Configuration Guides › Policy Server Configuration Guide › Agents and Agent Groups › SOA Agent Configuration Overview › Advantages of Centrally Configuring SOA Agents

Advantages of Centrally Configuring SOA Agents

When you centrally configure SOA Agents, the settings are stored in the policy store, not on a local configuration file on the protected server.

Compared with local configuration, central configuration provides:

Improved Usability When Using Central Agent Configuration

• Updating the configuration settings of multiple SOA Agents is easier and faster. You can change the setting in one place and have it propagate to multiple SOA Agents.
• Installing the SOA Agent no longer requires the administrator to specify a shared secret. The Policy Server generates the shared secret.

Added Security with Central Agent Configuration

• It is easier to control access to the SOA Agent configuration. For example, you can prevent the Web Server administrator from changing the configuration settings.
• You can store the configuration settings behind an internal firewall, instead of on the protected server.
• You can use a hardware-bound key to generate the shared secret, which is used by the client side to establish a secure connection to the Policy Server. The trusted host handles the connection to the Policy Server.