In virtualized environments, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) offersShared Insight Cache (SIC)as a feature to improve performance by reducing redundant scanning.
* Shared Insight Cache Functionality:
* SIC allows SEP clients in a virtual environment to share scan results. Once a file is scanned and deemed safe, that result is cached and shared across other SEP clients, preventing duplicate scans of the same file on different virtual machines (VMs).
* This caching mechanism is especially beneficial in environments where multiple VMs frequently use identical files, such as software libraries or system files.
* Optimized Performance:
* By reducing repetitive scanning, SIC minimizes CPU and disk usage, allowing virtualized environments to maintain performance even during scheduled scans.
* This approach is ideal for development and testing environments, where VM efficiency is crucial for productivity.
* Why Other Options Are Less Suitable:
* Disabling ELAM or adjusting Auto-Protect settings may reduce security or have limited impact on overall performance in a virtualized environment.
* Randomizing scheduled scans could help distribute resource load but does not prevent redundant scans across VMs.
References: The Shared Insight Cache is specifically designed to optimize SEP's performance in virtualized setups, as described in SEP's best practices for virtual environments.