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Businesses need strong endpoint security because hackers are taking advantage of device vulnerabilities. As the corporate perimeter dissolves, business data becomes more accessible, and attacks are more likely to succeed.
A scalable endpoint protection platform provides visibility into the threat landscape without draining your team’s resources. Modern solutions use cloud architecture to detect advanced threats, including file-less malware, polymorphic attacks, and zero-day exploits.
The most apparent benefit of strong endpoint security is its protection from malware and ransomware. These attacks remain one of the biggest business threats, costing organizations millions per data breach. They compromise employee productivity, derail business processes, and damage corporate reputations.
Today’s organizations have a massive universe of endpoints connecting to their network. These devices can range from employees’ laptops, smartphones, and tablets to many IoT devices used in ‘smart factories’ and smart cities.’
Attackers can exploit these connections to gain privileged access to the organization’s systems, which can then be used to wreak havoc across the company by performing a lateral attack. An effective EPP solution can detect and prevent these attacks by leveraging deep endpoint visibility, advanced detection analytics, and a powerful combination of local and global threat intelligence to expose attackers that would otherwise evade detection. By reducing the number of vulnerable endpoints, an organization can significantly lower its risk and reduce cyber insurance premiums. Moreover, it can reduce the complexity of its deployments and the number of resources dedicated to deploying, managing, updating, auditing, and retiring these devices.
A cybersecurity strategy that protects endpoints proactively means less time and resources spent detecting breaches, chasing cybercriminals who have breached your systems, and remediating the damage done. This approach starts with basic hygiene, such as a least privilege policy.
Unlike infrastructure security, which involves a known quantity of systems and software that IT professionals actively manage, the number of endpoints in your business—from desktops and laptops to smartphones and IoT-enabled devices—is incredibly vast. And with BYOD becoming the norm and remote work increasingly popular, managing security across those different endpoints is an even more significant challenge.
To protect endpoints, you need a defense-in-depth solution—an approach to security in which several layers of protection are used to create a robust system that a single point of failure will not defeat. For example, some advanced endpoint protection solutions combine minor privilege management with behavior-based heuristics to condense the attack surface by limiting user privileges and blocking vulnerable programs from accessing sensitive data. It also prevents malware, ransomware, and other malicious attacks from hijacking privileged credentials to access critical business systems.
The risk to businesses is real, with ransomware, data theft, and unauthorized access becoming commonplace. Each cyberattack can cause significant reputational damage, not to mention the financial costs of remediation efforts and fines.
Strong endpoint protection reduces the attack surface by limiting the number of ways an attacker can gain access to your systems. With a minor privilege policy in place, it prevents attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities or using stolen credentials to move laterally on your network and access more critical assets.
Many endpoints have multiple security technologies installed, making it difficult for IT teams to track and monitor activity. With a robust UEBA solution, a clear trail of session activity can be logged across all devices on the network, giving IT teams greater visibility and control.
Many business users don’t prioritize endpoint security, focusing instead on the work they must do, such as completing a report or research for a project. However, they also use their endpoints for non-work activities such as checking social media, browsing for a new outfit, or playing a game.
Strong endpoint security means that even if an attacker gains a foothold, it can be contained and the impact minimized. The costs quickly increase when a company is infected with malware or ransomware. These costs don’t just include the monetary fees of paying hackers and losing sensitive data but also the lost revenue from interrupted operations.
Endpoint protection is a critical component of an effective IT security strategy, but the landscape is complicated. In addition to the wide variety of desktop PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and BYOD systems that users access, there are now Internet of Things (IoT) devices, servers, point-of-sale (PoS) equipment, industrial control systems, ATMs, and more that are connected to corporate networks.
Because these devices are typically under-managed, they expose vulnerabilities that opportunistic attackers could exploit. A powerful combination of local and global telemetry, machine learning analytics, and manual analysis by experienced threat hunters is needed to protect them. It is only possible with a robust endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution.
When employees can work from home, the airport, or even a 5G-enabled office and still feel safe, they are more productive. They have more time to complete critical business tasks without worrying about whether their data is secure. And they can focus on new opportunities for their organization to make more money and gain more customers with confidence that the company’s reputation is protected.
Today’s endpoints are diverse and challenging for IT teams to secure. They include PCs, laptops, and tablets for business and employee-owned devices. Many are unpatched and vulnerable to attacks. NGAV and firewalls can mitigate some risks, but attackers continue to evolve and create AI-based engines to bypass these tools.
Choosing an integrated solution that provides complete visibility across the endpoint ecosystem makes it easier for teams to identify and close security gaps. It also helps them reduce complexity, streamline management, and use more resources for high-value activities rather than managing the many devices in their environment.
