Your company has recently implemented best practices for leveraging BYOD. Everyone is thrilled to use their personal laptops, tablets and smartphones at work, but how do you protect your network from unauthorized access? This is where endpoint protection comes into play, and beyond the traditional firewalls and antivirus software, there are several other ways to make the most of this valuable technology. Here are the five of the most important reasons to invest in endpoint protection, including what to do if your employee’s laptop or iPhone is stolen.

That Pesky Lost Laptop

Your company has spent months and thousands of dollars installing complex server virtualization software and the latest antivirus suite. Unfortunately, nothing can protect your organization against human error, which includes misplacing a device. Luckily for you, the company’s endpoint security program included a data encryption policy. The privileged information is still stored on the device, but thankfully, its new owner cannot access your accounting information or specs on that new product you’ve been working on for years.

Those Uncontrollable Applications

For all the benefits of BYOD, there are a few drawbacks, one being the unnecessary applications downloaded by the device’s owner. Sure, it’s convenient for an employee to visit Facebook or IM with their spouse on the same device that holds sensitive company information, but what happens after he unintentionally corrupts the device with malware? Installing endpoint security with application control allows you to block the employee’s ability to download non-essential applications. Not only does this lessen the number of applications to manage, it also protects your company’s security.

Stops Malware, Spyware, Trojans, Bots and Zero-Day Threats in Their Tracks

The sheer number of potential threats to your network is growing every day, and unfortunately downloading and managing a traditional antivirus suite is no longer an acceptable means of protection. Now more than ever, clever cybercriminals are using spyware, simply because these programs are cheaper and easier to create. There are still malicious Trojans and viruses floating around, but to guarantee the network is truly secure, an endpoint security program must complete with spyware protection.

Securing the Web One Site at a Time

Everyone has their favorite websites; they’re the ones you frequent on a daily basis to shop, catch up on celebrity gossip, in addition to generally educate yourself about the world. However, intrepid cybercriminals are imitating these beloved websites and using your routine against you. To protect your device or computer against malware or a phishing website, install endpoint security, featuring a URL filter and scanning tool. The software automatically scans and filters any potentially malicious websites, freeing up even more time to track your order or the whereabouts of your favorite celebrity.

Protect Your USB Drive

USB ports are a common addition to most devices, from gaming systems and laptops, to smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, what some people don’t realize is that plugging an infected USB device into a company computer can potentially infect the entire system. This is because the majority of computers allow USB devices to bypass the firewall. Protect your network by installing an endpoint program that only allows users to plug in preapproved USB devices.

The Threat of an Unpatched PC

Endpoints from computers to smartphones require constant updates, and many busy professionals put off patching their device for another day, when it’s more convenient. Your system administrator might put off patching the company’s servers simply because the activity is too time-consuming. Unfortunately, all of this procrastination has left the network vulnerable to an attack, but there is an approach to ensure unpatched computers don’t corrupt the network. Utilize endpoint security that only allows devices with an updated antivirus program and all the current patches to access the network.

Finally, BYOD has also allowed users to enjoy working on business-related materials from the comfort of their neighborhood coffee shop, the airport or the living room sofa. While this increases productivity, it also means the devices are working outside of the gateway firewall. Luckily for you, endpoint security has remedied this issue, by allowing companies to install location-aware firewall software onto any endpoint device. This software allows users to access the company’s cloud, no matter what their location.

Credit: Image from Flickr’s Creative Commons

Author Bio: Mark Hayes is a guest blogger and IT consultant. When he’s not updating his firm’s security software, Mark can be found updating his blog instead, which focuses on cybercrime and cyber terrorism.