All postsHow to get out more than you put in
Technology gives us tools to achieve sometimes amazing things. But no matter how advanced, it usually requires humans to make an effort.
We’ve all heard the terms, “fire and forget” or “plug and play” but these are usually marketing dreams. In security, as with any other area, you can buy tools, but you need to understand how to use them if you are going to succeed.
Choose security. (Don’t tick boxes)
Adding security to a business or home isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a box-ticking exercise. General advice or even official standards highlight ‘endpoint security’ as a must-have. Having seen plenty of good and bad deployments, we advise that choosing an endpoint security product is just the start.
You need to understand not only the strengths and weaknesses of endpoint security, but the specific abilities of the products you are considering. And your specific needs. One size does not fit all.
You still need expertise
Sometimes understanding your tools can save you money. They might be able to do things you hadn’t realised previously. Buying new tools and add-ons can become expensive, particularly if they are not necessary.
Your own expertise (or your team’s) is also important. A good basic endpoint security product might be good enough if you have thought through other security layers on your network. The latest and greatest AI-powered start-up rock star product might not do everything it claims, and almost certainly won’t be everything you need. And if you need a PhD to use it, so much the worse.
Why endpoint protection needs your attention
If you were going to buy a new security fence, burglar alarm or CCTV system you would research the various options and consider how to deploy it in your very specific situation. The same should follow for endpoint protection systems.
What do you really need? Are the candidates basically capable? And can you get the best out of them in your environment.
Endpoint protection needs your attention because its a tool, and all tools can be used well or poorly. If your environment is locked down in clever ways, you may only need basic anti-virus. If your team is very capable with products from certain vendors, they might be preferable to new tools from untried vendors.
We hope this report helps you answer some of these important questions.
We pride ourselves on a high level of transparency in our testing. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.
