 Network/Systems ManagementThis newsletter is sponsored by Net Optics, Inc.Network World's Network/Systems Management Newsletter, 08/08/07The thing with agents …By Denise DubieDepending on who you talk to, descriptions of agent software can range between necessary evil and the bane of IT professionals' existence. The bits of code that land on servers, clients and other endpoints enable commercial software products to collect data, monitor systems status, secure endpoints, and monitor security, data collection and more. But at what cost to IT staff? I recently wrote a longer piece on the topic, and what I found is that agents for securing endpoints seem a bit more necessary than agents for monitoring the same systems. IDC Research Director Charles Kolodgy says agent technology, such as that which could become available through PatchLink's acquisition of SecureWave, could address emerging vulnerabilities for endpoint machines.
"Recognizing the endpoints are now the biggest targets for attackers, PatchLink is going beyond vulnerability scanning and patching," he recently wrote. "Servers are no long the prime interest of criminals, so enterprises need improved control over their endpoints." While security continues to drive the need for endpoint agent software, the agent technology long associated with systems management products could eventually find its way into operating systems and equipment -- reducing the need to roll out software to every managed machine. Here I am going to share part of my discussion with Forrester Research Vice President Jean-Pierre Garbani, who has long covered the area of IT systems management. He says when it comes to management, agents could become a thing of the past. What is involved in deploying, maintaining and updating agents from multiple vendors? Deployment, update, parameterization. This could take from two to six hours of an administrator's time. One thing that is clear is that the number of servers per administrator has been decreasing, from an average of 12 three years ago to about six or seven today, and this is in part due to agent proliferation. Do you feel agents are required to manage endpoints such as servers and desktops? Agents are supplementing the weaknesses of operating systems. In a very mature operating system, agents are not really necessary since their functions end up embedded in the operating system. How do you decide if an agent is necessary? What tasks can be done without distributing agents? Any function or data collection not available directly in the operating system would require an agent. UNIX systems, in this regard are worse than Windows, where a number of monitoring and management functions are available. Do you think customers would prefer fewer agents in commercial software products? Definitely, because agents require resources to manage them. What is the best alternative in your opinion to agents? The solution we can see in the long run is that, through commoditization of chips and operating systems, agent functions will end up embedded into operating systems. Linux is less likely than Windows to get there because of the distribution of developers and the difficulty to get independent people to work to a common goal. But operating systems are the key. How can vendors help customers avoid a proliferation of too many agents? A “universal agent” architecture with a standard interface would be a start. IBM has combined agent functions into a “universal agent” for all their products. Creating a “standard” for such agents would be a good start. What do you think? How many is too many agents? What are you willing to live with on your endpoints and why? Let me know.
|
| Contact the author: Senior Editor Denise Dubie covers the technologies, products and services that address network, systems, application and IT service management for Network World. E-mail Denise. This newsletter is sponsored by Net Optics, Inc.ARCHIVEArchive of the Network/Systems Management Newsletter. BONUS FEATUREIT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICESTo subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007 |
No comments:
Post a Comment