NexGen Firewalls Vs UTM What’s the difference
In our current landscape of cyber crime and data security; “Belt and Braces” network security for SMEs is no longer a case of desirable but now essential. Gone are the days when a simple Anti Virus product was all you needed to be “fine”.
Securing your internet points of entry; your “door in” if you like, is considered the best area to invest in to maximise protection.
With a lot of choices, big words and acronyms it can be very confusing as to what is best for your business and trust that you have the right device, is left in the hands of your IT provider. Let us give you a non technical (as possible) heads up so you know enough, to make the decision when presented with the options from your provider.
Next Generation Firewalls in a nutshell
A Next Generation firewall can be hardware or software based subscription (or both) and offers technology that is capable of detecting and blocking attacks via security policies set against applications, ports and network protocols.
Primarily, the difference between a standard firewall and Next Gen is the firewalls ability to examine and scan network traffic flowing in and out of an organisation (including on an application level) and block traffic that might exploit vulnerabilities.
With built in “real time” malware and Virus scanning, Next Gen firewalls can prevent suspect network packets from entering your network in the first instance, infecting your PCs and Servers.
UTM Firewalls in a nutshell
A UTM Firewall is a hardware device installed on your site that sits on the door of your internet connection into your network. This allows many many benefits not only in terms of security, but on reporting, internet usage, who’s a threat, who’s viewing sites they shouldn’t, load balancing of the network, URL filtering, DDOS mitigation and so so much more. In essence, it’s a Next Generation firewall and then some.
This often comes in the form of an initial purchase of the hardware that comes with a 1 year licence included. Future licences are often then on an annual basis (although 3 year deals can work out cheaper).
There are many different vendors that offer UTM firewalls. Jupiter IT Prefer Sophos as they offer Realtime updates of threats and a heartbeat option that talks to end points (Anti Virus products on PCs).
So what is the difference
The lines between the two have become very blurred over the years. IT Professionals haven’t made this any clearer by often referring to UTM firewalls as NextGen firewalls and vice versa.
Essential the real difference is UTM tend to be hardware on premises only solutions with far more features and security. NexGen have less so and can be software or hardware, but again, what is considered a UTM and NexGen can be ambiguous at times and dependant on who you speak to.
So whats right for my business
Unfortunately, that’s one for your IT provider to support and guide you on and comes down to what you want to achieve, budget constraints and the type of data you are dealing with on a day to day basis.
Having a firewall that scans traffic in and out of the building is key to attaining the cyber essentials accreditation. See more here and here.
Jupiter IT Solutions offer IT Support Hull and the surrounding areas including Leeds, IT Support Scunthorpe and Doncaster. We’d be glad to help. Call us today. Cybersafe@jupiterit.cloud
