It's a tough time for business and technology leaders. First, there is the global pandemic that rapidly transformed how and where employees work. And now, there’s a steady stream of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks that are targeting businesses of all sizes and sectors. One analysis found that during the first quarter of 2021, UK businesses were subjected to about 2,000 new cyberattacks every day! It’s the highest level of malicious activity to date since the firm started tracking this data in 2016. 

The most common attack vectors for this relentless activity? Remotely controlled IoT applications and file-sharing services. In other words, a lot of these attacks occur via employee’s endpoint devices. As more and more people work from home and other remote locations, we see greater use of devices like mobile phones, laptops, and tablets, as well as more work being done via insecure home or public WIFI connections.

Cybercriminals see this, too, and are targeting the work-from-anywhere workforce with alarming efficacy. Couple this threat landscape with an understandable, but growing use-your-own-equipment attitude amongst remote employees—and we see that it’s never been more urgent for business and technology leaders to adopt a robust endpoint security strategy, and to do so today.

Why Endpoint Security Matters

In an earlier post, we wrote that the future of work is the hybrid office. More than eight in ten UK firms are planning on a hybrid office after the pandemic; only about 16% are expected to require workers to return to the office full-time. More and more, employees are working not just from home but from cafes, libraries, co-working spaces, and whilst travelling. As a result, more users and devices are connecting to your network than ever before and these endpoint devices remain a main access point for attackers.

Can you trust every such user or device that accesses your network? Rather than assuming every user or device inside the network is known and trusted, organisations should move away from a "perimeter-based" approach to ensure that trust is not implicit, but based on proven identity (versus location).

Endpoint security, perhaps, hasn’t gotten the due attention it deserves—until recently. One survey found that 70% of UK businesses reported that they can’t ensure every endpoint device has the same level of protection. And a whopping 99% of respondents said they didn’t believe all their endpoints were protected by at least one security agent!

As we continue to work from anywhere, device security matters for your organisation. It will require an endpoint security solution that provides not just visibility into who is using what device, but also remote monitoring tools and remediation for endpoint devices.

Secure Remote Work with Zero Trust Access

We expect the hybrid office trend to continue. Users will continue to work from anywhere and IoT devices will continue to flood networks and operational environments. To protect your critical information, your organisation must ensure continuous verification of all users and devices as they access corporate applications and data. Zero Trust is one way to do this.

Zero Trust is not a specific technology or tool. Rather, it’s a modernised paradigm for cybersecurity: unlike traditional models, Zero Trust assumes that every user, network, and device is compromised and thus, every user, network, or device presents a risk.

Zero Trust Access (ZTA) solutions allow you to secure remote access by not trusting anyone inside or outside the network unless their identification has been thoroughly checked. While it can be complex to implement Zero Trust Access for the first time, we here at Optec can help you navigate the entire process for a customised and scalable solution.

Modernise your Endpoint Protection with Detection and Response

Recognising known users and devices with Zero Trust Access is a key step to prevent intrusion. Detecting and defusing potential threats in real-time is another critical component of your overall endpoint security strategy. We recommend you research and invest in a modern, advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution.

What does this look like? Many first generation EDR solutions just can’t keep up with the evolving threat. Some solutions require manual triage and generate a lot of noise. There’s a wide range of solutions available, but, at a minimum, look for an EDR offering that will proactively reduce your attack surface; prevent malware infections; and detect and defuse potential threats in real-time.

Also look for EDR solutions that leverage automation. The addition of AI to endpoint security will greatly improve your ability to conduct ongoing assessments and classify suspicious activity. For example, Optec’s FortiEDR solution not only stops breaches and costly ransomware attacks, but it does so automatically and efficiently. You’ll streamline your security operations, protect your people, and keep your critical production equipment online and working.

FortiEDR achieves all this with a lightweight footprint, allowing your business to:

• Understand what’s happening 

• Take precise action to stop risky activities 

• Respond immediately and appropriately 

Remember, whether your employees dial in from a mobile device at home or are using a laptop at the office, it can take just minutes, or sometimes even seconds, for sophisticated attacks to compromise these endpoints and, in turn, your organisation.

Optec is here to help. As a Fortinet Expert Partner, our skilled Fortinet engineers are ready to help your organisation with endpoint security assessment, deployment and installation, configuration, customisation, and tailored training. Our Fortinet experts can also provide 24/7 threat monitoring, alert triage, and remote remediation services.

Learn more about our work-from-anywhere solutions or get in touch with us on 01280 878597 or email us at sales@optec.co.uk.

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