What is a connector? (API vs File-based)

A Connector is the definition of how Cisco Vulnerability Management can connect to tools that already exist in customer environments. Connectors fall into several general categories and can be related to vulnerability management, application scanning, ticketing, and more. By setting up a connector in your environment, you facilitate a connection between the tool and the Cisco Vulnerability Management platform. The connectors come with a number of settings including what credentials to use, how often Cisco Vulnerability Management should import the data, which reports/templates Cisco Vulnerability Management should import, etc.

There are two types of connectors available in the platform:

• API Connectors
• File based connectors

API Connectors are direct integrations between Cisco Vulnerability Management and a tool. These integrations are more automated. For these connectors a number of fields can be set to determine what level of data Cisco Vulnerability Management will import and how often you would like that data imported. Example: QualysGuard 

File based connectors are the more manual integrations. For file based connectors, Cisco Vulnerability Management supports the creation of a connector, but then a manual drag and drop is required to run the connector. Automation can be achieved through scripting, however file based connectors are not schedulable via the UX.
Example: HCL AppScan (though Cisco Vulnerability Management does also offer an HCL AppScan Enterprise API connector)

Click here for a full list of tools with which Cisco Vulnerability Management can integrate.

If you don’t see a particular tool on the list and would like to be able to ingest data from that tool, you may be able to do so via the Kenna Data Importer (KDI). More information on the KDI can be found here.