Endpoint protection or endpoint security is a policy-based approach to network security that addresses risks presented by devices connecting to an enterprise network. As BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and mobile employees practices are increasingly common in the working environment, connected workplace devices such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops, are becoming a potential entry points for security threats-- rendering the more traditional security solutions inadequate for today’s ever-shifting and undefinable security perimeter.
In a Symantec research on Ransomware infection by industries, the Services and Manufacturing industries are badly affected possibly due to their higher level of integration with different internet services (for example, receiving large amounts of emails from customers on enquiry) and tend to have a higher exposure to infection risk.
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In the enterprise environment, endpoint protection is managed centrally through a central administration server that monitors and manages the endpoints connected to the network. It ensures that the devices comply with specific criteria and meet security standards prior to being granted network access. Devices that are not in compliance with the organisation's policy are given limited access or quarantined on a virtual LAN (VLAN). This provides enterprises with greater control over the various endpoints on a network by blocking threats and access attempt prior to entry.
But with the growing array of threats such as targeted attacks, zero-day exploits, malware and ransomware, an effective endpoint protection solution must incorporate the latest technology in order to protect computers and go beyond merely controlling access to devices. Gartner defines an Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) as “a solution that converges endpoint device security functionality into a single product that delivers antivirus, anti-spyware, personal firewall, application control and other styles of host intrusion prevention (for example, behavioural blocking) capabilities into a single and cohesive solution.”
Compaies like Crowdstrike are at the curring edge of technologies like Machine Learning which underpin next generation endpoint protecion
