Endpoint Security
Endpoint security, also known as endpoint protection, is an approach to protecting a business network while it’s being accessed by remote, wireless, or mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Every entry point or endpoint needs to be protected from being exploited by malicious actors and campaigns. Brandvakt can help provide strategy and solutions in place to protect these endpoints on a network or in the cloud.
Traditionally endpoint security was all about antivirus software but has evolved into providing a comprehensive protection from sophisticated malware and evolving zero-day threats.
Organizations of all sizes are at risk from nation-states, hacktivists, organized crime, and malicious and accidental insider threats. Endpoint security is often seen as cybersecurity’s frontline, and represents one of the first places organizations look to secure their enterprise networks.
Sophisticated cybersecurity threats have steadily grown to an overwhelming volume, so has also the need for more advanced endpoint security solutions. Today’s endpoint protection systems are designed to quickly detect, analyze, block, and contain attacks in progress. To do this, they need to collaborate with each other and with other security technologies to give administrators visibility into advanced threats to speed detection and remediation response times.
Why is endpoint security important
The market for EDR solutions has grown rapidly in recent years, and industry experts predict that this trend will continue. Gartner predicts that more than 60% of enterprises will have replaced older antivirus products with combined EPP and EDR solutions by the end 2025.
Brandvakt can help identify and solution an endpoint protection platform that measures up against the evolved threat landscape. We partner with some of the biggest brands in the industry such as McAfee, Kaspersky and Sophos to name a few. We believe it’s a vital part of an enterprise’s cybersecurity for several reasons; First of all, in today’s business world, data is the most valuable asset of a company — and to lose that data, or access to that data, could put the entire business at risk of insolvency. Businesses have also had to contend with not only a growing number of endpoints, but also a rise in the number of types of endpoints.
The threat landscape is becoming more complicated, as well: Hackers are always coming up with new ways to gain access, steal information or manipulate employees into giving out sensitive information. Add in the opportunity, cost of reallocating resources from business goals to addressing threats, the reputational cost of a large-scale breach, and the actual financial cost of compliance violations, and it’s easy to see why endpoint protection platforms have become regarded as must-haves in terms of securing modern enterprises.
Overview
Endpoint security is the practice of safeguarding the data and workflows associated with the individual devices that connect to your network and in this domain we have a few concepts;
- EPP – Endpoint Protection Platform
- EDR – Endpoint Detection and Response
- XDR – Extended Endpoint Detection and Response
- MDR – Managed Detection and Response
Endpoint protection platforms (EPP) work by examining files as they enter the network. Modern EPPs harness the power of the cloud to hold an ever-growing database of threat information, freeing endpoints of the bloat associated with storing all this information locally and the maintenance required to keep these databases up to date. Accessing this data in the cloud also allows for greater speed and scalability.
The EPP provides system administrators a centralized console, which is installed on a network gateway or server and allows cybersecurity professionals to control security for each device remotely. The client software is then assigned to each endpoint—it can either be delivered as a SaaS and managed remotely, or it can be installed directly on the device. Once the endpoint has been set up, the client software can push updates to the endpoints when necessary, authenticate log-in attempts from each device, and administer corporate policies from one location. EPPs secure endpoints through application control—which blocks the use of applications that are unsafe or unauthorized—and through encryption, which helps prevent data loss. When the EPP is set up, it can quickly detect malware and other threats.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) allow for the detection of more advanced threats, such as polymorphic attacks, fileless malware, and zero-day attacks. By employing continuous monitoring, the EDR solution can offer better visibility and a variety of response options.
EPP solutions are available in on-premises or cloud based models. While cloud- based products are more scalable and can more easily integrate with your current architecture, certain regulatory/compliance rules may require on-premises security.
Extended Endpoint Detection and Response (XDR) solutions bring a proactive approach to threat detection and response. It can be seen as an evolutionary next step compared with traditional EDR platforms and delivers visibility across all data, including endpoint, network, and cloud data, while applying analytics and automation to address today’s increasingly sophisticated threats. With XDR, cybersecurity teams can:
- Identify hidden, stealthy and sophisticated threats proactively and quickly
- Track threats across any source or location within the organization
- Increase the productivity of the people operating the technology
- Get more out of their security investments
- Conclude investigations more efficiently
From a business perspective, XDR platforms enable organizations to prevent successful cyberattacks as well as simplify and strengthen security processes. This, in turn, lets them better serve users and accelerate digital transformation initiatives – because when users, data and applications are protected, companies can focus on strategic priorities.
Managed Endpoint Detect and Response (MDR) is essentially EDR or XDR purchased as a service. This service manages endpoint security and focuses on mitigating, eliminating and remediating threats with a dedicated, experienced security team. Brandvakt offers this through our Brandvine SOC.
The right Endpoint protection solution for your organization
Brandvakt can advise, architect and deploy Endpoint Protection solutions and EDR/XDR components from a wide range of our valued partners including McAfee, Kaspersky and Sophos. We assess your needs across the board including restrictions on whether agents can be deployed or not and support for your specific used operating systems. We can ensure a smooth integration with existing SIEM/SOAR solutions, whether managed inhouse or outsourced to a third party provider and weigh your risk appetitive versus investment cost.