In addition to traditional endpoints like on-premises desktop computers and servers, today’s endpoints can include everything from virtual machines and cloud data storage to wireless security cameras, smartwatches, connected industrial control system (ICS) devices, and more. An even wider view of endpoints includes “network switches, routers, load balancers, firewalls, and VoIP apps” — in short, an endpoint can be defined as “anything that can be identified, addressed, or attacked.”
Endpoints can also be defined or classified by their behavior. For example, wireless security cameras are stationary by design, while tablets are mobile. Each endpoint will have its own communication timing and volume profile, a list of cloud services that it accesses, and specific tunnels that it may use. Depending on the type of data they handle and the organization’s security practices, endpoint communication may or may not be encrypted.