By: Margaret Wood 4/4/2023 5:04PM

Why Endpoint Security Matters

It is essential for those organizations that want to protect their sensitive data and intellectual property to implement endpoint security measures. By doing so, organizations can reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents, resulting in significant financial losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences. 

What Is Endpoint Security?

Endpoint Security is the practice of securing a network’s entry points or endpoints to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches. For example, desktop computers, laptops, mobile devices, servers, and other network-connected devices that can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks are considered endpoints. Endpoint security solutions provide a comprehensive defense against diverse types of attacks, such as malware, phishing, ransomware, and other cyber threats that can compromise data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

These security solutions typically include software and hardware components that protect endpoints from attacks. Some standard features of endpoint security solutions include antivirus and anti-malware software, firewalls, and intrusion detection and prevention. 

Why Use Defender for Endpoint?

Defender for Endpoint is a critical component of endpoint security within the Microsoft ecosystem. In today’s world of malware, zero-day exploits, and zero-hour threats, endpoint security is more important than ever; it is not only about antivirus protection. It encompasses all the ways to protect endpoints and ensures that only authorized users can access the environment, systems, encryption technologies, and endpoint management tools.

Microsoft’s Defender for Endpoint is an all-encompassing endpoint security solution that goes beyond traditional antivirus software. Defender for Endpoint provides several capabilities to protect your endpoints, including vulnerability management, attack surface reduction, next-generation protection, endpoint detection and response, automated investigation and remediation, and Microsoft threat experts.

Malware and zero-day threats are ever-present, and endpoint security has become more critical. Threat and bad actors constantly target endpoints to access your environment, making users the riskiest part of any environment. Therefore, it’s essential to have proper endpoint security measures in place to ensure that only the right people can access your environment.

Defender for Endpoint’s top six features:

1. Attack Surface Reduction
2. Automated Investigation and Remediation
3. Core Defender
4. Endpoint Detection and Response
5. Next-Generation Protection
6. Vulnerability Management

Endpoint Detection and Response is one of the six capabilities offered by Defender for Endpoint. It is a critical capability that allows organizations to detect and respond to endpoint threats. Endpoint Detection and Response enables organizations to:

1. Monitor and detect suspicious activity on endpoints
2. Collect and analyze endpoint telemetry data
3. Investigate and respond to security incidents

Endpoint Detection and Response can detect endpoint threats that other security solutions may miss. It can also provide visibility into the root cause of an incident and help organizations respond more effectively.

Endpoint Detection and Response enables organizations to:

1. Collect and analyze endpoint telemetry data.
2. Investigate and respond to security incidents.
3. Monitor and detect suspicious activity on endpoints. Investigate and respond to security incidents.

Defender for Endpoint Plans 

Defender for Endpoint, formerly Advanced Threat Protection or ATP, is available in two Enterprise versions: Plan 1 and Plan 2. 

Microsoft recommends adopting Defender for Endpoint capabilities in a specific order for best practice.

Plan 1 is the more basic version available for Enterprise and Business licensing. It provides Attack Surface Reduction and Next-Generation Protection and the ability to use APIs and integration. However, its capabilities are limited compared to Plan 2. 

Plan 2 includes all the capabilities of Plan 1, is only available for Enterprise licensing and offers additional features such as Endpoint Detection and Response and Automated Investigation and Remediation.

Additionally, you get access to Microsoft Threat Experts support. Microsoft threat experts are security experts who can help you detect, investigate, and respond to threats within your environment. They provide SME guidance and support to help you respond to attacks quickly and effectively.

If you’re considering Defender for Endpoint, it’s important to note that Microsoft recommends starting with Endpoint Detection and Response and Attack Surface Reduction, as these are the most critical capabilities to have in place. These two crucial features are not available in Plan 1.

Defender For Endpoint and The Cloud

Defender for Endpoint is especially critical for companies that have adopted cloud capabilities. The cloud, by design, is supposed to be easily accessible, and many organizations have implemented cloud capabilities without adequate cloud security measures. Defender for Endpoint helps mitigate this exposure.

Users are the riskiest part of any environment, and they use multiple endpoints. Attackers often focus on endpoints to gain access. Even if an organization has no remote workers, users may still have access to company data on their mobile devices, making endpoint security essential. Therefore, organizations should consider implementing endpoint security measures that match their cloud capabilities and prevent users from accessing company data off-site.

Defender for Business 

Defender for Business provides multi-layered protection that includes endpoint protection, firewall, network protection, and cloud-based protection, leveraging advanced machine learning and behavioral analysis technologies to detect and block known and unknown threats. It also provides real-time protection against phishing attacks and other social engineering tactics. The solution is easy to deploy and manage, providing centralized management and reporting capabilities that allow IT teams to monitor and respond to threats in real time.

Defender for Vulnerability Management 

Another specialized cybersecurity solution designed to help organizations identify and prioritize vulnerabilities in their networks and systems is Defender for Vulnerability Management. Defender for Vulnerability Management is a critical tool for organizations seeking to maintain a robust security posture and protect their sensitive data from cyber threats. It uses a combination of automated scanning and manual testing to identify weaknesses in the network infrastructure, web applications, and endpoints. The solution provides detailed reports on vulnerabilities and recommended remediation steps, enabling IT teams to quickly prioritize and address critical vulnerabilities. Defender for Vulnerability Management also provides ongoing monitoring and assessment to ensure that vulnerabilities are mitigated, and new vulnerabilities are identified and addressed promptly.

In conclusion, Defender for Endpoint is essential for any organization looking to protect its endpoints from cyber threats. Endpoint security encompasses all the ways to protect endpoints and ensure only authorized users can access the environment. When considering which licensing plan to opt for, evaluate which capabilities are most critical for your organization and prioritize accordingly.