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There are two approaches to deploying configuration management technologies: Agent-based technologies must be
- deployed to all devices, unknown devices are not discovered
- multiple agent types necessary for different device types
- assigned permission to operate, necessary security credentials are required for each agent
- maintained, ensure agents are deployed, operational
- monitored, ensure the agent's data is collected by the central application
- multiple-log managed: agent event logs are created on each device, where possible, thus dispersing the essential feedback data on agent / site audit success
Agent-less technologies must be:
- deployed to one machine, not thousands
- provided with security credentials, managed from a single point of operation
- maintained, one instance of the application, not thousands
- monitor one application, not thousands
- logged on a single machine, not thousands
Which one works best?
In short, agent based solutions that have been deployed and are operational will be able to perform their tasks even when the device is disconnected from your network. This is the only benefit and it will be argued comprehensively from both sides of competing CMDB technology-capable vendors.
If you have implemented extensive change management procedures that rely on or are supported by agent-based technologies then a ZENmetrics™ audit could prove very revealing. It will uncover significant discrepancies between what you think you know and what you know you don't know about your network.
To comprehensively manage and maintain a vast and ever-changing IT estate - managing devices that will come and go, manage cross-platform, multi operating system environments, multiple virtual devices and servers, support mission critical servers for which deployment of agent-based technologies is complicated, a breach of vendor service contracts or even impossible then... the agentless approach is the most cost-effective, least resource intensive, sensitive and budget-threatening approach that will ensure safe and accurate results.
Agentless solutions address the major issues most important to enterprises today: cost, ease of maintenance, faster deployment, and lower impact on the IT infrastructure.
What about the single agent approach?
The single agent approach is the agentless approach - a single agent solution does not deploy agents so it is agentless and the single instance of software that is deployed is referred to as an agent therefore it is sometimes referred to as a 'single agent' solution.
Is a blended approach possible?
ZENmetrics™ has in-built synchronisation features by design enabling the configuration of a blended approach using multiple instances of the raptor engine in different locations where the complexity of the IT estate demands this type of configuration.
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