Tanium Converge: Advancing Endpoint Security for Federal Agencies

The Tanium Converge 2020 conference brought together customers, thought leaders, and industry experts to discuss the growing need for better endpoint management tools in today’s challenging and unpredictable business environment.

Certainly being ready for whatever comes next was top of mind for our customers in the U.S. federal government. Government agencies have been forced to adapt to new ways of managing and protecting their data.

With newly distributed workforces, data is now mainly accessed from outside the enterprise network perimeter. In this “age of the endpoint,” speed is critical — but you can’t sacrifice the importance of testing and protecting data from advanced cyber threats.

At Converge, we provided plenty of insights for governmental IT and security teams. In our Federal track, we discussed how agencies can measure and protect their data. And we explored the importance of implementing sound risk management practices in a borderless IT enterprise.

Stick with the basics

Throughout the session, a common thread was the importance of protecting endpoint devices from ransomware attacks and other threats from adversaries. Many agencies have more tools than can be managed and afforded — and rely heavily on compensating security controls (or reactive security) and legacy systems that can break down.

Compensating controls cost more and secure fewer endpoints than baseline controls (or preventative security), particularly if agencies have legacy tools incapable of operating properly when an endpoint is outside the network perimeter. Baseline controls protect and secure endpoints regardless of where they operate.

Advice for IT teams

As technology evolves, so do the threat tactics of attackers. Agencies must think differently about the ways that they are protecting networks and endpoint devices. By depending largely on compensating security controls, IT teams can develop blind spots in basic blocking and tackling capabilities. While compensating controls are important – they’re not 100% effective and leave organizations vulnerable to breaches, as we’ve seen in the headlines.

A platform approach helps agencies break down the data silos and close the gaps created by disconnected point solutions. This will help reduce risk and improve security. Security teams can also reduce the number of point products, reallocate budget and resources, and justify future spend requests for critical security activities. In the end, agencies will have a comprehensive view of the security landscape that enables strategic business decisions.

There is a modern way to secure endpoints and agency networks from potential threats. Vendors, together with the public and private sector, need to reach an understanding that this is an existential threat – and there needs to be a shift in how to spend resources and protect devices.

Interested in seeing Tanium in action? Schedule a one-to-one demo or talk to our Tanium experts at our upcoming events.