A firewall protects a network by filtering data entering and exiting the system. It also enables a well-trained IT team to control the level of protection. A firewall monitors and analyzes data passing through the network using pre-established rules and filters. It can be easily configured and managed by an IT staff member.
Default Deny access control policy
The Default Deny access control policy in securing a firewall involves specifying which traffic is allowed and which is denied. Therefore, it is vital to understand how to use this security feature effectively. You want to allow certain types of traffic on specific ports while blocking others. For example, a company web server should be allowed to receive requests on ports 80 and 443, which are used for legitimate email traffic.
The Default Deny access control policy defaults in a firewall security configuration. This prevents users from gaining access to resources without authorization. Some systems are set to allow all traffic, which is not always the most effective strategy.
Limitations of traditional firewalls
Traditional firewalls have several limitations. They do not protect your entire network and can cause speed degradation. They also slow down as more protection services are added, while NGFWs are unaffected by this. NGFWs have a high throughput and can deliver granular policy control. They examine the data part of incoming packets and look for anything that may be illegal or meet predefined criteria.
Generally, firewalls implement one of two policy types. The first design policy limits access to a site from the internet, while the second policy allows access to specific systems. The latter approach may enable users to access internal hosts but requires advanced authentication.
Limitations of next-generation firewalls
The strengths of next-generation firewalls over traditional firewalls are many, but there are also some limitations. First, next-generation firewalls process more packets than conventional firewalls, which can reduce network performance. Second, next-generation firewalls may not integrate well with existing management platforms. That can complicate management and increase costs. Nevertheless, next-generation firewalls offer actionable intelligence that traditional firewalls cannot match.
Next-generation firewalls typically offer a variety of capabilities, including network address translation, packet filtering, and stateful inspection. They may also include virtual private network support. Gartner recommends leveraging threat intelligence alongside next-gen firewalls.
Benefits of Firewall as a Service
Firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) security services are cloud-based firewalls that operate on a provider’s cloud infrastructure. They enable businesses to reduce costs and complexity by eliminating the need to purchase firewall hardware, manage patches and policy updates, and coordinate outage windows. The cloud platform also enables complete network traffic visibility and eliminates the need for firewall administrators to maintain multiple firewalls.
Firewall as a Service takes the functionality of a next-generation firewall (NGFW) to the cloud. This decouples security functionality from the physical infrastructure and allows businesses to connect remote offices and workers through a secure connection. In addition, NGFWs are more comprehensive than traditional firewalls, preventing lateral threat movement, detecting attempted cyberattacks, and monitoring network performance.
Scalability of Firewall as a Service
Scalability is one of the most important factors when choosing a firewall. The right firewall solution will not only protect your network from intrusion but also support the amount of bandwidth you require. While firewall throughput is a critical metric, other features should also be evaluated. If you need high throughput for VPN connections, for example, the firewall you select must handle the amount of traffic coming in and out of the VPN connection.
There are many types of firewalls, including hardware and virtualized ones. Hardware firewalls are usually static, but virtual firewalls can be scaled up or down based on business needs. This feature can make it easier to manage the firewall as needed without the hassles associated with managing multiple hardware devices. In the cloud environment, firewalls should be able to respond automatically to incoming traffic and scale with the workload.
