HCL BigFix vs. Symantec Client Management Suite

BigFix is well suited for patch review and deployment, but there are key features that can definitely be improved. An example is that if a specific patch is deployed, but a cumulative update that contains that patch is not deployed, the system still shows the patch as outstanding or not implemented. Another area for improvement is the customization of BigFix. The tool has many uses and can be extremely helpful, but the amount of knowledge required to customize the solution is significant and customized scripts or "fixlets" need to be created. If common things could be pre-packaged and provided to the customer community, it would allow for an easier deployment and use of the tool.

Incentivized

If you are looking for a client management suite to perform patch, software delivery, and inventory I think Symantec is great. I would recommend it without a doubt if it was in your budget. If you are a very small company and don't use these features to often then I think it would depend on your budget.

• Custom patch packages are easy to set up and allows for use with a repository.
• Asset management by use of agents is simple and allows for user assignment by the device.
• Reporting has a large variety of templates.

Incentivized

• The best part is it provides you with the full view of your client life cycle of devices, along with the integration of other Symantec products like endpoint security.
• Creating an audit report and keeping it in a single dashboard is also easy. UI is simple.
• One of the best benefits of this tool is you can install it enterprise-wide along with onsite employees.
• Symantec is having great customer support.

Incentivized

• No console for macOS
• No easy setup UI for macOS users
• Patching can be complicated if you don't understand relevance
• Patching can be complicated it you don't understand scripting
• Could be better in helping with CIS Benchmarks

Incentivized

• CMS is quite clunky sometimes and the Silverlight interface is acceptable at best. Many improvements have been made in this area, particularly with performance, but the interface still needs a lot of work. When it becomes 100% HTML5 with proper compliance browser support I'll be happy!

Incentivized

So far so good - no major issues with that technology.

Incentivized

While some support calls are quickly responded to, many times our engineers have been pointed to collaborative web sites such as Bigfix.me for solutions or the option of engaging professional services has been proposed. While this may seem like a good way to drive business, it is not seen as efficient a support process as could be provided to the customer base.

Incentivized

Support at Symantec isn't that great. Client Management Suite isn't even listed on the Support Portal when trying to open a ticket. Your best bet for support is actually the user groups that Symantec hosts. The members of the groups are usually very responsive. With Broadcom buying Symantec, I've seen a huge jump in personnel leaving Symantec, so I'm assuming the support is just going to get worse. Recently for a simple question, I reached out to 5 people just to find out 4 of the 5 had left the company.

Incentivized

We have significantly enhanced our ability to patch desktops, including laptops, desktop, cloud, virtual machines and other mobile devices used by end-users. BigFix's endpoint management functionality allows us to seamlessly patch a wide range of operating systems, such as Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, and Linux systems, ensuring comprehensive patch management across IT infrastructures. We have established a track record of delivering secure and hassle-free patching solutions to our clients

Currently, I can't take a position [on how Symantec compares] because when I took position at my job, Symantec Client Management Suite (CMS) was already implanted. We're currently looking to try Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager to see if it'd be a contender for CMS. The reason is that we have special support contract directly with Microsoft. So instead of managing multiple contracts, we would only have one. But for now, we're all set up with Symantec so it'd take something great from SCCM to make us switch from one to another.

Incentivized

• Overall, the product helps achieve the security posture mandated by HIPAA for our organization.
• It is a decent inventory management solution, and provides IT leaders with useful information for decision making.

Incentivized

• Better efficiency through image creation, deployment and EOL as single Hardware Independent Images can be created for a large number of devices and then all managed on the same pane of glass.
• Customer service is better because we can provide software across campus almost as fast as requested for one user or hundreds of users, all by a single technician without ever having to leave an office.

Incentivized