OT Endpoint Enablement (Powered by BigFix)
Overview
You already use BigFix for patching. The bigger opportunity is using it to reduce manual work, improve consistency, and address Operational Technology (OT) endpoint needs that often fall outside basic update cycles.
In industrial manufacturing environments, those needs add up quickly. Teams are expected to maintain visibility, apply secure configurations, remediate vulnerabilities, deploy software, and manage change across hundreds of endpoints, all without interrupting production. BigFix supports more of that work than you might realize.
Interstates can help you extend the value of BigFix in ways that fit OT environments, production schedules, and plant-floor realities.
The Problem
Many manufacturers already have BigFix in place, but they are only using a portion of what the platform can do. As a result, important endpoint work often remains manual, inconsistent, or difficult to scale.
Common Challenges Include:
Limited visibility into OT endpoints, software, and system status
Too much manual effort across numerous endpoints
Difficulty applying changes consistently without disrupting production
Gaps between what OT systems need and how tools are currently being used
What BigFix Can Do Beyond Patching
BigFix can help you standardize and automate endpoint activities critical to plant security, supportability, and operational continuity. Below are just two of the many examples:
1 | Asset Inventory
A current, reliable inventory is the foundation for better endpoint decisions. BigFix can continuously collect and organize asset data across your OT environment, giving teams a more practical view of what is deployed and where.
What It Supports
- A maintained view of OT endpoints, including device details, operating system, software context, and location
- Faster identification of aging, unsupported, or higher-risk systems
- Better support for audits, lifecycle planning, spare strategy, and incident response
2 | OS Hardening & Vulnerability Remediation
BigFix can also help reduce endpoint exposure by applying secure configurations and remediating vulnerabilities at scale. Instead of relying on manual checks and one-off fixes, teams can use BigFix to drive more consistent execution across the environment.
What It Supports
- Deployment and enforcement of approved security baselines
- Identification of affected endpoints when vulnerabilities are announced
- More targeted remediation, with actions aligned to your maintenance windows and operational constraints
Why Interstates?
More than a systems integrator: We’re your long-term partner. With expertise spanning automation, MES, the value is not just in what BigFix can do; it’s in applying those capabilities appropriately in OT.
Interstates helps manufacturers expand their use of BigFix with an OT-focused approach that accounts for vendor guidance, automation dependencies, network segmentation, and production schedules. That means using the platform to solve real plant problems without treating the environment like a standard IT network.
Our team understands how to translate BigFix capabilities into practical OT outcomes, whether the goal is improving endpoint visibility, standardizing hardening, scaling remediation, or reducing the burden of repetitive endpoint work over time.
The Opportunity
If you are using BigFix primarily for patching, there may be extra value you can capture. Interstates can help you use the platform more fully to reduce manual effort, improve consistency, and strengthen your OT endpoint management. Let’s review how you’re using BigFix today and identify a few practical opportunities to extend its value in your OT environment.