The Hindu Business Line : One-stop security

Organisations today face multiple security threats such as spam, viruses, encryption break-ins and phishing. Juniper Networks says it has come out with a device that can counter all these threats and replace existing multiple security solutions with one Unified Threat Management (UTM) device.

A UTM device is a security device with a router (entry point for data into an organisation) and other functionalities built into it. It prevents attack on routers by scanning data and then passing it to the router, unlike other security devices that first route the data and then conduct security scans, says A. Prasad Babu, Head - Systems Engineering and Operations, Juniper Networks India Pvt Ltd.

Juniper has bundled best practices from the industry into this device. For instance, the anti-virus software is provided by Kaspersky Lab, content management software is from Symantec Corp and URL filtering is from SurfControl and Websense.

The device centrally controls all security functions. Companies can customise their requirements by buying appropriate software licences. For instance, one may choose only the anti-virus function and not the anti-spam function. Babu says this can reduce operational costs and improve speed of data processing as unwanted security scans can be avoided.

As one UTM device can replace multiple security devices, space saving is an added advantage for organisations that wish to set up branch offices with less floor space. According to Babu, one UTM device may be sufficient to run the entire branch.

Juniper has introduced five models to suit different bandwidth and performance levels priced from about $100,000.