Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management (UTM) solutions -- also called SMB multifunction firewalls -- covers 14 companies. But we're interested to see how many of those companies have true partner programs for MSPs and full-blown MSSPs.
Side note: If you're looking for enterprise-class firewalls, that Gartner 2017 report and our MSSP partner program views are here.
First, some definitions about the UTM and SMB multifunction firewall market. According to Gartner, the market includes:
"multifunction network security products used by small or midsize businesses (SMBs). Typically, midsize businesses have 100 to 1,000 employees. UTM vendors continually add new functions on the UTM platforms, and therefore they encompass the feature set of many other network security solutions, including, but not limited to: Enterprise firewall, intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), remote access, routing and WAN connectivity, secure web gateway and secure email gateway services.For its 2017 report, Gartner examined 14 UTM and SMB multifunction firewall companies and placed them into one of four quadrants:
- Niche Players
- Challengers
- Visionaries
- Leaders.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management, SMB Firewalls: Niche Players
Here are the companies that Gartner mentioned for the niche player quadrant. Commentary is MSSP Alert’s.- Barracuda Networks: We've covered Barracuda and its MSP Solutions business (Intronis) for more than a decade. In addition to physical appliances, Barracuda has been offering free trials of its virtual appliances in Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. Also, the company has been blurring the line between backup, business continuity, storage and security. MSSP Focus: Yes
- Hillstone Networks: The company has been partnering with distributors, resellers and technology companies to expand its footprint. True believers include Mirantis, which offers Hillstone's technology as a service. More recently, Lastline and Hillstone Networks partnered to promote a malware detection system integrated with Hillstone Networks’ Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), Hillstone’s intelligent Next-Generation Firewall (iNGFW) and Hillstone’s CloudEdge solution. MSSP Focus: The company has a partner program but doesn't specifically call out MSSPs as a target audience.
- Huawei: The company has limited presence outside of China, Gartner Notes. But Huawei is making progress in other regions, such as Latin America and Middle East. MSSP Focus: Emerging. One example involves ongoing work with Black Lotus, which Level 3 acquired in July 2015. CenturyLink has since acquired Level 3.
- Juniper Networks: Juniper is well-known and well-respected in the enterprise and high-end midmarket sectors. The company also has a strong presence in the telco market. But we don't hear much about Juniper in the SMB sector. MSSP Focus: Yes, but mostly at the high-end of the market.
- Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity: Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity primarily serves German customers and has limited reach in the upper-midsize market segment, according to Gartner. MSSP Focus: Not that we've seen in the United States.
- Stormshield: Stormshield is a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space, based in France, with a strong regional focus, Gartner notes. MSSP Focus: Not that we've seen. The company's partner program focuses mainly on resellers and systems integrators.
- Untangle: Providence Strategy Growth acquired Untangle in September 2016. We've tracked the company for nearly a decade and it has developed a niche following within the IT channel. MSSP Focus: Yes.
- Venustech: Headquartered in Beijing, China, Venustech's visibility in SMB shortlists is limited to China and Japan, Gartner notes. MSSP Focus: Not that we've seen. The partner program focuses mainly on distributors and resellers.
Continue to page 2 of 2 for the Challengers, Visionaries and Leaders Quadrants.
Welcome to page 2 of 2. Here, we cover the Challengers, Visionaries and Leaders Quadrants.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management, SMB Firewalls: Challengers
Here are the companies that Gartner mentioned for the challengers player quadrant. Commentary is MSSP Alert’s.- Cisco Systems: Cisco has bet its business on security over the past year. ChannelE2E describes the overall strategy here. Acquisitions like OpenDNS (now called Cisco Umbrella) have caught on with MSPs, but SMB partners are calling for more products and services that specifically meet their customer needs. MSSP Focus: Yes.
- SonicWall: After Dell sold SonicWall to private equity owners, SonicWall immediately regained credibility as a pure channel company. The company in March 2017 launched a major branding campaign while also accelerating R&D to better meet the needs for VARs, MSPs and MSSPs. Talk to Channel Chief Steve Pataky, and he's outspoken about the role MSPs and MSSPs will play going forward. MSSP Focus: Yes.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management, SMB Firewalls: Visionaries
Here are the companies that Gartner mentioned for the visionaries player quadrant. Commentary is MSSP Alert’s.- WatchGuard: Based in Seattle, Washington, WatchGuard is a privately held network security vendor that is over 20 years old, has more than 500 employees and is well-established in the multifunction firewall market, Gartner notes. MSSP Focus: Yes.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management, SMB Firewalls: Leaders
Here are the companies that Gartner mentioned for the leaders player quadrant. Commentary is MSSP Alert’s.- Check Point Software Technologies: One of the best-known providers of firewalls, Check Point has robust high-end solutions but sometimes is late to the SMB market with targeted offerings. MSSP Focus: Yes, though Check Point itself also is an MSSP of sorts.
- Fortinet: The company has a strong presence in SMB shortlists and a strong feature/price/performance offering, which help make it a frequent choice for UTM, Gartner asserts. MSSP Focus: Yes.
- Sophos: The company has major momentum with MSPs worldwide, and refers to many of those partners as MSSPs in multiple regions. The major Sophos focus area: One vendor, one management dashboard and one partner program for MSPs. The management dashboard, by the way, is called Sophos Central. MSSP Focus: Yes.
