Endpoint Management Definition

What is Endpoint Management?

The modern corporate network contains a wide variety of potential endpoints, including laptop and desktop computers, mobile devices, servers, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This diversity increases the complexity of monitoring, managing, and securing these devices.

Endpoint management is the process of managing an organization’s IT devices throughout their lifecycle. This includes inventorying, monitoring, securing, and troubleshooting these devices.

Endpoint management is ultimately used to secure, stabilize, and increase the productivity of endpoints within a network while minimizing operational costs and efforts. There are various software and platforms that facilitate endpoint management for organizations.

How Does Endpoint Management Work?

Endpoint management solutions provide the ability to centrally monitor and manage an organization’s fleet of IT assets. Some of the key functions of endpoint management include:

• Device Inventory: A security team can’t secure devices that it doesn’t know exists. Endpoint management solutions automatically identify and inventory devices connected to the corporate network.
• Patch Management: Many devices require regular updates and patches to ensure their functionality and security. Automated patch management ensures that all devices are running the latest versions of their software.
• Policy Enforcement: Corporate security policies reduce cyber risk by ensuring that devices are following security best practices. Endpoint management solutions can monitor devices to ensure their compliance with corporate policies.
• Remote Management: Endpoint management solutions enable remote monitoring and management of corporate devices. This enables IT administrators to remotely identify and troubleshoot issues with managed assets.
• Compliance Management: Regulations and standards commonly mandate that an organization have certain security controls in place. Endpoint management solutions can help to monitor compliance and track that managed devices comply with corporate security policies.

Benefits of Endpoint Management

Endpoint management solutions are designed to simplify and streamline the process of IT asset management. Some of the key benefits that they provide to the organization include the following:

• Centralized Control: Endpoint management solutions enable IT personnel to centrally monitor and manage corporate IT assets. This provides greater visibility and an enhanced ability to manage an organization’s distributed fleet of IT assets.
• Enhanced Security: Endpoint management solutions perform continuous monitoring, which can help to more rapidly detect security incidents. Additionally, management capabilities allow IT personnel to quarantine or remediate a security incident.
• Efficiency: Endpoint management solutions automate many endpoint management processes, such as patch management. This reduces the workload on IT teams.
• Data Governance: Endpoint management solutions can track where data is stored on corporate devices and ensure the creation of data backups. This enables an organization to better manage its data and provides protection against ransomware and other potential threats to an organization’s data.
• Cost Savings: Endpoint management increases security and streamlines many processes. Both of these have the potential to provide cost savings to an organization.

Conclusion

As corporate networks grow larger and more distributed, managing the company’s fleet of IT devices grows more complex. Endpoint management solutions enable an organization to maintain visibility into its IT assets, ensure their security, and centrally manage and troubleshoot these devices.