Release notes

This page provides information about application updates released for HCL BigFix AEX.

Overview

HCL BigFix AEX v11 introduces significant enhancements in user experience, security, and performance. This release also marks the rebranding from DRYiCE AEX to BigFix AEX, aligning with the broader BigFix portfolio. With the inclusion of GenAI capabilities and a revamped UI/UX, the product continues to streamline support services with intelligent automation.

Features and Enhancements

What’s new?

  1. Domain Name: The platform is now going to live on bigfixaex.ai.
  2. GenAI Flow Generator: A conversational flow designer powered by Generative AI for dynamic conversation building.
  3. Chat-Based Event Automation: Automated workflows triggered through chat interactions.
  4. WatsonX, AWS, and GCP Integration: Improved integrations for seamless data processing and enhanced AI-driven decision-making capabilities.
  5. Multi-Language Support for Self-Heal: Now supports 9 languages to accommodate diverse user bases globally.
  6. In-house NLP and Flow Manager: Replacing Watson with a new, efficient NLP and flow management system.

What’s enhanced

  1. UI/UX Overhaul: The chat interface has been revamped for a more intuitive and fluid user experience, making it easier for end-users to engage and resolve issues.
  2. Analytics Module: Enhanced analytics in both Agent Assist and Self-Heal modules to provide deeper insights and actionable intelligence for IT teams.
  3. ITSM Integration: Better incident management, ticket handling, and system optimization through tighter integrations with existing ITSM systems.

Bugs fixes

Multiple functional bugs on the platform in terms of UI have been fixed, and the experience is now much more stable.

Security and Performance Improvement

The following changes were made to improve the performance and security of BigFix AEX in comparison to the older versions:

  • Core Framework Optimized for better performance.
  • Enhanced Data Encryption: Strengthened end-to-end encryption for all data at rest and in transit.
  • Proactive Threat Detection: Built-in mechanisms for identifying and mitigating potential threats within the AEX ecosystem.
  • Faster Processing Times: Optimized algorithms for quicker response times and reduced latency, ensuring real-time assistance.

Known Issues/Limitations/Restrictions

Language Support: Although the Self-Heal module supports 9 languages, some non-core functionalities are only available in English.

Limited Integration Support: New integrations with Cisco Avaya and AWS Connect are still in beta and may have limited functionality.

System Requirements

BigFix AEX is hosted on the IBM Cloud Platform and utilizes PaaS services. System Requirements are Not Applicable (NA).

Upgrading to the new version

Note: It is mandatory to upgrade to version 11 for all existing customers before the end of February 2025 because our existing domain, dryicelucy.ai, will not be accessible post-February 2025.

This BigFix AEX rebranding includes Assisted Upgrade. BigFix AEX follows a zero-downtime deployment strategy with automatic rollback in case of failure of deployment for any feature or functionality during the upgrade.

To upgrade to BigFix AEX v11.0, the Product Professional Services Team follows the below steps:

Note: The steps mentioned below are undertaken separately for each tenant within a customer environment. This means that if there are multiple environments like production, development, and staging/User Acceptance Testing (UAT), each of these environments follows the below instructions:
  • The PS Team verifies the current version of BigFix AEX implemented in the customer environment (BigFix AEX v11.0 has a “one-click” automated upgrade functionality to upgrade a selected tenant). For BigFix AEX versions older than v11.0, the upgrade process is manual. For this, a mutually agreed time slot is confirmed between the customer and the PS Team.
  • The PS Team has to make sure all the checks have been completed at the customer’s end and required sign-offs to be collected in order to move to the new domain.
  • If the tenant has integration with channels like Slack, MS Teams, etc – perform the required whitelisting and changes.
  • The Providers will access and review the existing functionalities/features within the customer environment and share the impact with respect to upgrading to v11.0.
  • Non-production environments should be a logical replica of Production before upgradation.
  • This upgrade is through a Provider-owned model, where providers find the upgrade card for the tenants who are eligible or not through which the tenant can be upgraded. This can be found on the Configure page of the tenant by clicking the gear icon next to the tenant on the tenant listing page.
  • For the Provider-owned Model, the Provider Admin or the Provider SPOC can follow the steps mentioned on the Upgrade page to upgrade the tenant automatically.
  • In case of any issue, please raise a support ticket on the Support link of BigFix AEX. AEX Professional Services team also needs to create a task on the JIRA portal.

About BigFix AEX

BigFix AEX is an AI-driven virtual assistant that leverages advanced automation and AI capabilities to streamline enterprise support services. With features such as Self-Heal, Agent Assist, and now Generative AI integration, AEX empowers organizations to improve productivity, reduce resolution times, and enhance user satisfaction.