Why Endpoint Detection and Response is Crucial for Small Business Security?

Did you know that there have been over 12,000 new ransomware attacks in the first half of 2023? It’s true! As technology advances rapidly, small businesses and organizations become more vulnerable to these attacks. No organization is completely safe from cyber threats, as new attacks continue to emerge. So, how can small businesses protect themselves? The key lies in implementing high-quality security measures, but these can be expensive and out of reach for many small enterprises.

That’s why it’s important for these companies to consider smart endpoint detection solutions. These solutions provide a strong incident management system that helps small businesses prevent cyber-attacks effectively. Neglecting to invest in such security solutions puts small organizations at risk of falling victim to cyber-attacks.

The Pressure is On

Cyber attackers are constantly developing new and improved methods to infiltrate data and computers, affecting not only small organizations but also large ones. They utilize various tools and techniques, including malware and ransomware as services, to target even major organizations.

The consequences of security breaches are twice the annual earnings of small businesses, posing significant challenges if they experience a cyber attack.

A recent poll revealed concerning insights about small business owners. The majority of them are unconcerned about implementing security measures, with over 61% not worried about being targeted. Only a mere four percent prioritize protecting their company’s data through endpoint detection and response. In reality, small business owners should invest in high-end security measures to combat the evolving landscape of cyber attacks.

Closing the Gap

Small businesses have become vulnerable targets due to the belief that cyber-attacks won’t happen to them. Without adequate safeguards, they risk losing valuable data. Investing in endpoint detection and response is a crucial step for small businesses to protect themselves from prevailing cyber threats.

What is EDR?

On average, it takes 197 days to discover a data breach, and organizations often rely on law enforcement or cardholder merchant services to alert them. By reducing the “dwell time” attackers spend within an organization, data breach expenses can be minimized, and brand reputation can be protected. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions, as defined by Gartner Research, track, and store endpoint-system-level behaviors, utilize various data analytics techniques to identify suspicious system behavior, provide contextual data to prevent malicious activity, and offer recommendations for corrective action. EDR is widely used across industries and predicts a threefold increase in adoption until 2023.

Critical EDR capabilities include rapid detection to prevent threats, insight into developing endpoint attacks, root cause investigation, prevention of actual threats, and improved security effectiveness. Small and mid-sized businesses may be aware of the need for enhanced security but require guidance on advanced threat detection options to address the compromise cycle caused by overlooking root causes and flaws in people, procedures, and technology.

What Drawbacks Do Traditional Anti-Virus Systems Have?

Traditional antivirus systems use signatures to detect malware. A signature is a unique pattern of bytes that is associated with a specific piece of malware. When a traditional antivirus system scans a file, it looks for the signatures of known malware. If it finds a match, the file is quarantined or deleted.

The problem with signature-based detection is that malware can be easily modified to change its signature. This is called polymorphism. A polymorphic malware can change its signature every time it infects a new computer. This makes it very difficult for traditional antivirus systems to detect.

Another drawback of traditional antivirus systems is that they can slow down your computer. This is because they have to scan every file that you open or download. If you have a lot of files on your computer, this can take a long time and make your computer run slowly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although anti-virus and next-gen anti-virus tools provide a certain level of protection, it is crucial to implement layered security defenses to address evolving and concealed threats. Kepler Safe offers a comprehensive solution to cybersecurity with its endpoint detection and response (EDR) services. By integrating with our EDR services, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity effectiveness, benefiting from managed services and a 24/7 security operations center (SOC). These three components, when integrated and managed effectively, deliver robust and efficient advanced threat protection for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).