The number of cybersecurity threats is growing on a daily basis. Online theft is the fastest-growing criminal activity in the United States today. Contributing to this growth is the rise of BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, practices by employees, as well as the sheer number of company owned devices in and out of the office. This is why employees, and all their devices, have become the new attack vector for cyber criminals. The end result to this, has been a growing need for businesses to protect themselves with endpoint security solutions and get all their devices under one unified security framework.
What is Endpoint Security?
Endpoint security is a fairly broad term that covers a number of different security measures. Also referred to as endpoint protection, this approach to cybersecurity protects your IT infrastructure and the data within it by securing the devices or “endpoints” that have access to it. That includes wireless, remote and mobile devices such as laptops, mobile phones and tablets. With almost 100 million security breaches experienced in 2018 alone, endpoint security is more important than ever before.
However, many organizations are unsure of what solutions they need and which areas they need to protect. With so many different solutions available, choosing the right one can be a risk in itself. Fortunately, Managed IT Service Providers, like IronEdge Group, consolidate many of these risks into one solution.
How Does Endpoint Security Work?
Endpoint security solutions are designed to protect your devices from viruses and other forms of malware. These solutions use a number of different approaches to detect and remove malicious code, preventing it from ever reaching a device in the first place.
Endpoint security provides protection in the following key areas:
Prevention
One of the first lines of defense in any cybersecurity strategy should be the prevention of malicious content making it anywhere near your network devices. Devices should be equipped with an EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) protection software. This type of software utilizes security controls that prevent the installation of scripts on any given device, as well as artificial intelligence to detect and respond to malware and other malicious software before they have a chance to deploy.
Web filtering should also be employed. This can deny employees from accessing potentially dangerous websites that are known to host threats. Cybersecurity policies can also determine which applications a user has access to through their mobile device or laptop.
Patch management is another crucial form of threat prevention and protection. Going beyond Windows Updates, all software used in your business requires periodic security updates and patching. By leveraging an end to end patch management solution allows administrators to update every device on and off the network remotely and ensure they are protected against the latest cybersecurity threats. Centrally managed dashboards enable admins to monitor devices in real time and take the responsibility away from employees, many of which do not know how to protect their own devices.
Protection from Internal Threats
We have spoken about the external threats that can be avoided with endpoint security, but the risk also exists on the inside. Internal threat protection is one of the many features that set endpoint security apart from other network security solutions.
Antivirus may be good at protecting your business from external attacks, but it doesn’t protect your business from employees who might be intent on stealing sensitive data or doing damage to your systems. From employees looking to make a profit by selling data, to disgruntled employees looking to go out with a bang, there are many threats on the inside that endpoint security can protect you against.
In-House or Outsourced Endpoint Security – Which is Better?
When considering the right endpoint security solution for your business, there are generally two options available – to choose a solution that your in-house teams manage or to use a managed IT service that manages everything for you from deployment and day-to-day monitoring to continuity and maintenance.
When you bring your endpoint security in-house, you are ultimately responsible for your infrastructure and network environment. In-house solutions are typically more expensive and time-consuming to deploy than managed solutions and also require your teams to stay up-to-date with the latest security and compliance threats.
With a managed endpoint security solution, on the other hand, you get a robust and reliable solution that is run at full speed by a team of dedicated security experts. Depending on the size of your environment, your endpoint solution could be up and running throughout your business in a matter of weeks.
Do you need help deploying your endpoint security?
We understand that deploying an endpoint security strategy takes a lot of time, as well as a good understanding of your business’ IT infrastructure. That is why many organizations in Texas trust IronEdge Group to deploy endpoint security as part of their Managed IT Services. Get started with a free consultation and speak with our team about your options.
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