Next-Generation Firewalls and How to Manage Policies in a Defense-in-Depth Architecture

In Gartner’s latest Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Network Firewalls, the research firm examines the firewall’s evolution and the necessity for incorporating next-generation capabilities. In the report, Gartner states that by the end of 2014 next-generation firewalls will account for 60% of new firewall purchases.

Today’s application-rich environment requires IT security to have application and user level visibility and control (at least in certain segments of your network). As enterprises plan new firewall projects, some security organizations are considering next-generation firewall deployment options such as implementing in conjunction with an existing traditional firewall for defense-in-depth.

While next-generation firewalls add new controls, the network typically has multiple firewall vendors and types, in addition to other security and networking devices. In recent AlgoSec research “The State of Network Security 2012“, the top challenges noted were poor internal processes (i.e. manual, error-prone, etc.) and a lack of visibility of security policies. So how can organizations get the value of NGFWs while streamlining policy management across all of the devices in the network?

This is a challenge we plan to address in a webcast we are co-hosting with our partners Palo Alto Networks and Dimension Data titled Key Policy Considerations When Implementing Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). In this webcast, which is on Tuesday, July 17 at 11am ET, we will examine next-generation firewalls and provide practical advice on how to effectively and efficiently manage policies in a multi-product and even multi-vendor, defense-in-depth architecture.

Please join us on this webcast to get answers to questions such as:

• What constitutes a next-generation firewall and what problems does it solve?
• What are the deployment options for next-generation firewalls?
• What do policies in a defense-in-depth architecture look like?
• How can you efficiently manage next-generation firewalls AND traditional firewall policies?

We look forward to seeing you next week’s webcast on Key Policy Considerations When Implementing Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs).