Internet Security Learning Center

UTM--Preparing for New Generation of Security Threats

Security providers have begun offering comprehensive unified threat management (UTM) products geared for smaller companies that lack the resources to implement security solutions capable of defending against the rapidly proliferating volume of cyber threats. UTM solutions are ideally suited for companies without substantial in-house IT departments whose security choices are usually based on cost, simplicity, and ease of use. UTM solutions, the fastest growing sector in the security industry, include firewall protection, spam filtering, content inspection, anti-virus software, and intrusion detection. They are easier to work with because they have fewer appliances and are generally simpler and cheaper to maintain than a la carte applications, and most UTM solutions also contain a gateway application to prevent attacks from even entering the network. Unfortunately, UTM products often compromise performance and functionality to keep costs down and ensure that the systems are easy to use. Because UTM applications manage multiple security features simultaneously, the processing load can be a drain on performance, some of which can be attributed to poor software design. Though they fall short of enterprise standards in functionality and speed, UTM products will continue to improve as demand grows. Second-generation UTM solutions could contain such standard enterprise features as spam quarantine, configurable Web-filtering policies, and Web-surfing reporting for individual users. The first generation of UTM deployments will not be able to keep up with accelerating broadband speeds and the attendant increase in security threats for much longer. To boost the performance of UTM solutions without a corresponding increase in price, companies can use one of many commercially available acceleration engines, some of which can increase UTM performance by as much as 70 times.

© Copyright 2006 INFORMATION, INC.