 A decade back when IDC coined the term, UTM (Unified Threat Management), fewer people could anticipate the business potential the composite security appliances would hold. Congruent with its evolutionary promise, more and more companies began to join the composite security bandwagon. Security firms including Astaro Corp, CheckPoint, Cyberoam, Fortinet, and SonicWALL have been some of the early entrants into this mesmerizing technological space. Today, all across the globe, UTMs have become one of the cardinal data centre building blocks and its market has been witnessing a sustained 30-35 per cent (CAGR) growth for quite some years now (except the interregnum of 2009 inflicted by economic down-turn). In India as well, the market for UTMs has been growing nicely and various UTM vendors have been trying to cater to the market to their fullest potential. At this juncture, Astaro Corp, having its headquarters at Karlsruhe, Germany, has intensified its market operations in India. Worldwide, Astaro Corp., has deeply entrenched itself—in fact, 40 per cent of Astaro’s revenues comes from the matured market like USA.
Ever since, the company has kick-started its India operations under the dynamic leadership of Sunil Sapra (former India head of WatchGuard), Astaro Corp has been getting amazing market attraction in the country. “Globally, Astaro Corp has been a mighty UTM brand. Even before entering the Indian market, a large number of industry people in the country has been aware of the brand Astaro. As the security appliances market has been expanding rapidly, we thought to start organized operations in the country. This is a well-timed entry in to the Indian market.
In fact, our CEO, Jan Hichert, has been exuberant about the potential of Indian UTM market”, says Sunil Sapra, Country Manager, Astaro, India & SAARC. The centrality of India in the global scheme of Astaro can also be gauged by the fact the country saw the high-profile visit by its CEO, Jan Hichert. In an interaction with Digital Edge, Hichert says, “I’ve seen the vibrant growth of UTM appliances and allied solutions in many swathes of the globe. But, I foresee a different type of market dynamics prevalent here in India. Enterprises and business houses are increasingly getting aware of the efficacy of integrated security appliances like UTMs (where various security features are mounted on a hardware platform), and they’ve got definitive grasp over the subterranean quality and features of products. Such an enlightened ambiance is quite favorable for a company like Astaro which believes in infusing cutting edge technologies into its security appliances”. Digital Edge feels that the country has got yet another top brand in the challenging space of UTMs.
In the meantime, Astaro has been introducing an array of latest security appliances. A few days back, the company has introduced ‘Astaro Security Gateway Version 8’ in the Indian market. This major release comes with several new features and general improvements, providing SMB as well as enterprises with comprehensive protection. “Like SMBs (Small and Medium Businesses), enterprises search for a security solution that saves time and money and they like the idea of integrated functionality,” said Gert Hansen, Vice President Product Management at Astaro. “But most UTM solutions lack functionality that is essential for the enterprise segment, like in the areas of revision and compliance. The new version 8 of the Astaro Security Gateway addresses these needs.” Version 8 of the Astaro Security Gateway is the new platform that lays the foundation for further innovations made by Astaro,” added Hansen. “It is a major step for us and our customers, offering the basis for many new developments that are yet to come. The next big news will be the release of a new subscription called ‘Astaro Web Application Security’ later this month”, said he.
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