Endpoint management software products help users keep track of devices in a system and ensure their software is secure and up to date. Typical features of endpoint management products are asset management, patch management, and compliance evaluation. Companies use these tools to make sure no unapproved devices are linked to the system. They also use these products to ensure each endpoint device has up-to-date software that has been patched properly to prevent intrusion. These tools have many overlapping features with vulnerability management and mobile device management (MDM) products. Endpoint management solutions simply have a wider scope of capabilities than vulnerability management tools including device governance and device compliance. While endpoint management software helps secure all sorts of endpoints, MDM tools typically only manage remote workers and mobile devices.
To qualify for inclusion in the Endpoint Management category, a product must:
Manage endpoint assets connected to a network
Manage patch updates and ensure device compliance
Detect new or suspicious devices connected to a network
Have the ability to install new operating systems or applications to an endpoint device