What Is Advanced Endpoint Protection?

What is Advanced Endpoint Protection (AEP)? 

Gone are the days when anti-virus software was relied on to do the job of keeping endpoints safe. Modern-day threats require modern solutions that can predict and stop the occurrence of malicious activities before they get out of hand.  Advanced endpoint protection solutions are for just that.  

What is advanced EDR in cybersecurity? What does endpoint protector do? How it is different from traditional endpoint security solutions? 

Let us explore. 

What is Advanced EDR? 

Advanced EDR or Next Gen Endpoint protection is a holistic security solution that renders comprehensive security against modern and sophisticated cyber threats.  

It uses Machine learning and Artificial intelligence-based threat detection capabilities and the next-gen anti-virus to predict and automatically respond to suspicious activities.  

It utilizes integrated real-time threat intelligence to keep up with evolving Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures deployed by threat actors.  

How does Advanced Endpoint Protection work? 

In the past, Endpoint security solutions like firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-malware defended endpoints from known threats like malware and viruses. But that isn’t enough against modern threat actors who rely on multiple attack vectors and zero-day exploits and use evolved threat tools to attack. It is where advanced endpoint protection comes to the rescue.  

Advanced endpoint protection helps in proactively defending endpoints by using advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to predict suspicious activities for a prompt response action.   

How does it differ from traditional endpoint security? 

In the past, endpoint security solutions like anti-virus helped detect and avert threats like viruses and malware. It worked based on a database of known signatures updated periodically to work effectively. Then came the Next-Generation-Anti-virus that used machine learning and artificial intelligence to keep endpoints safe.  

Anti-virus solutions are often limited to known signatures and threats. They have a narrower scope of rendering defense to an endpoint, as opposed to advanced endpoint protection, which goes beyond detection and response to known threats.  

It covers a broader scope of security and offers a range of features like advanced threat detection, real-time threat intelligence, security analytics, and Endpoint Detection and Response to render comprehensive security to endpoints.  

What are the features of advanced endpoint protection?  

The following are some of the features offered by advanced endpoint protection: 

Advanced prediction mechanism  

Advanced endpoint protection utilizes Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to quickly detect suspicious activities and user behaviors.  

Instantaneous threat response 

It instantly responds to suspicious activities and threats before they pose a significant risk to endpoints.  

Continuous evolution 

It keeps evolving with the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) deployed by modern-day threat actors.  

Made to address security strategy 

It is made to address organizational security strategy and works seamlessly alongside human experts to render comprehensive endpoint security. 

The following are the technologies leveraged by Advanced Endpoint Protection: 

1. AI/ML-based monitoring and detection 

AI/ML technology detects, alerts, and contains suspicious behaviors and activities with data analysis. It forms an effective defense against advanced threats. It also helps by automating security tasks for more efficient operations.

2. Real-time threat intelligence 

Advanced endpoint protection (AEP) stays updated with the evolving threat landscape by collecting and processing intel from multiple agencies and intel sources, reducing the overall time to detect and respond to threats.  

3. Security Analytics 

It utilizes essential insights from endpoints to detect threats and helps security experts predict the occurrence of data breaches and other cyber-attacks. It also helps them to measure the effectiveness of the current security posture.  

4. Email threat prevention 

It automatically detects and averts email-based threats like phishing by scanning the email attachments for malicious payloads like malware and blocking suspicious addresses, attachments, etc.   

5. Data loss prevention 

Monitors and tracks data stored, moved, or used on and off the network establishes privileges for user control, and prevents insider threats. It also classifies data as per compliance requirements.     

6. Application control 

Sets controls on devices and whitelists/blacklists applications, hardware, and registry to detect suspicious activity and to ensure that only authorized applications are installed.  

7. Web protection 

It defends endpoints from malicious web downloads and prevents users from accessing or getting redirected to malicious websites.  

8. EDR and XDR 

Endpoint Detection and Response detects and responds to suspicious activities at the endpoint level while Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is an advanced form of EDR that goes beyond endpoints, covering network, cloud, and email.   

9. Third party integration 

Advanced Endpoint Protection easily integrates other security solutions like network threat protection, intrusion detection systems, and information security systems, boosting their efficiency while offering greater visibility of posture.  

10. Reporting  

It collects and analyzes data from multiple sources and alerts experts on suspicious activities, vulnerabilities, and threats across endpoints through dashboards. It also prepares detailed reports on endpoint security posture for security experts to work on.

Deployment of Advanced Endpoint Security  

• On-premises deployment – deployed and managed locally on the organizations’ infrastructure 
• Cloud-deployment – deployed and hosted by a third-party provider and is accessible through the internet 
• Hybrid deployment - mixes both on-premises and cloud aspects for more versatility 

What are the benefits of advanced endpoint protection? 

The benefits of advanced endpoint threat prevention are as follows: 

• Mitigates cost of damages from cyber attacks   

It reduces the possibility of damages from cyber attacks by assisting teams to promptly act on suspicious activities and prevent the occurrence of cyber attacks like data breaches.  

• Helps keep up with evolving endpoint threats 

It comes integrated with real-time threat intelligence that allows it to keep up with the evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures deployed by cybercriminals. 

• Provides a comprehensive solution for threat management 

It integrates multiple security solutions like firewalls, Intrusion systems, next-gen-antivirus, EDR, XDR, etc., and streamlines control, rendering ease of threat management.  

• Improves efficiency in security operations through machine learning 

Advanced endpoint security offers security insights from endpoints and helps automate security tasks, making way for efficiency in security operations. 

• Improves the precision and speed of detection and response 

With real-time threat intelligence on tactics, techniques, and procedures deployed by threat actors, it helps experts in quick and precise detection and response actions against threats.     

• Allows teams to focus on what is more important 

 By assisting security experts in automating routine security tasks, advanced endpoint protection allows them to focus on critical matters.  

• Enhances visibility by working with existing solutions 

It seamlessly integrates all the existing solutions and improves the visibility of endpoint security posture.

Advanced Endpoint Protection AEP vs Traditional Endpoint Security 

Traditional endpoint Security	Advanced Endpoint Protection
Detects based on a known database of threat information	Uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and real-time threat intelligence to predict and respond to suspicious activities, vulnerabilities, and threats
Its scope is often limited to known endpoint threats like viruses and malware	It has a wider scope, rendering comprehensive security across endpoints
Does not address modern-day threats	Addresses advanced threats like file-less malware and zero-day exploits through Machine learning prediction
Provides limited insights on endpoint-based threats	Offers security analytics that can help experts predict cyber attacks like breach
No scope for third-party integration	Easily integrates third-party solutions and provides visibility of endpoint security posture