Your IT team have spent hours on end ensuring that your network is covered and safe against cyberthreats. You’ve set up software to monitor your server for unauthorised entry. You’ve invested in cloud solutions and carefully pinpointed which users should have access to which files. You think your assets and data are secure. But then one of your users opens the link in a phishing email.
Safeguarding your company’s systems against attack is one matter. Managing your users’ devices is another problem altogether, especially when your employees are working from home offices around the globe. Every login detail, every device, adds an extra layer of risk that you need to manage. This is where endpoint security becomes essential.
What is an Endpoint, and Why Does It Need Security?
Any device that has access to your network is an endpoint, whether it’s a laptop, desktop, mobile, tablet, server, or even your virtual environment.
While most businesses focus on protecting their own servers, infrastructure and internal devices, many neglect to enforce endpoint protection on devices that may be accessing their information. An employee could be accessing your cloud infrastructure from their home PC, for example. Does that PC have antivirus software installed on it? Is the software up to date? These are questions that would have definitive answers when endpoint security measures are in place.
The most common way for cybercriminals to gain access to company networks is through a single user’s credentials. This means that every device that your employees use their credentials on needs to be protected.
6 Benefits of Implementing Endpoint Security?
Having endpoint security measures in place is more than just a checkbox that you should tick when assessing risk. There are a number of benefits involved in endpoint security as well. We thought we would outline 6 of benefits of endpoint security in particular:
- Keeps Your Devices Protected
It’s not only your network that’s being protected when you implement endpoint security measures. The devices themselves are protected against threat as well. They will run smoother and see your teams operating productively and efficiently. - Reduces Expenditure
Network breaches cost companies in a variety of ways. While the precise nature of the expenses will be dependent on the information that becomes compromised, they can include having to pay ransom to maintain your data integrity, or payments in the form of market share due to intellectual property getting leaked. It can also have a costly impact on your reputation, particularly if personal data is involved. - Frees Up Your IT Team
When you have strict endpoint security measures in place, your IT team will spend less time putting out security fires. They will be able to focus their efforts on proactive projects for enhancing your business, rather than reacting whenever a problem arises. - Simplifies Management
Having a step-by-step list of actions that your employees should follow will make it quick and easy to implement endpoint security across your company. It will also make it significantly easier to manage risk, and to neutralise threats before they impact your operations. - Helps You Identify and Close Security Gaps
When multiple unprotected devices are accessing your systems, there are numerous ways that an attacker can infiltrate your network. Trying to divert every attack can become a full-time job. By reducing the available points of attack for cybercriminals, endpoint security will help your IT team to identify where security gaps lie, and resolve them more easily. - Allows You to Maintain Control
Putting endpoint security measures in place will provide you with further control over your data. You tighten cloud security measures by restricting access to certain IP addresses, and can even implement a Zero Trust policy – a security measure which sees you verifying each attempted connection to your network.
Endpoint security is a necessary precaution that every business needs to take, particularly when embracing remote working environments. But it should be part of a larger security plan that covers cyber security and email security as well. This is where having a service provider like Solid Systems by your side is a huge asset. We have spent over 18 years helping businesses implement IT, cloud, cyber, email and endpoint security solutions that meet their unique needs. And we’re ready to help your company step confidently into the future. Get in touch with us today to find the right security solution for your business.