BigFix, now supported by HCL Technologies since the acquisition of BigFix from IBM in 2018, is an endpoint management solution providing endpoint visibility and IT asset discovery, automated endpoint patching (BigFix Lifecycle and BigFix Patch) policy enforcement (BigFix Compliance), and software asset discovery for licensed and unlicensed software (BigFix Inventory).
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ManageEngine Endpoint Central
Score 9.1 out of 10
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Desktop Central from ManageEngine is a client desktop management with patching, remote control, and configuration.
Patch Management for Diverse Devices: HCL BigFix is ideal for organizations with a diverse range of devices, including laptops, desktops, cloud, virtual machines, and mobile devices. Its endpoint management functionality enables seamless patching across various operating systems such as Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, and Linux.
Comprehensive Patch Management: With HCL BigFix, organizations can achieve comprehensive patch management across their IT infrastructures. It ensures that all endpoints, regardless of the operating system, receive timely and secure patches, reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing overall security.
Troubleshooting and Monitoring: HCL BigFix excels in providing a dashboard that effectively displays problematic and functional machines. This feature allows IT teams to quickly identify and address issues, improving overall troubleshooting efficiency. However, there are some scenarios where HCL BigFix may be less appropriate or areas for improvement: 1. Coverage Expansion: It is important for HCL BigFix to continue expanding its coverage to include all possible resources installed within the IT infrastructure. Ensuring comprehensive coverage can enhance its effectiveness. 2.On-Site and OS Upgrades: Optimizing the process of on-site and operating system upgrades can help streamline the deployment process further. Improvements in this area would contribute to a smoother and more efficient upgrade experience. 3.Communication Speed: Enhancing the speed of communication between the HCL BigFix agent and the server can help improve the overall responsiveness and efficiency of the solution.
Pricing Optimization: Adjusting the pricing of HCL BigFix to be more cost-effective would make it more accessible and attractive to organizations of different sizes and budgets.
Compared to other endpoint management tools that I have experience with, the patch management and the system health statistics functions work much better and are easier to navigate. The endpoint control functions are nowhere near as good as what I've used with Kaseya's VSA application - with that you could remote control a machine via a remote desktop type interface, or you could connect to the command line or PowerShell and it functioned as if you were directly connected to the machine - command history, tab completion, etc.. "just worked" and if the endpoint disconnected, you didn't lose anything that was going in the window when it reconnected (Exception being if the machine rebooted), grouping systems by department or building was also easier, as was moving systems between groups
We set alerts when a devices gets low on disk space. That is automatic and creates a ticket in ME SDP. We are then able to Add space to a VM Desktop, and then go thru ManageEngine Endpoint Central to extend the drives so the entire process can be done without interruption to the end user.
Using the patch scans we can easily see what patches have been installed for all manufacturers not just Microsoft, without having to physically go to the device. It also allows us to choose which patches we want to push out and automate the process so we can be hands off, freeing up out time for other things.
Remote access to devices. This allows us to remotely make changes, not just via remote control but also make registry changes and clean up space without going to the device and without interruption to the end user.
Alerts. We have set up to get email alerts when new hardware is plugged into any computers. This lets us know if someone is bringing in un-authorized equipment (thumb drives, hubs, etc) to better manage what is/is not on our network.
When I first started using ManageEngine Endpoint Central, the UI felt very complicated and cluttered up, which means as a new user, it took a lot of time to get used to using it and knowing where certain features are. This was also because specific features aren't obvious to the user, it can take time to find them through multiple routes.
When pushing out specifc software to a large number of endpoint devices such as 1500 in my organisation, the deployment fails a lot more meaning some devices dont receive the software and this has to be done manually for them. This can take a lot of time.
When an issue is reported about ManageEngine Endpoint Central, for example it constantly crashing when being heavily used. The support was delayed and it took a lot of time for first line support to address the issue and escalate it.
ManageEngine is considered an excellent product due to its comprehensive suite of solutions for IT management, with ManageEngine Endpoint Central specifically excelling in endpoint management. The platform stands out for its user-friendly interface, robust features, and versatility in addressing diverse IT needs. It offers organizations a centralized solution for endpoint security, patch management, software deployment, and asset management
The application itself is great. However, I have little insight to what the patches are doing. Being able to see patch download progress, not just the status, would be great. The user interface could also use an overhaul. The countless menus, sometimes containing similar if not duplicate tabs can be frustrating to navigate.
The immediate chat support is great and very helpful. However, if you need escalated support or have a deeper need that the chat tool can't help with, you will experience significant wait times and slow responses. The time zone difference becomes painful to the point of often just giving up.
We have significantly enhanced our ability to patch desktops, including laptops, desktop, cloud, virtual machines and other mobile devices used by end-users. BigFix's endpoint management functionality allows us to seamlessly patch a wide range of operating systems, such as Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, and Linux systems, ensuring comprehensive patch management across IT infrastructures. We have established a track record of delivering secure and hassle-free patching solutions to our clients
I tend to use a combination of solutions to keep the estate running efficiently. ManageEngine Endpoint Central has more control over the timing of patching for users. Juggling users being able to work and keeping systems up to date with user satisfaction in mind is a monthly goal. Pushing updates with giving users some control seems to be working.
It has greatly helped us with our compliances through the compliance scans, such as taking our CIS compliance from 36% up to around 90%.
It has massively reduced the number of application/patch vulnerabilities through automated patching & dynamic configurations with custom scripts. From 60 criticals and 300 highs down to just 5 criticals and 25 highs, very quickly.
It has helped us identify issues with our Bitlocker not syncing to Azure AD properly, because the recovery keys in ManageEngine were always correct but werent always correct in Azure AD.
