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Is It Too Early Think About Endpoint Security in 2021?

IDC Survey Finds Over a Third of Businesses Hit by Ransomware

Is It Too Early Think About Endpoint Security in 2021?

Is it too early to think about endpoint security in 2021?

2020 proved one of the most challenging years in the history of cybersecurity and endpoint security in particular. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many enterprises of all sizes to switch abruptly to remote work, cybersecurity concerns took something of a backseat for some IT decision-makers. 

However, hackers never rested for a second. In fact, COVID-19 offered hackers a new way to mask their attacks and new opportunities for crime. Therefore, 2020 also resulted in numerous businesses having to catch-up to a rapidly evolving threat landscape. Organizations relied not on established plans but on whatever worked efficiently. 

So is it too early to think about endpoint security in 2021? Not at all! On the contrary, now is the perfect time to think about endpoint security in 2021. Unfortunately, all credible evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue through the coming year. Thus, your enterprise might need to formalize and refine the cybersecurity workflows you now use to help prevent the spread of the virus. 

Here are a few ways to think about endpoint security in 2021.

Download Link to Endpoint Security Buyer's Guide

 

Endpoint Security in 2021

VPNs

No technology took center stage in the endpoint security discourse of 2020 like virtual private networks (VPNs). While certainly a major factor in cybersecurity prior, the benefits of VPNs took on new meaning in the wake of COVID-19. Those same benefits must factor into your considerations for your 2021 plan. 

Here’s why: VPNs offer workers and third-parties on independent Wi-Fi the same level of secure communications and network traffic security as an on-premise connection. Simply put, while a worker on a personal Wi-Fi could have a sensitive email or data request intercepted by an external actor, a worker connected via VPN shouldn’t have the same worries. 

Therefore, as your business formalizes more permanent work-from-home and remote work processes, VPNs can help ensure consistent cybersecurity across the workforce. We cannot overstate how much this matters: hackers seek out every potential weak spot in networks for penetration. Presenting a united and consistent front can deter hackers from even trying to attack you directly 

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

EDR joined the endpoint security conversation relatively recently, yet its importance cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, hackers can break into even the most secure digital perimeter. Next-generation antivirus and firewalls certainly help to deter and deflect a fair percentage of hackers. 

However, eventually, someone will crack your defenses, and you need to prepare for that event. Every endpoint represents a stepping stone into the larger network, and you need to know what devices may be compromised. 

Enter EDR. EDR helps detect compromises on devices and creates alerts to speed investigations. Thus EDR contributes significantly to threat remediation and to endpoint visibility, both of which are essential to comprehensive endpoint security in 2021. 

Data Loss Prevention

Finally, having a remote workforce means losing sight of your employees and their work processes. A disparate network means more reliance on your employees to use sensitive data responsibly, and employees can make mistakes. You never know when someone might upload a critical document to a public cloud or a misconfiguration leaves data exposed. 

Data Loss Prevention helps keep data under your control and adhering to your storage and traffic rules. You can prevent data from being copied, uploaded, or sent out of the network without express authorization. Thus you can sleep easily knowing your data remains under your control. 

To learn more about endpoint security in 2021, keep an eye on our Endpoint Security Buyer’s Guide. We constantly put out new updates following the market and threat landscape. 

Download Link to Endpoint Security Buyer's Guide

 

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