Wednesday, February 17, 2010

“Security Scoreboard” Out!

Something awesome happened in security industry today: Security Scoreboard  launched.  I am amazed - no, deeply amazed! - that nobody has thought about this before. And now Boaz did! Security Scoreboard is a place where information about all the security vendors and products will be aggregated, where products will be rated by users ("this half-baked IPS totally misses Slammer even it slams it in the head!” :-))  and that will help organizations decide which product solves a particular security problem they have. On top of this, the place will not be run by the vendors. And will list competitors explicitly. Think about a Zagat for security products, that is what it is.

In my opinion, Security Scoreboard is one of  the most useful projects in the entire security industry today since it  helps answer that painful question “What security gear to buy to solve a specific  problem?” Deep down, every security professional knows that many purchases “miss the mark” (provided the mark is even there to begin with…) and there is a lot (ah, let’s be honest: A L-O-T!) of confusion about overlapping market segments, poorly defined functionality, compliance marketing noise, etc. In some cases, it is hard to even determine what their freaking box does based on the vendor's own website...

Quote from the site follows:
“Finding the right IT security vendor can be time consuming. Security Scoreboard is a site dedicated to helping security pros looking for a vendor to get oriented quickly.
On Security Scoreboard, you will find all the information security vendors you might be considering buying from. Security Scoreboard lets you quickly identify the players in a given space and provides information and links you need to make the right purchasing decision. Security Scoreboard is a site for security professionals, by security professionals.
Thinking of making an IT security purchase? Don't forget to check our user reviews to make sure that you're not buying a lemon. Are you an IT user? Please submit a review. You can share your experiences and help your colleagues make the right purchasing decision.”
To experience it, check out this sample entry. Also, the site got some interesting press which you can see here.

Finally, I have to add that I am honored to participate in such tremendously useful project!

Dr Anton Chuvakin