A Qualys alternative, for sovereign compliance teams.
CISGuard delivers CIS benchmark compliance and audit-ready evidence without the SaaS-cloud dependency that disqualifies Qualys for many sovereign and air-gapped environments.
Common reasons to look beyond Qualys.
- SaaS-only architecture incompatible with sovereign-residency requirements
- Per-asset pricing that compounds with cloud-native and ephemeral infrastructure
- Evidence-format friction: Qualys Policy Compliance reports require translation for auditor consumption
- Slow regional support response in UAE/GCC time zones
Where Qualys is genuinely strong
- Comprehensive vulnerability + configuration coverage in a single platform
- Long-established certificate program (PCI-DSS approved scanning vendor)
- Wide network of partner consultancies and MSSPs
- Mature global cloud-scanner infrastructure
Where CISGuard is materially different
- On-premises and sovereign deployment, no SaaS dependency
- CIS-first focus rather than blended vulnerability + compliance product
- Dubai-headquartered with regional support in GCC business hours
- Auditor-formatted Framework Coverage Reports (per-control, per-framework)
- Air-gapped deployment for FedRAMP High, NCA Top Secret, IL4/IL5
CISGuard is the right choice when:
- UAE / KSA / GCC organizations where data residency makes Qualys SaaS unviable
- EU organizations under NIS2 / DORA preferring EU-sovereign deployment
- US federal and defense environments requiring air-gapped operation
- Multi-framework operators rebuilding evidence for each regulator
Migration questions, answered directly.
Can CISGuard replace Qualys Policy Compliance?
For CIS benchmark compliance and audit evidence, yes. CISGuard is purpose-built for the compliance use case, with Framework Coverage Reports formatted for auditor consumption rather than translated from a vulnerability-management product. For CVE-based vulnerability management, customers typically retain a dedicated VM tool.
Is CISGuard available without cloud dependency?
Yes. CISGuard's default deployment is on-premises in customer-controlled infrastructure. There is no SaaS option that exfiltrates scan data, by architectural choice. This makes CISGuard viable in jurisdictions where Qualys's cloud-only model is regulatorily or operationally non-viable.
How does CISGuard handle PCI-DSS QSA requirements?
CISGuard generates PCI-DSS Requirements 2, 6, and 10 evidence formatted for QSA consumption: per-CDE-asset configuration posture, drift detection for change management, and continuous audit logging. QSAs accept the evidence directly during ROC fieldwork. For external ASV scanning (a separate PCI requirement), customers retain a dedicated PCI ASV vendor.
Does CISGuard offer regional support in the GCC?
Yes. CISGuard is headquartered in Dubai with regional engineering and compliance support during GCC business hours. Customer success is delivered locally, not from a remote support center timed for US/EU customers. This is materially different from global vendors who service the GCC remotely.
Can CISGuard scale to enterprise-size environments?
Yes. CISGuard scales validated to 40,000+ endpoints per deployment with horizontal scaling for larger footprints. Multi-site rollup handles distributed infrastructure (manufacturing plants, retail stores, telecom POPs, regional offices) with per-site, per-region, and per-business-unit reporting.
Evaluating CISGuard against Qualys?
Our compliance engineers will walk through a side-by-side evaluation specific to your environment and audit scope.