Time to Rethink the Endpoint: A Case for a New Approach to Endpoint Security

Today’s approach to the enterprise endpoint is no longer fit for purpose.

Whether it’s the endless news stream of security breaches, or the recent outage, the enterprise endpoint has hit its limitations.

The Applications are Leaving the Endpoint

With Cloud news dominating the earnings headlines and enterprises increasingly moving their endpoint applications to SaaS, DaaS, and VDI, the need for a heavy, complex endpoint system diminishes. The countless hours of testing, updating, troubleshooting, combined with the constant device refresh cycles are straining already tight IT budgets and human capital resources. We saw during the CrowdStrike outage how much faster it was to get a cloud hosted desktop back online, rather than visiting every device – which might not be as simple as one first imagines.

When manually rebooting every device requires a step ladder
Photo Credit Tisa Murdock

It’s time to rethink the enterprise endpoint. In stark contrast to the feedback CrowdStrike was getting, here’s what IGEL received from customers:

“Nice use case for IGEL now after yesterday. Our 10K Plus VDI using IGEL devices were not impacted. Saved our Asses.”

And for another customer with whom we had a meeting scheduled:

“Trying to get out of CrowdStrike Hell. Maybe Thursday. Upside is no IGEL impacts”

And yet another:

“We did have a win with IGEL and AVD and was the only thing that stayed up and running along with a simple profile tweak and we were able to touch every machine in seconds”

To paraphrase: If you’ve got an endpoint problem…

IGEL OS offers a streamlined, secure alternative to traditional endpoint systems. Built specifically for the needs of enterprise browser, SaaS, DaaS, and VDI environments, IGEL’s Preventative Security Model provides a secure-by-design approach that reduces complexity and cost.

1. Security by Design: IGEL OS is built on a read-only architecture, eliminating the ability to download and install malware maliciously or inadvertently. No data is stored at the endpoint meaning no breach investigation if a device is lost or stolen. A secure boot process ensures there has been no tampering
2. Reduced Complexity: No security agents, backup and recovery or DLP. A modular design delivers only what the user needs. Like a mobile app store, only install the apps that are required, and only update those apps.
3. Cost Efficiency: Eliminate the testing, installation, updating, management, troubleshooting etc. of the complex endpoint software and security layer. Extend the lifecycle of existing hardware, reducing the need for frequent replacements. At IGEL we find this combination can deliver endpoint budget savings of up to 75% enabling this budget to be moved to IT modernization projects like moving Windows 11 to the cloud, SaaS, Zero Trust etc..
4. Supports Modern IT Initiatives: IGEL aligns with modern IT strategies, including enterprise browsers, Zero Trust and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) models, to provide comprehensive security from the endpoint to the on prem data centre and to the cloud. Integration with leading authentication providers ensures that security policies are enforced consistently across all devices. The recently announced support for Microsoft Intune and Conditional access extends IGEL’s security proposition not just to securing the endpoint, but now also being part of the chain that can prevent incidents like stolen credential attacks
5. Sustainability: By extending the life of hardware and reducing the energy consumption of endpoint devices, IGEL contributes to sustainability goals, helping organizations reduce their carbon footprint and electronic waste.

It’s Time to Rethink the Endpoint

As organizations continue to evolve in a hybrid world, the necessity, and indeed opportunity to rethink endpoint strategies becomes increasingly evident. IGEL OS provides a forward-thinking solution that aligns with modern application delivery models while offering enhanced security, reduced complexity, and significant cost savings.

The shift away from traditional endpoint architectures toward more agile hybrid or cloud-based environments is essential. With IGEL, organizations can embrace this change, securing their endpoints in a way that is both efficient and future-proof.

It’s time to rethink the endpoint. It’s time to do more with less—securely, efficiently, and sustainably.

By making the shift to IGEL, organizations can unlock the potential of their IT environments, focusing resources on innovation and growth rather than on managing complexity and risk.

Simply IGEL it.