SMBs embracing Unified Threat Management devices
End-users are increasingly choosing to switch from Small Office Home Office (SOHO) routers to Unified Threat Management (UTM) devices for their small and medium business needs.
That is according to new research from IDC, which suggests that these UTM devices provide a simple, cost-effective way to enhance the data
communications capabilities of SMBs, combining managed security and routing functions into a single product.
"Although the demand for routing capacity continues to grow, just as important is the concurrent increases in security requirements," explained Charles Kolodgy, research director of security
products at IDC.
"This has resulted in a competitive market dynamic that has been largely overlooked by network equipment vendors. Router vendors are being forced to add a litany of new security services to
router products in an attempt to compete more effectively with these robust UTM devices."
IDC explained that routers are still critical to larger enterprises for managing traffic between branch offices and centralised datacentres, but added that SMBs often only require connection to the internet,
something that a UTM is more than capable of providing.
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