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Is your business struggling with devices being hacked, viruses being downloaded, or frequent spam? If so, you could benefit from an endpoint protection scheme. Businesses in all sectors require a solid network infrastructure that keeps out any unwanted activity and malicious attacks, allowing the data inside to stay safe. But this is easier said than done.
According to a Ponemon Institute study, 68% of organisations have experienced one or more endpoint attacks that successfully compromised data and/or their IT infrastructure.
Read on to learn more about endpoint protection as a solution to cybersecurity threats.
What is endpoint security?
An ‘endpoint’ refers to technology such as desktops, laptops, and mobile devices that can — if compromised — create unwanted entry points to a company’s network. These entry points can easily be compromised if a cybercriminal or malicious insider comes across them undefended.
Endpoint security, then, is the practice of securing these entry points or endpoints.
Once upon a time, endpoint security was as simple as installing traditional antivirus software. But nowadays, as the complexity and destructiveness of cyber threats have developed, endpoint security involves a much more sophisticated protection strategy against malware and viruses.
How does endpoint security work?
Endpoint protection usually takes the form of a combined approach between EPP (endpoint protection) software and a team of trained software specialists to monitor a business’s endpoints. A good EPP software will often make use of the following:
- Machine learning to pick up zero-day threats
- Encryption
- Insider threat protection
- Integrated firewalls
- Advanced anti-malware or antivirus protection
However, the main method of endpoint security is to create a centralised platform for all key players and administrators to monitor a business’ systems, detecting cyber threats before they develop into something serious, and isolating them before they cause damage.
Why does your company need endpoint security?
Regardless of the size of your business, or the sector you operate in, endpoint protection should be on your list of IT must-haves. Simply put, if your business is online, it’s at risk from cybercrime. So, let’s examine just a few reasons why endpoint security should be considered essential for all businesses.
Endpoints are growing targets
To risk stating the obvious, endpoints are obvious targets. Contrary to the name, for cybercriminals, endpoints are usually the starting point when it comes to gaining access to an organisation’s systems.
However, in recent years, businesses have had to contend with an increasing number of endpoints thanks to current working trends such as hybridity and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) schemes.
As businesses expand and change with the times, so too do the number and type of endpoints. Remote working makes perimeter security increasingly difficult for organisations. Think about it like this — the larger the perimeter of a fence, the more likely it is that (virtual) ‘holes in the fence’ go undetected for longer.
Cyber threat is constantly increasing
As a counterpart to increasing endpoint numbers, cyber threats themselves are on the up too. Statista’s Cybersecurity Outlook estimates that the global cost of cybercrime will rise from $8.44 trillion in 2022 to $23.34 trillion by 2027.
As the amount and severity of cybercrime against individuals and businesses rise, so does the sophistication of said threats, advancing the need for more complex endpoint security systems. As such, more and more businesses are realising they cannot do this alone and are recruiting cybersecurity experts like ITRM to assist their defence against the worsening threat landscape.
Data loss
A lack of a coherent endpoint protection strategy leaves your devices, systems, networks, and data exposed. Since more and more data is stored online in cloud-based systems, data losses and breaches are becoming fatal for businesses.
Not only could an endpoint breach cause essential data to be lost (and not recovered if you don’t have an effective backup procedure in place). But lost data could easily fall into the wrong hands, putting clients, stakeholders, and staff at risk.
What’s more, on the whole, data loss always dents an organisation’s reputation, and it takes a while for customers to trust a business with their information again.
Endpoint protection at ITRM
Here at ITRM, we have an endpoint security solution of our own.
Under our ITRM Protect package, our cybersecurity experts can monitor and protect three core areas of your business against data breaches:
- Endpoints - Ensuring your Microsoft servers and desktops are protected from malware and viruses.
- Emails - Reducing the risk that your team sends or receives spam, viruses, or messages infected with malware.
- Web - Reducing the likelihood of prohibited sites being accessed with diligent monitoring and filtering to maintain safe browsing.
Our experts can consistently monitor your systems to ensure that no virus, spyware, or malware can infiltrate your company’s systems. We operate via a cloud-based platform, making the most of machine learning to take context and reputations into account to prevent threats (even never-before-seen) across:
- Browsers
- Files
- URLs
- Ads
- Apps
- And more in real-time.
Head to our IT security service page to learn more about our ITRM Protect and ITRM Secure packages.
Contact us today
If you have any further questions about our endpoint protection services, or you’d like to find out more about the levels of digital protection your company needs, get in touch with our experts today.
In the meantime, for more strategic IT business insights, be sure to keep up with our blog.
