Accelerated Value Program (AVP) Initial Assessment
This is the second blog about AVP, expanding on the first introductory blog.
Navigating the world of BigFix can be a challenge with the feature rich product set along with the many versions available to the end user. This is where the expertise of a BigFix Dedicated Engineer (BDE) comes in handy with an architectural review of your BigFix environment. In many cases taking an easy button approach to installing your BigFix can be very simple but yet cause pain down the road with poor performance and an environment that struggles to scale for future growth.
The Accelerated Value Program BDE will, upon arrival, will review the entire BigFix deployment and provide the following deliverables:
- Assessment of the BigFix deployment
- Health Review
- Delivery Plan
Each of these will be explained below.
Assessment
Collecting the initial information about the environment is first step in performing an assessment. The following questions are typical:
- What are the Core server specifications in terms of processors, RAM, and hard drives
- What operating systems? Windows or Linux.
- Does the database reside on the core server or is it remote?
- What are the database server specifications in terms of software, drives, mirroring, and backup
- What network speed is typical between your database and core server? Are write speeds of 1ms or less possible?
All of the above questions and review is critical to having a high performing BigFix environment. For more information, read BigFix Capacity Planning Guide.
BigFix Health Review
Once the assessment is completed, a mini-health check will be conducted and will include a:
- Review of the Deployment Health Check Dashboard. The dashboard helps assess the environment including the Relays, Consoles, Servers, and Clients. In each category there is a status and severity. Refer to the platform documentation on deployment dashboards.
- Review of the Master Action Site. The master action site is where the Master Operator content lives and is important from a strategic planning perspective. Master Operator content is important in deployments which support a large number of clients. In particular, network traffic and client evaluation are key as well as the use of NON-Master Operators is important.
- Actions screen shot of the Console. The Action screenshot from the Console we provide a day to day look into the activity of your BigFix deployment activities. How many actions are open vs. expired vs. stopped, will help ascertain your performance of deployments and loading of the console tool itself.
After a health check is performed, the delivery plan is produced.
Delivery Plan
At the heart of the AVP program is the Delivery Plan. An initial discussion between customer and BDE will set the course for delivery, beginning with the top three priorities for the customer. Execution steps and planning for each priority is documented including:
- Priority Description
- Project Description
- Background
- Project Objective
- Start Date
- Action Plan
Also, the BDE will document any general project plans objectives and training needs.
For more information about the Accelerated Value Program, contact john.riddle@hcl.com. For more information about BigFix, visit the BigFix.com.
