- Every enterprise needs to implement the right security solutions to protect its operations and its data; “Firewalls” are a table-stakes requirement for an enterprise to be secure.
- UTM solutions have replaced traditional firewalls and are in danger of themselves being replaced by Next Generation Firewalls; the names change as feature portfolios broaden.
- Picking the right solution means appropriate protection at an acceptable cost; picking wrong could mean higher cost, lower security, or both.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- The only traffic that counts anymore is HTTP/S: As all traffic becomes Web traffic, controlling traffic flow by protocol becomes keyed to digging into Port 80 (and 443) traffic.
- Inbound no longer the only direction that threats flow: As security focus has shifted from infrastructure to data, protection needs to address outbound flow as much as inbound attacks.
- Firewalls can’t protect traffic they can’t see: Encrypted traffic obfuscates threats from Firewalls while WiFi networks allow attacks to bypass them entirely; modern solutions must control these traffic types also.
Impact and Result
Enterprises that plan carefully and select thoughtfully can improve enterprise security while reducing cost and trimming administrative effort with a capable UTM/NGFW; the broader capabilities these tools offer means organizations can get rid of older point solutions that supported the incumbent firewall.