Understanding the different types of firewalls is the first step toward comprehensive security for various use cases
Firewalls have been the tried-and-true method for keeping enterprise data secure for years. Still, they have had to adapt to accommodate more application-specific and cloud-based technologies. Along with next-generation firewalls (NGFW), cloud-delivered security solutions such as Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) and hybrid mesh firewall have emerged to protect modern networking architectures. But how do the different types of firewalls differ from one another?
Keep reading to explore the evolution of firewalls — where they started, where they’re heading, and the benefits of having a unified solution in place for streamlined security across distributed sites.
The evolution of firewalls
Firewalls have advanced significantly over the past decade to keep up with the changing demands of enterprise networks and more sophisticated attacks. With more interconnected systems, networks of IoT devices, and a burgeoning remote workforce, these expanding attack surfaces make businesses especially vulnerable to attacks. The best solution? A firewall that can protect multiple environments, whether through the cloud or on-premises.
What is a traditional firewall?
Traditional firewalls were among the first successful attempts at monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing traffic on a network. Think of a traditional firewall as a security guard at the entrance of a building that monitors the location and denies those who don’t have permission to enter.
These firewalls focus on inspecting traffic at the network and transport layers and determining access decisions using criteria based on predetermined policies such as IP addresses, port numbers, and protocols. While effective at basic traffic filtering, traditional firewalls lack advanced features for making access decisions based on application parameters making it more difficult to deal with modern threats such as application-layer attacks or sophisticated malware.
What is next-gen firewall?
NGFW builds on a traditional firewall's capabilities by incorporating more advanced protections of the transport, session, presentation, and application layers within a network (as defined by the Open Systems Interconnect model). At a high level, a next-generation firewall vs. a traditional firewall goes beyond the access control list by working at the application level using intelligent, context-aware security features.
NGFW typically includes application awareness and intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS). These features allow every packet to be parsed and compared to signatures of known threats for detection and customizable preventative actions, depending on policies. Compared to its predecessors, NGFW provides more protection at more levels to combat growing threats.
How does FWaaS work?
Firewall as a Service takes a different approach to protection by delivering firewall functionality from the cloud to devices located anywhere. FWaaS is a key part of a complete Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution. Although it offers virtually the same protection as NGFW, FWaaS leverages cloud infrastructure to deliver firewall capabilities as a service instead of relying on physical firewall appliances or on-premises software, which can become an expensive and logistical nightmare.
This means organizations can protect devices worldwide using cloud-delivered firewall capabilities, saving the expenses and manpower required to implement local firewalls in every location. IT administrators can then manage and configure their firewall policies using a centralized cloud-based management tool, eliminating the need for physical hardware maintenance and reducing the complexity of managing distributed firewall deployments.
What is a hybrid mesh firewall?
As the name suggests, a hybrid mesh firewall takes a hybrid approach to security by supporting and delivering firewalls in multiple form factors, including on-premises and router-based firewalls, firewalls deployed in virtual machines and containers, FWaaS, service gateway firewalls, and more. Simply put, it’s a unified platform with the ability to secure distributed sites and offer on-premises protection with form factors to ease deployment for enterprises.
Hybrid mesh firewalls allow enterprises to deploy myriad types and locations of firewalls with centralized management through a single dashboard.
Deploying a hybrid mesh firewall
If an enterprise needs to protect its data center with on-premises firewalls, and also wants to protect remote workers using FWaaS, network administrators can use a hybrid mesh solution to deploy and manage all firewalls from a single platform for greater efficiency.
However, hybrid mesh firewalls do not typically work across multiple vendors unless API integrations are available. In some cases, firewalls in multiple form factors from the same vendor can’t be managed from a single pane of glass. This means that in many cases, enterprises may want to consider upgrading old firewalls to those that align with their hybrid solution to optimize operations and future-proof their network.
The benefits of using FWaaS in a hybrid mesh solution
Growth is a natural part of business, but security becomes an issue as more companies expand their remote workers and locations. With FWaaS, enterprises can scale to protect thousands of users and adjust security policies without requiring physical equipment upgrades. This not only reduces the complexity of managing individual firewalls but also provides a cohesive security strategy that ensures protection across the entire organization.
Imagine a multinational enterprise with branch offices and remote workers spread across different regions. Each office operates independently but must securely connect to the organization's main data center and cloud resources. In this case, traditional hardware firewalls would require the IT team to deploy and manage separate boxes at each branch and for each remote worker, leading to high upfront costs, complex configurations, and potential delays in deploying new sites.
How on-premises firewalls fit into a hybrid mesh firewall solution
The magic of a hybrid mesh firewall lies in its ability to deliver multiple firewall form factors, from various environments through a single platform. While many companies are turning to cloud-based solutions, there is still an ongoing need for on-premises firewalls for data centers and other sites that require very low latency or the ability to meet certain regulatory requirements that don’t allow sensitive data to traverse the cloud. A hybrid mesh solution enables the enterprise to deliver and manage on-premises firewalls from the same management platform even if they have a mix of on-premises and cloud-delivered firewalls.