BigFix and CPM Components

Consoles tie all components together to provide a system-wide view of all the computers on your network. The system-wide view of vulnerabilities and threats on the computers on your network can quickly be addressed. The console helps administrators quickly and easily distribute fixes to computers that need them, without impacting other computers on your network.

For large deployments, consoles are often hosted from Terminal Servers.

Servers offer a collection of interacting services, including application services, a web server and a database server, forming the heart of the BigFix system. It coordinates the flow of information to and from individual computers and stores the results in the BigFix database. Server components operate in the background, without any direct intervention from the administrator. Servers also include a built-in web reporting module to allow authorized users to connect through a web browser to view information about endpoints, vulnerabilities, actions, and more. BigFix supports multiple servers, adding a robust redundancy to the system.

Agents are installed on every computer BigFix manages. Agents access a collection of Fixlets that detect improper configuration settings and vulnerabilities. The agent is then capable of implementing corrective actions received from the console through the server. The agent is designed to run undetected by end users using a minimum of system resources. However, BigFix also allows the administrator to provide screen prompts for those actions that require user input. Agents are capable of encrypting communications thereby protecting sensitive information.

Relays increase the efficiency of the system. Instead of forcing each networked computer to directly access the server, relays spread the load. Hundreds to thousands of agents can point to a single relay for downloads. The relay then makes only a single request of the server. Relays can connect to other relays, further increasing efficiency. A relay does not need to be a dedicated computer. A relay can be any computer with the agent installed . As soon as you install as relay, the agents on your network have the ability to automatically discover and connect to them.

CPM Client Components are responsible for managing pattern files, conducting scans, and with the help of Trend Micro Damage Cleanup services, removing any malware that they detect. These components run undetected by end users and use minimal system resources. You need to install a CPM client on each endpoint that you want to protect. These endpoints should already have the agent installed.

Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ is a next-generation, in-the-cloud based, advanced protection solution. At the core of this solution is an advanced scanning architecture that leverages malware prevention signatures that are stored in-the-cloud.

This solution leverages file, email, and web reputation technology to detect security risks. The technology works by offloading a large number of malware prevention signatures and lists that were previously stored on endpoints to Trend Micro Smart Protection Servers or Trend Micro Smart Protection Network. Using this approach, the system and network impact of the ever-increasing volume of signature updates to endpoints is significantly reduced.

Trend Micro Smart Protection Servers enable corporate customers to tailor Smart Protection Network utilization within their corporate IT infrastructure for the best privacy, response time and customized File and Web Reputation Services.

The Smart Protection Server can be monitored using a customized dashboard along with email and SNMP alert notifications. These features facilitate a seamless integration with a customer’s IT operation infrastructure.

Based on an elegant and efficient architecture, Trend Micro Smart Protection Relay is a light-weight connection between Smart Protection Server and the Smart Protection clients.

Trend Micro Smart Protection Relay takes the flexibility of deployment with Smart Protection Network to the next level. For corporations and organizations which usually have slow and expensive links across their organizations, Smart Protection Relay concentrates, throttles, and significantly reduces the bandwidth required between the smart protection clients and Smart Protection Servers. With its small footprint, flexibility of deployment, and minimized administrator managing requirements, Smart Protection Relay proves to be the best fit for most subsidiary or remote branch offices that have lower cross-site bandwidth and limited on-site IT resources.