Today, the common approach to collecting information about computing activity across the enterprise is to use software agents installed on individual clients and servers. However, when this approach is applied to data protection management in the enterprise environment, it has proven both ineffective and inefficient.
The 5 Essential Advantages: Agentless Technology for Data
Protection Management
Technology Brief
March 2005
The 5 Essential Advantages: Agentless Technology for Data Protection Management Bocada, Inc. Abstract Trusting in Agents: The Today the common approach to collecting information about computing activity across Prevailing Approach the enterprise is to use software agents installed on individual clients and servers. Software agents are applications that run in However, when this approach is applied to the background on individual clients and data protection management in the servers. An agent's function is to collect enterprise environment, it has proven both information in the environment. This may ineffective and inefficient. This is because include configuration data, activity logs or agent-based technology cannot meet the real time snapshots of computing activity. following five requirements that define the Examples range from Simple Network viability of a data protection management Management Protocol (SNMP) agents, solution for the enterprise: ease of frequently used in networked environments, installation; compatibility with existing to everyday processes running in the products; change management; network background of a home PC. The defining impact; and system performance. characteristic of agents is that they run Considered collectively, these five factors where the activity takes place. The use of are daunting and require a well thought-out agents has become commonplace. In fact, approach. But, agentless technology, agents, by default, are now considered "the" although challenging to design, is the only way to collect data and understand status. approach that meets large enterprise requirements and enables data protection management success.
Figure 1. Agent Model. In the relatively simple scenario, the agent based model requires numerous different programs to be installed and running.
The 5 Essential Advantages: Agentless Technology for Data Protection Management Bocada, Inc. In data protection, virtually every file-sharing methods. The application reporting application uses an agent- requires file-system access, and it must based architecture to mine performance automate a complex two-way dialog data and deliver it to a central collection when authenticating each machine. place. Generally, these agent-based However, once these hurdles have been solutions have been well tested in cleared, the challenging of extracting, controlled settings, and when they are processing and distributing the relevant installed properly on a dedicated backup information still remains. This challenge server, they work according to requires a deep understanding of the specifications. However, when agent- fundamental operation, application based solutions are implemented in program interfaces (APIs) and the log open systems across large enterprises, file formats of each supported the complex nature of the environment application. often creates performance challenges beyond vendor control. Competition for In spite of the challenges inherent in an network resources, an amalgam of agentless approach, in data protection software and hardware, and collisions management it is the only way to handle with core application processes the millions of transactions generated by undermine agent-based solutions. hundreds of backup servers in a large Reliable data protection management enterprise. for the enterprise demands a different approach. The Data Protection
Agentless Technology: Dilemma: A Matter of
Longer-term Investment, Scale Greater Rewards Working with multinational corporations, in some of the largest data protection Agentless technology is quickly gaining environments in the world, Bocada has traction in IT, specifically in patch gained firsthand knowledge about the management and application limitations of software agents. For monitoring. However, it is still rarely example, some enterprises have used to support data protection attempted to address data protection management. Both practical and management challenging by economic factors are behind this, as implementing self-built solutions. While agentless solutions are time-consuming these self-built solutions may have to develop. Most software co... [download for more]
