Keeping a corporate IT infrastructure secure is such a complex and time consuming task that few small and mid-sized businesses can afford dedicated security specialists. This may be a large part of the explanation regarding the recent surge in popularity of unified threat management (UTM) appliances; single boxes which plug in to the company network to manage security.
We’ve taken a further look at unified threat management and why it’s such a positive thing for businesses, and the huge difference it can make to your company’s security. You can also learn more about Unified Threat Management here, too.
It has a relatively low upfront cost
The cost of hiring dedicated security specialists will be significantly higher than making a one-off payment for when purchasing one of the UTM boxes. Also, these boxes can do the jobs of multiple systems in one, which again will be much cheaper just buying the one box than having to buy lots of appliances.
The maintenance costs will also be relatively low
Since you’re buying just one support agreement for all security services, you can significantly reduce the amount you pay for service contracts and ongoing support. It’s also a lot easier therefore to manage and maintain as you’ll know you only have one person or company to contact should you have any problems along the way.
They’re cheap to run
One device means one thing to plug in, which can be a really great way of going green in the office as well as keeping the electrical bill down at the end of each month which is great if you’re on a very tight budget. It also means that less power is lost while reducing line voltage to the levels network devices use.
Installation is easy and fairly quick
As it’s just the one appliance, it’s relatively easy to set up as there will only be a few wires that you’ll have to arrange, and they’ll be only one interface to use setting the device. Therefore configuration is really easy too, and it won’t take much office time away from your employees.
They are generally fully integrated
The UTM devices many features are designed to work together without leaving holes in your protection or creating interoperability challenges. Therefore they do the job of many different devices in one without leaving you at risk to potential cyber hackers.
They are small so don’t take up much space
If office space is limited, they are the ideal solution as they are literally just one box that is very small and can therefore fit in a small designated space. This is therefore a really appealing solution rather than having to find space for lots of networking equipment and devices.
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