What Is A Nextgen Firewall?

If you're a business owner who needs access to the internet, the following covers how a nextgen firewall can help you.

As people started opening up their lives and businesses to the internet, some form of online security had to be established. Business internet had to be faster and more far-reaching, putting it in more danger of attackers. Network security was of utmost importance when the whole business communicated over the same connected network and any single hacker could use this to access personal details and finances. Steven Bellovin from Columbia University is attributed with coming up with the term ‘Firewall’ to describe a process of filtering out unwanted network traffic in the late 1980s. The name was derived from the fire safety technique of separating areas to stop fires spreading. Similarly, the idea was to insert a filter between the internal network and the broader internet to monitor and control any traffic leaving or entering. Over time, this has developed significantly and now firewalls can fulfil many purposes. Business IT support can discern which of the options is best suitable to the business as now firewalls provide intrusion detection, denial of service attack protection and other security services to protect the network.  

Firewalls are inserted, either once the business feels it is necessary or during the network installation, across the network connection, monitoring the traffic passing that point. They look for known patterns in network pocket data that signal attacks have previously occurred. Earlier packet filtering firewalls do this, but the types of firewalls and their specific method of network security have their own advantages and disadvantages, with the NextGen firewall widely considered as the best for protecting business internet. NGFWs combine packet inspection, including deep packet inspection as well as other network security systems such as intrusion detection/prevention and malware filtering. Packet inspection in traditional firewalls looks exclusively at the header of the packet, deep packet inspection looks at the actual data within the packet, reducing the chance of deceptive cyberattacks hidden within other applications. This makes the functionality of a NGFW far more successful at protecting the business network than the earlier models.

While a traditional firewall inspects network traffic, Next gen firewalls can block modern threats such as advanced malware and application-layer attacks. They include integrated intrusion prevention, application awareness and control to block potentially dangerous apps. Unlike older firewalls, NGFWs also include a path through which future updates will be received. They are also equipped to protect the business internet from advanced persistent threats. For large businesses, they are a great low-cost option as they incorporate the work of antiviruses, firewalls and other network security applications into one solution. This saves the business’ IT support time and manpower as the work is centralised and with fully integrated systems within the NGFW. In fact, next generation firewalls reduce overall maintenance time by 70% and save round 50% of the business IT support staff’s time. While the network installation is more time consuming and the initial cost is higher, NGFWs long-term benefits protect businesses and statistically reduce cyberattacks by around 80%.

With network security constantly under-threat from new and constantly changing cyberattacks, a NGFW is essential for any business. The key advantage is how flexible the firewall is, protecting all devices on the business internet as well as the wider network. The firewall should prevent any attacks to the network, but also, should the preventative measures fail, quickly detect advanced malware and destroy it before it can invade the network anymore. NGFWs do this as well as providing the business IT support with comprehensive network visibility, both automated and monitored. The current industry standard to detect a threat is between 100 and 200 days, leaving the network exposed and vulnerable for far too long. NGFWs can detect theses same threats in seconds and neutralise them within hours, securing the business before any long-term damage is done.

For anyone interested in network installation, there are many companies that offer NGFW software or hardware for your business.

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