Protecting a single network against hackers isn’t an easy task for a network administrator. Protecting 600 networks, though, is a snap for Gerhard Eschelbeck. Thanks to a Web-based network assessment service designed by the CTO and vice president of engineering at Redwood Shores, Calif.-based Qualys, more than 600 companies are automatically alerted to vulnerabilities detected in their networks. The service leverages a database of 2,000 known vulnerabilities that Qualys has identified and catalogued. Once these vulnerabilities are recognized, Qualys provides links to verified fixes. Recently, Eschelbeck led the development of an appliance that scans as many as 5,000 live IP addresses a day within the firewall. “There is a significant change happening on the time-scale from when high-risk vulnerabilities become known to the time when [they are] being actively exploited,” he says. Eschelbeck sees Web Services as an important technology going forward. In other words — more vulnerabilities will arrive, making it even more difficult for administrators to protect its network. “The Internet will continue to dominate the computing trend,” explains Eschelbeck. “One of the significant upcoming technologies are Web Services, as they will take the Internet from its current documentcentric view to a servicecentric model, where businesses and organizations will gain significantly from the economy of scale.” — S.T.S. Return to InfoWorld’s 25 Most Influential CTOs 2002 SecurityTechnology Industry