Unified Threat Management

Abstract

Unified Threat Management (UTM) is an information security term that refers to a security appliance as a combination of hardware, software and networking technologies in which the primary function is to integrate increased security, visibility, and control over network security while also reducing complexity. UTM refers to a single security appliance, and within a UTM appliance, the typical features fall into the following three main subsets: firewall/intrusion prevention system (IPS)/virtual private network (VPN), secure Web gateway and messaging security. Preventing threats can be challenging to manage and expensive when using separate appliances for each specific security task, as each aspect has to be maintained and updated individually to remain current with the latest forms of malware and cyber threats. This paper approaches the OPNsense software platform, discusses the importance of network security, UTM appliance market growth, network environment, OPNsense key features, and discuss how the IDS/IPS, Block SSL certificates and Traffic Shaping implementations complement security capabilities. Key Terms - IDS Block SSL Certificates, Network security, Traffic Shaper, Unified Threat Management (UTM).