Twenty years ago, enterprise security was straightforward in that enterprise devices never left the premises.
By Werner Joubert, commercial SYS business director (South Africa & SADC) at ASUS
Perimeter security proved sufficient as business networks were restricted to controlled spaces and protected by corporate firewalls. The idea was simple; if it’s behind said firewalls, it can be trusted.
In the age of remote working and distributed IT, that has changed forever. In a distributed environment, a remote worker’s PC is no longer just a workstation; it’s an entry point to an organisation’s entire network, subsequently posing new kinds of risk from a security standpoint.
For example, users are potentially more susceptible to social engineering and phishing scams, with attackers aiming to acquire login credentials or sensitive company information.
Users can also create blind spots by downloading unapproved software or applications that go unseen by system administrators, while attackers see vulnerabilities in remote device firmware as potential targets or a means to bypass software-level security.
These risks demand that enterprises reconsider their security needs beyond traditional perimeter protection. Teams need to be able to secure, monitor and manage all network endpoints and in doing so, mitigate security risks and protect users, data, and infrastructure.
Enhanced protection from all corners
Gone are the days when a business could rely on a single security product, the days when IT heads manually installed antivirus software on individual PCs using a compact disc.
To address security challenges and build a high level of resilience, enterprises are rethinking security from the top down, shifting from a model based on implicit trust to one that explicitly does not.
As enterprises switch to a zero trust model, device manufacturers have responded to the strategy rethink by including new protections and security solutions at a silicon level. For example, Trusted Platform Model (TPM) 2.0 chips, which are a hardware-based security requirement for PCs running Windows 11, proactively mitigate potential cyberattacks by securely storing and encrypting data.
This enhanced approach to protection also extends into how enterprises construct and secure their networks and infrastructure. Today, many segment their networks into smaller, isolated zones, enabling security incidents to be contained to a single device or cluster.
Additionally, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is replacing traditional VPNs, managing user, data, and location access to specific applications.
All this goes to show that PC security is not just installed after the fact. It is the result of a comprehensive approach that takes all components of modern enterprise IT into account, and how to best secure and protect those components.
An always-on approach through managed solutions
PC security isn’t a purchase afterthought when it comes to commercial devices, and both manufacturers and their customers know that.
The result is that brands have taken a stronger, more dedicated approach to offering devices with enterprise-grade security solutions, ones that secure devices, data and systems across both hardware and software and incorporate multiple layers of defence.
A solution like ASUS ExpertGuardian works on three layers: Solution security, which lets teams monitor asset status and manage BIOS/OS configuration, on-device security, which incorporates security and access control features at an OS and application level, and hardware asset protection that integrates protections at a hardware and firmware level.
What’s important is that PC security not just protects users, but also enable IT teams and departments to manage multiple, remote assets without compromising productivity and performance output.
Managed, vendor-supported solutions represent a key evolution in how South African users and businesses protect themselves against cyberthreats. And as infrastructure and workforces become more distributed, and enterprises become more reliant on PC solutions to grow, that evolution will become key to overall success.