The use of any form of firewall is an element of cyber security; it relates to device or network security and data security for any person or company.
Today, we have the NGFW firewall, which helps to improve security. At the same time, the UTM (Unified Threat Management) tool is another alternative, a rather multi-purpose option. Most users tend to use these two terms interchangeably, namely NGFW and UTM.
In many of our previous blogs, we discussed the functioning and purposes of the firewall software. The firewall examines incoming and outgoing data packets, searches for unsuitable or malicious contents, and then allows or blocks the data packet. NGFWs, either hardware or software-based, go a bit further than conventional firewall programs. NGFWs perform additional functions, in addition to sorting and blocking/allowing data packets. These include awareness of application, compelling inspections, fully integrated intrusion prevention systems, active directory/LDAP identification, etc. Bridged or routed modes are available for NGFWs.
The UTM system and its objectives
Unified threat management devices are always hardware and offer both advantages and disadvantages, unlike NGFWs. At HackerCombat, we always believe that we emphasize the positive rather than the negative and therefore let us first discuss the advantages.
UTM devices perform various functions; they help to prevent data leaks and carry out functions such as spam gateway, antivirus gateway protection, network load balancing, reporting and prevention of appliances, network intrusion detection and prevention, URL filtering, email security, content filtering, web application firewalls, wireless security, VPN termination, continuing automated updates, DDOS mitigation, and others. All data is centralized and can be viewed holistically for UTM devices. Users can therefore get a better real-time overview of threat detection status.
Those are the advantages; let’s go for the disadvantages now. There is a minor disadvantage -a UTM device would only work when connected to the main network.
UTM Vs Firewall: Which firewall to select?
It is quite obvious that the UTM device includes all NGFW functions, plus some other services. (Maybe it’s because many people, including security professionals, use the terms interchangeably!) It isn’t just about the utilities; both UTM and the firewall also have the same price range. The decisions to be chosen should therefore be based on the requirements. Since NGFW’s functionality is integrated into the UTM, you can either use the NGFW or if you need the additional services offered by UTM, you may opt for UTF software as well. Make sure you’re in front of cyber threats.
