What approach should you take to scan for internal and external vulnerabilities? This worksheet, prepared by Baseline with help from executives at security vendors VeriSign, BigFix and CyberTrust, shows some of the costs for using in-house software, a consulting service, or software as a service. The example here assumes a highly distributed organization.

For your in-house option, you may be able to negotiate a lower price if you purchase other security software from a vendor, says Amrit Williams, chief technology officer of BigFix. Although it is more costly to manage software in-house, the option gives organizations more flexibility and the ability to run scans when you need them.

To see the details behind this calculator and fill in your own estimates, click on the "Get the Tool" icon above and download the interactive worksheet.

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