Announcing the nCircle PureCloud™ Network Security Scanning Service -- Available at No Charge for 30 Days

November 16, 2011

Tools

New service requires only a Web browser and no specialized security knowledge

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- nCircle, the leader in automated security and compliance auditing solutions, today announced nCircle PureCloud, a new network security scanning service for small to medium-sized businesses. PureCloud combines powerful, enterprise class security technology used by thousands of the world's largest enterprises and government agencies with a unique, easy-to-use browser-based scanning service. The service can scan both internal and external networks without requiring any hardware or software to be deployed.

Small and medium-sized businesses face the same threats and have the same regulatory obligations as large businesses, but many have limited financial resources and skills to properly meet those demands. Cyber security threats to smaller business are so serious that the FCC recently issued cyber security guidelines specifically for smaller business owners. The average cost for small businesses, per data breach incident, was $188,242 — enough to sink or seriously damage many companies.

nCircle PureCloud dramatically simplifies network security for smaller businesses. PureCloud delivers the same award-winning nCircle vulnerability scanning technology used to protect some of the largest and most secure networks in the world through an easy-to-use, web-based point and click interface. Unlike traditional vulnerability scanning products and services, PureCloud requires no software or hardware, and no changes to firewalls — costly and time-intensive obstacles that prove onerous for most businesses without a full time IT security staff.

Large corporations and government agencies have known that regular, automated scanning of their networks for the tens of thousands of known vulnerabilities greatly reduces the likelihood of security breaches. Regular scanning is considered by virtually all security experts to be as important as deploying firewalls, anti-virus software and intrusion detection systems. However, traditional scanning products and services have been impractical for smaller businesses due to the high cost of on-premise software and hardware and the expertise required to install and maintain such technology. nCircle PureCloud is the first and only solution that eliminates all barriers to scanning the networks of small to medium sized businesses. Employing nCircle’s patent-pending technology, PureCloud enables businesses of any size to benefit from enterprise-class security best practices at very low cost and with minimal skill.

Requiring only a Web browser, PureCloud automatically discovers all systems and devices on a network, scans for tens of thousands of vulnerabilities and exposures to risk, and provides expert guidance on how to fix all discovered weaknesses.

nCircle PureCloud generates a complete inventory of the network and can identify over 46,000 different conditions associated with security risks, including:

All systems on the network:
- laptops
- desktops
- servers
- networked printers
- network devices such as routers, firewalls and wireless access points
- IP phones
- mobile devices
- And many more
Operating systems and applications:
- Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Linux and more
- email servers
- web servers
- peer-to-peer file sharing
- And many more

PureCloud then prioritizes the discovered security risks and provides detailed guidance on the steps necessary to reduce or eliminate those risks. PureCloud also provides a comparison of the discovered risk to other organizations using data from nCircle Benchmark, nCircle's security performance management service, adding context to the scan results.

Tony Bradley, security blogger and author of "Essential Computer Security" got an early look at PureCloud. "PureCloud lets small businesses identify and assess the vulnerabilities in their network with nothing more than a Web browser and a few clicks," noted Bradley. "It is just the sort of security solution that small and medium businesses need to proactively protect their networks and meet regulatory requirements."

“It is an acknowledged fact that best practice security begins with vulnerability scanning,” noted Jim Acquaviva, vice president, product strategy at nCircle. “Small to medium businesses need a simple, cost effective solution to proactively improve the security of their network and protect their data, and nCircle PureCloud meets this need exactly.”

nCircle PureCloud is available now and will be free for the next 30 days. After December 16, 2011, pricing will start at $3.50 to scan an individual IP once or $24 for unlimited scanning of an individual IP for one year. Volume discounts apply.

Try PureCloud for free at purecloud.ncircle.com.

About nCircle

nCircle is the leading provider of automated security and compliance auditing solutions. More than 5,500 enterprises, government agencies and service providers around the world rely on nCircle's proactive solutions to manage and reduce security risk and achieve compliance on their networks. nCircle has won numerous awards for growth, innovation, customer satisfaction and technology leadership and has been ranked among the top 100 best places to work in the San Francisco Bay Area. nCircle is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with regional offices throughout the United States and in London and Toronto. Additional information about nCircle is available at www.ncircle.com

nCircle is a registered trademark of nCircle Network Security, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.