Streamline cybersecurity
Ensuring the security of your endpoints across your organization’s infrastructure can be a complex and hectic task. It requires you to manage several modules, including endpoint monitoring, threat detection, vulnerability management, incident response and compliance regulations.
Comprehensive endpoint security solutions help streamline all these processes with a single console. They also offer compliance audits to help you remain compliant with all security regulations. These platforms offer:
Detect threats
The sophistication and frequency of cybersecurity attacks and data breaches have steadily increased in recent years. On average, data breaches cost businesses $4.45 million annually, and costs continue to climb as newer and more advanced malware (such as ransomware) spreads. One of the cardinal goals of endpoint security is that it proactively detects a myriad of digital threats.
By utilizing vast libraries of “samples” (think of these as tissue samples carrying diseases), security can often identify a threat before it can infect your infrastructure and give IT managers time to take precautions. Databases and proactive monitoring are crucial components that defend against:
- Viruses
- Worms
- Bots
- Trojans
Another technique is consistently monitoring files for discrepancies. File monitoring can prevent timed releases of malware or illegitimate software installs. This idea goes hand-in-hand with device management, which we’ll cover further down.
In the event of a zero-day attack, endpoint security leverages historical and gathered intelligence to mitigate threats before significant damage occurs.
Remediate endpoints
What is endpoint security if it can’t diagnose issues and then treat them? Removing a threat and ensuring it doesn’t spread is a technique called “quarantining.” Quarantining involves moving infected files to a safe “sandbox” (a clean digital environment that has no access to the rest of the system) and analyzing them. It also includes deleting malicious executables before they can be run.
In some cases, such as zero-day scenarios, pulling from historical data and previous infection criteria can mitigate (and in some cases prevent) critical exploitations. Primary remediation methods include:
- Quarantining
- Terminating malicious processes
- Rolling back system changes
- Removing malware
- Applying patch updates
- Performing data recovery
- Conducting forensic analysis
Improve patch management
Patch management is essential for repairing vulnerabilities within your cybersecurity systems from time to time. It’s like applying a band-aid to an injury, safeguarding weak systems from external attacks and data breaches.
Patch vulnerabilities, in fact, have increased in recent years, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. Skipping security patches can leave you susceptible to severe cyber attacks.
Endpoint security ensures timely patch management by offering constant vigilance to keep each device up-to-date, especially in remote workforces. It collects and delivers patches and helps them deploy even remotely. Some systems also prioritize patches based on business requirements. It manages:
- OS and applications
- Asset and discovery
- Remote devices
- Deployment architecture
- Scheduling updates
Insider threats are exactly like your own bodyguards attacking you. They are extremely tricky to identify and even trickier to prevent. This is because malicious insiders have greater access to your digital assets and can exploit them easily.
With endpoint security, you can introduce additional checks and balances for your employees to prevent unauthorized access, data theft and malicious activities. Constant monitoring and record keeping also help identify the source of malpractices and secure exploited endpoints. You can detect:
- Suspicious sign-ins
- Unexpected traffic
- Theft and sabotage
- Unscheduled activities
Manage user hierarchies
Device management and user hierarchies are key endpoint security features because they can mitigate a more dangerous threat: intrusion. Cyber attacks aren’t simply malware and malicious payloads. They’re often the result of an enterprising hacker exploiting the faults in your security and infrastructure (or tricking your users) and then attacking from the inside.
Thankfully, good security can help mitigate these attacks. How? Through a solution often known as access levels. Valuable data and critical infrastructure should not be available to all users, and access levels can help assign roles and hierarchies to users, resulting in different system access levels from the top down.
For example, let’s say one of your interns is tricked into handing over their username and password. Luckily, the hacker won’t get far, as the intern has limited access to the system. They can’t export data, see valuable reports or even interact with the system’s backend infrastructure, thus limiting the amount of damage they can do.
Remotely Manage devices
Devices are the bread and butter of any business these days. Very few organizations can scrape by without utilizing a workstation, laptop or company-issued cell phone. The trick is to carefully manage these devices, as they can be potential intrusion points, especially after the rise of remote working and BYOD policies due to the pandemic.
Endpoint security can help secure your equipment and prevent:
- Unauthorized application or certificate installations
- Data theft
- Device theft
Usually, system administrators will set a list of software that can be installed on any given system. Then, they can set up an app to continually monitor users trying to install something that doesn’t match the group policy.
Data and device theft is also a major concern for any organization. Endpoint security leverages encryption to make it nearly impossible for hostile actors to steal data. Even if they have access to a device, endpoint systems almost always allow for remote data wipes and issue tracking.
Protect resources and reputation
Data breaches and leaks can cause irreparable damage to your organization’s reputation. Damage control and remediation processes can also incur substantial costs. Endpoint protection platforms let you take proactive steps to mitigate security-related risks, protecting your resources and reputation.
FAQs
What is an endpoint?
Each and every computing device connected to your organization’s network is an endpoint. Example include:
- Mobile phones
- Laptops
- Desktops
- Servers
- Tablets
- Workstations
- Internet of Things (IoT) Devices
- Virtual Environments
Why is endpoint security so important?
With so many businesses slowly moving to the cloud, the cyber threat spectrum is diversifying rapidly. Every endpoint of your business can be a potential point of attack, resulting in data breaches and, ultimately, loss of reputation and revenue.
Endpoint security addresses all these issues by defending your business assets against an ever-evolving threat landscape and providing a rapid protection system for your organization.
How does endpoint security work?
Endpoint security can access threat intelligence feeds to gather the latest updates and trends related to cyber threats. Some next-gen endpoint solutions offer AI and ML integration to better adapt to the current threat landscape, strengthening incident response capabilities.
Security systems typically monitor your networks’ applications, files and events to identify and detect malicious attacks. Then, they perform analyses and forensic examinations of infected systems and provide remediation solutions.
What are the types of endpoint security?
You can implement several types of endpoint systems, such as internet-of-things security, insider threat protection, data loss prevention, intrusion detection systems, URL filtering, sandboxing and more. However, the main three types of endpoint security solutions are:
Is endpoint security perfect?
The short answer is: no. With news of major data breaches, crippling malware and more, it’s been proven time and time again that no system is perfect — but you’re much, much better off with endpoint security than you are without it.
Endpoint security does far more than prevent hackers and malware from compromising your business. They also prevent unauthorized access by your employees, help secure and recover devices, and give you greater control over your systems in the event of hardware or software failures.
How do I know I’m ready for endpoint security?
There are plenty of reasons to start using endpoint security. If you have:
- Large numbers of users
- Sensitive data
- A diverse pool of vulnerable devices
- Have been the target of hacking or social engineering attacks in the past
- Are worried about data loss
Then you are an ideal candidate for using an endpoint security system.
How do I select the right endpoint security software?
Finding the right solution isn’t always a straightforward question because of your unique business needs. First off, you should consider your requirements and what you absolutely need to have in your security application. If you don’t know where to start, you can read our helpful endpoint security requirements guide.
After assessing your needs, pay attention to your wants. What do you want this software to do for you that isn’t essential but would be nice? Unlike your needs, these should be flexible, and you should be willing to budge on features.
Finally, there’s cost, which will be a major determining factor. Determine a budget and factor that into your final decision. Once all of that is out of the way, you’re still not out of the woods yet because now you’ve got to complete a request for purchase (RFP).
RFPs are long and involved processes that require weeks, even months, to complete. Though this isn’t specific to endpoint security, we have a guide on completing an RFP yourself.
Here are a few other free resources to help you find the best fit:
If you still have questions, we’re standing by with answers and personalized software recommendations — all for free. Just call 855-850-3850, or email support@selecthub.com.
