support because they are very approachable. Whenever we raise a request and mention the priority of the ticket, they respond immediately via email or call.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We were using another tool before Qualys Patch Management, though I don't remember which one. When we did the PoC, compared to Qualys, the other tool was giving less data, and that is why we moved to Qualys Patch Management.

What other advice do I have?

My overall rating for Qualys Patch Management is a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 5
Dec 29, 2024
Streamlines vulnerability remediation with VMDR integration
Pros and Cons
  • "Patch Management offers pre-action and post-action features, which provide the ability to execute scripts during the installation or uninstallation of software. This helps me make changes from Qualys itself."
  • "We have seen about 60% to 70% improvement in the patch rate so far."
  • "They should focus on increasing the list of supported patches. New software or data is continuously released, and it would be beneficial if patches were updated in the knowledge base more quickly."
  • "Not all patches are supported, so there are some restrictions. Some remediations require script-level changes which Qualys does not support."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Patch Management in our organization for remediating vulnerabilities for which patches are supported by Qualys. 

How has it helped my organization?

There is a zero-touch mechanism in Qualys for patch management. For example, if we have a product for which frequent patches are released, we do not have to manually initiate a patch. It can be initiated automatically when a new patch is available.

The integration between Qualys VMDR and Patch Management allows us to monitor job statuses and ensures timely remediation. Previously, we had only the VMDR solution from Qualys. For remediation, we had to go to a different solution. There was a delay in the syncing process. With the integration of Qualys VMDR and Patch Management, we have more real-time and comprehensive data. We can see information about the status of the job and other things in a single console. We have a faster view of the remediation effort.

We also have the ability to view and select patches based on the assets. There might be hundreds of patches available in the knowledge base. It gives us patches available only for the selected assets. This saves time and reduces risk.

For vulnerability management, Qualys serves as a single source of truth, but for patch management, we have to use some more tools because Qualys does not support certain scenarios.

We have seen about 60% to 70% improvement in the patch rate so far. It has reduced the organization's risk. 

What is most valuable?

Patch Management offers pre-action and post-action features, which provide the ability to execute scripts during the installation or uninstallation of software. This helps me make changes from Qualys itself.

What needs improvement?

Not all patches are supported, so there are some restrictions. Some remediations require script-level changes which Qualys does not support. We have to manually create those scripts.

They should focus on increasing the list of supported patches. New software or data is continuously released, and it would be beneficial if patches were updated in the knowledge base more quickly. Sometimes, there are delays of three to four days, which should be addressed.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qualys Patch Management for more than one and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. Occasionally, I need to change patches for certain software like Google Chrome, but overall, it is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. It handles the requirements effectively.

We are using it at multiple locations. We have about 300k users.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate their customer support a nine out of ten. Although there can be some delays, overall, the support is satisfactory.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We used a different patch management solution previously. We switched to Qualys because it integrates seamlessly with VMDR, which makes it easier to manage vulnerabilities and patching in a single console.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. We had already deployed the agent. It involved selecting the asset and enabling the module.

It does not require any maintenance from our side. It is a SaaS platform. Everything is handled by Qualys.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Qualys Patch Management if you are integrating it with VMDR. If you are using a different solution for vulnerability management and considering Qualys solely for patch management, it might not be the best choice.

I would rate Qualys Patch Management a nine 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?

Other
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Brad Mathis - PeerSpot reviewer
Employee-Owner, Senior Consultant, Information Security at Keller Schroeder
MSP
Top 20Leaderboard
Jun 10, 2024
Helps simplify patching, integrates well, and reduces costs
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature in Patch Management is the Qualys query language for set-it-and-forget-it patching for our preapproved patches, and our preapproved schedules, That is extremely helpful compared to the old days of patching."
  • "A common area for improvement in Patch Management, both within our environment and others I've encountered, is the lack of built-in driver updates."

What is our primary use case?

My organization uses Qualys Patch Management internally, including its core patching functionality and Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response. As a consultant, I help several Qualys user clients with best practices and similar tasks, addressing use cases ranging from vulnerability reduction and patch management to asset management.

Qualys is a cloud-based platform. While they offer a private cloud option at a higher cost, their core functionality resides in the cloud. The lightweight agents we install on our systems simply collect data and upload it to the cloud-based Qualys interface. The only exceptions are passive sensors like network sniffers and on-premise scanners, which are optional deployments for specific needs. This cloud-centric approach eliminates the need for us to manage on-premise servers, unlike some competing products like baramundi.

How has it helped my organization?

Qualys query language simplifies patch selection by allowing us to define risk-based criteria. We can target patches based on severity medium to critical and Qualys rating while excluding specific unwanted patches like "Patch xyz". As long as a patch meets our pre-approved criteria, it's automatically selected, making the approval process quick and efficient.

The Patch Management integration with VMDR including all development patches and configuration changes required to remediate vulnerabilities detected by the VMDR is significantly important.

While Qualys offered benefits initially, the deployment of the cloud agent truly transformed our security posture. Previously, regular scans provided only point-in-time vulnerability identification. Now, with continuous updates from the cloud agent every four hours, we have near real-time visibility into our risk levels, allowing us to prioritize and swiftly address vulnerabilities to minimize overall security exposure.

TruRisk automation streamlines vulnerability remediation by prioritizing threats based on real-world exploitability, not just a generic CVSS score. This allows us to focus on the most critical issues first, avoiding the time-wasting whack-a-mole approach of patching everything at once. While all vulnerabilities eventually need to be addressed, TruRisk helps us prioritize effectively and work through them in a methodical way.

Qualys' prioritization feature streamlines vulnerability management by offering a central hub to find, rank, and address critical security issues. This unified approach significantly improves collaboration between security and IT teams. Previously, prioritizing vulnerabilities was often a matter of simply patching critical ones. Patching policies also play a role, with most companies aiming for a 30-day window or less for critical patches. While the industry average turnaround is 17 days, faster patching remains crucial. Qualys' TruRisk scoring system helps identify outliers – vulnerabilities that might slip through the cracks in a well-managed environment. Traditional patching methods, like Microsoft's WSUS, may miss these outliers, but Qualys excels at finding them, providing better communication and faster remediation.

This single source has helped reduce soft costs where employees were wasting time spinning their wheels searching for answers. This newfound focus allows them to dedicate their energy to more important tasks.

Prior to implementing patch management, a random sampling of systems would often reveal outdated patches, some exceeding 60 days old. However, with patch management in place, finding such aged patches is now a rarity.

We integrated Patch Management on top of Qualys VMDR. This gave us a lot more visibility and accuracy.

Patch Management has helped to reduce our organizational risk.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature in Patch Management is the Qualys query language for set-it-and-forget-it patching for our preapproved patches, and our preapproved schedules, That is extremely helpful compared to the old days of patching.

What needs improvement?

A common area for improvement in Patch Management, both within our environment and others I've encountered, is the lack of built-in driver updates. Ideally, the system would handle updates for network interface cards, video cards, and other components, eliminating the need to rely on manufacturer-specific tools like Dell Update or HP Update. Integrating these patching options would significantly improve the overall functionality.

Qualys Patch Management primarily updates operating systems, third-party software including Adobe products and many more, leaving video card drivers and firmware updates to other tools. This focus on core software is understandable, as driver and firmware updates can be more complex.

The price has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qualys solutions for over 20 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Qualys Patch Management is very stable. They clearly communicate any scheduled maintenance in advance, and these updates typically require no downtime. In rare cases of major maintenance, they might announce limited portal access during specific hours. Like any software, occasional minor glitches can occur, but we can easily check for known issues at status.qualys.com before troubleshooting on our own. Overall, Qualys Patch Management is a reliable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Qualys Patch Management is highly scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

Qualys technical support has been excellent recently. While there have been occasional periods of lower satisfaction in the past, similar to any organization, they seem to be prioritizing customer happiness. This is evident by their recent staffing improvements, which have led to my last few support requests being resolved quickly and efficiently.

With extensive system use, I've occasionally received initial responses from what seems like level-one support. I then need to clarify and request further troubleshooting before they escalate the issue.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Qualys Patch Management deployment is straightforward as long as we have the right team, whether it's a consulting firm or our own IT staff familiar with whitelisting. This is because whitelisting the Qualys Cloud Agent on systems protected by endpoint security tools like Carbon Black or CrowdStrike is crucial to prevent them from blocking the agent. Fortunately, the whitelisting requirements are well-documented, making implementation smooth for a prepared team.

A single person can handle the deployment if they have permission to distribute the cloud agent, install on-premise scanners, and build the virtual machine for the scanner. In fact, several of my colleagues successfully manage deployments for large organizations on their own.

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

Qualys Patch Management's pricing is competitive. While some perceive it as expensive, competitor tools are similar. While a free option like Microsoft WSUS exists, it lacks features. While I'd prefer Qualys VMDR to include Cyber Security Asset Management for a more attractive overall package, Patch Management itself remains competitively priced. Scaling brings lower per-asset costs, and Qualys recently introduced better pricing bundles for smaller environments.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

To verify Qualys Patch Management's effectiveness, I've occasionally used free tools like Patch My PC to scan for missed patches. These scans consistently come up clean, giving me confidence that Qualys Patch Management is doing a good job.

While both Qualys Patch Management and baramundi Update Management are powerful tools, Qualys offers a clear advantage in ease of use. For organizations with large IT teams that can handle a more hands-on approach, baramundi can be effective, but it requires more ongoing management compared to Qualys' set-and-forget approach. Notably, baramundi goes beyond patching with software distribution capabilities, but this additional functionality comes at the cost of increased complexity. Ultimately, for those seeking a simpler solution, Qualys is the better choice.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Qualys Patch Management ten out of ten.

While the initial setup involves deploying cloud agents, Qualys Patch Management is low maintenance. Updates for both agents, signatures, and related components are automatic. Qualys handles maintenance in the cloud, and new systems are easily enrolled with agents through software distribution or policy enforcement.

New Qualys Patch Management users should consult the documentation and training resources before deploying. While a trusted partner can assist with implementation, understanding the process is crucial. Qualys offers free training to cover essential steps like agent deployment, configuration, and security considerations to ensure successful patching. Don't skip these steps, as seemingly minor setup issues can hinder functionality. This applies not just to Qualys, but to any endpoint security solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
SurajTripathi - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Security Consultant at CyberNxt Solutions LLP
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Dec 17, 2024
Allows us to prioritize and remediate threats without involving our security team
Pros and Cons
  • "Patch management provides more clarity from the dashboard and console, which is very helpful for our team to prioritize and take prior action."
  • "The customer support team is quite responsive and always ready to assist."
  • "Downloading extensive vulnerability reports, especially those with millions of entries, is time-consuming. To improve efficiency, Qualys should implement faster download speeds and offer reports in Excel format in addition to the current CSV option."

What is our primary use case?

I initially used Qualys' Vulnerability Management module and later incorporated their Patch Management module for remediation. This allowed us to deploy patches, schedule deployments for various machines, and automate the process on a weekly or monthly basis. Critical assets receive daily deployments with real-time detection and prioritization for enhanced security.

How has it helped my organization?

We can prioritize vulnerabilities using Qualys' risk-based approach. The platform offers a prioritization tab that allows us to tailor the process to the company's requirements. Whether the focus is on risk, asset criticality, or exploitability, we can leverage the prioritization tag in Qualys to manage and address vulnerabilities effectively.

It's important that Qualys Patch Management and VMDR integration encompasses all necessary patches and configuration changes to address vulnerabilities identified by VMDR. This integration ensures real-time detection and remediation of vulnerabilities.

The TruRisk Insights allows us to prioritize and remediate threats without involving our security team.

Qualys Patch Management provides a single source of information to access asset and vulnerability data. Granting the IT team access to the Patch Management module lets them retrieve information through alerts. Through this module, the team receives email alerts about patch failures, enabling them to redeploy patches and investigate the cause of failure, such as machines rebooting at the scheduled time.

Qualys Patch Management helps prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk and asset criticality, facilitating the patching process. 

The integration with ServiceNow helps close tickets faster by automating tasks and alerting the IT team when a patch has failed.

What is most valuable?

Patch management provides more clarity from the dashboard and console, which is very helpful for our team to prioritize and take prior action.

What needs improvement?

Downloading extensive vulnerability reports, especially those with millions of entries, is time-consuming. To improve efficiency, Qualys should implement faster download speeds and offer reports in Excel format in addition to the current CSV option.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qualys Patch Management for more than two years.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support team is quite responsive and always ready to assist. When I submit a request, they promptly contact me and, if necessary, schedule a call to efficiently address my questions, even during my early days with the product.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Previously, we used BigFix and SSCM modules for patch application but have since transitioned to Qualys Patch Management for a more streamlined approach. Qualys Patch Management provides a single console for patch management and VMDR, simplifying operations and automating reporting.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?


What other advice do I have?

I would rate Qualys Patch Management nine out of ten because there is room for improvement in tool features to enhance competitive market standings.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Qualys Patch Management Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2026
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Patch Management
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Qualys Patch Management Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.