What is Endpoint Security?

Endpoint protection security refers to cybersecurity measures designed to defend endpoints from malicious activity and cyber attacks.

An endpoint is any device that connects to a computer network, and can send or receive data. Examples of endpoints include:

Desktops
Laptops
Mobile devices
IoT devices
PoS systems
Digital printers

Endpoints are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, making endpoint security an absolute necessity for any business. Neglecting it can have huge repercussions concerning compliance, profit and industry reputation.

This blog will delve into everything you need to know about endpoint security, and why it should be the bedrock of your cybersecurity strategy.

Why is Endpoint Security so important in 2026?

In 2023, we conducted a study with public sector organisations to uncover how confident they were about their IT estate, especially in the wake of hybrid working. One particularly alarming finding was that only 35% of organisations surveyed had endpoint security in place, with even fewer (31%) stating that they have device encryption.

Why is this so alarming?

For a start, in the same year Microsoft research found that 80-90% of successful ransomware attacks come from unmanaged devices. And when the average enterprise is likely to have more than 135,000 endpoint devices (Ponemon Institute), that leaves gaping holes in their cybersecurity matrix.

Because ultimately, the largest threat to cybersecurity for businesses is their employees. Lack of education - or lack of vigilance, especially with the increase in hybrid working - lead to mistakes with enormous potential consequences.

Capterra reported that 71% of surveyed HR workers said that at least one offboarded employee didn’t return company-owned equipment. This is an example of how mundane massive security risks can be, and how crucial it is to have the policies, software and training in place to prevent them.

The threat posed by unprotected endpoints has only gotten worse over time. Help Net Security observed a 300% increase in endpoint attacks in Q3 of 2024. So with cyber attacks constantly becoming more sophisticated, it’s crucial to lock down your endpoint security in 2026.

How does Endpoint Security work?

Elements of Endpoint Security

Even if the term endpoint security is unfamiliar to you, the elements involved certainly won’t be - fundamental features of endpoint security include:

Antivirus software, which monitors for and removes malware
Firewalls, which control incoming and outgoing traffic from your internal network
Email gateways, which filter through incoming emails for spam and phishing
Disk encryption, which protect sensitive data if a device is stolen
Insider threat protection, which prevents major security risks from trusted insiders like employees.

These should all be used together as part of a much wider cybersecurity strategy.

How to Secure Endpoints

The priority of endpoint security is to protect data on all devices associated with a corporate network - and this is achieved by methods such as:

Setting up a centralised management console. All admin systems are consolidated in one place to give stakeholders complete visibility over the security of all devices connected to them.
Deploying cybersecurity software on each device. This will be done either remotely or directly.
Authorising regular updates to the software. Devices can therefore be scanned frequently - even in the background - for cybersecurity threats.
Blocking device users from unsafe applications. Users may download or access things unsafe to the organisation before they have thought about whether or not it’s safe - automatic restrictions prevent that.

Deployment will look different depending on whether your organisation operates on-location, remotely or in a hybrid capacity.

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Benefits of Endpoint Security

Endpoint security is defense that never sleeps, in or outside of office hours.

When you have this foundation covered, you’re never caught off guard by cyber threats - early threat detection makes it a non-issue. You have complete visibility over all your endpoints, and completely confident that they're actually free from threats.

Identities and sensitive customer or client data are safe behind multiple walls of protection - even if devices are stolen, you can rest assured that data is encrypted and cannot do you harm.

And as your organisation navigates the trials or hybrid and remote working, it never has to be a source of stress. Even if your employees haven’t had thorough cybersecurity training, there are measures in place to prevent security incidents long before they occur.

Conclusion

All this said, you must remember that endpoint security isn’t enough to protect you from cybercrime. Relying solely on endpoint security poses another risk: making your cybersecurity strategy reactive, not proactive. It is supposed to be the first line of defence in a much larger strategy.

If you want to future-proof your organisation from increasingly more deceptive and sophisticated cybersecurity threats, consider partnering with Apogee.

Our Cybersecurity Services are designed to provide your organisation with iron-clad defences; beyond endpoint protection, we offer guidance on compliance and data security, and can even prepare you with business continuity measures for the unlikely event of a security breach.

Learn more about our Cybersecurity Services

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