I. Examine in-depth the product features and quality of IDPSs. When asking for specific details of the system, apply the following top-level questions and sub-questions as outlined in the text:
• Is the product sufficiently scalable for your environment?
• How has the product been tested?
• Has the product been tested against functional requirements?
• Has the product been tested for performance against anticipated load?
• Has the product been tested to reliably detect attacks?
• Has the product been tested against attack?
• What is the user level of expertise targeted by the product?
• Is the product designed to evolve as the organization grows?
• Can the product adapt to growth in user expertise?
• Can the product adapt to growth and change of the organization’s systems infrastructure?
• Can the product adapt to growth and change of the security threat environment?
• What are the support provisions for the product?
• What are commitments for product installation and configuration support?
• What are commitments for ongoing product support?
• Are subscriptions to signature updates included?
• How often are subscriptions updated?
• How quickly after a new attack is made public will the vendor ship a new signature?
• Are software updates included?
• How quickly will software updates and patches be issued after a problem is reported to the vendor?
• Are technical support services included?
• What are the provisions for contacting technical support?
• Are there any guarantees associated with the IDPS?
• What training resources does the vendor provide as part of the product?
• What additional training resources are available from the vendor and at what cost?
II. Compile answers provided from the vendors to determine which system, if any, that were analyzed is the best option based on the needs of the organization