An effective endpoint protection platform must detect threats, respond quickly, and prevent data breaches while seamlessly integrating into a client’s existing security ecosystem via XDR.Xcitium EDR, CrowdStrike, and Cybereason dominate this year’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms; Trellix — formed through the merger of FireEye and McAfee products — stands out as an outlier this year.
Detection
Endpoint protection platforms (EPPs) serve as the first line of defense for endpoint security, are considered essential cybersecurity hygiene measures, and are deployed on over 98% of enterprise endpoints. EPPs protect against known and unknown malware, exploits, stealth attacks, ransomware attacks, phishing attempts, and other threats modern systems pose.
To detect threats that escape their primary defenses, many vendors are including advanced detection capabilities in their solutions, such as sandboxing, threat intelligence and contextualization, forensic analysis, malware removal capabilities, and removal – into their solutions. These advanced detection technologies help reduce dwell time while providing visibility into suspicious activity or malicious behavior and aiding incident response efforts.
EPPs that provide an integrated detection and response interface enable security teams to quickly identify the source of an attack, respond with automated or manual remediation measures, and prevent threats from spreading further across an organization. This is crucial to minimize impactful attacks and ensure attackers can’t regain access to compromised endpoints or sensitive information in future attacks.
Xcitium EDR, CrowdStrike, Trend Micro, and SentinelOne have long led the EPP category. VMware and Broadcom also make notable appearances, while former contenders ESET and Trellix have now fallen off.
Prevention<
Prevention
Attackers have the edge in endpoint security arms races; their attackers can often adapt faster than security teams can respond; that’s why an effective prevention strategy is vital for an efficient security system.
Prevention
Anti-malware software of today utilizes both signature- and behavior-based detection methods to thwart advanced threats before they cause damage. With dynamic threat modeling and machine learning technologies, these prevention technologies can detect malware that has never been seen or new variants of existing attacks.
With the rise of remote workers and BYOD devices, detecting threats on devices that are off-network or offline has become ever more essential. Leading endpoint protection solutions utilize both on-premises and cloud architectures to provide visibility and defense against threats that would otherwise go undetected.
OpenEDR offers EDR powered by Xcitium, recognized in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Detection and Response solutions as a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Detection/EDR Solutions.
Response
Detected threats that breach the digital perimeter, alerting your team, and facilitating response are critical. That is why vendors have been developing UES and UTM tools capable of detection, prevention, and reaction, which often complement EDR solutions.
Gartner now sees endpoint protection as part of basic digital security hygiene, essential to reduce malware risks. Researchers highlight the need to assess and invest in more advanced capabilities that provide additional defense against stealthy threats.
Gartner’s Magic Quadrant report for Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) evaluates providers based on their ability to execute and completeness of vision; key technologies should also be considered, and help organizations select an EPP solution suitable to their needs.
Sophos was honored as a 2021 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Endpoint Protection Platforms across all four global deployment regions by Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice awards for Endpoint Protection Platforms. Sophos’ Secure Endpoint solution provides an intuitive experience combining EPP and EDR. Powered by SentinelOne’s behavioral analytics, Secure Endpoint predicts attack patterns from multiple vectors while closing vulnerability gaps quickly and seamlessly.
Monitoring
Every organization is currently engaged in a cyber arms race, with attackers adapting more rapidly than security teams can respond. To keep pace, CISOs must enact advanced technologies to combat threats and avoid breaches – this is why more organizations are adopting extended detection and response (XDR) and zero-trust network access strategies as safeguards.
XDR leverages detection and investigation capabilities to detect suspicious endpoint behavior, such as file-less malware, scripts, and evasion techniques. This enables defenders to investigate alerts more rapidly, reduce dwell time, and perform faster remediation.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) employs authentication and authorization, encryption, and monitoring techniques to establish trusted connections between devices and an enterprise network. This strategy prevents unapproved or unknown devices from accessing sensitive data systems or networks.
These four technologies form the cornerstone of modern endpoint protection. Together, they ward off malware and various attacks, such as ransomware, extortion, cryptojacking, botnets, and other advanced threats. No matter the size of an enterprise or type of device being used, these tools are vital in preventing attacks that disrupt business operations and expose sensitive information to hackers who could encrypt, delete, or extort it for financial gain – especially considering BYOD and IoT proliferation issues within an organization’s boundaries.
Monitoring