Antivirus and Endpoint Protection- Which is Best for Your Company?

Over the last two decades, the internet has transformed into a virtual, public platform, causing the threats of cyberattacks to become more prevalent than ever before. Cyberattacks vary in their forms, resulting in the creation of an entire industry that has been built to provide cyberattack solutions.

However, not all solutions are reliable and dependable, which makes choosing the right cyberattack defense solution challenging.

What is Antivirus Protection?

A program or set of applications that is capable of searching, detecting, eliminating, and identifying cyberattacks is collectively known as antivirus protection. This software is built around databases of all currently known malware and system weaknesses to prevent those cyberattacks.

These programs can either be subscription-based or one-time purchases, depending on your needs. Antivirus protection for companies and organizations depends on the size of the business. Oftentimes, smaller companies generally prefer antivirus solutions.

The main functions of antivirus software include:

●     Scanning computers regularly for malware attacks (automated scan routines can also be scheduled in most antivirus software)

●     Scanning external memory devices from external sources

●     Protecting important files, apps, and other information related to your business

●     Keeping your business connection safe from direct hacks, which are done manually by real people

What is Endpoint Protection?

The purpose of endpoint protection systems and antivirus protection is more or less the same, but they function differently. Endpoint protection is an active cyberattack defense system, while antivirus protection is static. Endpoint protection systems focus on are endpoint systems of business networks. These systems actively detect network activity and isolate actions that are deemed as security threats. The data collected from system monitoring is sent to a database that is further analyzed by a mixture of artificial intelligence and human analysis.

 

What is the Difference Between Antivirus and Endpoint Protection?

Generally speaking, endpoint protection systems provide more comprehensive online protection than antivirus protection. Since endpoint protection systems are monitored continuously, even new types of manual hacking and malware can be easily identified and contained.

Medium and large companies tend to prefer endpoint protection systems because the defense system is actively monitored. This allows for faster cyber attack response when the need arises. This software type also provides security for more devices than standard antivirus software.

As you might have surmised, due to more robust security, endpoint protection systems are more expensive than antivirus systems. But especially for companies with valuable assets and sensitive data, the higher price is worth every penny.

Who Needs to Invest in Antivirus Protection?

Private users are usually not the target of expert hackers or highly malicious malware as they’re not that profitable. While personal smart devices and computers do get hacked, the information that is stolen or the damage is done isn’t usually catastrophic like when multi-billion dollar enterprises are attacked.

However, these attacks can still lead to a violation of privacy and private information, monetary loss, and damage to the device itself. This is where antivirus protection comes in—you want software that can handle less sophisticated cyberattacks. Besides protecting your computer from manual hacks, this software provides protection to not only individual users but also small businesses. Since small businesses rely on a limited number of devices, active network security isn’t usually needed.  

 

Who Needs to Use Endpoint Protection?

If you run a large-scale business, then an endpoint protection system is the right solution for you. For starters, endpoint protection systems were developed with large scale, multi-point network security in mind.

By actively monitoring network activity, not only do these systems take care of external cyber attacks but internal data leaks and system vulnerabilities as well. Since they tend to be on the expensive side, it’s usually good to do some research before settling on one for your business, so you get the best software for endpoint security. All activities, uploads, updates, and downloads are filtered through the developer’s control servers, which is necessary for comprehensive cyberattack security.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Unfortunately, both forms of security come at a high price tag if you’re trying to secure a large network. However, the risks far outweigh the costs when it comes to enterprise cybersecurity. To protect your business from costly cybercrimes such as ransomware, invest in the right security system based on your business’ size and needs.