Firewalls operate by enforcing a set of rules set by a system administrator. These rules block specific things on the network that you don’t wish your users to see. With good enough rulesets running at high speeds, you can make sure that you block over 99% of any incoming threats without them ever even reaching you.
Ransomware, Malware, Zero-days, and any other that may come to mind are all taken into consideration by highly specialized experts who have spent countless hours making sure that you are as protected as you can be against these threats and more. No longer will you have to worry about employee incompetence or a hacker penetrating your defenses, instead rest easy knowing that you are secure and borderline impenetrable from any vector of attack.
This is especially important now considering that many people are working from home and that this trend only seems to be increasing. How do you make sure that everyone is accounted for and doesn’t become a liability? A strong firewall is your answer and we have some excellent picks for you.
The Best Next-Gen Firewalls
1. Check Point’s SASE FWaaS – GET DEMO
Check Point’s SASE, formerly Perimeter 81, offers Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) meaning that you can get the full capacity of a next-gen firewall on the cloud, without requiring any of the hardware. This way you can completely eliminate the need for those appliances within your business, instead of relying on someone else to manage that aspect for you with guaranteed stability and security.
You also have the added benefit of having a centralized overview of all of your security features and can also enforce global security policies over all users and resources easily. Any traffic from any source within your network is routed through the FwaaS platform, making sure that you have no exploitable gaps and are fully covered. Most importantly it is incredibly easy to set up and get going. It is as simple as logging into a web panel, inputting the adequate information for the traffic you want to be protected, and that’s it. No more fooling around, no tedious setups and hours of troubleshooting, instead you just get the service, hassle-free. The fact that it is a Firewall as a Service also means that it is a deal for remote workers as well since they can then easily browse the web from any device and get the same level of protection as if they were at the office. It also features additional encryption protocols such as IPSec and SSL, creating a secure connection between the devices and network resources, allowing for a multi-layered approach to security. You can also add additional layers to this security with 2FA (Two-factor Authentication), automatic Wi-Fi protection across mobile devices, single sign-on, and more. If you’re looking for a zero-trust-based FWaaS solution for your business, then Check Point’s SASE might be the one for you. Access a free demo.
2. Juniper Networks SRX Series
The Juniper Networks SRX Series Firewalls help you protect your offices, branches, data centers, et cetera. The firewalls are available in virtual and physical forms and they’re both managed by the Juniper Security Director Cloud. This allows for a streamlined, unified experience that also allows for consistent security policies for hybrid networks.
We will cover a few of them here so let us start with the virtual forms first, one of which is the vSRX Virtual Firewall. The vSRX Virtual Firewall operates at speeds up to 100 Gbps and is intended to work with cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and more. The advanced threat protection keeps you secure with features such as malware sandboxing, and threat intelligence feeds, and they provide you with Encrypted Traffic Insights to detect any malware that may be hidden within the encrypted traffic. It supports SDN and NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) through integration with third-party SDN (Software-Defined Networking) solutions and Contrail. There is also the option of automating your management with tools such as REST APIs, Vagrant, Ansible, and NETCONF.
For the physical variants, you have many different ones to choose from, for example, the SRX1500 is ideal for branches and campuses, being able to handle them with ease while something like the SRX5800 Firewall would be ideal for large data centers that handle large amounts of data.
3. Forcepoint NGFW
Forcepoint NGFW helps you achieve next-gen firewall capabilities by leveraging SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) which enables high availability. It is functional on broadband, on-premise dedicated lines, and wireless. The built-in secure SD-WAN allows you to enforce global rules across your entire platform with ease, streamlining compliance and making sure that everything is covered.
Speaking of, you also have a central console that lets you oversee everything with ease as well, the crystal clarity and 360-degree visibility lets you act upon any risks before they even become a problem. Using that console, you can also cut down on redundant tasks using advanced automation, effectively reducing your total overall costs. Forcepoint features both virtual and physical appliance models for you to use within your network architecture.
4. Sophos XG Series
Sophos XG offers firewalls at every price point while also maximizing protection without any compromise. It achieves this by utilizing high-performance, multi-core CPUs for deep-packet inspection with the Xstream Flow Processor for intelligent application acceleration. It exposes any hidden risks such as suspicious traffic and advanced threats. This way you can rest assured that you don’t have any flaws in your security that can be exploited.
Sophos also leverages deep learning capabilities to protect you from any cutting-edge intrusions as well, making sure that you’re always still one step ahead. If any compromised systems do end up being infected, the automatic threat response will instantly isolate them to stop it from spreading. If you have a large number of employees that are working from home, then this might be the solution for you.
5. SonicWall Next-Generation Firewall TZ Series
SonicWall incorporates SD-WAN and Zero-Touch deployment capabilities to make sure you are covered as securely and quickly as possible. They feature a single-pane-of-glass centralized overview that scales easily and intuitively with any environment. They also feature real-time SSL/TLS Decryption and Inspection, making sure you’re always monitoring your traffic, as well as providing TLS 1.3 support.
You also have optional PoE (Power over Ethernet) and Wi-Fi options which are integrated with SonicOS, allowing for an integrated gateway security solution. Sonicwall overall provides you with excellent threat protection at incredibly fast speeds without making any compromise when it comes to performance. The TZ firewalls offer redundant power, expandable storage, SonicExpress App onboarding, and many more.
6. Fortinet FortiGate (7000 series)
The FortiGate 7000E Series allows for incredibly high performance that scales well across hybrid infrastructure without making any compromises. It features ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) within the Next-Gen Firewall solution to automatically verify, control, and facilitate user access to applications. This allows for a smooth and more importantly, safe experience overall.
Fortinet has also developed an advanced operating system called FortiOS which allows you to maximize your performance within networking and security. It powers all FortiGate deployments regardless if they’re physical or virtual, a cloud service, or as a container. This in turn allows for a far simple interface for hybrid infrastructure, allowing for global policy shaping and universal consolidation. It is also the thing that allows for its vast scalability potential, making sure you can cover every aspect of your business. There is also the AI-Powered Security FortiGuard which uses its deep learning and advanced insights to stay one step ahead of any cutting-edge threats that you may come across in real-time.
7. Cisco Firepower Series
Ciscos’ Firepower Series Next-Gen Firewall allows you to protect businesses of all sizes. They offer lots of variety and versatility when it comes to their product, making sure that everyone’s needs are met. Take the 1000 Series for example, it allows you to protect medium and small-sized businesses with the security of a more expensive product except it’s priced reasonably without making any compromises.
They’re easy to set up and manage, regardless if you’re on-premises or on the cloud. The fanless design, Power over Ethernet, and the desktop form factor also allow you to power up the devices quietly from your desk. You also have various different features such as using the Snort 3 IPS engine to detect threats faster and run more rules without having a significant impact on the performance or being able to see threats within your traffic without decrypting all of it. Pair that up with its zero-trust practicality, making sure that it is cost-effective with its micro segmentations and app security interactions and you have a very well-rounded tool.
8. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers you security for any type of network you can imagine, on-premises, cloud, hybrid, multi-cloud, it has it all covered in an intuitive and comprehensive way that unifies them all into a singular panel. It also features Advanced Threat Protection that is hosted on the cloud to detect and block threats, including ransomware attacks and zero-days.
Barracuda’s global threat intelligence network is also impressive, allowing for threat collection from millions of sources across the globe covering all angles of attack including but not limited to website attacks, web browser attacks, networks, and email. When a threat is identified, that information is shared with all other security solutions to make sure that the same threat can never infiltrate any other firewall again, allowing for a self-improving and unified approach. You can connect multiple locations and clouds with their SD-WAN, making it an excellent option if you have many remote workers, distributed sites, or multiple clouds.
Summary
We have covered many options here ranging from small businesses to large enterprises. Using a firewall to cover your network can be imperative when it comes to making sure you face no breaches or ransomware, as it can be incredibly costly, far more so than simply investing in adequate protection.