The truth about modern firewalls
Why choosing the right firewall isn’t an easy decision
Christoph Braunecker offers an expert’s perspective on what really matters when it comes to modern firewalls and why technology alone is not enough. Many businesses regularly face the question of which firewall is the right one. This may be because the existing infrastructure needs to be replaced due to its age, or because an expansion of the security architecture is necessary due to new requirements. First, it should be noted that, as is often the case with technical matters, there is no one-size-fits-all answer or solution. Choosing the right firewall depends on many factors and questions. Should the firewall serve as perimeter protection that secures both users and applications when accessing the internet? Should this protection also control the access to the company’s own services that are accessible from the internet? Or will it isolate the internal data center from the rest of the network? Perhaps the planned installation location places special demands on the hardware, such as in a production environment with high temperatures, dust formation, or an increased fire hazard?
Think first, compare later
Most businesses are now increasingly relying on cloud environments. It’s worth taking a look at how a firewall can be operated in platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, or even in a multi-cloud environment. Preferably, you should contemplate all these and other questions before taking a closer look at specific manufacturers and models. Therefore, the selection process can be simplified and accelerated. Modern firewalls are only distantly related to the simple IP packet filters of the past. Features such as TLS decryption to monitor encrypted traffic, file sandboxing to detect malware in downloads, and many other functions are now standard. This is also necessary because attackers are constantly developing new techniques. However, this also increases complexity and thus the likelihood of errors, whether due to a software defect or an unintentional misconfiguration.
“In such situations, it is important to have a reliable partner in the background – ideally, with around-the-clock availability.”
Christoph Braunecker Senior Systems EngineerSupport as a critical success factor
In addition to the firewall itself, the availability and quality of support also play a major role. Almost every IT system administrator has experienced episodes of increased heart rates because of an internet access that stopped working or because the internal file server became unavailable. In such situations, it is important to have a reliable partner in the background who can assist with troubleshooting or who can help replace a defective device – ideally, with around-the-clock availability.
Integration instead of silos
While firewalls often still play a central role in the cybersecurity architecture of businesses, they can no longer be viewed in isolation. Effective and resilient IT security relies on the fact that, on the one hand, various components are being integrated with one another, and that, on the other hand, the security alerts and data generated are being sent to a central logging and analysis system (SIEM). There, they are correlated and effectively investigated by security analysts. It is important that one carefully examines which functions a specific firewall offers and whether a seamless integration into existing infrastructures is possible. There are differences between manufacturers in this regard, which should be an important selection criterion.
Out of the box thinking
Last but not least, it’s important to think beyond the short term and consider the bigger picture. Modern approaches expand on the concept of centralized firewalls that monitor data traffic at specific points in the network. This allows for certain functionalities that were traditionally undertaken by firewalls to be implemented on other network components as well. The result is a more comprehensive control as well as a finer-grained segmentation of the network. Above all, the quality of centralized management for the administration of multiple firewalls is a key consideration.