Give Your Endpoint Protection Program the Attention It Deserves

May 2, 2024

From the creation of the first antivirus program over 50 years ago, to the innovations that AI, machine learning and automation continue to drive, one thing has not changed: effective endpoint security is essential. Studies estimate that as many as 90% of successful cyberattacks and 70% of successful data breaches originate at endpoint devices.

The endpoint threat landscape is constantly evolving, and all organizations can be appealing targets for cyberattacks, regardless of size or industry. As we turn our attention to the challenges of today and what to expect in the future, several organizations are faced with making better endpoint security non-negotiable for establishing a proactive approach to resilience.

Managing a Decentralized Workforce

Remote workforces, a growing number of endpoints and risk from personal devices have made maintaining visibility and managing endpoints increasingly difficult.

According to a Gartner research report, by the end of 2026, the total available market of fully remote and hybrid workers will increase to 64% of all employees, up from 52% in 2021. This has drastically changed the attack surface.

Inside office walls, corporate IT can easily leverage defense-in-depth strategies. While many people still use corporate laptops that are governed by corporate security stack, roughly two-thirds of employees use unprotected personal devices at work. This makes mobile device management and endpoint policies key, especially when organizations are unable to deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to personal devices.

With the increase in remote work, the restrictions and maturity that EDR solutions offer make it the best place to invest for organizations managing a decentralized workforce. Not only are organizations facing a growing number of endpoints, but the IoT has increased the number of distinct types of endpoints.

Risk from Non-Traditional and Rogue Devices

These days, almost any physical object can be an endpoint. Smartwatches, pet cameras, virtual assistants and even Wi-Fi enabled refrigerators and toasters have opened doors to new ways to exploit networks.

Employees who access personal clouds at work or introduce personal devices to the enterprise’s network create a larger opportunity for threat actors to access the company network and an increased risk of a breach.

Limited or Redundant Tool Coverage

Legacy AV, even the best out there, won’t cut it anymore.

Even if your organization is trying to move beyond outdated protection solutions, without strong endpoint monitoring and effective policy management, you could be missing gaps in your environment, or overpaying for redundant solutions.

For example, the average enterprise has 45 cybersecurity related tools deployed on their network. Do you know if each tool is proving its value? Or if tool value is overlapping? It is challenging for smaller security teams to have detailed insights into every tool and how they are impacting and providing value to the security environment.

Many organizations are also switching from one or multiple threat detection and response solution to another as they mature and grow. Not only do you need the right solution to scale with your business, but without proper integration into the environment, you may not benefit from the solution’s full potential.

Maintaining Regulatory Compliance and Cyber Insurance Requirements

Endpoint compliance is another big topic these days. Growing rules and regulations around endpoint data stored in the cloud could leave organizations at risk for investigation or fines. It can be hard to keep up, so most organizations will look to outside expertise to help reduce their compliance burden.

See this interactive map for information on state data privacy laws.

Also, for organizations seeking to obtain or renew a cyber insurance policy, not having endpoint monitoring technology could lead to increased rates or outright denial. U.S. cyber insurance premiums surged 50% in 2022, reaching $7.2 billion in premiums collected from policies written by insurers.

Future-Proof Your Endpoint Protection Platform

Your endpoint strategy is one of your first lines of defense against potential threats, a strategy that Optiv experts treat as a foundational aspect of any cybersecurity program. Even more so, endpoint security is not “just another tool.” It should be integrated into your security stack and consider all your other defenses and strategies.

Managing the modern workforce, IoT and OT environments, and new endpoint solutions amidst a changing threat and regulatory landscape have made it increasingly clear that now is the time to thoroughly assess your endpoint protection platform.

The good news is -- this is not a complex undertaking. With an advanced, industry-leading solution, you can secure your organization’s cyber infrastructure with no new equipment, no complex integrations and significantly reduce investigation time and time to response.

If you want to learn more about what the right endpoint solution can do for your business, we’d love to talk.