Endpoint Security for Businesses: Approaches and Management

Endpoint Security for Businesses: Approaches and Management

Endpoint security helps businesses better understand Endpoint Protection (EPP) and successfully implement it within their systems, contributing to the protection of valuable resources from malicious actors seeking to attack or disrupt operations.

What Endpoint Security Helps Businesses Manage

Network Security Management
Endpoint security (EPP) is part of the overall endpoint management system, which includes network management, device operating systems, and antivirus software (see What Is Endpoint Protection? How to Choose and Implement It).

Computers that do not comply with company policies are only allowed access to a virtual LAN and may have restricted access to certain websites.

Centralized Management

EPP operates on a client-server model, where security programs are managed from a central management server. To protect endpoint devices with client software installed, the server provides virus data updates and enforces corporate policies. The client software then executes these policies on the endpoint devices where it is installed.

Endpoint Security vs. Antivirus

Endpoint security software protects endpoints from breaches—whether they are physical or virtual, on-premises or remote, in a data center or in the cloud. It can be installed on laptops, desktops, servers, virtual machines, as well as remote endpoints.

Antivirus software is typically part of an endpoint protection solution and is considered one of the most basic forms of endpoint defense. Unlike advanced techniques such as threat hunting or Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), antivirus primarily identifies and removes known viruses and other types of malware. Traditional antivirus runs in the background and periodically scans devices for patterns matching a virus database. It is installed individually on devices inside and outside the firewall.

Core Functions of an Endpoint Protection Solution

Endpoint security tools that provide continuous breach prevention must integrate the following key elements:

Prevention (NGAV)

Traditional antivirus solutions detect less than half of attacks. They work by comparing malicious signatures or code snippets with a database updated by contributors whenever a new malware signature is identified. The problem arises with unknown malware, which is not yet in the database. There is a gap between the time malware is released and when it becomes detectable by traditional antivirus solutions.

Next-Generation Antivirus (NGAV) closes this gap by using advanced endpoint protection technologies, such as AI and machine learning, to identify new malware by analyzing multiple factors including file hashes, URLs, and IP addresses.

Detection: EDR

Prevention alone is not enough. No defense is perfect, and some attacks will inevitably bypass protections and successfully infiltrate networks. Conventional security measures often cannot detect these intrusions, allowing attackers to remain in the environment undetected for days, weeks, or even months. Businesses need to prevent such “silent failures” by quickly identifying and removing intruders.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions provide continuous, comprehensive visibility into endpoint activities in real time. Businesses should seek solutions that offer threat detection, investigation, and response capabilities, including incident data search and analysis, alert classification, suspicious activity verification, threat hunting, and detection and prevention of malicious actions.

Managed Threat Hunting

Not all attacks can be detected through automation alone. The expertise of security professionals is essential to uncover today’s sophisticated attacks.

Managed threat hunting is performed by elite teams who learn from past incidents, aggregate community-sourced data, and provide guidance on the best response strategies when malicious activity is detected.

Integrating Threat Intelligence

To stay ahead of attackers, businesses need to understand threats as they evolve. Sophisticated adversaries and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) can move quickly and stealthily, so security teams require up-to-date and accurate threat intelligence to ensure defenses are adjusted automatically and effectively.

An integrated threat intelligence solution should combine automation to investigate all incidents and acquire actionable insights within minutes, not hours. It should generate custom indicators of compromise (IoCs) directly from endpoints, enabling proactive defense against future attacks. Human expertise is also essential, including security researchers, threat analysts, cultural specialists, and linguists who can understand emerging threats in diverse contexts.

Approach to Endpoint Security

Adopting an endpoint security strategy is essential for businesses in today’s environment of serious information security threats. With comprehensive endpoint security, businesses can continuously monitor non-compliant device activity and effectively control access to sensitive data and resources.

Relying solely on traditional antivirus software and related protection solutions is no longer sufficient, as these cannot prevent data loss from various attack vectors.

Applying intelligent technologies such as analytics, natural language processing, and machine learning to collected data allows rapid identification of security risks and enables automated responses based on pre-defined policies.

Why is this important? To provide comprehensive visibility, configuration, status, and contextual information must be collected across devices, processes, and network activities

Enhanced Access Control and Data Distribution

Access control and data distribution are further strengthened through the introduction of robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) capabilities. Risk-based IAM platforms, governed by policy controls, provide strong first-line defenses in any security deployment, especially when they fully leverage device information collected by endpoint and security management tools, along with intelligent technologies to accurately assess the risk associated with granting access events.

Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)

Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solutions are designed to support all endpoints across an IT ecosystem, providing an optimal platform for managing a wide range of security processes. Comprehensive UEM solutions centralize capabilities such as data collection, reporting, alerting, analytics, and automated response—hallmarks of a reliable endpoint security approach. Solutions in this area are highly favored if they can extend security management capabilities through direct integration with related platforms or via API-based integrations.

Benefits of Endpoint Security Management

Endpoint security management offers numerous advantages, allowing businesses to confidently use IT services safely without compromising performance or exposing data to threats. Ideally, corporate data poses no risk if it never leaves the securely protected endpoints.

Through this article, NSV hopes that businesses now have a clear understanding of how to approach endpoint security, ensuring that information security is no longer a constant concern.