Advanced threats boost demand for next-gen firewall and UTM solutions

• Market revenue of US$3.25bil in 2013, expected to reach US$5.32bil in 2018
• Vendors must streamline and align product marketing, says Frost & Sullivan

THE dynamic nature of security threats and network traffic has challenged the efficacy of legacy firewall systems, paving the way for next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) and unified threat management (UTM) solutions, said Frost & Sullivan.

Faced with new technologies, business requirements and security threats, businesses of all sizes across various industries are welcoming the sophisticated network controls offered by NGFWs and UTM, the research and consulting firm said in a statement.

In its Analysis of the Global Unified Threat Management (UTM) and Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Market report, Frost & Sullivan found that the market earned revenue of US$3.25 billion in 2013 and is estimated to reach US$5.32 billion in 2018.

In addition to solving deficiencies ingrained within existing firewalls, NGFW and UTM platforms provide greater contextual data about network traffic, which businesses can utilise to create and enforce effective network security policies.

“Enterprises find tremendous value in the deployment flexibility of NGFW and UTM solutions,” said Frost & Sullivan senior network security analyst Chris Rodriguez.
 
“These solutions deliver several vital network protection functions that can be deployed and scaled in a number of ways to best meet changing regulations and end-user needs,” he said.

Although organisations are increasingly aware of the importance of replacing and upgrading legacy firewalls, they must understand all of the deployment options available to them, Frost & Sullivan said.
 
For instance, popular perception maintains that NGFWs provide application-aware, user identity-aware controls and integrated threat detection. However, many NGFW products can be installed with subsets of functionality as security and performance requirements dictate.

Ultimately, NGFW and UTM vendors must simplify their marketing messages. Enterprises are striving to reduce business risks; therefore, marketing messages should communicate the addition of new features without losing sight of broader security and networking goals, the company said.

“End-users prefer NGFW and UTM solutions integrated with security technologies such as web and email security or intrusion prevention systems,” said Rodriguez.
 
“This demand for consolidated firewall products that also provide a high degree of performance and security efficacy will drive merger and acquisition activity in the global market,” he added.

To get complimentary access to more information on this research, go to http://bit.ly/1tFqeDS.
 
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