With the increasing complexity and volume of cybersecurity threats nowadays, companies require strong solutions to safeguard their data and digital assets. One staple of any organization's network security arsenal is a firewall. But in a constantly changing threat landscape, some firewalls work better than others. The next-generation firewall (NGFW) is one such solution that has gained traction recently.
However, not all NGFWs are created equal. This article will delve into NGFW cyber security, the features of next-generation firewalls, and the benefits they hold compared to the traditional firewall. So, read along to learn about its hacks and get your business thriving without worries about network security threats.
Meaning of a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)
An NGFW cyber security is a security mechanism used for processing network traffic and also applying the rules to prevent potentially harmful traffic. Usually, the NGFWs evolve through the functionalities of traditional firewalls. They powerfully do the function of firewalls.
The latest generation of firewalls with the next 'G' is now prevalent in the form of NGFWs. NGFWs serve the DPI (Deep packet inspection) function to view the content of data units at a deeper level. Thus, a network manager gets more flexibility by creating more detailed stipulations based on certain types of transmitted data, applications, various devices, and users. Among other defensive mechanisms, firewalls are one of the oldest. They date back to the 1980s.
These early firewalls were essential to the development of cyber security and provided a solid platform for later, more sophisticated technologies. Next-generation firewalls are the more sophisticated and secure kind of firewall available today, surpassing the second and third generations that followed.
What are next-generation firewall features?
Although the specifications of a next-generation firewall differ from provider to provider, they typically incorporate one or more of the following features:
Application awareness, or the capacity to apply sophisticated rules and filter traffic depending on the application: One essential component of next-generation firewalls is having more control over specific applications, they can prohibit traffic coming from particular ones.
Deep packet inspection: This technique is being widely used to mainly search for more detailed information. Compared to conventional firewall technology, which examines a packet's IP header to ascertain its source and destination, deep-packet inspection is an advance.
Intrusion prevention system: This helps keep an eye out for harmful behavior on the network and stops before it causes harm. This monitoring might be policy-based, which aims at stopping the activity that goes against security policies; signature-based, which helps in matching activity to signatures of known threats; or anomaly-based, which detects any unusual behavior.
High performance: It enables the firewall to continuously monitor a sizable volume of network traffic. The NGFW cyber security elements have higher processing times and excellent performance, which is essential to prevent company processes from being interfered with.
Next-generation firewalls may have other functionalities like antivirus and malware protection in addition to these fundamental ones. They could also be set up as a cloud-based service, which offers scalability and simpler management. When using FWaaS, resources scale dynamically to match processing demand, and the firewall software is maintained by the service provider. This relieves enterprise IT personnel of the strain of managing upgrades, patches, and scaling.
The benefits of a next-generation firewall
Next generation firewalls could be the answer to all your network security woes. Here are the benefits it has:
Provide a strong and reliable security
Compared to traditional firewalls, next-generation firewalls offer far stronger and more reliable security. The capabilities of traditional firewalls are restricted. While they can block traffic over a single port, they are unable to apply rules relevant to a particular application, guard against malware, or identify and stop unusual activity.
Because of this, attackers can avoid detection by connecting through a port that is not conventional, something that a next-generation firewall would stop.
The NGFW cyber security firewalls can defend against a wide range of sophisticated threats because of their context-awareness and capacity to receive updates from external threat intelligence networks. They can even employ intelligent automation to maintain security policy updates without the help of busy IT staff.
Simplified security infrastructure
The next-generation firewalls provide a simplified security infrastructure that is less expensive and easier to update, maintain, and manage. They use a single reporting system to record events and integrate many security measures into one solution. The option of keeping up with numerous security products raises the risk of security breaches and adds to the workload of IT personnel.
Protection against viruses and malware
Through NGFW cyber security, excellent security, antivirus, ransomware, and spam protection to safeguard the data of your business are provided. Using these firewalls saves you time and effort, but it also facilitates the detection and management of cyber threats.
Amazingly, these antivirus and malware protections are automatically updated whenever new threats are discovered. This limits the applications that can run on it, which further decreases attacks. It also checks for risks provided by unidentified apps as well as any confidential data breaches in all approved apps which helps to minimize bandwidth use from the unnecessary traffic.
Implementing role-based access
The new generation firewalls are inherently capable of detecting the user's identity. Also, it can work to restrict access for an individual or group and function with various user roles. This way, an organization can set up role-based access to specific sections of their data and content with the aid of this capability. Companies may also choose to share some of their data with the public while keeping the confidential data private.
Improved network speeds
Every additional protection layer that regular firewalls provide increases the possibility of a system getting clogged. Despite the claims from traditional firewall providers, network speeds may be reduced drastically if proper precautions aren't implemented. NGFWs guarantee consistency throughout regardless of the number of services it provides. You don't have to sacrifice quality or speed of connection to get the best security.
Conclusion
The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving. Therefore, the NGFW cyber security is the main deal to safeguarding the organization's data and its network infrastructure. The advanced solutions enable businesses to be a step ahead of emerging cyber threats.
About Us: CubixTech Integration is a managed security service provider for cloud security, cybersecurity, and network & infra security. It has its headquarters in Pune. It offers its services to India and globally with 70% of Fortune 100 biggest firms. CubixTech Integration has deployed its services to over 17 countries and has partnered with top companies like F5 USA’s company.
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