HCL BigFix vs Lynis

HCL BigFix combines endpoint management, security, automation, and digital employee experience capabilities in one platform. HCL says it supports more than 120 operating systems and provides near real-time endpoint visibility and control. It patches operating systems and third-party applications, and remediates vulnerabilities. BigFix Compliance enforces security policies and automatically corrects configuration drift, while BigFix Inventory provides visibility into devices, software, licenses, and usage. HCL documentation includes integration guides for ServiceNow Data Flow and BigFix Insights for Vulnerability Remediation. Fixlets and actions use SHA-256-based digital signatures; relay and agent communications can be encrypted with TLS. HCL states that BigFix v11 achieved NIAP certification and SCAP 1.3 validation, and that its embedded FIPS crypto module received FIPS 140-2 certification. Subscription support includes product updates, new features, content updates, bug fixes, and technical support during the term. Licensing depends on managed employee devices or managed virtual servers. Pricing is by tailored quote, and HCL offers a 30-day Endpoint Management trial. BigFix SaaS supports up to 50,000 devices per deployment.

Lynis performs security health scans to support system hardening and compliance testing on Linux, macOS, and Unix-based systems. Its stated uses also include security auditing, penetration testing, and vulnerability detection, for audiences such as developers, system administrators, IT auditors, and penetration testers. The tool checks components and tools found on each system through modular, opportunistic scans and is described as having almost no dependencies. It includes 300+ built-in tests and allows custom tests. Results appear on screen; technical details go to a log file, while warnings and suggestions are kept in a separate report. Lynis can help test security practices associated with CIS benchmarks, NIST, NSA, OpenSCAP data, and vendor guides. Listed systems include AIX, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Linux, macOS, NetBSD, NixOS, OpenBSD, and Solaris, along with Raspberry Pi, IoT, and QNAP devices. The free GPLv3 version costs nothing and comes without warranties or support. Lynis Enterprise SaaS is listed at $36 a year per system, billed annually; self-hosted Enterprise pricing is by quote.