If you run a business or you have some form of interest in improving security for your website or your servers, you may have heard about both network access and endpoint security. There are a few vital differences between the two security protocols, with the short answer being that they’re both vital forms of cybersecurity, but if you want the best setup possible, it’s important to know the exact differences between the two.
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Primary function
Network access control is based on the principle of maintaining security centrally, ensuring that the network that connects all of the different devices in a business and allows them to function remains intact at all times, preventing attacks from occurring directly to them. This network access functions by restricting access to the network if a device is not recognized or given the right permission and allowing access for particular tasks, which prevents outside attackers from entering the network even if they’ve been able to breach certain other security protocols.
Endpoint security, on the other hand, focuses more on the devices that access your network, providing both peripheral and central security. Cyberattacks can be incredibly dangerous because they can access a weak peripheral device, allowing hackers to make their way into your network or work the opposite way, breaching your network to get to the devices connected. Endpoint security prevents this by securing phones, laptops, and other tools to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from hacking your customers or employees.
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Level of operation
As previously mentioned, network control operates by preventing attacks centrally on your network, and this is done by installing firewalls, routers and other security measures. Each device that connects to your network is continuously monitored and prevented or provided with access, depending on the situation.
On the other hand, endpoint security operates directly on devices, which means the same level of protection can’t be provided through physical devices or firewalls since the cost of protecting each device would be too high. Instead, protection is provided through software programs that are installed on each device, monitoring its actions and connections, securing them, and even monitoring their actions.
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Implementation
These two methods of protection differ quite a lot from each other, from their overall strategy to their implementation, but they come together to provide a holistic layer of incredible cybersecurity. Network control is slightly more advanced and requires more investment, which makes sense since your network and the servers that control it are incredibly important to the health of your business – security is provided through external devices and firewalls that no hacker can breach since software attacks will have no effect on physical failsafes.
On the other hand, endpoint protections are comprised entirely of software programs, which are a little more susceptible to online attacks. The good news is, if all the devices in your company are protected using this software, you’ll at least prevent a spread of the data breach, containing the attack to a certain extent.
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How threats are dealt with
The difference in how these security programs respond to and deal with threats is different, too, because of how they’re implemented and because of the level of security a network needs as compared to a peripheral device. Central networks are massive, running entire businesses, so network control systems prevent unidentified devices from accessing it at all without exception, introducing no risk into the equation. In contrast, endpoint protection functions on a device that has a lot of other tasks, so it needs to selectively allow some connections and applications while dealing with other threats. Applications are scanned and unsecure connections to websites and links are shut down, and, thanks to constant monitoring, any real threats are quickly addressed.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is an incredibly important thing with a lot of moving parts because there are usually dozens of servers with thousands of devices connected to them, all of which can be used to infiltrate the network. Network control and endpoint security can be used hand-in-hand to beef up security since the former works directly at the server level and the latter secures external devices like phones and laptops, but you’ll only be able to wield these techniques effectively if you know exactly how they differ from each other.
