Select and Implement a Next Generation Firewall
Vendor Evaluation
- Like most security solutions, next generation firewalls (NGFWs) are not a one-size-fits-all choice.
- Organizations can get caught up in flashy sales pitches and attractive visuals, forgetting that the important consideration for firewalls is how they work in your unique environment. It’s about use cases.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Prepare for moveable workloads. Security can’t be statically assigned. Rather, it must be able to move as your data moves. Choose a vendor that’s evolving and adapting to stay ahead.
- Use innovative data displays to build your data flow model. Unique visualizations of data (demonstrating threats, heavy bandwidth usage, which users are using which apps, and being able to click to mitigate right away) help organizations get a sense of where their data is going and what threats to prepare for.
- Throughput matters. You need to know how the solution will work with all of its features switched on. Know your traffic and scale appropriately.
Impact and Result
- Before considering an NGFW, organizations must have a strong understanding of the traffic over their network and the future needs of their organization (cloud, more bandwidth, etc.).
- NGFWs are able to handle a lot and offer a variety of features, but organizations must determine scalability and specific feature needs to prevent over- or under-engineering their firewall decision and suffering network problems as a result.
- Fortunately, today’s firewalls come in a range of throughputs and threat protection potential. The real resolution comes from conducting the appropriate requirements gathering for architecture and protection needs – cover your bases and there will be fewer instances of regret.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 7 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation 1: Launch the NGFW project and collect requirements
- Call 1: Identify organizational fit for the technology.
- Call 2: Create the project plan.
- Call 3: Plan requirements gathering steps.
Guided Implementation 2: Select an NGFW solution
- Call 1: Discuss the use-case fit assessment results and the Vendor Landscape.
- Call 2: Contract review.
Guided Implementation 3: Plan the NGFW implementation
- Call 1: Create an implementation plan.
- Call 2: Finalize success metrics.
Contributors
- Phil Cummings, NS Health
- Robert Hawk, xMatters
- Ben Castaldo, Quadcap
- Tim Vivian, Digital Boundaries
- Scott Almgren, Illinois Tool Works
- Edy Gasparini, Australia Post
- Steven Ferguson, Technical College Institute of Georgia
- Brian Honan, BH Consulting
- Andrew Bagrin, MyDigitalShield
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