What is Unified Threat Management?
Hacking has become very common these days, and no one is safe from online malicious software and numerous cyber threats. However, taking the necessary protective measures against such things is important. When you are running a big business, there are many people associated with you: the employees, customers, and other staff. Also, for the company’s private data, the data privacy responsibility is on the company, so it’s crucial to have strong security over the system. Unified Threat Management (UTM) is an information security system in which several security features are merged in one device on a network. In this blog, we will discuss UMT and also know its importance in the real world.
What is Meant by UTM?
Unified Threat Management is a security approach that integrates other security tools into a single control center and protects the network like antivirus software and firewalls, blocking all the harmful and malicious containing links and blocking spam. UTM has all these functions and more, making it a powerful security tool to protect your network. This tool allows businesses to control and manage all the security features from one display panel.
What is the Working of UTM?
UTM brings all the security features to one place to protect the network from different kinds of online threats and viruses, including phishing, malware, denial of service attacks, and several other cyberattacks.
To know the potential risks and weaknesses, there are two ways to inspect the threats:
- Stream-based inspection
- Proxy-based inspection
Stream-Based Inspection
In stream-based inspection, data is checked when it is traveling through the network. It is also known as flow-based inspection. It uses firewalls and an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to check for suspicious activities, attack attempts, and viruses in the network. IPS protects the network by blocking, removing, or reporting the threat. Stream-based inspection protects the network before any harmful attacks occur.
Proxy-Based Inspection
Proxy-based inspection uses antivirus software and a reliable VPN and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) to protect the network. Data is passed through a proxy server, and when it is confirmed that data is protected, then it only proceeds to other devices’ networks. Proxy servers block all the data, which is not safe for your network.
Features of UTM
Here are some of the key features used in Unified Threat Management that make your data secure.
Antivirus
Antivirus programs protect your system from several online threats and malicious viruses. UTM systems have antivirus software to make them a strong security tool to prevent cyberattacks. In a database, there are multiple known threats already stored, so an antivirus program can easily detect viruses on the system. Moreover, these databases are updated regularly or alternately every few days so UTM can detect the latest and newest types of threats and viruses.
Anti-malware
UTM also uses anti-malware software, which helps block and remove threats from the system. Once malware comes to your system, it can crash your system; you will see a lot of unnecessary ads popping up on your screen. Malware like spyware tracks your activities online and can access your device camera. Anti-malware in UTM detects the virus and blocks it instantly before it reaches your system.
Sandboxing in anti-malware is a protection tool that keeps the suspicious files you download on your system. These files do not directly open on your system; they open on the sandbox directly. If the file is secure, then it is forwarded to the main system; else, it gets blocked and remains in the sandbox. Sandbox protects your main system from viruses.
Firewall
Unified Threat Management integrates a firewall, which is a useful tool in protecting your network. It inspects all the incoming and ongoing data on the network. Firewalls have predefined rules that determine which data packets should be allowed to reach the network and which should be blocked. It protects your network traffic from unauthorized access, filters the content from websites, and blocks anything that isn’t according to the predefined rules.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A VPN creates a link between the device and the server you are using. All your activities on the internet are protected from everyone, and nobody, even your ISP, will know about the sites you access. A VPN hides your real IP address with the VPN server’s IP so no one can detect your real identity. Companies use VPNs so that employees working remotely can connect to the companies’ network from anywhere securely without restrictions. VPNs like iProVPN have built-in antivirus and anti-malware that detect cyber threats before they reach your network. And protects your network from hackers and other security threats.
Intrusion Prevention System
Most UTM systems use IPS to monitor the traffic for suspicious activities. It blocks all threats and malicious traffic from the network in real time. IPS analyzes large amounts of data without overloading the system or slowing it down.
Intrusion Detection System
IDS is implemented with IPS and UTM systems and uses the combination of both to make the network extra secure. IDS is responsible for inspecting the traffic on the organization’s network. Unlike IPS, it won’t block suspicious activities. However, it will give an alert to the IT security teams to take quick measures against the cyberattack.
IP and Domain Security
IP and domain reputation tools identify known malicious domains and IP addresses, preventing them from entering your network. It also blocks bots that are spamming malicious links through emails and texts. It initiates DoS (denial of service) attacks in which your network traffic is flooded with so much traffic that it slows down the performance, and real users won’t get to access the site.
What are the examples of UTM?
For enhancing the security of the network, a UTM solution is considered to be the complete and efficient option to have large-scale protection on networks. It uses features like intrusion prevention and detection to block the threats right away before they reach the main network. Some of the most popular examples of UTM solutions are:
Cisco Meraki MX Series
Cisco Meraki MX series offers the latest security features that protect the network from major threats. It is built with the best performance hardware, which allows the network to work fast. Moreover, its configuration is not hard and can be managed easily with minimum effort.
FortiGate 900G
It is another successful UTM solution that uses the best features of firewalls and VPN. To protect the network rapidly from cyber threats. It inspects the data packets deeply and only allows protected data to reach your network, blocking the rest of the data packets that aren’t secure.
SonicWall TZ Firewalls
It’s one of the greatest UTM solutions, managed under a single system. Additionally, its major feature is cloud-based sandboxing, where files run in a sandbox, and if the file is safe, it is allowed to proceed to the network; otherwise, it remains and is blocked in the sandbox. Moreover, it also uses the features of IPS, firewall, and VPN.
Advantages of UTM Solutions
Unified Threat Management has several advantages. It provides a centralized control system for the security tools to manage the network traffic of organizations. As it is making use of several security features at one time, malicious viruses or any cyber threats can’t enter the network easily.
Adaptability
UTM solutions allow organizations to customize security features according to the extent of the security needs of the networks. These tools can be disabled or enabled by the administration of an organization. Security policies can be set on custom by providing the details of the threats that can interfere with the network.
Affordability
UTM will cost you significantly less than investing in all the security features individually. They will have the extra cost of licensing and hardware; however, it is considered to be a bit budget-friendly since it integrates all the features under a single system. Companies preferred to have a cloud-based UTM system, which cut the costs of hardware expenses. Most UTM systems provide automated updates, which reduces the number of IT resources that need to work manually.
Time Management
Handling multiple tools like firewalls, VPNs, and antivirus programs requires proper time and effort of resources. However, with the UTM, all features are managed from a single dashboard where the administration can update and monitor the network. On the dashboard, they can also check the performance of each security tool individually. By getting detailed log reports and real-time detection of threats.
Some Drawbacks of UTM
Centralized Risk
System failure is common, and it can occur due to various reasons, including the CPU processor getting slow or not working properly since UTM works on a single CPU. This can crash your entire UTM system; moreover, software glitches can show up because of bugs in the system, causing malfunctioning. Any major issue can affect the whole UTM solution.
Integration Hurdles
UTM integrates with other security features, but setting each feature on the system is challenging; specific systems do not allow third-party firewall integrations, making it hard to set up. While setting up a UTM system, it can drop signals or can give you data flow errors.
Scalability Limitations
The growth of business means an increase in security needs. If a company has limited features in UTM, they are required to add on stronger features to secure the large-scale business. They will require more hardware devices and additional security modules.
Conclusion
UTM is a reliable solution for businesses to protect the overall system. It has the features of VPN, firewalls, IPS/IDS, and more, which detect and block all the suspicious activities before they reach the network. Although UTM is costly, it is as costly as getting the tools separately; additionally, you will have to pay for the licensing when getting the tool separately. UTM is easier to manage from the main dashboard; you can check the reports and logs as well as the real-time detection. It is the best solution for the organizations to enhance the security of the networks.
Using iProVPN is the right approach, as it is one of the best VPN services, providing you with the maximum security features. It has a built-in antivirus that will block all the links and websites that contain viruses or malware. Also, it has a built-in ad blocker, through which all the ads redirecting to unsafe third-party sites will be blocked instantly.
FAQs
- What are the main functions of UTM?
Unified Threat Management is a solution that integrates the features of firewalls, VPN, IPS/IDS, antivirus, and anti-malware. These features make the system detect the latest threats.
- Can organizations customize UTM features?
Yes! Organizations can customize the security features according to their needs; they can disable or enable any of the features or can add any additional modules. Usually happens in large-scale businesses.
- Is UTM beneficial for small-scale businesses?
Yes, it is a beneficial tool for small-scale businesses. Since purchasing tools separately will cost more than getting a whole bundle of security tools. Moreover, it is easier to manage overall security.
- Can iProVPN be used in UTM?
Yes, iProVPN can be used in UTM systems. It will encrypt your whole network by masking the real IP addresses; you need to check the compatibility, as some UTM systems have VPN integrated into them already.
- Are there any disadvantages to UTM?
There are some disadvantages, like slow performance and compatibility issues, and if any major issue arises, it can crash the whole system.
