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Unified Threat Management – A Combined Security Solution
  • Apr 16, 2022
  • By Blog Admin

Unified Threat Management – A Combined Security Solution

Unified Threat Management (UTM) theory is a combination of intrusion detection, antivirus, anti-spam, e-mail filtering and other functions into a firewall. It is an approach to information security where a single hardware or software installation provides multiple security functions. It is introduced in 2004. 
UTM provide services such as remote routing, network address translation (NAT), and virtual private network (VPN) support. UTM cloud services and virtual network appliances are becoming increasingly popular for network security, especially for small and medium size businesses.
UTM provides an affordable alternative to purchasing each security solution separately. The all-in-one solution is much easier for an organization to manage thereby reducing the complexity. Some of the prominent UTM brands are Fortinet, Sophos, Wijungle, SonicWall and Check Point.
As cyber threats evolve and new threats emerge, network security must change and adapt to protect against such threats. This adaptability can make UTM difficult to define because the technologies included can vary from vendor to vendor. Nearly every UTM appliance includes the following core features: 
 Antivirus
 Antimalware
 Firewall
 Intrusion prevention
 Virtual private networking (VPN)
 Web filtering
 Antispam
 Application control
Some more advanced features include bandwidth management, data loss prevention, identity-based access control, load balancing, security information and event management etc. 
UTM solutions typically provide increased security, protection, visibility and control over network security. This is done by employing different inspection methods to address various types of threats besides reducing complexity. The two methods commonly in use are:
 Flow-based inspection
 Proxy-based inspection
Often UTM solutions are termed synonymous to next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) but they include features such as gateway antivirus and content filtering that are not covered by NGFWs. Actually, UTM devices offer seven layers of security, NGFW being one of those layers. 
Unified threat management solutions aren't without some drawbacks. The single point of defence that an UTM appliance provides also creates a single point of failure. Because of this, many organizations choose to supplement their UTM device with a second software-based perimeter to stop any malware that got through or around the UTM firewall.
UTM works in the following ways:
• It secures the network from viruses, malware, or malicious attachments by scanning the incoming data using Deep Packet Inspection.
• It prevents attacks before they enter the network by inspecting the packet headers.
• It prevents access to unwanted websites by installing enhanced web filtering.
• It provides ability to update automatically with the latest security updates, anti-virus definitions and new features so that minimal manual intervention is required beyond initial set-up.
• It enables administrators to manage a wide range of security functions with a single management console.
UTM can become most valuable when combined with remote monitoring and management (RMM), endpoint protection and backup and disaster recovery (BDR). Pairing UTM with an RMM solution can provide more effective and higher-level network monitoring. RMM technology specializes in proactively staying ahead of issues, resolving them remotely and giving in depth insight into client servers and desktops. 
A BDR solution is an ideal counterpart to UTM because it acts as a safety net – ensuring you can roll back to a previous version should your files become encrypted or stolen. Pairing a BDR solution with a UTM device can fill in any gaps in the data protection and recovery process, while providing additional human resources to offer end-to-end monitoring and troubleshooting for backup failures.

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