Untangle Extends Security Alliance With Webroot
Untangle has deepened its alliance with Webroot to provide tighter integration between the control plane Untangle uses to manage firewalls and the endpoint security software provided by Webroot.
Heather Paunet, vice president of product management for Untangle, said the goal is to reduce the total cost of cybersecurity by making it easier to manage firewalls and endpoint security software via the same console.
Via the Untangle Command Console cybersecurity teams can initiate a Webroot Business Endpoint Protection scan in addition to tracking the status of the most recent Webroot endpoint scans to determine what threats were discovered and remediation actions were taken. Cybersecurity teams can also access the Webroot Management Console whenever needed.
These capabilities have become especially critical now that many end users and cybersecurity professionals are working from home as part of the global effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. Cybersecurity teams can now employ the Untangle Command Center to manage endpoint security software deployed on either on a corporate device or devices owned by employees, noted Paunet.
Cybercriminals are already launching a massive wave of phishing attacks that purport to share important information concerning the pandemic as part of an effort to compromise credentials and increase the spread of malware. To combat that threat cybersecurity teams in many cases will need to remotely deploy and update endpoint security software, especially on systems owned by end users that are now being used to access corporate applications, said Paunet.
Untangle and Webroot have previously integrated the Untangle NG Firewall with the Webroot Brightcloud Web Classification and Reputation API, Brightcloud IP Reputation Service and Brightcloud Threat Insights service as part of an effort to provide cybersecurity teams with greater visibility. Untangle also has a similar alliance in place with Malwarebytes, a provider of tools for removing malware from endpoints.
Paunet noted that at a time when cybersecurity professionals are in short supply it’s critical for organizations to employ cybersecurity tools that are easy to employ. In many organizations, most routine cybersecurity tasks need to be implemented by IT professionals who typically have limited cybersecurity expertise. Those who are now trying to manage IT environments where the entire company is now working remotely need cybersecurity tools that are easy to install and manage, she said, adding in many cases, there is no cybersecurity team at all. Smaller organizations typically rely on whatever cybersecurity expertise their internal IT staff has been able to gain as they perform myriad other tasks.
It’s not clear to what degree he COVID-19 pandemic may force organizations to reassess their overall approach to cybersecurity. Chances are high, however, there will be an increased premium placed on integration as more organizations seek to do more with less as part of their efforts to minimize the impact of an economic slump caused by the global effort to combat the pandemic. That doesn’t necessarily mean organizations will spend less on cybersecurity, but it does mean that what budget dollars that are allocated to cybersecurity will need to go a lot further.
