Among all IT components, endpoints are the easiest to exploit, making them the most vulnerable to cyberattacks. This makes endpoint security management a non-negotiable IT function that all companies must undertake. While you may already be familiar with the concept, it always helps to brush up on your understanding of best practices and get new tips for overcoming common challenges.

Sometimes, the only challenge is the absence of a good endpoint security management tool — a gap that Kaseya VSA can fill effortlessly. This new year, let’s approach endpoint security with a renewed focus.

What is endpoint security management?

Endpoint security management is the implementation of proper systems, procedures and tools to manage and secure all types of endpoints connected to an organization’s network. The definition of endpoints, in this case, extends to all devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and even servers and IoT devices.

Compromising even a single endpoint can provide threat actors with easy access to a company’s private network and applications as well as workloads on the cloud, threatening business continuity. They can then use this advantage to conduct corporate espionage, steal confidential information or launch devastating cyberattacks, like malware, ransomware, phishing, advanced persistent threats (APTs) and more. To prevent this from happening, technicians use a variety of tools, like antivirus, antimalware, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and endpoint detection and response (EDR), to give all endpoints multiple layers of security.

Implementing security policies, such as establishing strong password rules, granting access permission, managing patches effectively, designing an incident mitigation plan and remotely wiping data from devices in the event of theft or unauthorized access, also fall under the scope of endpoint management.

Why is endpoint security management important?

Endpoints are the outermost perimeter of a company’s IT infrastructure, the first line of defense and the prime security targets, which is why they need constant monitoring and protection. Endpoint security management makes all the components and policies that go towards endpoint security work as a cohesive whole.

An advanced unified remote monitoring and management (URMM) solution, like Kaseya VSA, makes this easy. VSA is a four-in-one tool that combines powerful remote control, software/patch management, executive reporting and endpoint monitoring into a single, easy-to-use solution. Check out the story of how Sephno, a leading MSP specializing in cybersecurity, leveraged VSA and other tools from the Kaseya IT Complete platform to unlock business growth and success in the cybersecurity space.

Some of the top benefits of endpoint security management are:

• Data security and privacy: Endpoint security management protects critical and valuable data stored on endpoints from malicious activities. It also prevents unauthorized access, which can have a devastating effect on a company’s data confidentiality and reputation.
• Business continuity and productivity: Compromised or faulty endpoints lead to increased  downtime and lower productivity, which leads to financial losses due to the cost associated with data recovery and system restoration. A robust endpoint security management process ensures security, business continuity, higher uptime and better end-user and customer service. This translates to lower operational costs and optimum utilization of resources.
• Regulatory compliance: Data protection is serious business, and organizations have to comply with various government regulations to ensure this. By undertaking endpoint security tasks, organizations can also tick off many of the regulatory requirements, keeping them on the good side of the law. An added advantage is that it helps businesses protect their intellectual property from theft and misuse.
• Holistic cybersecurity strategy: Today’s challenging and complex cybersecurity landscape requires businesses to take a holistic approach to security. While endpoint security management is one facet, businesses must also focus on other aspects, like cloud security, network security and vulnerability management, for comprehensive protection. Additionally, organizations should invest in employee training for increased awareness and adherence to cybersecurity best practices.

Check out our webinar recording on endpoint security management for more information.

Benefits of endpoint security management

Endpoint security management provides users with secure access to corporate networks from any device with an internet connection. The following are some of its top benefits:

Best practices for endpoint security management

Keeping the following best practices in mind will help you build a robust endpoint security management plan and keep your endpoints safe from damaging cyberattacks.

Regular software patching and updates

• It is important to regularly patch and update software to protect against the latest threats.
• Patches should be installed as soon as they are available as they can help protect against a wide range of attacks, such as malware, denial of service and data theft.
• VSA provides automated patching that streamlines the patch management workflow, even for large-scale environments.
• VSA is optimized for rapid deployment of patches, even in low bandwidth networks. Moreover, VSA’s robust patch vetting process limits zero-day disruptions and offers easy governance via policy, profiles and organizations.
• View patch history, override or even rollback patches to limit end-user disruption.

User education and training

• Educating your users on the latest tactics used by cybercriminals and ways to identify and avoid them goes a long way toward strengthening your defense posture.
• Regular training and testing for attacks like phishing and malware can help users take the right steps to protect themselves and the organization.
• Employees should be trained to recognize suspicious emails, links and attachments that will help them remain vigilant and comply with security protocols.

Access control and least privilege principle

• Access control and the principle of least privilege protects organizations from both internal and external threats.
• Organizations use role-based access control to provide users access to only the resources they need for their role.
• This prevents users from accidentally deleting important data, changing configurations or installing applications with malicious intent.
• It also provides an extra layer of security by ensuring that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data.
• Access control requires users to be carefully identified and authenticated, using usernames, passwords and biometric data in order to grant them privileges and access.
• The principle of least privilege states that users should get access to the minimum amount of data they need to do their work, and access to any other resource should be provided on a need-to-know basis to minimize the potential impact of security incidents.

Endpoint encryption

• Encrypting all the data stored on an endpoint, including performing full disk encryption, prevents misuse in the event of loss, theft or other security incidents.
• It makes the data unreadable to anyone without a decryption key.
• Endpoint encryption also prevents malicious actors from accessing the data, even if they are able to gain physical access to the device.
• Organizations can also perform file-level encryption that encrypts individual files or folders instead of the entire device.
• It is also recommended to encrypt data when it is being transmitted over a network to protect it from man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.

Continuous monitoring and incident response

• Continuous monitoring of endpoints helps technicians detect suspicious activity and respond to incidents in real-time.
• Round-the-clock monitoring, clubbed with machine learning and behavioral analytics, helps organizations contain threats before they become an actual breach. According to the IBM Security Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, the average cost of a data breach is $4.45 million.
• Additionally, organizations should also have an incident response plan in place to quickly mitigate the impact of an attack. We have written a comprehensive eBook on how to build an effective incident response plan to protect your business from severe financial and reputational damages.

Integration with threat intelligence

• Threat intelligence solutions collect, analyze and share information on existing and potential threats to help businesses make informed decisions about security policies, systems and procedures.
• Threat intelligence provides specifics on indicators of compromise (IOCs), which serve as evidence of a cyberthreat in action.
• For instance, threat intelligence can provide details such as the type of malware used or the source of the attack, which can help organizations quickly identify and block malicious activities.
• For more information, check out our blog on the role of endpoint management tools in IT security.

Common challenges of endpoint security management and how to overcome them

Once you understand the best practices, knowing how to overcome common challenges will further help you solidify your endpoint security management game.

Diverse endpoint landscape

Applying security policies to a diverse variety of endpoint devices, applications and operating systems is challenging. It can lead to inconsistencies in vulnerability management and patch management and hurt the balance between security and usability.

Endpoint visibility and control

A diverse endpoint landscape can hamper visibility into certain endpoints, like those registered under the bring your own device (BYOD) policy or used by remote and mobile workers. Moreover, managing and controlling a growing number of applications, not all enrolled under the security plan, can create shadow IT threats. Legacy systems can also fly under the radar and might not integrate with modern security services.

Balancing security and productivity

Extremely stringent security practices can hinder productivity, making it difficult for users to access resources comfortably and when required. On the other hand, lax security policies increase the risk of a cyberattack. Therefore, striking a balance between the two is crucial for companies to achieve the twin goals of security and growth.

Zero-day threats and APTs

Zero-day threats leave security managers with a short window to fix the vulnerability before it gets exploited widely. Sometimes, cybercriminals use custom exploits that traditional security solutions or signature-based systems fail to detect. APTs, on the other hand, are multistage attacks that leverage advanced tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and can go undetected for months.

Patch management challenges

Managing patches for varied endpoints is a complex task that requires regular monitoring and testing to ensure the latest patches are all applied. This can be time-consuming and costly, especially for organizations that have a large number of endpoints.

User awareness and training

Users often lack the capabilities to detect and respond to a cyberattack. They often do not know how to bring any suspicious activity to light. Lack of user awareness and training can lead to serious security threats.

Resource limitations

Lack of the right tools, resources or personnel can leave organizations with glaring loopholes in their endpoint security management strategy. Without being aware of potential threats or having access to the right tools, organizations can miss out on important warning signs or fail to detect suspicious activity.

Incident response efficiency

The efficiency of an incident response plan determines how quickly an organization can bounce back from a cyberattack, as well as how effectively it can contain the impact. Organizations without a plan are more likely to experience longer recovery times, higher financial losses and bigger reputational damage.

BYOD policies

BYOD poses a significant security risk. We know that a cyberattack is no longer a question of “if” but “when” it will happen. A company’s network becomes more vulnerable with every new device it adds. By allowing your employees to bring their own devices to work, you’re essentially trusting them to keep the devices secure.

Human error

The actions and behavior of individuals and how they interact with data digitally impact endpoint security. Using weak passwords, unintentional data exposure, lack of security awareness and falling victim to phishing emails and social engineering attacks can inadvertently introduce malware or disclose sensitive information. According to Verizon’s 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, 74% of breaches involved the human element, which includes social engineering attacks, errors or misuse.

Having covered the challenges, here are some strategies to help you overcome them:

• Automated deployment and management: Automated deployment ensures that security patches, updates, and configurations are consistently and promptly applied across all endpoints. It also streamlines incident response, allowing IT teams to identify and take action on any threat quickly.
• Endpoint detection and response (EDR): EDR solutions provide real-time visibility of endpoint behavior, helping detect and respond to advanced threats quickly. It provides detailed forensic logs and reports, enabling IT teams to investigate and remediate threats more effectively. Additionally, EDR solutions can provide automated threat hunting and threat intelligence, helping IT teams stay ahead of attackers.
• User education and training: Encouraging users to adopt secure behavior and educating them to recognize and avoid phishing attempts and social engineering attacks will greatly reduce the likelihood of human-error-related security incidents. Additionally, regular security awareness training can help users stay up to date with the latest security trends and threats.
• Endpoint segmentation: Endpoint segmentation is an effective strategy to prevent the lateral movement of malware and stop it from spreading to the wider networks. By isolating critical endpoints and data, organizations can reduce their attack surface and limit the scope of the damage that can be done in the event of a breach.
• Continuous assessment and monitoring: Continuous monitoring and detection facilitates early detection of security threats and supports timely patch management. Organizations should also conduct regular security audits to identify any weak points and address them promptly.

What to look for in an endpoint security management solution?

An endpoint management solution should support not only the current needs but also the future needs of your organization. While it’s not a comprehensive list, a solution with the following features should help you meet your objectives:

• Comprehensive threat detection: The solution should provide complete protection against a slew of known, unknown and advanced threats. It should provide root cause analysis of incidents and strategies to mitigate them in the future.
• Real-time monitoring and response: Cyberattacks don’t see the time of the day, nor should your endpoint security tool. It should provide round-the-clock monitoring of your endpoints so you can detect and address anomalies in real-time.
• Compatibility and integration: The solution should easily integrate with core IT tools, like PSA and IT documentation and other security solutions, for complete interoperability and seamless collaboration across the entire IT infrastructure. It should also provide automation across IT management functions to streamline operations.
• Scalability: The solution should be able to handle a growing number and variety of endpoints as your business grows.
• User-friendly interface: The interface should be intuitive, easy to use and customizable to meet the needs of different types of users.
• Endpoint encryption and data protection: Encryption prevents data leaks and helps maintain the integrity of data. VSA provides encryption for data at rest and in transit, protecting it from unauthorized access. It also provides data backup and recovery to ensure that data is always available.
• Data loss prevention (DLP): DLP is the process of detecting and preventing data leaks, unauthorized destruction of sensitive information and illicit transfer of data outside the organization.
• Automated patch management: Effective and timely patch management is your best defense against ransomware or other cyberattacks. With 200+ third-party titles within VSA, you can patch all on- and off-network devices, including Windows, Mac and Linux. You can wake up your Windows machines in the middle of the night, install patches and turn them off again, empowering you to achieve near-perfect patch compliance. VSA’s robust patch vetting process limits zero-day disruptions and offers easy governance via policy, profiles and organizations. VSA is optimized for rapid deployment of patches even in low bandwidth networks. View patch history, override or even rollback patches to limit end-user disruption. Book a free demo of VSA and see how it functions in your envionment.
• Centralized management console: You should be able to complete every endpoint security management task from a single console. VSA empowers businesses to command all of IT centrally. Users can:

• Easily manage remote and distributed environments
• Simplify backup and disaster recovery
• Safeguard against cybersecurity attacks
• Effectively manage compliance and network assets
• Streamline IT documentation
• Automate across IT management functions

Here’s a handy checklist of the top things to consider when choosing a modern endpoint management solution.

How Kaseya can help you with endpoint security management

Kaseya VSA is a unified remote monitoring and management (uRMM) platform that enables IT teams to manage core IT security functions from a single console. VSA brings together a host of services, like software patch management (including OS and third-party patching), AV/AM deployment and management, and backup and disaster recovery management (servers and SaaS app data), so you can provide comprehensive protection to all your endpoints using a single platform. In addition, VSA lets you patch off-network devices even over low-bandwidth networks — an indispensable feature when securing work-from-home (WFH) employees’ computers.

By providing timely alerts and triaging them, VSA allows businesses to address the most critical vulnerabilities first. Also, when VSA detects a suspicious code or file, it isolates it and contains the affected endpoints, preventing the threats from moving laterally in the network. The solution also supports automated actions, such as quarantining a compromised device, blocking malicious processes or initiating a system scan, based on predefined rules.

By providing comprehensive security to your systems and networks with Kaseya VSA, you can protect them against ongoing cyberthreats. By integrating an RMM tool into your business, you can boost growth, protect your business and safeguard your clients.

Want to learn more? Schedule a demo of Kaseya VSA today!

The post What Is Endpoint Security Management and Why Is It Important? appeared first on Kaseya.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog - Kaseya authored by Kaseya. Read the original post at: https://www.kaseya.com/blog/endpoint-security-management-best-practices/