As new security threats kept fostering and managing different threats
seamlessly becomes a huge hardship for enterprises, a new concept called Unified
Threat Management (UTM) has evolved. UTM is an exceptional and efficient way of
securing a commercial network. However, due to changing markets trends and new
technologies, businesses today are at a point of inflection, where they have
become more prone to threats and the security of their information, reputation
and assets are at a risk.
Changing dynamics
Keeping the above mentioned scenario in mind the industry is looking for
solutions that might act proactively and manage the threats that are occurring
out of newer business dynamics and newer technologies. XTM is a solution that
seems to be evolving from the companies that are focusing on security solutions.
This solution is claimed to be the next generation of UTM appliances and this is
based upon the substantive expansion of three elements: more security, greater
networking capabilities, and more management flexibility.
Evolution of UTM
UTM was the integration of firewall, IDS/IPS and gateway AV and later
web-based content filtering and spam blocking, as well as both IPSec and SSL VPN
capabilities were added to this solution. UTM appliances quickly became a
network security favorite for SMB, mid-market (SME), and enterprise branch
office environments. It also received widespread adoption across all the
verticals.
According to a report from WatchGuard, by 2007 the UTM market had grown
approximately 35 percent YoY, to reach $1.216 billion. “By 2008, industry
analysts estimate that sales of UTM appliances will surpass traditional
firewall/VPN solutions. By 2010, sales of UTM devices are expected to exceed
$2.5 billion,” the report claimed.
Need For XTM
Even though UTM remains a big market for all security solutions vendor, they
feel that putting UTM alone in place wouldn't be sufficient for the enterprise
and one has to think beyond that, as it wouldn't be sufficient enough to tackle
the looming next generation security threats.
IDC Analyst Charles Kolodgy has written in his “Kolodgy Reports” for SC
Magazine that “IDC believes that UTM will remain the primary security solution
for distributed environments, but within the enterprise it will evolve into an
XTM platform. XTM platforms will take security appliances beyond traditional
boundaries by vastly expanding security features, networking capabilities and
management flexibility.” He has also said that the future XTM appliances should
provide automated processes-such as logging, reputation-based protections, event
correlation, network access control and vulnerability management. Adding to the
networking capabilities will be management of network bandwidth, traffic
shaping, throughput, latency and other features, including unified
communications.
 |
| XTM is a real time solution that
is the need of the hour as it can be upgraded without having to invest on
the hardware or software |
According to Nobert Kiss, VP-APAC Sales, WatchGuard Technologies, “Gartner
predicted that the XTM would be the next generation UTM due to the customers
need of extended security features. XTM will deliver to customers a solution
that would address threats more quickly. The 'X' here means extendable or
expandable. The primary thing in this solution is the ability to secure any
HTTPS, proxies and voice over IPs, which the UTM wasn't able to do it in the
past.”
By his opinion, primarily UTM has been a solution defined for firewalls
anti-virus, intrusion detection and intrusion prevention activities. “What XTM
does is that it continues to provide important parts of security features and
enables one to add additional threats comprehensively. Certain threats in the
form of HTTPS and VoIP can be easily identified and managed using the XTM. UTM
didn't have that inherent technology to be able to protect those threats,” Kiss
claimed.
Karthik Sahani, Regional Director, McAfee feels that UTM and XTM are purpose
built devices. “The threat profile has gone up and enterprises want data
protection, NAC, encryption and leakage prevention. XTM is needed to take care
of those requirements. Now people are looking for solutions that are neither
higher nor lower end but would be able to provide IPH, gateway, encryption, data
leakage prevention in a single device. This is the transition that is happening
in the security industry,” Sahani opined.
According to Ronny Ferro, Business Head, Essenvison Software, a Mumbai-based
security consulting company, XTM is the solution that is ready for managing the
new threats. “In the current t scenario, we are just looking after the threats
that are at present. However, as new technologies come in, there are new
security threats that arise from those technologies and there are no management
solutions that are prepared to prevent or manage those attacks,” said Ferro.
He feels that the solution that is the need of the hour is that which can be
upgraded without having to invest on the hardware or software. “XTM is one such
real time solution, which can identify and manage new threats from newer
technologies,” Ferro added.
More features
Apart from the extended security features, XTM has more advantages.
WatchGuard recently launched its version of XTM called WatchGuard XTM 1050 in US
and it is due for launch in India soon.
One of the key benefits of WatchGuard is that the XTM solution can be
downloaded and installed on the existing hardware set up and no restructuring or
hardware up gradation is required on the set-up.
“We provide subscription models and people buy annual subscription to keep
themselves updated on security threats,” claimed Sunil Sapra, Country
Manager-India & SAARC, WatchGuard Technologies.
There are two aspects of the XTM solution offered by WatchGuard. One is the
software and the additional security, the other is the hardware component. “The
recently launched XTM 1050, the whole new hardware platform with same operating
system can provide through puts up to 10 Gigabyte. Apart from the security
demands the throughput demands are also going up and the solution would be able
to provide a good through put to the enterprises,” explained Kiss of WatchGuard.
Pitching the soln
It has always been challenging in pitching a new concept with the partners
and the clients due to the cost consciousness of the Indian enterprises. Kiss
accepts that the cost is a major aspect and challenging task for the vendor.
“For any vendor cost of the solution is a major challenge as the enterprises
aren't ready to spend too much on one particular solution and they are bothered
only about the return on investment. So when we talk to the partners and train
them, we ask them to pitch the concept of RoI in deploying the XTM solutions.”
WatchGuard has training programs for the partners, where they provide the
study materials and the total solutions of WatchGuard and train them. Most
partners who were trained with WatchGuard have started providing the XTM
solutions to their clients. “Those people who have opted for XTM will continue
to stay and those who have the UTM solutions will have to deploy XTM solutions,”
said Kiss.
Ronny Ferro of Essenvision informed that his company has started providing
XTM solutions to their clients. “We have started providing certain solutions
that has XTM capabilities and we have started to talk about these solutions to
our customers considering Web 2.0 in mind,” claimed Ferro.
He added that once the concept of Web 2.0 takes off in a big way and business
gets involved with Web 2.0, which is likely to happen, multiple threats will
start coming in due to its coherent functionality and it would become a major
challenge for the customers as threats would be start coming in from different
layers and a single source. “There is a need for solutions that can manage all
these different threats arising from different layers and enterprises would be
looking for solutions like XTM for that. XTM can help in managing real time
threats, where there would be no downtime happening in customers premises for up
grading to a new solution for managing new threats,” Ferro said.
According to Ferro, other players in the market such as Ironport and Websense
are also ready for providing XTM solutions. “Even though WatchGuard would have
patented their name to this solution at the end of the day what they are talking
about is a concept. In terms of concept there are companies that are staring to
adopt XTM solutions.
NR SETHURAMAN
(sethuramannr@cybermedia.co.in)