Archer Enterprise Security Management 3.0 from Archer Technologies is a platform for managing the security systems of an enterprise, focused on managing policies, threat, assets, risks and incidents.

"We have created an infrastructure that is vendor neutral and content independent," says Jon Darbyshire, CEO of Archer. "Our focus is on a knowledge management process tailored to security management."

Built on Archer's Enterprise Smart Suite Framework, the software is offered in five modules. The Policy Management module allows organizations to crate security policies, distribute them online, train employees and track compliance. The Threat Management Module notifies system administrators of vulnerabilities via a live data feed, and recommends procedures to mitigate them.

The Asset Management module manages servers, applications, or data centers and their relationships to ensure they are protected according to management expectations. The Risk Management module performs online risk assessments of specific assets, based on their role in the enterprise. The Incident Management module puts in place a process for reporting incidents, managing their escalation, tracking investigations and analyzing resolutions.

In business for two years, Archer has worked with a set of nine companies it targeted as customers to develop the product from the prototype stage. Each company sets up a security dashboard to display the type of information they want to collect. For example, companies can set up a profile calling for notification of all Microsoft patch updates, based on updates from a data feed sent every hour from Archer to customers with the Vulnerability module.

Enterprise Security Management is priced in two ways. An annual license is sold form $40,000 to $200,000 depending on the number of modules purchased and the number of users. A perpetual license is priced at $150,000 to $500,000.

Archer currently is undergoing certification testing of the BITS Tested Mark, a test suite formed by CEOs of the largest financial services institutions in the U.S. The certification program was established to help assure that products used by financial services firms comply with a set of security criteria. Archer expects to announce in coming weeks that it has achieved the certification.