6 Ways to Improve Your Business Endpoint Protection

by Stephen Moramarco on October 10, 2018

As companies continue to decentralize, adding offices as well as remote workers, threats to the security of their data are increasing drastically. Add the integration of vulnerable IoT devices and lax BYOD protocols and you have a high degree of endpoint vulnerability, bringing with it a greater risk of penetration.

Endpoint Protection – Why It’s Important

Endpoint protection is one of the most frustrating aspects of security because the threat is often vague or unknown. According to a recent survey by software company Logmein.com, 30% of IT departments don’t know how many endpoints their company has; those that do report an average of 750.

As breaching an endpoint is so much easier than a going after a heavily-monitored network server or website, many attackers have turned their harpoons toward this new, prime target. An old computer whose software hasn’t been updated or a spearphished email account can give hackers a foot in the door and allow them to slowly work their way into your system and towards their goal.

How do you protect your company from these shady thieves? Here are six ways to quickly improve business endpoint protection.

1. Establish an All-Encompassing Data Policy

One of the most fundamental things you can do towards securing your company’s information is to create protocols for access, storage and use of data. Shockingly, many businesses are lax in this basic step. This policy document should outline levels of data classifications: Some basic examples are public, restricted (may contain company secrets) and critical (may contain financial or personal information). Then it should define persons or departments that have access to each area and establish authentication protocols, such as two-factor authentication for access. In case of a breach, it should identify a chain of command and clearly delineate who should be notified.