Under certain circumstances, installing an agent manually on a Windows computer is preferable to allowing the central computer to automatically deploy the Windows agent. Consider the following situations where manually installing a Windows agent might save time, money, security, and configuration costs:
The monitored Windows computer accesses the network over a WAN connection. Manual Windows agent installation saves both connectivity time and expense.
The monitored Windows computer is outside your interior network firewall. Manual Windows agent installation saves configuration time and allows you to monitor this computer without jeopardizing network security. For more information about installing unmanaged agents in a firewall environment, see Section 2.5, Understanding Ports and Firewalls.
The monitored Windows computer is in a controlled environment that requires you to know exactly what, when, and how Windows agents are installed, and you need to retain complete control over the process. Manual Windows agent installation gives you this control.
You manually install and upgrade unmanaged agents. System requirements are the same for managed (automatically deployed) and unmanaged (manually installed) Windows agents. For more information about Windows agent system requirements, see Installing Windows Agents.