Agent-Based Security
Software installed on endpoints to collect telemetry and enforce policy. Effective for managed IT endpoints but unsuitable for IoT, OT, and IoMT environments where agent installation is not possible.
What is Agent-Based Security?
Software installed on endpoints to collect telemetry and enforce policy. Effective for managed IT endpoints but unsuitable for IoT, OT, and IoMT environments where agent installation is not possible.
Agent-based security relies on software installed directly on an endpoint — a small program that continuously monitors activity, enforces policies, and reports telemetry back to a central platform. For managed IT devices running standard operating systems like Windows, macOS, or Linux, this approach is highly effective. Agents provide deep visibility into process execution, file changes, network connections, and user behavior that network-layer tools cannot match.
The fundamental limitation emerges the moment you step outside managed IT. IoT sensors, OT controllers, industrial PLCs, RTUs, and medical devices have no OS that supports agent installation. Even where technically possible, vendors often prohibit installing third-party software because it could affect device validation, warranty, or regulatory clearance. A healthcare organization that installs unauthorized software on an FDA-cleared infusion pump may void its 510(k) clearance.
This gap is not a temporary limitation — it is structural. The IoT and OT device categories are designed without software installation as a capability. Agent-based security programs that claim to cover the full environment almost always have a hidden asterisk: they cover managed IT well, but leave the fastest-growing and often most vulnerable segment of the connected device estate completely dark.
Key Facts
- Over 50% of enterprise network devices cannot run security agents
- IoT, OT, and IoMT devices are the fastest-growing device categories on enterprise networks
- Installing unauthorized software on FDA-cleared medical devices can void regulatory clearance
- EDR adoption rates in enterprise environments average 65% — leaving 35% of endpoints unprotected even in IT
How ORDR Addresses Agent-Based Security
ORDR complements agent-based security tools by providing the same depth of visibility for unmanaged devices that EDR provides for managed endpoints. Through passive network monitoring, protocol analysis, and API integrations, ORDR covers every device on the network — giving security teams a unified view across both agent-covered IT and agentless IoT, OT, and IoMT assets.
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Complete visibility across your entire attack surface.
ORDR unifies IT, IoT, and OT asset intelligence so your team can see—and act on—what matters most.