Endpoint Security for Business: Protecting Devices and Users

Nathan Hill-Haimes Technical Director 8 min read·Mar 2026

Why is traditional antivirus no longer enough?

Traditional antivirus matches files against a database of known malware signatures. It still catches commodity threats, but the modern attacker is built to slip past it — polymorphic code that rewrites its own signature, fileless malware that lives only in memory, and attacks that abuse trusted Windows tools rather than dropping a detectable file.

A decade ago, signature scanning was the cornerstone of endpoint defence. Today it is the floor, not the ceiling. The threats that actually breach UK SMEs — ransomware, credential theft, hands-on-keyboard intrusions — rarely carry a signature your scanner has seen before. That is exactly the gap behavioural detection was built to close.

• Polymorphic malware changes its code on each infection to avoid signature matches.
• Fileless attacks run in memory and never write to disk for a scanner to inspect.
• Living-off-the-land intrusions abuse PowerShell, WMI and certutil — tools the OS trusts.
• Encrypted command-and-control hides attacker traffic from basic inspection.

What does endpoint detection and response (EDR) do?

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) continuously records what each device does — process creation, network connections, file changes, registry edits — and uses behavioural analysis to spot attack patterns regardless of whether the specific threat is known. When it sees something hostile, it alerts and can isolate the device automatically.

Where antivirus asks "have I seen this file before?", EDR asks "is this device behaving like it is under attack?". That shift is what lets it catch novel and fileless threats. The core capabilities every business should expect:

• Behavioural detection — identifies attacks from activity, not file signatures.
• Automated response — isolates a compromised endpoint to stop lateral movement.
• Threat hunting — lets analysts search telemetry across the whole estate for indicators of compromise.
• Forensic evidence — retains activity logs so an attack timeline can be reconstructed for remediation.

Which EDR solutions suit UK businesses?

There are several credible EDR platforms for UK SMEs, and the right one usually depends on what you already own. If you are inside the Microsoft ecosystem, the most cost-effective route is normally Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, because the licence may already be in your subscription.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium and E3/E5, Microsoft Defender for Business delivers EDR that integrates tightly with Windows and the rest of Microsoft 365. Plan 1 covers core protection and attack surface reduction; Plan 2 adds automated investigation, response and advanced hunting, per Microsoft's own documentation. For most Microsoft-first SMEs, it is the pragmatic choice.

CrowdStrike, SentinelOne and Sophos

CrowdStrike Falcon is widely regarded as a market-leading platform, with cloud-native architecture and broad threat intelligence; pricing starts from approximately £8–£12 per device per month. SentinelOne leans on AI-driven detection and autonomous rollback of encrypted files in a ransomware event, from roughly £5–£9 per device per month. Sophos Intercept X pairs EDR with anti-ransomware and exploit prevention, backed by strong UK channel support.

Why do most SMEs need managed detection and response (MDR)?

EDR tools generate a high volume of alerts that need skilled analysts to triage around the clock. Few SMEs can staff a 24/7 security team, so managed detection and response (MDR) — where a specialist provider monitors your endpoints and responds to threats — is the practical way to realise EDR's value without building an in-house SOC.

AMVIA delivers this with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint monitored by our in-house 24/7 SOC. We handle the monitoring, alert triage and incident response, so you receive clear escalations and decisions — not raw alerts that need a security analyst to decode. It is the difference between owning a tool and having it run properly. Our 24/7 security monitoring is the engine behind it, and AMVIA is rated 4.8/5 by the 1,200+ UK businesses we support.

How does endpoint security work for remote and mobile workers?

Hybrid working has stretched the endpoint estate well beyond the office. A laptop on home or public Wi-Fi faces different risks than one behind a corporate firewall, so protection has to travel with the device. EDR agents run on the endpoint itself, reporting telemetry to the cloud and receiving updated detection logic wherever the device is.

To keep policy consistent, pair EDR with mobile device management using Microsoft Intune. That lets you enforce encryption, apply security baselines, remotely wipe lost or stolen devices, and ensure only compliant devices reach corporate data — whether the user is in the office, at home, or on the road.

What is the regulatory baseline for endpoint protection?

The UK's Cyber Essentials scheme lists malware protection on all devices as one of its five technical controls. The scheme accepts traditional antivirus to meet the control, but for the modern threat landscape an EDR solution is the stronger interpretation. Cyber Essentials Plus adds independent technical testing that verifies your endpoint protection actually works.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) backs this up: it consistently recommends layered defences and behavioural monitoring over signature scanning alone. Meeting the baseline is sensible; treating it as the finish line is not. AMVIA holds Cyber Essentials Plus and helps clients reach the same standard.