Rapid technological advances have led to increased company exposure to cyber risks, making endpoint protection a crucial necessity. Initially, protecting your devices against attacks is essential to decrease access to sensitive information and maintain a positive business and productivity flow.
According to IBM, the global average cost from data breaches is $4.4M USD, with 73% of Canadian small businesses being targeted.
What is endpoint protection?
Endpoint protection targets end-user device security (mobile, laptops, and desktop computers) that people use daily. The solution identifies and prevents threats such as viruses and malware from attacking an end-user’s device. With the assistance of endpoint protection, companies can secure entry points, stop data leaks, block unauthorized connections, and thwart cyberattacks.
The essentials of endpoint security include intrusion detection, antivirus software, and endpoint detection and response systems. These tools protect against various threats, including phishing, malware, and ransomware. This guarantees that your company’s assets are protected, which in turn protects your image and reputation.
Threats Aren’t Always External: Understanding Insider Threats
Insider threats are a risk posed by those who have legitimate access to your resources. This occurs when individuals with authorized access to information pose a security risk.
- Negligent insider: Those who don’t wish to harm the company, but create mistakes that jeopardize its security. For example, someone may send sensitive information to the wrong recipient.
- Malicious insider: People who intend to do harm. An example may be someone in sales providing proprietary information for financial gain.
- Compromised insider: External threats exploiting an authorized user’s credentials. Examples include having login information stolen by phishing.
Why is endpoint protection necessary?
For companies, preventing threats using endpoint protection ensures business continuity, prevents data breaches, avoids economic loss, and protects your reputation. Thus, endpoint protection is not merely about avoiding breaches; it is also an essential component of business continuity.
Business Operations
Cyberattacks can disrupt your business operations, resulting in a business outage and additional financial losses. Endpoint protection operates on the premise that it allows your system to remain operational and safe. Therefore, it mitigates the risk of disruption to minimal or lower levels, enabling your company to maintain continuous operations.
It ensures that your most essential applications and systems remain operational and functioning.
Rising Cyber Threats
The sophistication and severity of cyberattacks are increasing against businesses of all sizes. They have become the primary target for people to exploit your system’s vulnerabilities or steal data. Adequate protection decreases these risks to protect your company. It enables companies to manage threats and respond more effectively.
For domains with strict standards or that house sensitive information (such as those governed by PIPEDA, NIST, and ISO/IEC 27001), additional measures are required to ensure that sensitive corporate and customer data remains safe.
Business endpoint protection keeps sensitive information secure from unauthorized access and breaches. It helps enable regulatory companies to operate within the law and avoid penalty costs.
Cost Savings
The loss from data breaches is exceptionally high. They range from lawyer fees to lost income and regulatory fines. Endpoint investments reduce these costs by preventing future breaches, thereby saving your company money. By remaining proactive, you can protect your organization from the operational and financial consequences of cyberattacks.
Company Reputation
Cyberattacks can damage your company’s reputation. It generates a loss of trust among your customers and can impact future revenue. Strong protection fosters customer confidence and will safeguard your reputation. By demonstrating your business’s commitment to cybersecurity, you reassure customers that their sensitive information remains secure and safe.
How does endpoint security protect my business?
A complete solution should include all features that will secure all your organization’s devices. To prevent evolving threats, all features must work harmoniously to stop, detect, and respond to a range of cyber threats. Understanding the features listed below will help you make an informed decision on which solution benefits you.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
EDR solutions analyze endpoint activity (such as from servers, laptops, and desktops) and counter real-time threats. Detailed insights and analytics from these tools will help you understand the nature and scope of security incidents.
Malware Defense and Antivirus
This protection eliminates and identifies all malicious software. It protects all endpoints from various malware attacks, including Trojans, worms, and viruses. Heuristic and behavioural analysis are incorporated into antivirus software to detect all unknown threats.
Firewalls
Firewalls track and control network traffic going to and from your network. They serve as a control point between less-trusted and trusted networks. They prevent all unauthorized access and block malicious attacks, thereby enhancing network security.
Patch Management
This is a deployment of routine system and software updates to protect against security weaknesses. Patch management tools automate the download, identification, and installation of updates in endpoints, ensuring they are current and secure.
Encryption
Encryption will encrypt sensitive information, rendering it unreadable to unauthorized users. Similarly, it guarantees security in transit and at rest by preventing data from leaking to breaches and prying eyes.
Threat Intelligence
This software includes functionality such as analyzing threats and gathering data, including emerging ones. It acts upon actionable insights to enhance your security. It is current with the latest cyber threats and takes proactive measures against potential risks.
Access Control
This approach utilizes systematic methods to restrict sensitive information and systems based on permission level and each user’s role. Access control is a measure that prevents unauthorized access to your critical resources. It also ensures that resources are accessed only by genuine individuals.
Behavioural Analytics
Behavioural analytics analyzes user and system behaviour for potential threats and anomalies. It identifies insider threats that can bypass conventional security controls.
How Connectability Can Maximize Your Endpoint Security
At Connectability, we go beyond just an issue-solution type of support. Our Toronto staff helps your company plan more effectively, leverage technology for long-term success, and spend wisely. We provide guidance to prevent cyberattacks, thus saving you time and money for long-term success.
Our cybersecurity audits can close compliance gaps and identify vulnerabilities. We prepare your company for regulatory compliance and offer cost-effective plans to keep you compliant and safe. Infrastructure audits will identify performance issues affecting your network, enabling you to improve speed and reliability.
Connectability also helps develop business continuity through disaster recovery plans, data backups, and remote solutions, ensuring you remain resilient in the face of disruptions, attacks, and outages.
To learn how we can assist you with your endpoint protection concerns, please call us at 647-930-2250, email us at [email protected], or schedule a delivery call here.
