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Qualys Policy Compliance vs RSA Archer comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Qualys Policy Compliance
Ranking in IT Governance
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
RSA Archer
Ranking in IT Governance
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
GRC (1st), IT Vendor Risk Management (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the IT Governance category, the mindshare of Qualys Policy Compliance is 2.8%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of RSA Archer is 33.2%, down from 33.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Governance
 

Featured Reviews

Bhupendra Nayak - PeerSpot reviewer
A VMDR solution that can be used to detect, block, and mitigate vulnerabilities
We use QualysGuard Policy Compliance for VMDR (Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response). We can use the solution to detect, block, and mitigate vulnerabilities The most valuable feature of QualysGuard Policy Compliance is the automation that can detect real-time threats and decrease…
IMRAN ALMARZOOQI - PeerSpot reviewer
Automates compliance management effectively but needs improved interface and dashboards
The tool basically automates whatever processes you already have, so I cannot specify improvements in that regard. However, my main issue with Archer is the graphics. The graphics have always been lacking. I always need to depend on another tool to read information from Archer to have better dashboards. It is like using Linux, and it has a Linux mindset and interface. I want to use Archer for top management and CEOs, but it looks too technical, and the dashboards are not really friendly. They are bulky, like opening an old Nintendo system from nineteen-ninety. The management agrees that Archer lacks in terms of presentation and dashboarding. It is complex, not user-friendly, and bulky. The interface just looks old.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution's interface looks good, which enhances asset scanning and ensures automatic patching."
"The reporting and security checks are valuable."
"The most valuable feature of QualysGuard Policy Compliance is the automation that can detect real-time threats and decrease risks."
"It's a simple product."
"The platform allows multiple features that are very useful. The first one is being able to define the enterprise policy. The second one is to be able to automatically check the compliance level based on that policy, and the third one is that it allows us to generate reports and dashboards to see the compliance level easily."
"With RSA Archer, an admin can set permissions for a normal user to go directly to the tool they need to input some data. Admins can then go through that and approve some requests. Also, they can log in based on these kinds of permissions, including ticketing, service patches, or upgrades."
"The most valuable features of RSA Archer are the asset management, risk management, and vendor management."
"Good dashboards and reporting features; it's easy to gather reports quickly."
"Its user interface is pretty neat, and there is flexibility in generating the data. You can customize reports at any level. You can directly get reports in Tableau format. If you want to generate statistical data, you can create reports with graphs. There is an adequate amount of flexibility for changing the format, the type of graphs, etc."
"Archer has simplified our security audits. It's made it easier to raise and trigger questionnaires to customers."
"Archer seamlessly integrates data systems without requiring additional software."
"The last project was for an investment group that was using Excel. Shifting their records from one position to another took approximately 15 minutes. In Archer, we created a workflow for them to leverage it, and they could send the single record with one click to one person within seconds. The whole process went from 15 minutes to two minutes to get the approval for the records. The main purpose of Archer is to just make it easy."
"Solution is scalable."
 

Cons

"There is no clear mapping for the CIS controls in terms of how they should be implemented into Qualys, so the implementation stage might be a little bit challenging for the customer. That means that the customer will end up opening support cases, which will overload their support team to explain those. If they are somehow published somewhere, it would save time and effort for both sides."
"It would be good if the solution’s technical support could be faster."
"The reporting needs improvement."
"The policy creation aspect needs improvement."
"Some sort of education or knowledge base about the product would be beneficial for beginners."
"When we have to do formulas or some other type of calculation in Archer, it sometimes doesn't work correctly. The fields don't display right, and we have to contact RSA Archer support to fix things. I think the calculation components are a bit complicated."
"There are some issues with the interface for version 6.5 but these may already be repaired and simplified in the new versions that have been released."
"The design and advanced workflow need to be improved."
"GUI could be improved."
"The solution can be a little slow due to the Silverlight feature."
"There should be a way to export and get data from the system in PDF or PowerPoint presentation format. This would be a great addition."
"There were so many problems that we had found. One time, the search index was not working. We also faced slowness in Archer, but I resolved this issue."
"There should be built-in integration mechanisms, for example, for organizations switching from platforms like ServiceNow to Archer, instead of custom integrations for each client."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's pricing is in the mid-range, where it is neither expensive nor very cheap."
"The prices might be a little bit high. I cannot compare it with another product because we did not try any other product, but this is my impression when comparing different modules."
"The solution is not at all a cheap product."
"The solution’s pricing is moderate."
"The license is costly for the solution, but the remaining set up and maintenance is quite cheaper."
"The price of the solution is very affordable."
"It is not expensive. It is reasonable. We only pay for the licensing."
"The pricing is okay. The licensing costs are very reasonable; it is very affordable to us."
"At the higher end of the price scale, but provides better, more accessible functionality and customization than cheaper products."
"The solution's price should be reduced. You only have to pay the license and there are no additional fees."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
25%
Healthcare Company
18%
Government
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Educational Organization
55%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
5%
Government
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about QualysGuard Policy Compliance?
The most valuable feature of QualysGuard Policy Compliance is the automation that can detect real-time threats and decrease risks.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for QualysGuard Policy Compliance?
Qualys Policy Compliance is cost-efficient and provides great security features for the price. It is used by most companies because of its cost-effective and efficient nature.
What needs improvement with QualysGuard Policy Compliance?
The policy creation aspect needs improvement. Our team has limited knowledge about creating policies, and I need to focus on this area more. I should study more about creating and handling policies...
What do you like most about RSA Archer?
It has various valuable features. For example, showing us if a control aligns with specific standards or frameworks helps us understand it better and verify its compliance.
What needs improvement with RSA Archer?
If the user needs to fill data, they need to go to one page and then to the next page if they can reduce the number of clicks to perform some activities and would like RSA to improve in this area. ...
What is your primary use case for RSA Archer?
I perform all of our information security management governance and risk -related activities through Archer. My organization manages all types of audits and Enterprise risk activities using Archer.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

No data available
Archer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

PDX, Cigna
T-Systems, Bridge Point, Equifax, First Data, Global Imaging Company, Manulife Financial
Find out what your peers are saying about Qualys Policy Compliance vs. RSA Archer and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.