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Why endpoint security matters, how it works, and benefits

Posted:
06/22/2023
| By:
Katarina Palacios

Endpoint security might sound self-explanatory in name, but a lot goes into it. Endpoint security helps protect your IT infrastructure’s endpoints — such as desktop stations, mobile devices, and servers — from unauthorized access and other cyberthreats. 

Endpoint protection involves implementing measures and security solutions to prevent attacks. Networks, data, and sensitive information are much safer with endpoint security in place.

In this article, we’ll discuss securing your data. If you want to know why endpoint security is important and how it benefits your business, keep reading. You should walk away from this article with valuable knowledge that helps you make informed decisions in the endpoint security process.

Why is endpoint security important?

Remote access has become a critical part of keeping many businesses up and running, whether it’s sharing data and files or providing technical support. However, this greater diversity of endpoints leads to potential security concerns. In fact, 70% or more of data breaches may occur at endpoints — so your organization needs endpoint security more than ever.

Some of these endpoints may include:

  • Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets
  • Medical devices in healthcare environments
  • Industrial control systems in manufacturing
  • Connected vehicles in transportation industries

Neglecting any of these endpoints could mean a data breach or worse, so finding the right remote access solutions is key for both regular operations as well as overall security.

Effective endpoint security solutions can protect networks, devices, and data. It’s something no business can afford to ignore.

Endpoint security functions

Endpoint security serves various important functions, both when administered on a regular basis and during crises. 

  • Session logging: Suspicious activity can be a major precursor to a security issue. Endpoint monitoring solutions can include logging times and durations of all user sessions to identify patterns or concerns.
  • Encryption: Because so much data is transferred between systems over the course of a remote access session, it’s essential to keep that data secure in the process. Endpoint monitoring helps support in this regard, keeping important internal data from being exposed.
  • Real-time alerts: In remote settings, it’s essential to have a system in place to alert your team when they may need to remotely connect to an endpoint. Real-time alerts trigger automatically when any parameters you set are met that require attention.

Benefits of endpoint security 

Still not sure why endpoint security is important? Well, endpoint security brings a range of benefits that make it an essential tool in your arsenal. Unlike network-focused security solutions, endpoint security takes a more focused approach, ensuring comprehensive coverage as endpoints are often the primary targets for cyberattacks. 

Here are some reasons why endpoint security is beneficial:

  • It provides enhanced visibility and control, giving real-time visibility into endpoint activities. This enables proactive threat hunting, rapid incident response, and fine-grained control over your endpoint configurations. 
  • With endpoint security, you can also mitigate insider threats by monitoring user activities on your endpoints, detecting any unusual behavior, and reducing the risk of internal breaches.
  • Endpoint security has the ability to protect beyond the traditional network perimeter. As endpoints extend beyond the confines of your network, endpoint security ensures their safeguarding regardless of location. 
  • It also helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements by implementing necessary security controls, encryption measures, and audit trails. This simplifies the process of meeting compliance standards and ensures that your organization remains in good standing.

Endpoint security plays a crucial role in safeguarding your endpoints and the sensitive data they store, contributing to your organization's strong and robust cybersecurity posture. For more information on how these benefits play out in practice, check out our eBook, Intruder Alert: Secure Your Remote Access Tools From Cyberattacks.

Choosing the right endpoint security solutions

Now that you know why endpoint security is important, you need a good endpoint security solution. The goal is comprehensive digital asset protection, so the solution can’t be taken lightly. Because of this, you should consider a few things before choosing an endpoint security solution.

  1. Review your areas of need as an organization. This step involves a thorough assessment of your current security posture, infrastructure, and business processes. Are there certain areas where your business is more vulnerable? The more you can communicate about your areas of need, the better your partners can support you.
  2. Consider integration and interoperability with current systems and infrastructure. Integration should be seamless with every platform, like reporting systems. This can streamline operations, improve visibility, and save time. This ensures that your endpoint security solution doesn’t cause other issues with your tech stack.
  3. Scalability and flexibility are also crucial for any good endpoint security solutions. Your organization might (and, hopefully, does) grow, so you should always be prepared. Does the solution you are looking at have the capability to scale up over time?

In remote settings, it’s important to make sure you have an access management solution that complements the basic principles of endpoint security. In fact, this is a pivotal part of any cybersecurity strategy.

ConnectWise ScreenConnect accomplishes these goals with a feature set that provides a balanced endpoint security suite. With a versatile set of methods, your team can rest easy knowing that you are able to access the endpoints you need, when you need, without security concerns. Start your free 14-day trial today to begin providing superior endpoint protection for your end users. 

FAQs

Here are 10 effective examples of endpoint security that you can implement to protect your endpoints:

  1. Network access control (NAC): Manages user and device access to your network and monitors their activities and interactions with sensitive network segments.
  2. Data loss prevention (DLP): Focuses on safeguarding your most secure data resources against exfiltration to prevent data loss from malicious programs.
  3. Insider threat protection: Controls access privileges, monitors user activities, and ensures proper session termination to mitigate risks within your organization.
  4. Data classification: Identifies and isolates valuable and vulnerable data, pinpointing potential attack surfaces and securing endpoints with access to sensitive information.
  5. URL filtering: Blocks access to potentially malicious websites by implementing hardware or software firewalls.
  6. Browser isolation: Executes browser sessions within isolated environments to prevent malicious code from impacting protected digital assets.
  7. Cloud perimeter security: Safeguards cloud resources by controlling access from devices and users through cloud firewalls and web filtering tools.
  8. Endpoint encryption: Secures device data by encrypting it, ensuring only authorized users with decryption keys can access and read it.
  9. Sandboxing: Creates isolated environments that mimic end-user operating systems, protecting sensitive areas of the network from potential threats.
  10. Secure email gateways: Inspects inbound and outbound emails, scanning for potential threats such as suspicious links or files and preventing unauthorized access to the email system.

Endpoint security protects against cyberattacks by protecting endpoints like computers and mobile devices from potential cyberthreats. It plays a crucial role in a comprehensive cybersecurity program. 

Endpoint security helps protect against cyberattacks by:

  • Safeguarding entry points: Endpoints can serve as exploitable entry points to organizational networks for cybercriminals. Endpoint security protects these points to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and resources.
  • Protecting against data breaches: Endpoints are a common target for cyberattacks, and data breaches often originate from compromised endpoints. Endpoint security solutions detect and prevent unauthorized access, reducing the risk of data breaches that can lead to reputational and financial damage.
  • Mitigating insider threats: Endpoint security helps control user access privileges, monitor user activities, and detect potential insider threats. Enforcing policies and monitoring user behavior minimizes the risk of internal security breaches caused by malicious or accidental actions.
  • Detecting and responding to threats: Endpoint security solutions use advanced algorithms and monitoring capabilities to detect suspicious or malicious activities on endpoints. They can flag and investigate potential threats, enabling quick response and containment to prevent further damage.
  • Centralized management and visibility: Endpoint security platforms provide centralized management consoles that allow administrators to monitor and respond to potential cyberthreats across endpoints. This improves visibility, simplifies operations, and enables faster threat isolation and remediation.
  • Proactive threat prevention: Endpoint security solutions employ proactive measures such as machine learning, integrated firewalls, email gateways, and antivirus protection to prevent malware, viruses, and other cyberthreats from compromising endpoints.
  • Cloud-based protection: Cloud-based endpoint security solutions leverage the advantages of the cloud to hold threat information, provide scalability, and ensure continuous updates without burdening local devices. They offer enhanced security behind the traditional network perimeter, protecting endpoints regardless of location.

Not having endpoint security can lead to severe consequences for individuals and organizations. Here are the major risks involved: 

  • Data breaches: Valuable information stored on computers, laptops, or mobile devices becomes vulnerable to unauthorized access or theft. The repercussions can include financial losses, reputational damage, and legal troubles.
  • Malware infections: Viruses or ransomware can breach endpoints, compromising data and systems. Impacts can range from temporary service disruptions to severe incidents like the permanent loss of critical data, business downtime, or even a company's bankruptcy due to hefty ransom demands or reputational damage.
  • Unauthorized access: Without proper authentication and authorization measures, endpoints risk falling into the wrong hands. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, data manipulation, or malicious activities compromising the entire system or network.

Neglecting endpoint security can have other serious implications:

  • Loss or theft of data: Portable endpoints like smartphones or tablets are prone to being misplaced or stolen. Without encryption or remote wipe capabilities, sensitive data is left exposed. The consequences can be detrimental, causing financial and reputational harm to individuals or organizations.
  • Non-compliance with regulations: Many sectors have specific requirements to protect data and ensure security. Neglecting endpoint security could result in non-compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA, leading to legal consequences, financial penalties, and a loss of trust from customers and partners.

Prioritizing proper endpoint security, organizations can mitigate these risks, maintain smooth operations, and minimize the impact of potential attacks.

Instead of disparate solutions that may not integrate well, endpoint security converges at a central hub, rendering endpoints visible and easily manageable from a single location.

Endpoint protection also provides some other lesser-known benefits. One report showed that a data breach in 2022 costs an average of $4.35 million worldwide, up 2.6% from $4.24 million in 2021. That's the highest it's ever been in the history of the report. If a data breach occurs, endpoint security typically interfaces with digital forensics systems, enabling you to identify and rectify issues swiftly.

Endpoint security also enhances patch management, the process of applying updates to fix vulnerabilities and improve software functionality. Hackers often target unpatched endpoints. Hence, a solid endpoint security system highlights these, enabling timely fixes, preventing potential breaches.

Key features of a good endpoint security solution include:

  • Encryption for any relevant and important data
  • Real-time alerts to let your team know of any security issues ASAP
  • User controls to make sure that only teams that require access to certain data have it
  • Threat protection to help your team combat attacks
  • Automation to both save your technicians time but also be more effective in eliminating threats as they arise