Untangle in ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards (Learn More, Videos)

Untangle, a leader in comprehensive network security for small-to-medium businesses, state & local gov’t, educational institutions & nonprofit orgs has announced that it’s flagship product, NG Firewall, has been nominated to compete in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program.

Untangle NG Firewall, provides unified threat management (UTM) capabilities integrated with robust policy management tools that enable IT administrators to monitor, manage and control their network while also providing protection from evolving threats.

Known for simplifying network security, NG Firewall delivers enterprise-grade cybersecurity features in a package that is easy to purchase, configure, deploy and maintain.

(See a quick introduction to Untangle. Courtesy of the company and YouTube)

Recently, government agencies have been under attack from cybercriminals and hackers, including state-sponsored black hats.

For example, since 2013, hackers have hit police departments in at least seven states.

As CNBC reported, last year, five police and sheriff’s departments in Maine were locked out of their records management systems by ransomware.

Ransomware crimes on all U.S. targets are soaring.

(Eastern European hackers are hitting law enforcement agencies nationwide with so-called “ransomware” viruses that seize control of a computer system’s files and encrypt them. Courtesy of Wochit News and YouTube. Posted on Apr 26, 2016)

In just the first three months of 2016, attacks increased tenfold over the total entire previous year, costing victims more than $200 million.

Authorities stress that this number only represents known attacks. One federal law enforcement official told NBC News that the “large majority” of attacks go unreported.

While the Department of Homeland Security offers cyber-safety training to state and local governments and conducts “red team” tests on municipal systems to determine how secure they are, many government offices run outdated computer systems and are challenged by limited IT resources and cybersecurity expertise.

(Tech Insider followed a team of white hat hackers known as RedTeam Security, as they attempted to break into buildings and hack into networks, with the goal of gaining full access. And it was all much easier than you might think. Courtesy of Tech Insider and YouTube. Posted on May 11, 2016)

Furthermore, top security threats differ between federal and state and local organizations.

  • According to FCW, federal organizations are most concerned about insider threats, zero day attacks and third party or contractor risk.
  • State and local agencies are more concerned about maintaining up-to-date systems and patching against known vulnerabilities.
  • While federal organizations are likely better equipped to deal with cyber threats, state and local agencies often struggle with the cost and complexity of deploying and maintaining enterprise security solutions.

Untangle provides a cost-effective, all-in-one solution for government agencies that includes content filtering, ransomware protection, malware and advanced threat protection, application-based shaping for bandwidth optimization, and virtual private networks (VPN) in a simply powerful, affordable package.

Untangle

Government agencies can specifically benefit from these key NG Firewall features:

  • Helps meet compliance for FISMA, NERC, NIST, FIPS, CJIS, and other regulatory needs
  • Unique and granular policies for specific departmental and user access
  • Firewall, Router, IPsec VPN, Advanced Antivirus, Intrusion Prevention and Phish Blocking
  • HTTPS/SSL traffic inspection
  • Active Directory/LDAP Integration
  • Prioritize network traffic for mission-critical applications
  • Layer 7 application awareness to identify all incoming application traffic regardless of port destination
  • Stops filter avoidance
  • Prevents network slowdowns caused by any individual or group of users and applications
  • Option to provide secure Wi-Fi for public access
  • Flexibility to meet different requirements across sites:
    • From public libraries, K-12 schools, recreation centers, police and fire, city hall, airports, county/state offices and more

Simply Powerful Network Security

Untangle NG Firewall is the network security solution of choice for many state and local governments agencies.

“We have eight departments relying on Untangle for protection, with 300 devices being filtered,” David Tsuen, City of Montebello, California

My favorite feature is the Dashboard, which gives me an overview of everything happening on my network.”

(David Tsuen, Information System Managers at the City of Montebello describes how Untangle helps him manage the network at the City’s various departments and sites. Courtesy of Untangle and YouTube)

“We rely on NG Firewall to show we are compliant with multiple federal regulations, including CIPA, CJIS, PCI and NIST,” said Devin Allman, Lancaster County, South Carolina.

“With limited security in place, I was cleaning up spam and viruses everyday,” shared Tom Rickard, City of Bridgeton, Missouri. “As soon as I installed NG Firewall, the spam and viruses stopped.” 

“The Firewall, Web Filter, Virus Blocker, Phish Blocker and Spam Blocker applications work in the background to protect the network from hackers as well as malware, phishing schemes, and spam,” explains Les Keller, Clay County Sheriff’s Department, North Carolina.

“Application Control had sensible defaults that worked out of the box.”

“When I was ready to implement our own policies, I was able to quickly and easily configure which apps we want blocked and flagged.”

Untangle for State & Local Governments

(Looking for an all-in-one solution? Join this Introduction to Untangle webinar to see how NG Firewall gives small-to-medium businesses, schools, nonprofits and government organizations visibility into and control over their internet traffic. Courtesy of Untangle and YouTube)

The adoption of mobile technology has rapidly increased following the Executive Order mandating government agencies streamline the delivery of services to lower costs, decrease delivery times, and improve the customer experience.

2016 ‘ASTORS’ Platinum Award Winning Mobile Technology Device of the year — Pryme’s BTH-300-KU Bluetooth Microphone Kit, in 8 different versions all with built-in wireless PTT - Pryme iPhone Compatible Bluetooth Accessories Optimize Kodiak Broadband Push-To-Talk Solutions for Industries Worldwide
Image of Pryme’s BTH-300-KU2016, ‘ASTORS’ Platinum Award Winning Mobile Technology Device of the year

To meet this directive, government agencies are moving to an IT infrastructure where data is accessible to users on any device of their choice.

This requires network administrators to make the shift from securing devices to securing the data itself.

This is paramount as not doing so puts identifiable information such as name, address, birth date and Social Security Number at risk.

With Untangle, government agencies can cost-effectively protect data and limit access to only authorized users.

Network administrators can build a safe and secure environment with granular visibility and control over their network.

Untangle Award Recognition

NG Firewall has been named the 2017 Best Network Security Solution in the 32nd annual Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Awards.

Untangle CodieNG Firewall delivers a comprehensive solution for content filtering, malware and threat protection, secure Wi-Fi, application control, bandwidth optimization, virtual private networks and more.

Untangle combines Unified Threat Management (UTM)—to address all of the key network threats—with policy management tools that enable administrators to monitor, manage and shape internet traffic.

NG Firewall’s fully customizable, industry-leading reports provide administrators an unprecedented level of insight into what’s happening on their networks across all applications by user, group, time of day and more.

Judges specifically called out the superior ease-of-use of the NG Firewall solution:

  • “Excellent ease of use”
  • “Simple install”
  • “Clean UX/UI”
  • “Built for SMB, but has the full set of enterprise firewall features”; “Robust feature set well presented”
Scott Devens, chief executive officer at Untangle
Scott Devens, chief executive officer at Untangle

“Untangle is dedicated to building the single best network security solution for the below-enterprise market,” said Scott Devens, chief executive officer at Untangle.

“The recognition from the SIIA organization and CODiE award judges is further confirmation that NG Firewall is unparalleled for completeness and ease of use.”

“Simplifying network security has been Untangle’s core mission since its inception, and we will continue to innovate and provide our customers with solutions that protect, monitor and control their networks in the face of evolving threats.”

Ken Wasch, President, SIIA
Ken Wasch, President, SIIA

“SIIA’s 2017 Business Technology CODiE Awards recognize the companies that are at the forefront of business innovation,” said Ken Wasch, President, SIIA.

“These companies are shaping the future of how we conduct business, and it is truly an honor to recognize these products through the CODiE Awards.”

Untangle has also been named a Silver winner for Small or Medium Business Product of the Year by the Best in Biz Awards 2017 International, and the won the 2017 SIAA Codie Award for Best Network Security Solution

A complete list of Awards Untangle NG Firewall has won is available at https://www.untangle.com/company-overview/awards/

Untangle in 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program

The 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, is organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of Physical, IT, Port Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, (Fire, EMT, Military, Support Services Vets, SBA, Medical Tech) as well as the Federal, State, County and Municipal Government Agencies – to acknowledge their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’

As an ‘ASTORS’ competitor, Untangle’s NG Firewall will be competing against the industry’s leading providers of Innovative Network Security Solutions.

American Security Today will be holding the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon at 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m, Wednesday, November 15th at ISC East, the Northeast’s largest security industry event, in the Jacob Javits Exhibition Center in New York City.

At ISC East you will have the chance to meet with technical reps from over 225 leading brands in the security industry, allowing you to find out about new products and stay ahead of the competition.

Encompassing everything from Video Surveillance and Access Control to Smart Home Technologies and Unmanned Security, you’re sure to find products and services that will benefit your company and clients.

ASTORS HSA 2017Good luck to Untangle on becoming a Winner of the 2017 American Security Today’s Homeland Security Awards Program!

To learn more about the Untangle, please visit the company’s website at https://www.untangle.com/.