Businesses are constantly under attack from cybercriminals. It is now important more than ever that they have and maintain a robust security posture to defend against these attacks. The goal of any cybersecurity strategy should be to protect critical infrastructures from external threats. One of the most important components in this effort is Endpoint security, which includes endpoint protection (EPP) and endpoint detection and response (EDR).
Whilst some decision-makers may wonder “which of the two should I invest in?”, it is imperative that both are included in your overall strategy as they serve different yet equally important purposes. In this article, we will explain the purpose of EPP and EDR and why you need both for comprehensive protection against ransomware and other cyber threats.
The Current Situation
There are a plethora of cyberthreats out there targeting businesses on a daily basis, seeking to exfiltrate their data and wreak havoc on their operations. This is made easier thanks to growing attack surfaces resulting from this new digital age where remote work and BYOD policies are growing in popularity. This creates more opportunities for hackers to infiltrate your business. Furthermore, with the introduction of ransomware-as-a-service, these attacks have only intensified, and companies are now in a constant battle trying to ward off back-to-back persistent attempts to compromise their business.
Why You Need both EPP & EDR
The purpose of EPP is to provide a “first-line” defense by stopping the flood of attacks trying to penetrate your network perimeter. EPP is very good at identifying threats and it is an upgrade from traditional antiviruses, providing protection against next-gen threats. But, with the constant evolution of these threats, this isn’t always enough!
Prevention can only happen if you know what you need protection against. That’s why EDR is also important. EDR augments EPP by providing visibility into your system so that once a mal-actor bypasses your defenses and begins to display threat-like tendencies, your EDR can take action to alert your IT team of suspicious activity. This gives organizations the upper hand allowing them to detect cyberattacks, like ransomware, before they have a chance to encrypt all their data.
EDR should be used in conjunction with EPP as it can provide detailed insights into threats that have bypassed your first-line protection and can even be used to help EPP learn from them. It can also provide visibility into any future threats that had bypassed your EPP.
Some EDRs such as SentinelOne feature more advanced threat protection through its use of behavioral artificial intelligence to detect abnormalities within your system and trigger automated responses. This goes beyond the limits of signature-based hunting and relies on traits that indicate potential security risks so that you can prevent them down the road.
Should I invest in EPP or EDR?
Both EPP and EDR are necessary for a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, and businesses should not have to choose between the two. Together, they form a powerful duo in protecting your organization from cybercriminals.
If you don’t have either EPP or EDR installed on your endpoints, now is the time to invest in a solution that works best for your business.
If you already have EPP installed but are lacking EDR capabilities, consider upgrading to an endpoint protection platform (EPP) with built-in machine learning and artificial intelligence features so that you can detect and respond to threats faster than ever before!
The world is changing and threats are evolving, so make sure your cybersecurity strategy is up to date and can protect you from the latest attacks.
Contact us today to learn more about our endpoint protection solutions!
