The RMS data collector provides the Control Compliance Suite with agentless data collection from the following asset types:
In addition, the RMS data collector can perform agent-based data collection from UNIX clients and servers.
When you use RMS with the Control Compliance Suite, you can use multiple deployments of the RMS data collector. Each deployment collects data from a portion of your enterprise network.
Because RMS is primarily an agentless data collection tool, the deployment is easy. You need not distribute software to every computer from which you collect data. Instead, you deploy components on a limited number of computers that in turn collect data from the targets. Since you only deploy a limited number of components, upgrades and maintenance tasks are simplified.
On the other hand, the agent-based approach can be useful in specific scenarios. In particular, communications with computers located in a firewall DMZ are simpler with agents than with an agentless approach. Also, agentless data collection means that a great deal of asset data is transmitted to the computer that collects the data. With the agent-based approach, only results are transmitted, not the actual asset data.
If some or all of your needs fit these conditions, you may consider using ESM data collection in addition to RMS. ESM data collection is agent-based.