With more and more employees using devices to connect to the company network remotely, endpoint security has become increasingly important. Read along to understand what it is, and why it’s vital for companies of all sizes to invest in it.
What is Endpoint Security?
Endpoints are simply devices that serve as points of access to a network, such as laptops or smartphones. When an endpoint is connected to a network, it is a point of entry that can be exploited if when it is unsecure.
Endpoint security refers to the protection of these ports of entry from hackers and malware attacks.
Why is it Necessary?
A 2018 study revealed that a staggering 70 percent of people across the world work from home at least once a week. Many of them are likely connecting to their company networks from home. If the company isn’t actively protecting the connection between their employees’ remote devices and their own network, it’s essentially a disaster waiting to happen.
Even a relatively simple malware attack can infect an entire network by exploiting an unsecured endpoint.
What Does Endpoint Security Consist Of?
There isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all endpoint security solution that will work for every network. However, a typical network will often require cyber security tools, such as the following, to maintain secure endpoints.
Preventative Tools
All of the best cyber security solutions involve predictive, proactive tools that help to prevent cyberattacks from occurring in the first place. These include:
- Antivirus and web protection
- Intrusion prevention systems
- Endpoint encryption
- Firewalls
The idea is to make it really, really difficult for any sort of malicious software to breach the endpoint in the first place.
Incident Response
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to 100 percent guarantee network security. Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, and sometimes, hackers find ways to exploit even the strongest preventative cyber security tools.
For this reason, any good endpoint security system will have a plan for incident response. This includes behavior monitoring and sandboxing software to allow for the swift quarantine and removal of any data breach.
Bring-Your-Own-Device Policy
Many businesses allow employees to use their own devices (as opposed to company-issued devices) to connect to the company network. As a result, it’s crucial to implement a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy.
A BYOD policy governs the ways in which employees may use their personal devices for work. It sets cyber security standards to make sure they’re always following company protocol when using their own devices to access the company network.
Endpoint security solutions are an absolute must. If you’re unsure about what your company is doing about securing potentially vulnerable endpoints, speak to your IT provider today.
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