Next Generation Firewall Vendors (NGFWs) are helping companies formulate an effective defense against highly sophisticated hardware and software attacks. It is hard to determine the efficiency of a firewall without testing it. But the following criteria should help you thin out the herd.
Most NGFWs come with common features that most in point products have. This includes intrusion detection and prevention, Quality of Service (QoS), and application control. But NGFWs also have significant differences in offerings such as unified threat management. Let’s take 5 unique points of comparison to help you land at a perfect next-gen firewall for your business.
Pristine Performance Standard
To gain attention in the IT industry, few next-gen firewalls have begun to integrate multiple features into one common system. But doing so could result in a huge decline in performance. Using multiple features of a firewall at once does more harm than good. Buyers have to prioritize performance over security features.
A recent study indicates that out of 10 tested NGFWs, 3 had a below-average rating. That is, in terms of security effectiveness per protected megabits per second. The throughput numbers of all those tested NGFWs were significantly lower than what the company claimed.
Impressive Feature Palette
Every new generation firewall has its own features that are unique to it. SSL/SSH inspection, IDS/IPS, inline deep packet inspection, and web filtering are some of the modern features that firewalls are adapting.
A diverse feature palette like this will protect you against sophisticated intrusions and network attacks. Most NGFWs are also proposing data loss prevention (DLP). But make sure the features included in your NGFW can function as effectively as a separate program that’s meant to provide that feature.
Ease Of Access
Of course, firewalls are not going to be as easy as using a VPN. If you’d like to know more about them, read: Best Benefits of Having a VPN for Your Business. To put it in simple terms, this criterion talks about how easy it should be for you to access the firewall’s console. The user interface or the console of your firewall should have the following qualities in order to truly excel.
It should be all-inclusive without the need to shift to another point platform and extend the process. You should be able to remove the features from the dashboard that you won’t be using. The features should be easily accessible, intuitive, and incisive. There should be no visual clutter in the dashboard and you should be able to find anything you want in an instant.
Platform Availability
Unlike what you may think, firewalls are not always software-based. Next-Generation Firewalls are available in cloud-based (SaaS), hardware (appliances), software (downloadable) platforms. So irrespective of the business that you own, there is a firewall that’s ready to serve you best.
Software firewalls work best for small businesses. They are easy to use and cheap. While hardware firewalls are expensive, they are the most secure ones that are currently available. If you own a business that’s spread across a really huge territory (multi-site businesses), cloud firewalls are for you.
Competitive Pricing & Support
The prices of hardware, software, and cloud firewalls could vary somewhere around $300 to $300,000. The price would vary based on the model and vendor. Apart from what your business can and cannot afford, you should also analyze what features you would and would not use.
If you own a business that has a lot of employees working for it, you could be eligible for volume discounts. The more employees who use the service, the less it would cost per user. But this might extend the response time of your vendor since the number of service requests will now be higher. Given the importance of these firewalls, receiving instant support 24/7 is equally crucial.
Conclusion
Firewalls are essential if you are hoping to protect yourself from ransomware. If you’d like to know more about them, read this article: Follow These Steps to Avoid Losing Money From Ransomware.
It is equally important that you choose the right vendor and model. If you are relatively new to this arena, try getting help from our experts and Schedule A Free Installation as soon as possible.