Enterprise-level UTM for home and small offices

WatchGuard Technologies announced the WatchGuard Firebox T10 Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution, a network security appliance that allows enterprises to extend powerful network security to small office home office (SOHO) environments.

With 70 percent of high-value employees working at home at least once a week, the new solution allows network administrators to ensure robust protection of employees who are often managing the companies’ most critical intellectual property.

The Firebox T10 features WatchGuard’s cloud-based RapidDeploy capability, which instantly self-configures and begins reporting back to the administrator’s central console by simply plugging in the appliance.

According to a recent global WatchGuard survey of IT professionals, more than 82 percent allow employees to access the corporate network from a small office or home office location. However, nearly 30 percent do not require a gateway security device. For those that do, only 23 percent require the use of security products similar to those used in the corporate headquarters, with features such as Intrusion Prevention, AntiVirus, Data Loss Prevention, Application Control, AntiSPAM, and more. (Click here to see the complete SOHO security infographic.)

In the same study, WatchGuard also found that 56 percent feel basic VPN access provides the needed protection against today’s SOHO threat landscape.

WatchGuard’s Director of Security Strategy, Corey Nachreiner, says that VPN access is not complete security. “VPN access has long been the standard for protecting communications for home-based employees,” said Nachreiner. “However, if your endpoint device is not protected at the same level as your enterprise network, the VPN tunnel simply provides an open window into your business. You need to protect both, and the Firebox T10 is designed to make that easy and cost effective.”

As the Firebox T10 rolls out to the market, WatchGuard anticipates the small, cost-effective solution will also appeal to customers seeking full UTM protection for mobile kiosks and carts, such as those used in retail and health care environments, that regularly handle credit cards and personal information – and must meet the same stringent PCI and HIPAA compliance standards as larger offices and businesses.

The solution delivers not only the same powerful UTM capabilities as the company’s larger models, including the RapidDeploy functionality, but it also features the company’s new visibility solution, WatchGuard Dimension. This zero-install, cloud-ready tool provides real-time security intelligence, and allows administrators to have big-data-style views of key threats and top site usage across an entire user base. Plus, WatchGuard UTM solutions feature full versions of the industry’s best-of-breed technologies including: AntiSPAM, AntiVirus, and URL filtering.

Lastly, with the Firebox T10 and the full UTM suite on site, users will not experience the latency normally caused by backhauling traffic thorough the corporate servers to ensure protection.

The solution is available now. Pricing starts at $395 USD (pricing may vary depending on region and regulation) – including one full year of UTM protection.

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