Content

eEye Digital Security Retina CS

The Retina CS from eEye Digital Security provides a multitude of vulnerability scanning and management features and functions. Beyond simple vulnerability scanning, this product also can provide patch management and compliance monitoring. The Retina CS also can be used to scan and assess vulnerabilities in mobile devices and virtualized applications, which provides a full view of environmental vulnerabilities. Furthermore, it can integrate with popular penetration testing tools, such as Core Impact and Metasploit.

We have seen Retina grow and change a lot since we first reviewed it several years ago. The one big change we noticed - other than its growing list of features and capabilities - is that this tool has become much easier to use and is leaps and bounds better than any of its previous versions. When we first saw this product, it was installed as a software package and was plagued with .Net and IIS errors. Now, all the software comes installed and ready to go on a hardware appliance, so there is no need for software installation. The web-based management interface has also substantially improved.

Configuration is almost fully automated. The initial setup is done - by way of the web interface and a short wizard - the first time the appliance is powered on. At the completion of the wizard, network scanning can begin almost immediately depending on the complexity and type of scan needed for the environment. Scans can be configured to a granular level, including the use of many compliance templates. This product also can be configured to provide patch-based remediation of vulnerabilities throughout the enterprise, including a direct plug into Windows Server Update Services. This solution provides strong compliance features and functionality, too. In fact, Retina comes loaded with many compliance templates ready to go right out of the box. It also can use Regulatory Report Packs included from eEye. These provide compliance scorecards, dashboards and trending reports to easily identify and manage compliance violations throughout the enterprise.

Documentation includes installation and full user guides. The installation guide details not only the initial setup of the Retina CS server, but also some information on base configuration and agent deployment options. The user guide provides a full, in-depth look at configuration and use of the product features. Both guides also provide many screen shots, step-by-step instructions and configuration examples in a well-organized and easy-to-follow layout.

The Retina CS comes with standard support included. This features eight-hours-a-day/five-days-a-week phone-based technical assistance, as well as access to an online portal. Access to many resources, including downloadable product documentation, an online knowledge base, and user forum are available there. Customers also can purchase 24/7 phone-based technical help as part of an ongoing agreement.

At a price starting at $8,000 for 256 IP addresses, we find this product to be an excellent value for the money. The Retina CS from eEye provides a lot of functionality - beyond just vulnerability scanning - in an easy-to-use format. It is a great value for almost any environment.
Product title
eEye Digital Security Retina CS
Product info
Name: eEye Digital Security Retina CS Description: Full featured and easy-to-use vulnerability management. Price: $8,000 for 256 IP addresses
Strength
Full featured and easy-to-use vulnerability management.
Weakness
None that we found.
Verdict
A powerful product with a first-rate pedigree. We give eEye Digital Security Retina CS our Best Buy.

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