Q1 Labs' Update Offers Realtime Security View

Version 5.0 of Q1 Labs’ QRadar, launched this week, improves upon past versions with expanded reporting and detection tools that can be used to spot network anomalies, events that may suggest a security breach or an incoming attack, said Tom Turner, vice president of marketing at Q1 Labs, Waltham, Mass.

That means QRadar 5.0 can deliver realtime security monitoring and the rich data set necessary to perform much more comprehensive remediation, resulting in better, more hardened network security, he said.

“The goal for the product is to provide the quickest time to success,” Turner said. “It automatically begins to build offenses.”

QRadar 5.0 can collect event data from practically any device within a network. Reports can be customized, and Turner said plug-ins for monitoring network devices not included in the software’s default menu are available. In addition, the new appliance ships with templates for proper security event resolution.

But QRadar 5.0 has to be told what devices on the network it should be listening to, and that means potential service dollars for resellers, said Turner.

Kevin Haley, president of Netanium, a network security VAR in North Chelmsford, Mass., said that based on his experience selling past editions of QRadar, he believes hourly billings for installation and calibration services at a customer site can tick along for “a couple of weeks.” Considering version 5.0’s price tag of slightly less than $30,000, Haley said it is not unrealistic to expect that most VARs could make half that amount in additional service revenue.

“It solves problems that aren’t easy to solve. It’s not an easy solution. It does take time to calibrate and make it work properly,” Haley said.

Since the vendor launched its Q-Alliance Program partner program in March 2004, Q1 Labs’ partner ranks have swelled by more than 60 resellers, said Turner, who noted there is certainly room for more solution providers.

Jack Pooley, president of Government Channels Group, a McLean, Va., firm that works with qualified resellers and vendors selling into the federal government, has just added Q1 Labs to its roster, he said. “Q1 does what it says it can do,” said Pooley.