Reduced Activity Period

With the reduced activity period, you can set a time duration during which Cloud Agent activities are temporarily restricted. This helps minimize disruptions and mitigate risks by preventing potential conflicts or errors that could arise from concurrent agent activities during sensitive periods.

Check the following important terms for a reduced activity period.

Cloud Agent Check-in and Downloads

When you configure the Cloud Agent for reduced activity, it continues to communicate with the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk™ Platform. During this period, you can choose to allow or prohibit specific Cloud Agent activities. Despite the reduced activity, the Cloud Agent still checks for available downloadable data, such as binaries and manifests, and downloads it as needed.

Time zone for Reduced Activity Period

When you configure a reduced activity period for a Cloud Agent, it uses the local time zone to schedule this period. For example, if your Cloud Agent is in the Pacific Standard Time (PST) zone, it will follow a reduced activity schedule based on PST.

Conflicting Rules for Reduced Activity Period

When you configure multiple conflicting rules for a Reduced Activity Period, the Cloud Agent combines and applies these rules. For example, if two rules are scheduled for the same time—one prohibiting network transmission and the other allowing it—the Cloud Agent will prohibit network transmission.

 To define a reduced activity period:

- Click add to open the Set Reduced Activity Period window opens. 

Name: Enter the name for the reduced activity period. This field must not be null and must have 30 or less characters.

- Select Day. You must select at least one day. 

- Start Time and End Time for the reduced activity period. 

Note: Ensure that the End Time is later than the defined Start Time. 

- In the Configuration section, set the scan-based applications and remediation-based applications.

- Select the Activity/Data Collection check box to prevent the activities such as scanning, and data collection in the defined time interval.

- Select the Network Transmission check box to prevent communication between the selected application and Qualys Enterprise TruRisk™ Platform.

- Click Save.  

Example

In the following example, two reduced activity periods are configured. 

 

Reduced Activity Period (RAP) 1 period is configured on Wednesday from 10 AM to 4 PM. During this period:

- Communication between VM and Policy Compliance/ Security Configuration Assessment and Qualys Enterprise TruRisk™ Platform is prevented, although the applications continue the activities, such as scanning and data collection. 

- Scanning and data collection by Patch Management application is prevented. 

Reduced Activity Period (RAP) 2 is configured on Monday and Friday from 4 PM to 5 PM. During this period:

- VM scanning and communication between VM and Qualys Enterprise TruRisk™ Platform is prevented. 

- data collection and transmission for Patch Management is prevented. 

Note: After the Cloud Agent emerges from a Reduced Activity Period, it factors in both Scan Delay and Scan Randomize values set with Scan Configuration of the Configuration Profile.

Next Step: Performance Settings