It is important to properly organize and categorize custom content within your BigFix infrastructure.  Below is a very simple outline of the Domain feature built into BigFix called Domains.  They are used as organizing buckets for custom content that goes beyond content collecting ability of Sites.

The first thing to ask yourself in any custom content creation project is under what “domain” this task, fixlet or analysis falls under?

All Content, I would consider this domain a cop-out.  Basically it is the bucket you put things that do not properly fit into any of the other buckets.  Choose this bucket only after examining and considering any of the others with great detail.

BigFix Management is a vital domain since it relates to the health, maintenance, and management of the BigFix infrastructure itself.  If you are creating any content (tasks, fixlets, analyses) which relate to the health of the infrastructure… put it in this bucket.

Endpoint Protection relates to the Antivirus, malware, and adware protection of endpoints.  Put anything related to those products in here.  If your intention is to protect the system from outside threats by using integrated or 3rd party apps, put it in here.

Patch Management involves the updating of any software.  Typically it involves Operating System patches but doesn’t stop there.  If you have a software update that must be distributed and has a priority… call it a fixlet and put it under this Domain.

Security Configuration is the place where all system changes go if they affect the security of an endpoint or environment.  If there are settings that can be changed to make a system, software, or network more secure it falls under this Domain.

Systems Lifecycle is a Domain that holds a lot of content related to the use of an endpoint.  Software Distribution, configuration changes, Power Management, RDP configurations, etc… all fall under the Systems Lifecycle domain.

BigFix Labs is a new Domain that allows us to distribute the toys.  Here you’ll find simple add-ons, prototypes, and other pretty cool and useful extensions of the BigFix platform and applications.  This is of course a use at your own risk bucket which is provided “as is” with no corp support.

Hopefully with this article you’ll have learned another way to organize your custom content and make your BigFix infrastructure easier to manage.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave it below!