Four thousand six hundred seventy-five: That’s the number of computer-related vulnerabilities the National Institute of Standards and Technology tracks and reports in its National Vulnerability Database. More than 1,800 of those are deemed to be of high severity. Winning company: SymantecWinning product: DeepSight Alert Services Four thousand six hundred seventy-five: That’s the number of computer-related vulnerabilities the National Institute of Standards and Technology tracked last year in its National Vulnerability Database. More than 1,800 of those are deemed to be of high severity.Such is the reason we picked Symantec’s DeepSight Alert Services as the Best of the Tests winner in this category. DeepSight performed tops in our test of vulnerability alerting services, which help enterprise security managers sort out which vulnerabilities will directly affect their networks and offer up remediation suggestions. Network World Lab Alliance member Mandy Andress found these services generally useful because they help filter the myriad alerts. With these services in place, IT security personnel can focus on crafting remediation plans rather than on combing through mailing lists and vendor sites for new alerts.Symantec’s DeepSight Alert Services (we tested Version 6.0), which the company picked up in its 2004 acquisition of SecurityFocus, came out as our Clear Choice winner with a 4.88 out of 5 rating. Specifically, it provided the most delivery options, offered very detailed reports, supported a plethora of alert category configuration options and registered very quick response times in that test, Andress found.Security Management finalists Symantec released DeepSight Alert Services 7.0 in January. This upgrade delivers new vulnerability, malicious code, spyware and adware alerts.Symantec also recently announced plans to acquire IMLogic, maker of enterprise software for instant messaging. Following the acquisition, which is scheduled to close later this quarter, Symantec will immediately integrate IMLogic’s threat detection and remediation for IM into its early warning and response system. The software will augment the capabilities of Symantec Security Response, the company’s security research center.FUTURE TESTS: This year we’ll be looking at new classes of products, such as those that help define system security policy and identify systems out of compliance, and help security managers to take remediation actions. We’ll test data leakage management products for the first time. And we’ll also take several more passes at vulnerability assessment tools in a variety of smaller tests based on how the products attack the problem of pinpointing network holes. PRODUCT MASTERMIND: group product managerDee Liebenstein,Job duties: Liebenstein focuses on business case and customer requirements for DeepSight Threat Management System and DeepSight Alert Services, Symantec’s early-warning solutions.Favorite feature: “The domain alerts feature is a favorite because targeted attacks are on the rise. This feature notifies an organization when its company domain is being specifically named in a malicious code payload. This proactive notification enables businesses to quickly take appropriate steps to mitigate the threat and protect themselves and their customers.” USER TAKE:, chief business continuity officer, Cigna, in PhiladelphiaJim JeffersDeployment: Began using DeepSight Alert Services in March 2005, in conjunction with Symantec-provided managed security services.Favorite feature: “The first is the analysis they provide throughout the world. That gives us a pulse of what’s going on, and we can leverage Symantec’s real-time experience. Second are the different reporting capabilities.”Business benefits: “Basically, the biggest benefit is the ability to stay on top of things, adding to the intelligence we have to see what’s going on in our environment.” Previous story: Juniper’s Secure Access SSL VPN applianceNext story: Cybertrust, Guidance Software, NetIQ and Thor Technologies are finalists > Related content news Cisco CCNA and AWS cloud networking rank among highest paying IT certifications Cloud expertise and security know-how remain critical in building today’s networks, and these skills pay top dollar, according to Skillsoft’s annual ranking of the most valuable IT certifications. Demand for talent continues to outweigh s By Denise Dubie Nov 30, 2023 7 mins Certifications Certifications Certifications news Mainframe modernization gets a boost from Kyndryl, AWS collaboration Kyndryl and AWS have expanded their partnership to help enterprise customers simplify and accelerate their mainframe modernization initiatives. By Michael Cooney Nov 30, 2023 4 mins Mainframes Cloud Computing Data Center news AWS and Nvidia partner on Project Ceiba, a GPU-powered AI supercomputer The companies are extending their AI partnership, and one key initiative is a supercomputer that will be integrated with AWS services and used by Nvidia’s own R&D teams. By Andy Patrizio Nov 30, 2023 3 mins CPUs and Processors Generative AI Supercomputers news VMware stung by defections and layoffs after Broadcom close Layoffs and executive departures are expected after an acquisition, but there's also concern about VMware customer retention. By Andy Patrizio Nov 30, 2023 3 mins Virtualization Data Center Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe