Why a Next Generation Firewall is Essential
If your organization is operating behind last year’s firewall, you are not protected. Don’t believe us?
Traditional networks were like a snake eating its tail; they had a beginning, middle and an end in a closed loop of sorts. Today all kinds of digital devices are accessing your network from anywhere there’s an internet connection. This means your in-house IT team is dealing with a whole host of new security threats. All it takes is one look at tomorrow’s headlines for the latest data breach to figure out that yesterday’s firewalls aren’t doing a great job at mitigating the risk of companies like Equifax, Yahoo!, or Uber. If some of the biggest companies on the planet (JP Morgan Chase, Anthem – need we go on?) are failing to keep their in-house data secure, it calls into question both on-premise networks and the IT teams that run them.
As these threats are evolving, companies are looking to solutions that can shield their network of ever-increasing endpoints. Among the various cyber security solutions available, you will find next-generation firewalls that, according to Gartner, have, “integrated deep packet inspection, intrusion detection, application identification and granular control.”
What Problems Can a Next-Generation Firewall Solve?
“Firewalls have become ubiquitous across enterprises over the past decade, but the combination of new and varied access methods combined with increasingly sophisticated attacks has forced network operators and security professionals to constantly evaluate their defenses.”
Network World
There are three primary areas why next-generation firewalls make sense in today’s hyper-digital environment:
1. Application Monitoring
HP says 84% of hacker breaches occur at the application level. Having application-level control is crucial to stay ahead of these risks. This is granular control down to user-specific rules by application.
2. Mobile Device Controls
2018 is the year of “mobile-first;” user activity on mobile devices and applications will far outpace any other type of digital usage. But these applications are filled with potential vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit. According to HP, 77% of mobile apps have these vulnerabilities.
3. Revolving Environments
Any organization housing data that hackers consider important is at risk. As the volume of our data captured increases, the more attractive we become to hackers. We must monitor advanced persistent threats (APTs), borderless networks, and enterprise risk environments. Traditional firewalls simply cannot keep up with collecting, storing, and analyzing activity data within a network that has no walls.
What to Look for in a Next-Generation Firewall
Network World suggests that a next-generation firewall include some of the following features:
- Intrusion prevention systems
- Deep packet inspection
- SSL inspection
Red River offers our customers a full cyber security suite of products including advanced next-generation firewall protection from Cisco Meraki. The firewall made Gartner’s latest Magic Quadrant as a best in class security solution for any business. We combine this next-generation product with a secure Internet gateway, NextGen Antivirus protection, and security awareness training that will help protect your organization from what’s next on the hacker’s radar. Contact Red River today to discuss how these tools can keep your data safe.
