Known as SAFE, short for Software Audit for the Enterprise, the service discovers and reports on the potential information security risk that stems from unauthorised, illegal and rogue software usage in an organisation.

According to company officials, the auditing application is being offered to chief information security officers (CISOs) who are looking for greater visibility and control over the software being installed within their organisations by end-users.

The lack of endpoint information security management in many organisations, Bit9 said, can result in unauthorised changes and undesirable configurations that put a company at risk.

According to Bit9, its SAFE service provides visibility into all software on endpoints; an understanding of the software's category and risk factor, drift from the baseline; and a way to control the software to meet information security and compliance requirements.

In use, the service generates an executive report of results that pin-points the computers that have drifted furthest from the company's baseline, as well as best practices plus recommendations on 'fix first' areas to quickly lower risk and improve the business' overall information security posture.