Over the past decade, the rise of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies has led to a proliferation of mobile devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets being used for business purposes. As a managed services provider (MSP), you\u2019ll know these devices are referred to as endpoints, but you may not have a plan in place to deal with endpoint security. Because these mobile devices pose a particular risk to business networks, it\u2019s more necessary now than ever for MSPs to make endpoint management and monitoring an essential part of network strategy.<\/p>\n
As hardware devices that work over the TCP\/IP network, endpoints come with all of the security risks of typical workstations plus their own unique vulnerabilities. Whether the endpoints are personal devices or provided by the business, they rarely meet the security standards established by MSPs. When employees and authorized outsiders (like partners, consultants, and clients) use such devices to connect to the network, it can open the door to the loss of sensitive data. To counter this, experts recommend a robust approach to endpoint security on business networks.<\/p>\n
Endpoints are a major consideration in cybersecurity<\/a>\u00a0for today\u2019s businesses because they tend to be poorly managed and almost always pose security risks. Endpoints are a unique challenge, but MSPs tasked with an organization\u2019s cybersecurity should be prepared to help their customers implement more effective strategies to protect their data.<\/p>\n To put it simply, endpoint security management is an issue because laptops and other wireless devices serve as potential entry points to the network, but are typically not equipped with adequate security measures. They tend to be exposed to more risks than a regular workstation, but face lower IT standards due to their nature as mobile, temporarily connected devices.<\/p>\n This makes endpoints appealing to hackers as easy targets for many types of malware. If these devices have full access to the internal network, it\u2019s all too easy for threats to spread throughout the business. In addition, because they are mobile, it\u2019s possible that the devices\u2014and the data they have access to\u2014could easily fall into the wrong hands.<\/p>\n MSPs need to implement tools that provide comprehensive management solutions for these endpoints. Helping ensure endpoint security and adequate network protection includes:<\/p>\n The term endpoint detection was coined by Anton Chuvakin of\u00a0Gartner<\/a>, who in 2013 decided that \u201cendpoint threat detection and response,\u201d otherwise known as endpoint detection and response or EDR, was an appropriate name for the emerging problem of detecting suspicious activities on endpoints. Since then,\u00a0EDR<\/a>\u00a0has become a popular concept for professionals seeking to protect networks and minimize the risk that endpoints continue to pose.<\/p>\n The purpose of EDR is to gain insights into the threats that could occur or have already occurred. That means MSPs detect potential or existing threats and take appropriate measures to prevent attacks or mitigate harm. Of course, this requires high-quality monitoring of endpoint systems and how they are used. But to effectively protect a customer\u2019s network, simply looking for endpoint threats is not enough. The additional capabilities that MSPs need for effective endpoint detection include:<\/p>\n Endpoint visibility means having meaningful insight into all managed devices. MSPs are already tasked with collecting data across challenging environments like cloud platforms and virtual machines, but it\u2019s also important to collect data from endpoints like mobile phones and laptops. By gathering and centralizing the right kind of data about individual endpoints, MSPs can quickly answer key visibility questions that help ensure overall network security. Potential questions about endpoints include the following:<\/p>\n Essentially, endpoint monitoring is about tracking activity and risks on all the mobile devices that join your network. The term describes the ongoing, continuous process of managing a dynamic array of endpoints on a business network. For that, you need endpoint visibility and access, as well as the ability to\u00a0detect (and automatically address) threats<\/a>. Information can be gathered in a central database to help ensure further analysis, comparison, reporting, and alerting.<\/p>\n In order to effectively monitor endpoint agents, MSPs typically need automated software. It\u2019s difficult for MSPs to manually enforce policies and security standards across even a small number of mobile devices. To truly protect customer networks, it\u2019s smart to consider using endpoint management tools.<\/p>\n One good example of endpoint monitoring software is\u00a0SolarWinds\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0RMM<\/a>. While RMM offers an array of features to help you manage your customers as a remote MSP, a new feature focuses specifically on monitoring endpoints and managing their associated risks. Using an automated tool like RMM is an effective way to protect the network and any sensitive data from the many risks that endpoints pose.<\/p>\n As an MSP, your customers expect that you\u2019ll be able to keep them protected from the rising number of security threats in today\u2019s digital era. With RMM, the\u00a0endpoint detection and response feature<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0allows even the busiest MSPs to stay ahead of potential threats to offer customers effective endpoint protection. The tool lets you create custom policies to manage endpoint agents and constantly analyzes files to detect threats. Behavioral AI engines power data point analysis, meaning RMM is well-equipped to help protect against ransomware, zero-day attacks, and the evolving threat landscape. And when threats do occur, you don\u2019t have to be online to take care of them\u2014the tool responds with automatic rollbacks (and sends an instant alert to keep you informed).<\/p>\n With the right\u00a0software tools<\/a>\u00a0for endpoint management and monitoring, protecting customer networks doesn\u2019t have to be a headache.<\/p>\n\n
What is endpoint detection?<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
What is endpoint visibility?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
What is endpoint monitoring?<\/b><\/h2>\n