Endpoint

An endpoint is a device or workload that communicates on a network as a source or destination, such as a laptop, desktop, phone, server, virtual machine or specialised appliance. Definitions vary between tools, so an inventory should state which types are included and who manages them. Endpoints process identities and data and can provide an entry path, but installing an EDR agent does not guarantee complete protection and may not be possible on every device. Management combines inventory, configuration, updates, encryption, privilege, protection, logging and response. Temporary, unsupported or agentless devices need explicit treatment. Coverage should be reconciled between sources: zero alerts on an endpoint that stopped reporting does not mean that it is healthy.