Identifying and Mitigating Endpoint Security Threats

Most business owners do not want to think too hard about network security. But having a network security design for your business is something that requires thought to avoid catastrophe. In the ever-changing world of cybersecurity, it pays to stay on top of things.

Here are some tips for identifying and mitigating endpoint security threats.

Identify and Scan Network Assets

The first step in the process of stopping endpoint security threats is understanding what’s happening on your network. Some people take it as a given their IT department always knows exactly who and what is connected to enterprise networks. If this were the case, however, there would be no data breaches.

Over 470 million individual records were exposed from major data breaches in the United States in 2018. There’s simply no denying the urgency of knowing what’s happening on your networks at all times. Organizations need to have an ample toolbox for identifying and scanning their network assets to get a clearer picture of the endpoints on the network, along with their vulnerability potential.

Consider Offensive and Defensive Approaches

People tend to think of cybersecurity as a combination of antivirus software and vigilance. While these are important factors, they also fall squarely into what’s known as defensive cybersecurity.

When you think about offense, it elicits ideas of action. That’s exactly the idea behind offensive cybersecurity, in which you actively seek out vulnerabilities, possibly through controlled hacking of your own networks. This approach can shed light on vulnerabilities before they admit a breach.

Think about Hiring a Cybersecurity Firm

Everyone likes to think they can handle things on their own. But there are times it makes more sense to call in experts. When you work with a dedicated cybersecurity firm, you’re going to get a level of endpoint security that can’t be achieved solely through in-house practices.

Here are a few ways hiring an outside firm can improve your endpoint security:

  • You’ll have the world’s top experts monitoring your networks. Even the largest enterprises with huge IT teams can benefit from this added specialization.
  • Your networks will be under constant surveillance, which can dramatically lower incident response times. The ability to triage sooner rather than later minimizes the damage caused by a breach. Better yet, it can avoid the breach altogether.
  • Cybersecurity firms have all the best tools related to endpoint security. You won’t have to worry whether things are running right because they’ve done it many times before.
  • Hiring an external firm can be more cost effective. Considering the expenses associated with hiring the additional employees — or paying out after a breach, which on average cost just under $4 million — paying for external endpoint security can be well worth it.

Don’t Overlook Scalability

Scalability is a major consideration for any business. But this takes on a special significance with network security. While the ongoing trend of enterprises migrating to the cloud makes sense in terms of boosting performance and operating efficiencies, this transition comes with inherent risk.

Change, by design, creates more potential vulnerabilities.

When looking at your enterprise networks, it’s essential they scale up in the safest way possible. Overlooking this can leave you wide open to attack. This is particularly true when viewed through the lens of the bring-your-own-device trend. It gets trickier to monitor and secure endpoints as more organizations allow or encourage employees to use their own devices. Be certain your network is built to handle this scalability flux to avoid becoming a victim to overzealous growth without the security to back it up.

Endpoint security is only becoming a more pressing issue for enterprise network security. It’s time to take this seriously if you want your organization to succeed in the modern economy