I'm trying to understand Absolute Secure Access documentation, and I keep seeing the term "agent runtime." I've got a background in Python and data tools, but I'm new to security and endpoint management.
Can someone explain what an agent runtime is, using a simple analogy? Is it like a small, always-on program that does the heavy lifting for the main security agent? How does it differ from the agent itself?
Your analogy's close. The agent is the whole security package you installed. The runtime is just the persistent core that keeps it alive and responsive.
Think of it like a Python interpreter versus your script. The script (agent) does the specific security tasks. The interpreter (runtime) is the low-level engine that makes sure the script can run, stays loaded, and doesn't crash the whole OS. It handles the boring stuff, communication with the main server, and basic system hooks.
Too many vendors over-engineer these into mini-VMs. A simple daemon/service is often enough.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication