The core product offering from nCircle, the IP360 platform provides vulnerability and risk assessment and management capabilities to the enterprise.

At the core of the appliance-based platform is the VnE Manager, which serves as the centralized collector of information from multiple Device Profiler appliances. Device Profilers contact the VnE over an encrypted connection and automatically download software and scanning configuration updates. The VnE itself is accessed and managed via a Web browser interface; the Device Profilers can therefore also be managed through the central console. Device Profilers have no hard drive (they use Flash storage).

A key feature of the IP360 platform is its ability to discover and profile network devices and endpoints via an agentless mechanism, gathering such data as operating system, applications, services and vulnerabilities. An optional add-on, the nCircle Topology Risk Analyzer seeks to prioritize found vulnerabilities by computing a network "line of sight," enabling the platform to determine the potential impact, and therefore severity, of a particular vulnerability.

Other features of the core platform include centralized Web-based reporting and workflow tools, a documented API for integration into existing asset management systems and help desks (a built-in ticketing system for remediation management is also included), and built-in compliance support, including Sarbanes-Oxley, FISMA, IAVA, and PCIDSS.

Beyond the core IP360 platform, the vendor offers several functional modules, including the aforementioned nCircle Topology Risk Analyzer; the Remedy Help Desk Connector; the Suite360 Intelligence Hub (SIH), a centralized reporting, analysis, and data share platform for all of the vendor's products; nTellect, which correlates information gathered by IP360 with alerts from Cisco IDS/IPS gear in real-time; and the nCircle Configuration Compliance Manager, which adds customizable configuration checks that map directly to common standards and frameworks--including ISO 17799, COBIT, BS 7799, and SAS-70.

New features in the latest release of the SIH include role-based access controls; integration with Active Directory; and support for asset grouping and rule-based (IP range, type of installed software, etc.) asset value assignments.

nCircle IP360 is available now. Contact nCircle Network Security for further information.