In recent years, many smarter solutions, tools and alternatives have been developed in the field of technology, which have allowed businesses in all types of sectors to bring more optimization to their processes and standards. However, this digital transformation also increased the vulnerabilities suffered in terms of security , making the tools used become obsolete. And it was in this sense that NGFW – Next Generation Firewall – was developed.
Due to its modernity and functionality, it has become one of the most important tools when it comes to information security within companies. There were several factors that contributed to the increased need for more efficient resources, such as:
- The advancement of cloud technology ;
- The growth of remote work;
- Network traffic;
- The emergence of new scams and threats;
- Between others.
As much as resources and tools bring more intelligence to tasks, they also provide cybercriminals with more points of vulnerability and opportunities to apply cyber scams. For this reason, counting on the help of NGFW can provide more security and protection for the information that is stored , manipulated and transmitted by companies.
The advent of the General Data Protection Law – LGPD, also demonstrated how the protection and confidentiality of certain data should be a priority for companies. As many businesses deal with sensitive data from customers, suppliers and partners, it is essential to have all the security tools that help protect this data .
But how can NGFW be applied to your business? First, we need to understand how it works in practice.
What is NGFW?
Also known as Next Generation Firewall, NGFW was a tool developed to protect and resolve cyber threats, from simple to more complex. Acting at the application level and with the help of optimized security features , NGFW can perform a huge number of tasks, such as:
- Packet filtering;
- State inspection;
- Traffic monitoring;
- Among other functions.
Below are the main advantages of this tool:
Packet filtering
One of the biggest advantages is that this feature can perform packet filtering up to the seventh layer, being an even more efficient tool than previous technologies , which only worked up to the fourth layer. The main features of NGFW can guarantee more security and contribute to data protection, as it can rely on a deep packet inspection system to perform efficient filtering. Packet filtering is one of the most used types of firewall in the world . Understand the differences between firewall types:
Intrusion Prevention System
By continuously scanning network traffic , this feature can identify possible malware and malicious resources , so that it can then block them. This way, the company's devices and resources remain safer and more protected against the main threats that permeate the current digital scenario.
Continuously updated intelligence against the main threats
NGFW is a tool that stays up to date with the need for intrusion protection and prevention and application control. It allows traffic blocking based on target resources and applications . Due to its high technology, NGFW is a tool that brings many benefits to companies, and in the face of the advancement of cyber threats, it can be a valuable ally.
Multilayer protection
This tool uses several layers of protection to ensure security against the main cyber threats , such as packet filtering, content analysis, policy-based identity, among others. This way, he can add more scope to the tool and help the company to always remain secure.
Ability to implement role-based access
With the help of NGFW, managers can implement different security policies, based on a user's role, position or access level. Performing identity-based authentication and integrated into the user management and authentication system , it can confirm the user's identity and access level. With this, it can deliver access management in an intelligent and effective way.
Built-in attacker prevention
We know that cyber threats evolve daily, making it necessary to find resources and tools that keep up with this evolution and provide more protection for the company. In this sense, NGFW is a complete tool for today's businesses . Using Integrated technologies, it can execute suspicious code in a neutral and isolated environment.
Monitoring for threat detection
NGFW can also be integrated with an intrusion prevention system to block potential threats before they cause any damage. One of the most interesting functions of the tool is that, through it, it is possible to consult IP reputation sources, in order to assess whether the IP addresses in the traffic are malicious.
Using intelligence to detect threats
This means that the NGFW uses, based on intelligence, access to threat information that is already known to optimize its operation and ensure that its threat detection capacity is complete and efficient. To do this , it uses information about threats that are already popular and those that are emerging in the sector, and based on this proactiveness, it increases its protection capacity.
How can the tool help your company?
As we have seen, NGFW is a complete resource that can guarantee many advantages for the business. For companies, one of its main benefits is its ability to enable the use of internet applications more securely. This provides greater productivity for users by blocking undesirable resources and applications.
By performing deep packet inspection, NGFW identifies and controls applications, regardless of their origin. Previous firewalls have security policies that block incoming connections and allow outgoing connections . Although some limits could be applied to the Firewall policy, as a rule, outgoing web traffic was allowed.
Because of this characteristic, many applications started to use the open ports available to provide greater accessibility and experience for users. NGFW, as it is a new generation resource, can provide consolidated data on all applications being used by users , allowing control to be carried out in a more assertive way.
NGFW is a tool that incorporates the best firewall, antivirus and other security solutions features, making it an efficient and intelligent solution for companies that want to increase their security. This type of resource is essential, especially in a scenario where there are more and more cyber threats surrounding data, networks, clouds, among others.
I hope there are no doubts about this tool and the importance of using robust protection on your company's internet.
Until later!
