Firewall

CTI offers a Unified Threat Management solution (UTM). UTM appliances consist of hardware, software and networking technologies, whose primary purpose is to perform specific or multiple security functions.

These appliances consist of a hardened operating system and a limited application set with no user software installation. The prerequisite features of a UTM device includes Firewall/VPN/IDP/IPS and AV, all included on one device.

The importance of network security appliances has shown itself in terms of the increase in adoption of appliances. IDC observes the continuous success of UTM deployments across the region as well as globally, which is not only confined to SMBs. There has also been a noticeable increase in UTM adoption by large enterprises. Thus the increase in popularity for UTM appliances, in terms of network security, is evident. In the past, enterprises implemented best of breed point solutions for antivirus, firewall, and intrusion detection at that time was considered appropriate.  However, the threat landscape has evolved considerably with more targeted and professional attacks. These attacks have become more blended in nature, therefore a single antivirus, antispam or firewall/VPN solution is not sufficient to detect and prevent attacks in today's environment.

UTM is defined as a set of individual security technologies, specifically antivirus, firewall/VPN, and IDP/IPS, converged to offer a single solution. However it is noticeable that vendors are offering other content management technologies in addition to antivirus. This means, for example, that emails will be checked, spam blocked and web content filtered before they reach network. All functions of a UTM appliance may be utilized, or the customer may choose to use it for a specialized purpose. That aside, UTM so far has been used as a firewall-only or IPS-only product. Should an enterprise adopt a UTM appliance as a point product, the enterprise still has the advantage of consolidated management via a single console with the ability to turn on any security feature without needing to deploy any new appliances.

It is imperative in today's environment for enterprises to take a multi-layered approach to implementing a security solution. Network security is the backbone of any business operations. Therefore to be protected at the gateway, as well as on the hosts, and desktops is fundamental for a full enterprise security solution. The multifunctional capabilities of UTM mean customers can derive immediate value from choosing a UTM solution. The benefits of UTM are manifold. First and foremost, IDC sees the increased demand for integration between individual security technologies to reduce the cost and time associated with managing point products. Integrated UTM solutions are playing a key role in reducing administrative and support costs, ultimately reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) in managing multiple security technologies.

The possibility of dealing with a single vendor versus negotiating with multiple vendors is of great value to enterprises and is becoming more and more of a consideration. In addition, related to this is a more simplified licensing structure that is less costly and complex exercise for organizations to manage are advantages of UTM appliances. Another advantage to note is the ongoing services, such as antivirus signature updates, offered around UTM appliances enabling any sized enterprise to stay ahead of critical viral threats. SMB organizations usually have limited resources with small over worked IT departments and so far this is where the majority of interest has been. Further to this, large enterprises with distributed environments of many branch offices, as well as service providers looking to offer security service solutions, are deploying UTM solutions. This is usually because of the remote management capabilities, which help to remove associated costs of onsite or travelling IT expertise, which is a significant operational benefit for large enterprises. Further more centralized management of UTM appliances from a single console and reporting are critical benefits for all IT departments and network administrators.