Endpoint security is among the leading technologies in modern cybersecurity. It refers to mechanisms that protect individual devices connected to a network, such as a computer, smartphone, or laptop. At the same time, managed endpoint security implies an approach that enables enterprises to control and manage these endpoints in a more centralized way through specialized management tools/services.
In this blog, we will discuss what managed endpoint security is and its importance. In addition, we will also discuss the most effective ways of its implementation, its advantages, proper and alternative strategies, the main challenges that organizations may face, the key functions, and a quick review of what is offered by SentinelOne in this area.
What is Managed Endpoint Security?
Managed endpoint security is a tool/service that provides security for all endpoints in a specific network. The service of managed endpoint security is usually managed by a company security team. The importance of such security is very high and is due to several factors:
- Comprehensive protection: This service provides protection for all the devices, meaning that all the endpoints are safe. As a result, data breaches and other cyberattacks are significantly reduced.
- Up-to-date defenses: All the updates are done by the managed service provider, meaning that endpoints are always updated to the latest version.
- Rapid response: Managed endpoint security is up 24/7, meaning that a threat can be detected as soon as it appears, which means that the damage will be reduced to the minimum every time.
- Compliance: Every industry has its own specific requirements for security, and managed endpoint security helps organizations always match them.
- Scalability: It is very easy to scale managed endpoint security to as many devices as needed as a company grows.
Common Vulnerabilities in Endpoints
Endpoints are the common entry point for the attackers. As a result, they are a very high risk to the organization’s security. There are five most common endpoint vulnerabilities, which are listed below:
- Outdated software: Endpoints with unpatched or outdated operating systems, applications, or even firmware can have known vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.
- Weak passwords: Users conventionally keep their passwords simple, and as a result, it’s easy for them to remember as well as for the attackers to guess. Thus risking the security of the endpoint.
- Unsecured network connections: If endpoints connect to a public network or unsecured public wi-fi, they become susceptible to man-in-middle attacks and data interception if proper data-in-transit encryption is not followed.
- Insider threats: The employees or contractors of the organization have access to the endpoints. They can intentionally or unintentionally compromise security through actions such as accidental exposure of sensitive information or pasting sensitive information in LLMs.
How Managed Endpoint Security Works
Managed endpoint security is based on a systematic approach used to secure the devices that are connected to an organization’s network. Let’s see how it works:
- Installation: First, the security software has to be installed onto all endpoints that the organization uses.
- Centralized management: A central console is used to manage, configure, and monitor all endpoint security.
- Continuous monitoring: The endpoint solution continually scans each of the endpoints for potential threats and any malicious activities.
- Threat detection: It can detect both known and unknown threats through the use of advanced algorithms and threat intelligence.
- Automated response: They can autonomously respond to a detected threat by taking various predefined actions to suppress or eradicate the threat.
- Regular updates: The security software on all endpoints is regularly updated using patches for newly discovered threats and to fully eradicate them.
- Reporting: The system generates regular reports on security status, threats detected, and actions taken.
- Policy enforcement: Security policies are applied consistently across all endpoints.
Implementation of Managed Endpoint Security
The implementation of managed endpoint security must be done in a structured way to ensure the complete coverage of the entire organization’s network. Let’s discuss the specifics of different phases of implementation in detail.
Assessment and Planning
The first step is to assess the current state of the environment to install managed endpoint software. The security team first creates an inventory of the endpoints present within the organization, including employee desktops and laptops, mobile devices, and servers. The next step is to evaluate the strength of existing security software and the shortcomings in the current infrastructure. The outcome of this step is the list of the specific security goals for the organization. The last subphase is the creation of the implementation plan, which includes the deployment steps, timeframes, and resources needed.
Deployment Strategies
This step starts after the completion of the planning stage. The organization needs to decide between on-premises and cloud solutions, which are dependent on the infrastructure and security needs. Additionally, the security team needs to define whether to implement the solution step by step or install it as a whole. Before proceeding with the installation, the security team ensures that all the endpoints are prepared so that they can work well with the new software. As the deployment may be quite disruptive, it is recommended to begin with the test deployment of the software on a small number of endpoints.
Integration with Existing Security Infrastructure
The last step is the integration of new managed endpoint security with the existing security solutions. The process starts with the definition of the existing security tools and the systems used. Moreover, the security team needs to define the integration points between the existing tools and the new software. Unified logging is used to gain a broader view, and the whole organizational system sets up the reporting systems.
Benefits of Managed Endpoint Security
Managed endpoint security provides a strong defense against cyber threats to organizations and offers a variety of benefits. As such, it is an important piece of any modern cybersecurity strategy. Let’s discuss some of its key benefits in detail:
1. Improved Threat Detection and Response
Managed endpoint security uses innovative technologies in order to detect threats and other malicious activities quickly and accurately. A combination of real-time monitoring, behavioral analysis, and machine learning algorithms is used to recognize both known and unknown threats.
Also, whenever a threat is detected, the systems can respond automatically by isolating affected endpoints or blocking malicious activity. Due to the rapid response, the impact of the incidents is minimized, allowing for fewer data losses and less downtime of the affected systems.
2. Centralized Management and Visibility
One of the main benefits of managed endpoint security is the ability to control all endpoints of an organization via a single console. The actual locations of the endpoints are irrelevant, as any local, remote, or mobile device is organized into a single network, and all of it can be viewed and managed.
The single console allows the security teams to understand the big picture of the organization’s security easily, and this combined visibility of endpoints is helpful in conducting quick vulnerability scans and timely patch management.
3. Cost-Effectiveness
Outsourcing the specialized security function provided by managed endpoint security to a managed security service provider can be a much cheaper option than building and using an in-house team of cybersecurity experts.
Moreover, managed endpoint security providers take care of software updates and monitoring, maintaining constant availability, which reduces the burden on the organization’s security team. Also, since these are managed services, the costs tend to be predictable, and organizations find budgeting and planning for security easier.
4. Scalability and Flexibility
Managed endpoint security services are adaptable to growing organizations and can extend their security to new endpoints. It is a convenient way to ensure consistent protection for a dynamically scaling organization.
Also, the solutions are flexible in that they can be tuned to the specific security needs of an organization. Policies can be adjusted, and features can be added or removed to keep the security measures relevant.
Best Practices for Managed Endpoint Security
Implementing secure managed endpoint security involves following best practices. These practices help organizations get the most out of their managed endpoint security solutions to keep threats at bay. Below are the best practices for managed endpoint security:
#1. Regular Updates and Patching
Regular updates and routine patch installations ensure that everything within the organization’s network is up-to-date and well-protected. This best practice requires organizations to update their operating systems and all their applications.
Organizations can quickly achieve this by assigning every endpoint an automated patch management program that immediately logs in, sending updates when the current formats of patches are not being used. Regular patch setting locks the door to different unpatched vulnerabilities that attackers use.
#2. User Education and Awareness
Training and educating individuals working in the company is equally important. There should be regular training and education sessions on the expectations. For example, users should have ideas on how to create strong passwords that keep hackers away and not use the same password everywhere.
#3. Incident Response Planning
Incident response plans enable organizations to contain attacks by acting promptly to minimize attackers’ gains. An incident response plan refers to a detailed plan created to prevent and respond to security incidents. The response contains actions like roles and responsibilities of different individuals, reporting structure, and containment strategies.
#4. Continuous Monitoring and Improvement
Continuous monitoring of the devices protects organizations from risks that are coming to them. Tracking activities, observing all transmitted sites, and differing from implemented policies are different ways of protecting from threats. Regular security assessments and penetration testing can find vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Using insights gained from these activities, organizations can continuously refine their security policies and practices, ensuring that their endpoint security measures remain effective against new and emerging threats.
Common Challenges and Limitations
Although managed endpoint security has multiple advantages, there are a number of challenges and drawbacks related to both operating the solution and implementing it in an organization. Several common challenges of managed endpoint security are as follows:
1. Performance Impact on Endpoints
The endpoint security software has to run on the devices’ operating systems to manage the endpoints. It checks them for any suspicious activities, scans them for malware and unapproved user programs, and monitors any user’s actions. The devices are constantly being scanned and observed, which puts a load on them and consumes the system resources. In some cases, the endpoints start to work slower than usual, or it takes more time to run other programs.
2. False Positives and Alert Fatigue
False positives are part of any managed endpoint security software. A problem with them, however, is the high number that may cause security alert fatigue, a situation when the security team perceives all the alerts as false positives and misses a real, critical threat. Avoiding such outcomes and adjusting the software settings requires the security team to continue the modification of detection rules, implementation of systems to prioritize alerts, and use machine learning to increase its accuracy over time.
3. Privacy Concerns
The principal drawback of managed endpoint security is that they collect vast amounts of their data to analyze. Apparently, the constant monitoring of user activities and collection of information raises numerous privacy concerns among employees, particularly if they use their personal devices at work. Organizations and security providers have to find a fine balance between their security needs and user privacy to avoid data privacy issues.
Key Features of Managed Endpoint Security Solutions
Managed endpoint security solutions like SentinelOne are designed to protect devices in organizations. There are several key features of modern solutions, and all of them are important in one way or another. These features work together and ensure that a solution can relatively efficiently protect organizations from any security threats. The important features of modern managed endpoint security solutions are as follows:
1. Threat Detection and Response
The essential feature of endpoint security is that it continuously monitors the activity on and around every endpoint owned or used by an organization and tries to detect a threat. Real-time monitoring provides a means to track all activities that take place when it comes to organizational devices. Some existing solutions might be capable of handling not only known threats but also unknown ones.
They develop these capabilities with the help of signature-based and heuristic analysis. The systems are also equipped with appropriate response mechanisms, meaning that they might automatically detect that an endpoint is compromised, block the process that tries to access data, or either gain initial control of it or keep the security team informed about it.
2. Behavioral Analysis
This approach helps to go beyond signature-based security. When behavioral analysis is applied, an endpoint solution can learn the behavior of applications from unusual to bad. Also, it can learn the behavior of devices and their users. It is critical to identify threats that have yet to be discovered. The idea is that once the system builds a stable routine, it flags any deviation from it. It is most beneficial for zero-day attacks and advanced persistent threats.
3. Machine learning and AI integration
Both machine learning and artificial intelligence help to increase the detection capabilities of endpoint security solutions. Each type can analyze an enormous amount of threat data. AI solutions help users learn about new threats by providing responses to them in the same way that they initially categorized as dangers.
As a result, a managed endpoint solution is in a state of continual learning, and a security team can learn a lot about new forms and methods of attack. Machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions allow companies to adapt to new threats and trends, thereby making them powerful.
4. Remote Access and Control
One critical feature of endpoint security is that an organization’s security team can control endpoints remotely. It is essential when the devices are set up to operate using a cloud or are located far away. The appropriate tools can be used to check on a potential threat, push a patch, upgrade the software, or isolate a targeted device from its network. In other words, the endpoint can be controlled remotely, even if it is far away, without the need to inspect it physically or provide security for it.
SentinelOne for Managed Endpoint Security
The SentinelOne platform uses AI and machine learning to manage endpoint security. It uses various technologies bundled up to protect organizations from threats. Some of its features are as follows:
Autonomous AI
SentinelOne’s solution uses artificial intelligence to automatically detect and respond to threats in real time. The system is not based on signatures, meaning it can identify and stop both known and unknown threats, including zero-day attacks. It requires minimal human involvement to complete a task.
Behavioral AI
To ensure that all endpoints are continuously monitored, SentinelOne uses behavioral artificial intelligence. It monitors the behavior of every application and process running on the endpoint, detecting any suspicious activities. Because of that, the tool not only prevents known malware or attacks but also stops advanced and previously unseen threats.
Singularity Platform
SentinelOne’s Singularity platform offers a unified solution for endpoint protection, detection, and response. It provides visibility across the entire network, allowing security teams to monitor and manage all endpoints from a single console.
EDR and XDR Capabilities
The solution includes both Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) capabilities. These features provide deep visibility into endpoint activities and enable rapid threat hunting and incident response across the entire IT environment.
Conclusion
Managed endpoint security provides a solution for protecting organizations against cyber threats. Managed endpoint security is a functional utility that offers security for all endpoints attached to an organization’s network. It offers centralized management and visibility and uses advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to detect and respond to threats rapidly.
The scalability and cost-effectiveness of these solutions make them suitable for organizations of all sizes, while their ability to adapt to new threats ensures long-term security. SentinelOne offers a platform for managed endpoint security. Their AI-driven approach, combined with advanced features like behavioral analysis and automated remediation, provides a powerful defense against modern cyber threats