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What Is an Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)?

What is an endpoint protection platform? An endpoint protection platform (EPP) is a complete security solution installed on endpoint devices to prevent threats. The best endpoint protection platforms are frequently maintained in the cloud and use cloud-based systems for monitoring and remote remediation of threats.

EPP solutions use a wide range of security features, such as malware and detecting suspicious activity using behavioral analysis and indicators of compromise (IOCs).

EPPs were created to support complex security stacks and to detect and stop attackers who can get through standard endpoint security.

Evolution of EPP: Past, Present, and Future

EPPs find their origins in early solutions designed to protect endpoints from threats that may get past other kinds of security, such as anti-viruses. For example, one facet of EPP, identification and authentication controls, was used to keep endpoints safe from external and internal threat actors, which couldn’t be stopped with anti-virus software.

Then, as more tools for protecting endpoints were developed, they were combined into a single platform. This made it possible for IT teams to use a single platform and benefit from its diverse portfolio of endpoint security resources.

What's Next for EPP?

EPP enables enterprises to streamline and enhance endpoint protection as they work to converge their security architecture, which is going to be more and more essential as the number of endpoints increases. Because of the wide range of capabilities offered by an EPP, an organization can get the same level of security from a single solution as from numerous isolated systems.

In the future, as companies add more and more employees and provide them with both mobile and traditional endpoints, such as desktops, EPPs may evolve into a default solution, simply because they come with so many features.

Furthermore, cloud-based EPP services give businesses the ability to combine security across on-premises and cloud infrastructure, which is crucial for protecting expanding cloud environments. This is because EPPs provide scalable threat prevention, detection, and response capabilities, making it faster and more straightforward to support the security of growing organizations.

How Hackers Get Through Traditional Endpoint Security

Hackers have devised several ways of getting through traditional endpoint security, such as:

Fileless Ransomware

Traditional endpoint protection is typically ineffective against fileless ransomware delivery methods as there is no file for it to detect and block. But with an EPP, you can track behaviors and spot patterns that warn you about fileless attacks.

Older Endpoints

The threat environment changes quickly, and older endpoints may not have the security needed to keep up with new threats. To stay ahead of new risks, security providers create fixes and upgrades as quickly as they can. But when patch management and automation systems haven’t been put in place, endpoints can be left vulnerable.

Additionally, outdated endpoint security tools can malfunction because they haven’t been patched, leaving specific endpoints vulnerable. On the other hand, endpoint protection platforms can continuously stay updated, which enables them to defend endpoints from the most recent threats.

Multiple, Disparate Protection Solutions

Conventional endpoint security programs operate mostly independently of the rest of the security stack. This means that during an investigation, security teams have to use various systems to examine activity at a single endpoint and track any suspicious activity across the network. The complexities associated with gathering data from multiple protection tools can result in mistakes that make it easier for hackers to penetrate an endpoint.

But endpoint protection platforms offer one, central source of truth because they combine information from various security solutions into a single platform.

Protection Systems That Depend on Data Filtering

Data filtering involves studying well-known behavior patterns and indicators of compromise (IOCs). So attackers often use new methods, attack techniques that the filtering system won’t detect, to hide their activity. This makes it hard for IT teams to discover attacks with filter-based protection systems. But with EPP, endpoint activity data is continuously collected. Therefore, it’s easier to detect new threats because EPP cybersecurity is constantly scanning for potentially dangerous activity.

Reasons Why Enterprises Need EPP

EPP solutions are essential for modern enterprises because they can identify both file-based and fileless malware, malicious scripts, and malware. Also, EPP tools can prevent malware from executing on a system, making it a preventative first line of defense against endpoint cyber threats. Malware protection is one of the most-critical capabilities for endpoint protection platforms because new malware appears on the threat landscape all the time.

With the threat investigation and remediation capabilities offered by an EPP an enterprise can adjust as malware gets more sophisticated. Security teams need a system that protects their endpoints from a wide range of threats, not only those traditional systems can detect. Enterprises also need a solution that gives them the resources they need to quickly and efficiently deal with any successful breaches. EPP protection provides all of these capabilities thanks to its continuous monitoring capabilities and ability to identify novel, zero-day threats using device behavior.

Difference Between an Endpoint Protection Platform and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

The most significant difference between an endpoint protection platform and endpoint detection and response (EDR) is that an EDR provides you with one solution, while an EPP security solution consists of several solutions combined into one platform. Also, it’s common for security teams to use endpoint detection and response to fight threats that can get past other security tools, such as anti-malware software.

With EPP, on the other hand, you get a comprehensive defense umbrella that not only fights threats, but also manages cyber threat intelligence and vulnerability tracking.

Security Benefits of Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Hackers have several potential points of entry as they try to take advantage of security weaknesses and steal private information that doesn’t have adequate data encryption. It is essential for businesses to safeguard all endpoints, especially as their workforces become more remote than ever, and this is what EPP technology can do. Without an EPP, which is an important facet of a data loss prevention strategy, the following entry points could be used by criminals to get access to sensitive data on a company's network or upload malware:

  • Laptops
  • Servers
  • Smartphones
  • Desktop computers
  • Printers
  • Internet-of-Things devices
  • ablets

But with EPP security, all of these endpoints get comprehensive protections. As a result, security teams can monitor and stop threat activity across the entire organization from a centralized system. Protecting all of these devices with EPP is important for enacting endpoint protection platform best practices.

Features to Look Out for While Choosing EPP

When you’re shopping for an EPP, you want an advanced threat protection platform with endpoint security. It should come with the following capabilities:

  1. The ability to detect new applications as they get loaded onto mobile devices. These applications sometimes contain malware, and your EPP should be able to stop them from running.
  2. Malicious URL detection. Your EPP should be able to prevent users from visiting malicious websites, which can be used to infect an endpoint with malware or as destinations for phishing victims.
  3. Dashboard reporting. Your EPP should allow your security team to quickly remediate a threat using information presented on a dashboard. In addition, a dashboard filled with relevant, real-time data makes it easier to monitor endpoint activity across your organization.
  4. The ability to integrate with other security tools. Ideally, you should have an EPP that can connect with existing security solutions, such as a mobile device management (MDM) system, which focuses on protecting mobile devices.
  5. Protection offline. An effective EPP can also protect your endpoints from malware even if the devices are not connected to the internet. This makes it easier to protect endpoints when they’re offline, which is when some attackers choose to try to infiltrate them.

EPP Trend Analysis: 2022 to 2030

The EPP market is looking promising, with steady growth predicted over the next several years. For instance, the market size, which in 2022, was $3.63 billion, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7% through 2030.

In 2021, EPPs already made up 35% of the worldwide endpoint security marketplace. The continued growth through 2030 will be driven by the increased number of attacks on endpoints by hackers looking to take advantage of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other employee devices.

How Fortinet Can Help

Fortinet’s FortiClient offers security, compliance, and authorized access controls in a single client. FortiClient gives you endpoint protection software that runs directly on an endpoint, such as a smartphone or tablet. FortiClient then connects to the Fortinet Security Fabric and feeds the devices to the rest of your system. This provides you with endpoint security information, visibility, and the ability to control who and what accesses each device.

FAQs

What are EPP and EDR?

An endpoint protection platform (EPP) is a complete security solution installed on endpoint devices to prevent threats. EPP systems are frequently maintained in the cloud and use cloud-based systems for monitoring and remote remediation of threats.

An EDR provides you with one single solution, while an EPP consists of several solutions combined into one platform. Also, it’s common for security teams to use EDR to fight threats that can get past other security tools, such as anti-malware software.

What are the benefits of EPP?

EPP solutions are essential for modern enterprises because they can identify both file-based and fileless malware, malicious scripts, and malware.