Cyber security failures rarely start with sophisticated attacks. More often, they begin with something simple: an unpatched system, a forgotten server, or a misconfigured cloud service. Vulnerability scanning exists to find these weaknesses before attackers do.

What Is Vulnerability Scanning?

Vulnerability scanning is the process of automatically identifying known security weaknesses across your IT environment. This includes servers, laptops, network devices, cloud platforms, and applications.

The scan compares your systems against an up-to-date database of known vulnerabilities, such as missing patches, insecure configurations, or outdated software. The output is a prioritised list of issues, ranked by severity and exploitability.

Put simply: vulnerability scanning tells you where you are exposed, how serious the risk is, and what needs fixing first.

It does not exploit systems, disrupt operations, or replace human judgement. It provides the evidence required to make informed security decisions.

Why entrustIT Partner with Qualys

At entrustIT, we partner with Qualys because it aligns with how SME and mid-market organisations actually operate.

Qualys is a globally recognised vulnerability scanning platform trusted by enterprises, regulators, and security professionals. More importantly, it delivers three things our clients need:

• Accuracy – reducing false positives that waste time and credibility

• Context – helping organisations understand which vulnerabilities genuinely matter

• Scalability – suitable for growing environments without adding operational overhead

Qualys allows us to deliver enterprise-grade vulnerability scanning without enterprise-level complexity. That means directors get clear, actionable insight rather than technical noise.

How Vulnerability Scanning Fits into a Holistic Cyber Security Strategy

Vulnerability Scanning is not a cyber defense in itself, but it does provide you or your IT company with the information they need to target your weak points.

In a well-designed cyber security strategy, vulnerability scanning supports:

• Patch management – identifying what actually needs fixing

• Risk management – focusing resources on the highest-impact issues

• Incident prevention – closing common entry points used in ransomware and data breaches

• Board reporting – providing objective, repeatable metrics over time

It complements other controls such as endpoint protection, firewalls, security awareness training, and incident response planning. Think of vulnerability scanning as the diagnostic layer that informs everything else.

Vulnerability Scanning and Compliance

Vulnerability scanning plays a direct role in meeting UK compliance and governance expectations, even where it is not explicitly mandated.

It supports requirements within:

• Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus – Vulnerability Scanning is a requirement for Cyber Essentials Plus

• ISO 27001 – continuous risk assessment and technical vulnerability management

• NIS Regulations – for applicable operators of essential services

Regulators increasingly expect organisations to evidence ongoing security management, not one-off audits. Regular vulnerability scanning provides that evidence.

Who Is Vulnerability Scanning For?

Vulnerability scanning is most valuable for organisations that:

• Rely on IT systems to deliver services or generate revenue

• Handle customer, employee, or commercially sensitive data

• Operate in regulated or supply-chain-driven industries

• Want measurable, defensible cyber risk reduction

This includes most SMEs and virtually all mid-market organisations.

Vulnerability Scanning is the MOT for your IT

Most people don’t think about how their car works day to day. They turn the key, expect it to start, and assume it’s safe to drive. But once a year, the MOT exists to check for known, common faults that could cause failure or danger if left unchecked.

In a similar way, Vulnerability Scanning helps to point out dangers in your IT setup, and gives you the knowledge to patch and fix those vulnerabilities before they become exploited.

In the same way an MOT protects you from a dangerous car, vulnerability scans protect your business from cyber attacks.

Learn more about entrustIT's Cyber Security Portfolio here