Endpoint monitoring is security observation focused on the device itself, rather than only on network traffic or centralized logs. It looks for suspicious behavior on laptops, servers, embedded systems, or industrial devices by tracking changes in processes, firmware, files, configuration, authentication events, and local telemetry. In contrast to network-only tools, it aims to see what is happening where the action occurs.
This matters because many attacks start or leave traces on the endpoint: unauthorized software, altered settings, disabled protections, or abnormal communication patterns. In defense, endpoint monitoring can help detect persistence, tampering, and lateral movement earlier, especially when devices are exposed or hard to inspect remotely. In smart-meter and other OT environments, the challenge is to monitor constrained hardware without disrupting normal operation. Effective endpoint monitoring must fit the device’s power, memory, update, and logging limits while still supporting alerting, isolation, and incident response.