Using the Tomcat/Apache web server for the user interface allows an administrator to configure the web server to meet any security regulations. The MySQL Enterprise Monitor architecture is designed to be as secure as possible, even when monitoring systems outside of the local network.

Communications between the MySQL Enterprise Monitor Agent and MySQL Enterprise Service Manager can be protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption and server and agent can use SSL certificates to provide authentication and prevent spoofing.

The MySQL Enterprise Monitor Agent is like a web browser—it is an HTTP client application that initiates all communication with the MySQL Enterprise Service Manager. If the server requires action from the agent, it must wait until the agent next initiates contact and sends its request in a response. This means you do not need to open an inbound port on the machine on which the agent is running because it does not listen for requests. However, an outbound port must be open for the agent to contact the MySQL Enterprise Service Manager.

As an additional security feature, each Agent can have a separate Advisory Service login which minimizes exposure should any one agent be compromised.