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Platform:
» BigFix Platform
» How It Works
Capabilities:
» Compliance and
Reporting
» Configuration
Management
» Endpoint Security
and Spyware
» Inventory and
License
Management
» Network Access
Control and
Quarantine
» Patch Management
» Software
Distribution and
Deployment
» Vulnerability
Management
How It Works:
A Closer Look At The Bigfix Enterprise Suite.
Here's a detailed look at how the BigFix Enterprise Suite (BES) works:
Step 1:
Using the BigFix Client Deployment Tool for NT or Active Directory domains,
existing software deployment services, or other techniques, a BigFix Agent
is deployed to every server, desktop and laptop. Agents can be deployed to
thousands of computers in a matter of hours. Each BigFix Agent contains a set
of "inspectors" that provide a detailed look at the software, hardware, and
current operating state of each computer.
Step 2:
The BigFix Enterprise Suite (BES) Server monitors BigFix's secure servers via the Internet - or in-house authored sites - for new BigFix Fixlet messages. The BES Server downloads each Fixlet message once from the Internet and caches the Fixlet on the server. Fixlet messages can also be authored by customers - using BigFix Authoring - to address policy, configuration and vulnerability concerns specific to your enterprise.
Step 3:
The BES Server makes new Fixlet messages available, and the BigFix Agent then retrieves the new messages from the BES Server - or from the closest BES Relay. The BES Relays aggregate and compress communication between the Agents and the BES Server, and cache and distribute downloads to the Agents, minimizing the bandwidth usage on the enterprise network.
Step 4:
Each BigFix Agent continuously evaluates the Fixlet messages that it has retrieved, to determine if any message is currently "relevant" to the computer. The BigFix Agent notifies the BES Server of any newly relevant Fixlet messages, which in turn is monitored by the BigFix Administrative Console.
Step 5:
For each relevant issue, the BigFix Administrative Console displays - in the real time - the total number of computers affected, and provides the administrator with a drill-down view to the hardware and software configurations and the software running on your computers - even when intermittently or infrequently connected to the network. With this information, and the description provided by the Fixlet message, administrator can decide on an effective course of action.
Step 6:
The administrator, with full control of which relevant desktops, laptops, servers and software are targeted, authorizes the BigFix Agent to take action - implementing a designated task or remediating an issue enterprise-wide. The administrator can even target which computers to help deploy an action, reducing bandwidth workload throughout the network. The action can be deployed to fix an issue immediately, or can be deployed as a policy to fix the problem now and anytime it occurs in the future. Computers not currently connected will immediately receive the update once they reconnect to the network.
Step 7:
The BigFix Agent runs the action, downloading any patch or other software required. The BigFix Administrative Console receives real time feedback from each computer as the BigFix Agent runs the action to remediate the issue. At any time, the state of the entire enterprise can be viewed from any Web browser using BigFix Web Reports. This interface allows authorized BigFix Administrative Console operators to monitor remediation efforts, create reports and produce asset inventories based on current information across hundreds of thousands of networked computers.
| More about BigFix Fixlet messages |
| BigFix’s patented Fixlet technology enables
the development of pre-tested, pre-packaged Fixlet messages that
provide out-of-the-box vulnerability and secure systems management
solutions.
Fixlet messages can additionally be written in-house by administrators–using BigFix Authoring–to address policy, configuration and vulnerability concerns specific to your enterprise. Or Fixlet messages can be customized by BigFix professional services and BigFix partners. Each BigFix Fixlet message contains three parts that: A. Defines precisely what makes a computer “relevant” to require a particular action, update or change. B. Provides specific and actionable “descriptions” to the administrator about the issue and the fix. C. Contains automated “action” code to instruct the Agent where to find the patch or fix required to remediate the issue. “BigFix pre-tests the fix” to certify that it does what it’s supposed to do. |