Tenable signs Datacom TSS; pushes continuous scanning

Tenable Network Security has appointed Datacom TSS as a new 'key partner' for New Zealand, as the vendor ramps up its local efforts.

The network monitoring systems vendor has been growing its Australian and New Zealand channel in recent times.

Dick Bussiere, Tenable Network Security APAC principal architect, says Tenable's offerings , which help automate vulnerability scanning and management, provide 'a relatively easy sell' for resellers.

He says continuous vulnerability scanning and management is required in today's rapidly changing threat landscape.

But despite the threats, Bussiere says there remains a lack of focus and understanding of how important it is to reduce the threat surface through active and detailed vulnerability mitigation and vulnerability elimination.

He says while 2014 saw 152 vulnerabilities disclosed in any given week, 52% of organisations performed a vulnerability scan or compliancy audit quarterly or even less frequently.

"That means 1500 vulnerabilities may have crept into an organisation, dramatically increasing their threat exposure during that time," he says.

"A lot of people don't understand the correlation between getting compromised and vulnerabilities that are there existing in your networks that can be exploited.

Bussiere says most people have security policies that are now out of date – often saying vulnerability scans need to be done just once a year, or quarterly – and the way vulnerability assessments have historically been conducted have been very time consuming and labour intensive.

He says automation now available enables companies to compress the time it takes to perform vulnerability scans, dramatically reducing threats to companies.

Bussiere says once customers understand the problem, converting them to a sale is

"Most of the customers we approach end up buying something, I can guarantee that. It's a fact," he says.

"Once the higher level of management understand the problem and how much benefit they can get from addressing this issue, it becomes a relatively easy sell.

Bussiere admits, however, that the sales cycle can sometimes be longer, with channel partners needing to help educate their customer.

"But when you have very experienced partners and system integrators who understand security and understand the customer's predicament from a vulnerability point of view, the sales cycle can move very quickly.

The company has seen sales cycles of two weeks in some cases.