An endpoint is any device connected to a network. Laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets, printers, servers, and IoT sensors all count. Each one is a potential entry point. Attackers target endpoints because they are numerous, often unpatched, and used by people who click things they should not. The perimeter used to be the firewall. Now the perimeter is every device.

Remote work broke the old model. Employees connect from home networks, coffee shops, and airports. The corporate firewall does not see that traffic. Endpoint security moved to the device itself: antivirus, endpoint detection and response, disk encryption, and patch management. Each endpoint needs its own defenses because the network cannot be trusted to provide them. The number of endpoints in a typical organization has exploded. Every phone, every smart speaker, every connected camera adds a target. Asset inventory is the first step. You cannot protect devices you do not know exist. Shadow IT makes that harder. Employees install apps and connect devices without telling anyone. The endpoint you do not know about is the one that gets compromised.

Endpoint categories

• Workstations — laptops and desktops used by employees
• Mobile devices — phones and tablets
• Servers — on-premises and cloud instances
• IoT — cameras, sensors, printers, and industrial devices

Every endpoint is a door. Some are locked. Some are not. The attacker only needs one that opens.