End Point Security & Antivirus
When it comes to preventing attacks and keeping your data secure, the cyber landscape of today is far more complicated and vulnerable. In the past, businesses just required basic security measures like an antivirus and firewall to fend off cyberattacks. Companies need to do more to secure themselves and their data nowadays because of the rising number of cyber threats.
With so many alternatives available, it can be difficult to decide what is required to protect your company. Since not all of the language being used is the same or interchangeable, it is crucial to understand the distinctions between some of it. Many people confuse the phrases “endpoint antivirus” and “endpoint security” when referring to programmes that defend network endpoints against malware attacks, although they are not interchangeable. Endpoint security and antivirus software are the proper phrases. What makes the two different, then?
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
To begin with, antivirus software is only one component of the protection strategy for your company. Only the individual workstations are protected, leaving numerous more endpoints open to attack. Its sole function is to identify and eliminate malware, a general word for harmful and undesired code..
Malware includes:
- Viruses
- Ransomware
- Trojans
- Keyloggers
- Worms
While you are using other applications, antivirus protection operates in the background. Your antivirus programme scans every file or programme you download and run for malware. In order to ensure that your antivirus software is protecting against all dangerous code, it is necessary to update it frequently, which is neither realistic nor practical given that over 1 million different forms of malware are created every day. Additionally, organisations running outdated antivirus software rely on signature-based malware detection and protection, which is no longer the case. Threats are rapidly becoming fileless or without a signature, which makes it easier for malware to remain undiscovered. Antivirus works best for simple threat detection in contexts with unencrypted data transfers.
While it is important to have an antivirus software it is not the end all when it comes to ensuring total protection for your business.
ENDPOINT SECURITY PROTECTION
More than just malware and virus prevention is required to guarantee full network security. Endpoint security enters the picture in this situation. Antivirus, firewall, intrusion detection, and anti-malware solutions make up endpoint security. This enables the use of endpoint detection and response, data loss prevention, sandboxing, next-generation firewalls, in addition to antivirus software. Endpoint security, as opposed to antivirus, strives to safeguard the IT infrastructure as a whole rather than just one endpoint. An endpoint is any device used by an end user that is connected to a corporate IT network, including PCs, workstations, mobile devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
A unified administration interface provided by endpoint security software enables your IT department to monitor all endpoint devices and keep a record of them all. Contrary to many antivirus programmers, this makes it simple to monitor issue regions, suspicious data, traffic movement, and secure distant endpoint devices. Endpoint security also places restrictions on which devices can and cannot connect to your endpoints. So, until access is permitted, random USBs cannot be connected. This can spare you not only from a severe headache but also from a computer infection that could expose confidential or sensitive information.
WHICH ONE TO USE
After reading the aforementioned lines, choosing between antivirus and endpoint protection can seem like a no-brainer, but not all businesses have the same requirements. There are a few factors that determine whether to use antivirus software or an endpoint security solution, including:
- The size of your network
- Presence of remote workers
- Business policies like BYOD
- A need for centralized security controls
- Required security features
In short, an antivirus is a great option for startups or very small businesses without a network architecture in place. Such companies that have primary business security functions that only need to protect individual devices, detect and remove malicious files, and provide security solutions for each workstation can benefit from just utilizing an antivirus. Otherwise, an endpoint security solution would better benefit companies with networked systems of at least five devices, companies with primary business security functions to protect the complete network, remotely controlled security operations, and companies that offer a security solution for the entire organization.
