With agents, it is necessary to install software on every host to be evaluated, with the exception of some agents capable of performing network-based audits of adjacent systems. In some cases, vendors will charge a higher price for server agents versus desktop agents. There is no significant functional difference in the two that merits this pricing model but rather a matter of sales volume and cost recovery. Some VM architecture strategies will deploy agents solely on servers in order to minimize the impact on the network connections with the assumption that the agent itself will not impact other software. Vendors often recognize this and pricing is understandably higher.
The use of agents can become more complex when virtual machines are used. The agent can be installed on several guest OSs, yet they are deployed on a single physical server. The impact on the hardware is multiplied. One should seek some guidance from the vendor on how significantly the agent can impact the CPU and memory resources of a virtual machine and the underlying host OS and hardware. It is also likely that the vendor will charge for each OS and not per CPU core.
Since agents have to be deployed and maintained on every host under assessment, the solution is less prone to network limitations and more a problem of operating the software on every host. It can complicate installation and deployment but virtually eliminate the cost of shipping. Organizations with a large, mobile sales force will benefit greatly from an agent-based system, since the WAN connection speed is unpredictable and the frequency of presence in the local office seldom.
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