Yea, I know but...this was way too kewl to not pass on...
http://www.bigfix.com/website/
BigFix, Inc, a leading supplier of automated patch management solutions for large organizations, today announced BigFix Development Environment (BDE), an authoring environment for IT departments and help desk managers to quickly author new patches and updates, thereby extending the capabilities BigFix Patch Manager and the BigFix Enterprise Suite. BDE supports rapid development of "Fixlet® messages," small, intelligent message coded with information to inspect hardware and software attributes of a given computer and, if required, take a defined action.
BigFix uses the BigFix Development Environment to publish security patches used by BigFix Patch Manager, unveiled at this week's Demo 2003 Conference. Patch Manager's extensive and up-to-date library of Fixlet Messages includes all Microsoft® operating system and application patches released on the Microsoft TechNet or Windows® Corporate Update Web sites. The BDE tool - a rich authoring environment - is also used by BigFix customers and partners to extend the functionality of BigFix's flagship product, the BigFix Enterprise Suite.
"The BigFix Development Environment provides IT managers, software publishers, and PC and peripheral makers the easy-to-use tool they need to meet all their security requirements and asset management needs," said BigFix CEO Steve Larsen. "The new development environment is an excellent new addition to BigFix's family of products, allowing our customers to augment our large arsenal of Fixlet messages with their own custom-made content. The new BDE tool shows we are serious and committed to our goal of becoming the de facto leader in the emerging patch management and asset management spaces."
BigFix Enterprise Suite, designed for large enterprises with thousands of networked servers, desktops and laptop computers, includes BigFix Patch Manager, an agent-based automated patch management system that enables real-time mass identification and elimination of security vulnerabilities. The system automatically monitors thousands of the most critical security updates, service packs, hardware and software updates in real time and proactively identifies all servers, desktops, and remote devices on the network where vulnerabilities exist. BigFix Enterprise then allows IT professionals to target and fix all the affected machines throughout the network with just a few clicks.
The new BDE tool not only makes it possible for businesses to rapidly create and deploy new Fixlet messages for security patches from non-Microsoft vendors, but it also allows them to build new Fixlet messages that offer a wide range of desktop management capabilities, including software license monitoring and hardware inventory and asset monitoring. It also gives IT managers the ability to control computer configurations and ensure all machines in the network complying policies and adhere to a common operating environment.
Fixlet messages are at the core of BigFix's technology and perform three functions: they inspect hardware and software attributes in a computer to detect whether an action is required. If an action is required, the Fixlet message alerts the IT staff and provides information on the necessary action. With a few clicks, the administrator can then fix the problem using the Fixlet Message automatically or through the approval of the IT staff. With the BDE tool, customers and partners can develop custom-made Fixlet messages in an hour.
ciao
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