4 Tips For Endpoint Security Solutions (That Everyone Forgets)

So you have your endpoint security solution deployed on your IT environment. You’ve made the careful selection from the catalog of endpoint security solutions, trained your employees and managers in how to work with your cybersecurity platform, and integrated it with your other cybersecurity products.

So…now what? You know endpoint security solutions aren’t set-it and forget-it affairs, but how do you maintain an active role in your cybersecurity platform? We compiled some oft-forgotten tips for IT security teams and CISOs looking to make the most of their endpoint security solutions:    

Keep Your Endpoint Security Solution Updated

This is one of those little chores that is easy to forget until it is far, far too late—especially if you have a lot of other demands on your schedule. Solution providers will release updates to their endpoint security solutions, including updates meant to fix potential or discovered security bugs in their programs.  

Neglecting to actually update your endpoint security solutions essentially lays out the welcome mat for hackers to exploit whatever bug the update was meant to fix. It makes your enterprise look like an easy target—the hackers’ (especially less experienced hackers’) favorite kind of target.

There is no reason not to keep your enterprise’s endpoint security solutions updated with the latest versions. There is even less reason now that you can implement those updates all at once rather than one at a time like in the antivirus days. So get on it.

Go Hunting for Vulnerabilities

Although similar, this is actually a little different from threat hunting, which tends to fall under the realm of SIEM and security analytics. Vulnerability hunting is looking for threats before they penetrate your endpoint security solutions, or rather where they are most likely to sneak into your IT environment.

You and your IT security team need to evaluate where your cybersecurity system falls flat before the hackers do, and initiate your own patches or work with your solution provider to patch those issues. This will help your endpoint security operate at its most optimal level while ensuring that you are paying attention to hackers’ tactics and strategies to subvert it…and heading them off at the pass, so to speak.    

Keep your BYOD Culture Under Control

Employees love using their own devices—it’s one of the consequences of the home computer revolution that we’re only just beginning to grapple with today. But if you allow your employees to bring their own devices, you need to ensure that those devices don’t cause deviations or aberrations in your endpoint security perimeter. Make sure that your employee’s devices are secured with a consistent, enterprise-level layer of cybersecurity. If possible, see if you can upload your preferred endpoint security solution (with the permission of licensing cybersecurity vendor and the owner of the device, of course).

Value Prevention with Detection

Detection capabilities, such as with endpoint detection and response (EDR), have become all the rage lately, and for good reason. No endpoint security solution is perfect or can stop 100% of all threats. Having a mechanism within your solution that can find threats after they sneak through the perimeter is essential.

However, you can’t neglect to value your preventative capabilities in your endpoint security solutions. It’s what deters less experienced hackers from bothering with your enterprise, and can help catch more experienced hackers before they even have the opportunity to wreak havoc. Make sure that your preventative capabilities are up to the task of protecting your enterprise, and facilitate those protective components if necessary.

Other Resources:

Endpoint Security Advice for the CISO on the Go! 

Endpoint Security vs Legacy Antivirus: What’s the Difference?

Comparing the Top Endpoint Security Vendors — Solutions Review

Answering the Top 4 Enterprise Endpoint Security Questions

Endpoint Detection and Response: A New Wave in Security?

How to Navigate Modern Endpoint Security Innovations