What is an Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)?

What Is an Endpoint Protection Platform?

An Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) is a cybersecurity solution that is deployed across multiple endpoint devices. It detects and blocks file-based malware and is an integrated security tool that can apply firewalls, port and device controls, and anti-malware capabilities. Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPPs) provide endpoint protection for organizations. They can defend against advanced threats which normally evade front-line defenses.

Origins and Purpose of EPPs

EPPs were developed to identify attacks that would normally evade traditional endpoint security, consolidating tools like antivirus protection, data encryption and security, and intrusion prevention into one cloud-managed system. Consolidation allows IT personnel to monitor all endpoints in one location, enabling more thorough and automated data sharing and analysis and allowing for complex threat analysis that wouldn’t be possible using tools in isolation. Because of their cloud-managed nature, EPPs can even take advantage of global threat data, benefiting from other networks’ experience to enhance overall threat prevention.

EPPs may include endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities, helping security personnel respond to threats that have slipped by the system’s defensive screen. EDR capabilities, however, are not necessarily an aspect of all EPP platforms, and IT staff should consider whether this is offered when considering an EPP system.

Why Is Endpoint Security Via EPPs Important?

In a network setting, endpoints are typically considered to be the most vulnerable part of any system. There are a variety of reasons for this, but it largely comes down to personnel and the different types and sheer number of endpoints used to access a network. System compromise means potential cyber-attacks, which can be extremely expensive, both in terms of direct monetary costs and remediation efforts.

People with a wide range of computer knowledge and cybersecurity training use computing systems that access a company’s network. This can take place in a wide range of settings, which may not be well controlled or easily monitored by company IT staff. Consider that an employee may have extensive IT security knowledge and won’t open a suspicious email. Or perhaps they are not security conscious at all and will happily install “networkscrambler.exe” on his endpoint. The employee may only use a desktop at the office or prefer to work on a 5-year-old iPad via a coffee shop’s unsecured WiFi.

There may be ten of these employees or 10,000, all with their own personal and device profiles, doing a wide range of things from day to day. Each of these person/device combinations is a (likely unknowing) threat to the network.

Not only is the variety of different threats a problem, but it presents a massive attack surface. While most employees may practice good data hygiene, a comprehensive EPP allows staff to monitor all endpoints at once to prevent the single careless employee from compromising the network.

SentinelOne’s Singularity™ Endpoint provides real-time insight into endpoints across your network with EDR capabilities and identity protection in a single package.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) vs. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

EPPs give an overall framework for IT personnel to defend endpoints and the overall network. Some EPPs also include the ability to detect and respond to threats once they have penetrated a network in the form of an endpoint and detection response (EDR).

While many EPPs do include EDR capabilities, these are distinct functions. Although an EPP ideally stops all threats, the reality is that a network may be penetrated. A plan and system need to be in place to respond. This, of course, must be balanced with system usability and cost, and IT staff might also consider other EDR options separate from their EPP.

All things being equal, having more tools in one’s cyber defense arsenal is typically a good thing. However, IT staff must be trained on its use, and the system properly deployed. Having an unused, or even unknown, capability is often the same as not having it at all.

Learn more about how Singularity™ Endpoint platform can protect your enterprise with an AI-powered defense.

Conclusion

EPPs, or Endpoint Protection Platforms, focus on protecting a network’s endpoints, which tend to be the most vulnerable points of attack to a system’s overall security. Because of this, EPPs are extremely important to a business or other entity’s overall operation, providing a robust defense against cyber intrusions. Some EPPs also include Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) capabilities, though this is not necessarily the case for all EPPs.