With the growing importance of managed security devices around the world, vendors in this segment are developing products to woo enterprise customers. Fortinet, a provider of security solutions, is also looking at this space, while trying to connect with managed security service providers to tap the SMB and other enterprises for this segment.

Shared Vishak Raman, country manager, Fortinet India, "Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) are increasingly opting for a comprehensive set of products and services to provide combined security services to customers in an efficient and cost effective manner. Today, an increasing number of MSSPs are providing in-depth reporting, logging and monitoring capabilities that are critical for business success."

Most network security solutions offer a single purpose security software, which fails to provide the comprehensive security and the network deployment flexibility, which is necessary to combat complex network level and content level security threats.

Elaborating on the various phases of the evolution of security solutions Raman explained, "We are rapidly approaching the advent of the fourth generation security platform. This is a device that can perform all the security functions that are put together in the UTM and is also an excellent network device at layers two and three. These security solutions also act as a switch and a router. They supplant traditional network devices while providing security at all levels."

Large enterprise with several business units could deploy these advanced security devices at the core, and assign virtual security domains to each business unit while performing content filtering and firewalling between each virtual domain, thus segmenting the business units and maximising the investment in core security devices. Fourth generation network security platforms will evolve beyond stand alone security appliances to encompass routing and switching as well, with a strong impact on the networking industry.

SMBs were the first to embrace UTM solutions in a big way as UTM solutions offer comprehensive protection. As it is difficult to install, manage and maintain disparate devices or point security solutions, with UTM organisations could consolidate their security capabilities into a high performance, centrally managed solution. Opines Raman, "The fact that most of these SMBs had no IT manager also made it imperative that the chosen security solution should be manageable with minimal training and operative issues."