Unpatched & Unprotected: The Hidden Risks of Incomplete Vulnerability Management
For years, vulnerability management has been a cornerstone of cybersecurity. But let’s face it, the good old days of patching a manageable list of threats are long gone. Today’s IT security experts are bombarded with risks from all sides: Unpatched devices, ever-evolving malware, cunning phishing attempts, the Wild West of shadow IT, and even laptops taking an unplanned vacation on a park bench.
The attackers, well aware of this complex landscape, are constantly on the hunt for any exploitable weakness. No wonder traditional methods of vulnerability management are struggling to keep pace. Companies simply cannot patch everything, everywhere, all the time.
The Remediation Burden on IT Teams
Just to make things clear, yes, vulnerability scanners do play a role in highlighting potential security weaknesses in your systems, but this is only the first step. Legacy tools often stop short of providing true protection against all vulnerabilities by leaving the remediation burden entirely on IT teams. This results in critical tasks being delayed due to:
- Manual Workload: Prioritising and deploying patches across a vast network become a time-consuming manual process, with IT teams struggling to keep up.
- Data Overload: Legacy tools may overwhelm you with a sea of vulnerabilities, many of which are low-risk and difficult to prioritise effectively. This analysis paralysis can leave critical vulnerabilities unaddressed.
- Disjointed Workflow: Vulnerability scans are frequently conducted using tools that are separate from the systems used for applying patches. This disjointed workflow further slows the remediation process.
These issues will leave your organisation wide open, as incomplete vulnerability management and unpatched systems create entry points for attackers, leaving gaps in your defences and increasing your organisation’s attack surface.
The Power of Automation and Proactive Vulnerability Management
Hence, don’t settle for simply being aware of vulnerabilities. Today’s modern vulnerability management requires proactive measures to mitigate risks before attackers can exploit them. Tanium’s Converged Endpoint Management (XEM) platform, for instance, empowers you to make this shift.
Tanium’s XEM offers a more comprehensive solution, empowering you to move from merely vulnerability awareness to vulnerability remediation, where relevant patches are promptly applied and security risks are effectively mitigated. With Tanium’s XEM, you will gain:
- Real-Time Action: Gain access to high-quality data and make informed decisions in real-time, eliminating delays that can leave your systems exposed.
- Effortless Scalability: No need to worry about infrastructure limitations. XEM is delivered as a service and scales seamlessly to handle your entire network.
- Intelligent Automation: Simplify workflows by leveraging XEM’s built-in automation and AI capabilities, freeing you to focus on your strategic initiatives.
Tanium XEM also delivers a powerful return on investment, offering a compelling case for organisations seeking to strengthen their endpoint security posture. According to a Forrester study commissioned by Tanium, organisations leveraging XEM can expect:
- Reduced Vulnerabilities: Improved patch management leads to a staggering 97% reduction in software vulnerabilities, resulting in significant risk mitigation cost avoidance of over USD $7.9 million over three years.
- Software Reclamation: Tanium XEM identifies and reclaims unused or unauthorised software licences on 90% of endpoints, delivering cost savings of more than USD $4.8 million over three years.
- Enhanced Efficiency: Automating tasks like patching, security assessments, and software deployment boosts endpoint management team efficiency by 60%, resulting in savings exceeding USD $1 million over three years.
- Tool Consolidation: Tanium XEM’s comprehensive approach eliminates the need for multiple disjointed tools, leading to cost savings via tool consolidation of at least USD $4.1 million over three years.
Beyond these benefits, XEM offers other additional value through:
- Simplified M&A Integration: Effectively manage and integrate endpoint environments during acquisitions.
- Expert Support: Tanium’s dedicated technical account managers ensure you maximise the platform’s capabilities.
Transitioning From Point Solutions to a Unified Platform
Traditionally, patching every vulnerability across today’s sprawling IT landscapes feels like an impossible game of whack-a-mole. Tanium’s XEM platform tackles this challenge head-on by consolidating the power of disparate security solutions into a single, unified platform. XEM provides a holistic view of your vulnerabilities, giving you the visibility and control you need to take decisive action and prioritise remediation efforts. This shift from reactive patching to proactive threat mitigation empowers you to stay ahead of attackers and fortify your organisation’s security posture.
Ready to take control of your vulnerability management? Join our upcoming webinar on the 10th of July 2024, where Dominic Cheah, Tanium’s Director of Technical Solutions Engineering, ASEAN, will delve deep into “Redefining Vulnerability Management: Transforming Legacy Approaches for Modern Cyber Resilience.” Click the link below to find out more and register for this informative session!
