Technology moves at a rapid rate, we all know that. It can be difficult to keep pace with the latest updates available on the market. As the opportunities to do business together continue to expand with the range of products on offer, so does the threat to your network security. Understanding the risks of trading online and preparing your organisation adequately, are some of today’s most important issues facing IT departments. A vital part of the arsenal against cyber-attacks are next gen firewalls from vendors such as Palo Alto networks, whose technologies enable customers to protect their users and systems in our Digital Age.
If you are unsure exactly what a next generation firewall (NGFW) is and why your organisation should have one, read on to learn more as we break down some of its features in this article.
Comparing the old versus the new
To provide some context, it is helpful to understand what a traditional firewall is and how its next generation cousin differs from it. Previously, firewalls were only capable of policing internet traffic in and out of a network. Data was directed based upon its source and destination IP addresses, along with the port and protocol. A device that worked on these principles was known as a ‘stateful firewall’. So called because it delivered a stateful inspection of the network traffic which passed through it.
At that time traffic was defined as a flow, against which rules could be enforced and policies made based upon the behaviours. This worked effectively in the early days of the internet to protect corporate networks, systems and data from malicious intrusion. As the online world developed over the next few decades, the sophistication and types of attack grew also.
The next generation firewall took all the elements of its traditional predecessor and then built in additional capabilities to withstand modern threats. This enabled awareness at the application layer, to see dangerous apps and include strategies to combat evolving security risks. IT teams became able to create precise rules for an application, instead of the port number and IP address. This was a new way of doing things and allowed the drilling down into a deeper level to identify a far wider range of risks, as well as evolving threats.
How to meet modern cyber threats head on
As vendors, such as Palo Alto networks, responded to the new era of the internet, it gave rise to the next gen firewalls that are in use today. The complete inspection of the contents of a data packet, as opposed to only the header of previous times, allowed security teams to block, re-route or log packets accordingly. This offered a very effective way of preventing significant security hacks, such as denial or service and some types of malware. This protection is vital for modern business to keep up with cyber warfare techniques. To ensure that your organisation is adequately protected, speak with an experienced IT services company to get the best advice that meets your needs and budget.
