If you’ve found yourself wondering, “Is there a sensor for that?”—chances are, the Tanium platform already has you covered.
In this episode, you’ll see how built-in sensors and packages—like disk space, BIOS details, BitLocker status, and cross-platform encryption—empower IT teams to solve everyday challenges without needing to write custom content. Bruce also shares his journey from Tanium customer to product manager and offers practical insights, including his favorite sensors and packages for maximizing value across platforms and clouds.
Watch the video for a guided walkthrough and actionable tips to help you unlock the full potential of the Tanium platform from day one.
Key Takeaways
- The Tanium platform's core content delivers powerful capabilities right out of the box. Every deployment currently includes 295 sensors and dozens of packages that address common IT and security needs. Before building something custom, check what's already available in the Tanium platform using the Question Bar and Sensor List—these capabilities make it easier to find built-in functionality that might solve your challenge.
“If you ever think to yourself, ‘Hey, I wish there was a Tanium sensor for X,’ …there’s a good chance there probably is.”Tanium Director, Product Enablement Architecture Ashley McGlone
- Disk space, BIOS details, BitLocker status, and encryption sensors are just the beginning. Bruce highlights several core content sensors and packages, such as Storage Encryption Status for Windows and Mac, which allow IT teams to assess hardware, security posture, and compliance across platforms and environments.
- Cross-platform and cross-cloud support is built into core content. Sensors and tags are built to work across AWS, Azure, and on-premises environments, helping streamline inventory and targeting efforts. Bruce demonstrates how to filter and explore these sensors for inventory management with examples from AWS and Azure.
“Just like a lot of our sensors are cross-platform, or for Windows, Mac, and Linux, these are cross-cloud platforms.”Tanium Director, Product Enablement Architecture Ashley McGlone
- Core content receives quarterly updates to expand functionality and optimize workflows. Recent additions include support for RHEL 10 and expanded cloud tagging capabilities.
- The Tanium platform is designed to support safe and flexible content customization. Advanced users can view and clone sensor source code, such as Disk Failure Prediction and Wireless Network Details, to tailor functionality as needed. To preserve changes during future updates, Bruce recommends cloning existing sensors rather than editing them directly.
“You have the ability to come in here, and you can see how the columns are defined, and you actually have the ability to see how we are collecting this data on the endpoint.”Tanium Director, Product Management Bruce Langworthy
- Packages like tag management, host file editing, and power plan adjustment offer practical automation. These built-in tools help streamline troubleshooting, inventory, and policy enforcement across environments.
- Tanium offers a free advanced content class to help users safely customize sensors and packages. The course unlocks sensor creation for cloud customers and equips all users with best practices for building content safely and effectively.