Deploying Cloud Agents
The Qualys Cloud Agent provides real-time asset data without requiring authenticated network scans.
Deployment Methods
- Manual or script-based: Download the installer from Activations > Activation Keys and deploy via GPO, Ansible, Chef, Puppet, or SCCM.
- Cloud-native auto-deploy: Use the Qualys TotalCloud connector to auto-provision agents on AWS EC2, Azure VMs, or GCP Compute Engine instances via user data or cloud-init.
- Container deployments: Deploy the Qualys Container Security sensor as a DaemonSet in Kubernetes environments.
Step-by-Step: Agent Installation
- Navigate to Agent Management > Activation Keys. Select the applications to activate (for example, VMDR, PC, EDR) and associate a tag group.
- Download the appropriate agent package: .deb or .rpm for Linux, .msi or .exe for Windows, .dmg for macOS.
- Deploy via your endpoint management tool. Example (Linux RPM): sudo rpm -ivh qualys-cloud-agent.x86_64.rpm
- Activate the agent: sudo /usr/local/qualys/cloud-agent/bin/qualys-cloud-agent.sh ActivationId=<ID> CustomerId=<ID>
Note: This command varies based on platform type. - Verify agent check-in. In the Cloud Agent UI check the values in Last Activity column and confirm the host appears.
Proxy Configuration: If agents communicate through an HTTP proxy, set the proxy configuration in the agent's Qualys-cloud-agent.conf file before activation.