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Lenovo Introduces its First Copilot+ PC Enabled Mobile Workstations
Endpoint Security in the Age of AI and Hybrid Work
Building Smarter Endpoint Protection for Today’s Distributed Workforce
Protecting Devices in a Connected Workplace
Work has become more flexible than ever. Employees move between homes, offices, and shared spaces, often using several devices throughout the day, reshaping the entire concept of security. Instead of protecting a single perimeter, security now must protect the devices people use everywhere they go.
Threat actors have evolved just as quickly. Artificial intelligence allows attackers to create realistic phishing content, imitate executives, and automate large-scale scanning and intrusion attempts. Analyst groups continue to warn that AI-fueled threats are increasing in both speed and sophistication. At the same time, organizations rely on a wider range of devices. Laptops, tablets, smartphones, and connected sensors now have access to sensitive data and cloud applications. Each device introduces new risks, and perimeter-based defenses alone are no longer enough.
Today, endpoints function like small data centers. They run business-critical applications, store important information, and communicate constantly with cloud services. To stay ahead of fast-moving threats and support secure work from any location, organizations need multi-layered security that begins in the hardware and extends through firmware, operating system, applications, and cloud.
How AI Is Changing the Threat Landscape
Artificial intelligence has transformed tactics for both threat actors and security teams. Attackers now use AI to generate convincing phishing messages, create deepfake audio and video, and automate tasks that once required significant manual effort. These capabilities make attacks more believable and difficult to detect.
AI also allows attackers to test and adapt faster. Automated tools can identify weaknesses, adjust exploit attempts, and refine phishing campaigns in minutes. Even less experienced threat actors can launch complex attacks at scale.
Security teams are responding with their own AI-driven defenses. Modern tools analyze device behavior, correlate signals across environments, and identify unusual activity much faster than manual monitoring. AI-assisted detection helps reduce alert fatigue and allows teams to focus on the highest priority threats. Industry analysts expect these technologies to become standard across security operations.
86% of organizations experienced an increase in cyberattacks compared with the previous year.
The challenge for organizations is that both risk and complexity are increasing. Hybrid work, device sprawl, and AI-driven attacks require defenses that can adjust in real time and remain effective across thousands of endpoints.
AI is accelerating the pace of both attacks and defense.
The Evolving Endpoint Where Security Now Lives
Endpoints have become powerful and highly connected. They process sensitive information, access cloud workloads, and store data that once lived only inside secured data centers, making the endpoint a primary target for attackers.
Device diversity
Organizations support a wide range of devices. Laptops, tablets, smartphones, and emerging IoT devices all connect to the network. Each type introduces its own risks.
Many breaches begin at endpoints because they often present an easier initial target than servers or core systems.
For instance, in manufacturing, connected machinery and sensors support real time analytics but can expose critical systems if not properly secured at the hardware and firmware levels. If an attacker gains access to a connected robotic arm on an assembly line, they could alter its behavior or halt production entirely, leading to costly delays.
Remote vulnerabilities
Hybrid work brings new challenges. Devices leave the office and connect through home Wi-Fi, mobile hotspots, and shared public networks. When devices operate outside corporate environments, patching and monitoring can become inconsistent.
Visibility is essential, as organizations cannot rely on location-based network controls. They need to understand device health at all times, regardless of where employees are working.
User behavior risks
People often switch between multiple devices throughout the day. A financial analyst might review spreadsheets on a laptop, respond to emails from a phone, and join a meeting on a tablet. This flexibility is valuable but increases the importance of consistent identity and access controls.
In healthcare, for example, clinicians rely heavily on mobile devices to support patient care. Security needs to safeguard data while allowing care teams to work without interruption.
Additional endpoint challenges
Modern security teams must navigate several operational challenges tied to the rapid growth and movement of endpoints. These issues often make it difficult to maintain consistent protection across the workforce.
Managing multiple identities
Contractors, temporary workers, service partners, and automated workloads all access corporate systems from different devices. Each identity behaves differently and may require different permissions.
Overseeing device transitions
Endpoints move frequently between employees, departments, and locations. A laptop may start with an executive, shift to a conference room, then transition to a field technician. Each stage introduces new requirements and potential gaps if not monitored.
Shadow IT and unapproved tools
Employees often install productivity apps or cloud services on their own. While many are harmless, others bypass safeguards or create vulnerabilities. Organizations need clear policies that guide safe usage without slowing down work.
41% of employees use unauthorized apps or cloud services.
Defense in Depth: How Hardware and Software Work Together
Today’s endpoint protection depends on multiple layers working together. No single tool can stop the wide range of threats targeting modern devices. Strong security begins in the hardware and continues upward through firmware, the operating system, applications, and cloud services.
Hardware-level security
Silicon-based protections form the foundation of secure endpoints. Modern processors from providers such as Intel and AMD include capabilities that help safeguard sensitive data, verify system integrity, and support secure identity handling. These features give devices a trusted hardware root that security tools can rely on.
OEM partners like HP, Dell, and Lenovo build on this foundation with platform-level protections. Examples include BIOS verification, firmware integrity checks, secure boot sequences, and automatic recovery modes that restore devices to a known good state if tampering is detected. These safeguards help block attacks that target firmware, boot processes, or other low-level components.
Together, these technologies help ensure that devices begin from a trusted state before any operating system or application loads.
Software-level defense
Software-driven protections monitor activity across the operating system and the broader environment. Modern EDR and XDR platforms, including solutions from Microsoft, CrowdStrike, and SentinelOne, analyze device behavior in real time and detect suspicious activity even when threats do not match known signatures. These tools help identify unusual patterns, contain active threats, and support faster investigation.
Operating system controls also play a role. Built-in protections such as application isolation, credential safeguards, and secure kernel processes reduce the chances of successful exploitation. When devices are properly configured and consistently updated, these controls create a resilient base for higher-level defenses.
Zero Trust adds another important layer. Instead of relying on network location, Zero Trust evaluates identity, device health, and behavior before granting access to sensitive data or applications. This approach helps ensure that only trusted users on healthy devices can reach critical systems, whether employees are connecting on site or remotely. Organizations often rely on standards such as NIST Zero Trust Architecture to guide their implementation.
Cloud connected considerations
As organizations rely more on cloud applications, endpoints often store authentication tokens, cached data, or offline files that support day-to-day work. Protecting these elements requires a combination of strong local safeguards and cloud policies that enforce least-privilege access. When endpoint protections and cloud controls work together, organizations gain a seamless, consistent security posture that supports modern, distributed work.
Bringing the layers together
Hardware protections create the baseline. Firmware controls verify device integrity. Operating system safeguards enforce policy. EDR and XDR tools detect active threats. Zero Trust validates every access attempt.
When these layers function as one, organizations achieve a stronger, more adaptive defense that protects endpoints across every location, workload, and user group.
40% of respondents say they have publicly reported six to ten cybersecurity breaches in the past year.
Secure Every Device Everywhere
A clear and repeatable process can help organizations strengthen endpoint security to reduce complexity and ensure that security remains consistent across all devices.
Step 1: Identify Points of Exposure
Identify exposure points across the workforce. Review high risk roles, unmanaged devices, and any gaps in visibility. This helps prioritize which areas need attention first.
Step 2: Choose Protected Devices
Choose devices with strong built-in protections. Hardware safeguards provide a secure baseline and reduce risk before the operating system even starts.
Step 3: Implement EDR/XDR
Implement modern EDR or XDR platforms. These tools help teams detect threats early, investigate efficiently, and coordinate response across many endpoints.
Step 4: Establish Consistent Policies
Establish consistent security policies for all users. Remote and office-based employees should receive the same level of protection. Zero Trust frameworks help ensure continuous validation of identity and device health.
Step 5: Leverage Partner Expertise
Work with an experienced partner like Connection. Endpoint ecosystems involve multiple operating systems, hardware platforms, and security tools. Connection helps align these elements and maintain long term device health.
Managing and securing a growing number of endpoints has become significantly more complex for 60% of organizations.
Questions to evaluate your endpoint readiness
✔ Are current devices protected at the hardware and firmware level? ✔ Are BIOS and firmware settings verified regularly? ✔ Do you check device health before granting access? ✔ Are modern detection tools deployed across all endpoints? ✔ Are remote workers protected consistently?
Unify Protection Across Devices and Platforms
A unified approach is essential for securing today’s mix of devices and platforms. Connection brings hardware, software, and cloud protections under one strategy so organizations can manage endpoints with greater consistency and fewer blind spots.
Our work with leading technology partners like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Intel, AMD, and Microsoft makes it easier to align the right technologies to each environment and helps teams strengthen endpoint protection while keeping complexity under control.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Services provide end to end support for endpoint protection, helping ensure every employee stays protected no matter where or how they connect.
Strategic Security Evaluation
Executive overview of your security landscape with severity grading
Allows you to easily understand possible gaps and suggested next steps
Security Assessment Suite
Perform a chosen number of assessments from our suite to identify any security issues
Receive actionable insights and next steps
Remediate and Implement
Remediate and fix issues found
Deploy services to implement security solutions to gaps discovered
Leverage expertise for new technologies
Manage
Remain compliant with regulatory and security needs
Modern endpoint security requires more than traditional defenses. By combining Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Zero Trust, organizations can ensure every user and device is verified before access is granted. SASE provides cloud-based protection and seamless connectivity, while Zero Trust enforces strict, identity-driven controls that safeguard endpoints across distributed environments. Together, they reduce risk, improve visibility, and deliver secure access for devices no matter where they operate. This integrated approach modernizes endpoint protection and strengthens resilience against evolving threats.
Strategic Security Evaluation
Documenting your security posture is essential for effective risk governance. Our Strategic Security Evaluation delivers a thorough assessment of your enterprise’s defenses, guided by expert technical resources. Covering endpoints, networks, data, cloud, and compliance, this service provides a clear picture of your current capabilities and identifies gaps that could expose your organization to risk. With actionable guidance and a tailored roadmap, you’ll be equipped to strengthen defenses and close vulnerabilities. Ensure your enterprise receives the comprehensive coverage it deserves with this strategic evaluation.
XDR: Endpoint Device Protection
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) elevates endpoint security by unifying protection across devices, identities, email, network, and cloud. By consolidating alerts and automating containment, XDR enables IT teams to detect and respond to endpoint threats faster and with greater accuracy. Unlike fragmented legacy tools, this integrated approach reduces manual effort, improves visibility, and strengthens defenses against advanced attacks. With streamlined compliance and enterprise-grade protection, XDR empowers organizations of any size to secure endpoint devices effectively—without the need for large, specialized security teams.
