Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) are both powerful components of an endpoint security strategy. However, EPP and EDR are designed to address different endpoint security use cases. EPP is designed to act as a preventative security measure, while EDR supports incident detection and response.
When designing an endpoint security strategy, organizations should not try to look at it as EDR vs EPP and attempt to choose between the two solutions. EPP and EDR are complementary tools that can be used to implement defense in depth for endpoint security.
Many organizations rely upon a variety of standalone cybersecurity solutions. These tools are selected to address specific security concerns; however, the resulting complexity of an organization’s security architecture can cause security teams to be overloaded and miss important alerts.
When designing an endpoint security strategy, security unification is critical. As endpoints become more diverse and endpoint security grows in importance, standalone endpoint security solutions can quickly become too complex to manage effectively.
EPP and EDR solutions are designed to unify an array of endpoint security functions within a single solution. However, instead of choosing between the two, organizations should select a single solution that combines the functionality of EPP and EDR within a single tool.
Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) is designed to be an organization’s first line of defense against cyber threats. The earlier in an attack’s lifecycle that a cyberattack can be detected and remediated, the less damage and expense it causes to the target organization.
EPP uses a variety of different tools to identify and block threats before they gain access to an organization’s network. Some of the core components of an EPP solution include:
By filtering out the majority of threats and malicious content before it reaches an organization’s systems, EPP dramatically reduces cybersecurity risk and the cost of cyberattacks.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) enables an organization to identify threats that are undetected within their network. Its detection capabilities include:
After an analyst has identified a potential threat, EDR solutions also offer support for incident response, including:
By supporting incident detection and response and threat hunting, EDR helps an organization to identify and eradicate infections within its network.
EPP and EDR are both invaluable solutions for endpoint security. EPP solutions prevent a variety of threats from reaching an organization’s systems, and EDR enables detection and response for threats on an endpoint. For more information on how to evaluate endpoint protection solutions, check out this buyer’s guide.
Rather than choosing between the two, an organization should choose a solution that offers both EPP and EDR. These complementary solutions enable an organization to implement defense in depth to protect their endpoints.
Check Point’s Harmony Endpoint integrates both EPP and EDR within a single solution. To learn more about Harmony Endpoint, check out this product tour. You’re also welcome to request a demo to see how Harmony Endpoint can help to improve your organization’s endpoint protection. Check Point also offers a free trial of Harmony Endpoint so that you can try it out for yourself.