What Is a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)

The Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) is an advanced third-generation firewall technology with updated security features. It combines traditional and advanced firewall capabilities to provide excellent security against cybersecurity threats.

Traditional firewalls work on layers 3 and 4 of the OSI model, but the NGFW has the capabilities to work at even layers 7. This firewall not only blocks unwanted traffic but also inspects data packets to prevent attacks. Here, we will discuss the Next-Generation Firewall in detail. Let’s get in!

Features of a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Next-Generation Firewall is an advanced firewall system with many capabilities. Here are some key features of a Next-Generation Firewall:

Deep-packet Inspection

One of the main features of NGFW is deep-packet inspection. Traditional firewalls focus only on the outer layer of data packets, while the next-generation firewall inspects the deeper layers as well. It checks the original content of the data to find any malicious virus or security threat.

High Performance

Next-generation firewall technology provides high performance. It carefully inspects your network without compromising its speed and performance. This advanced technology is designed with the user experience in mind, so it can handle large amounts of data without interrupting the network speed.

Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)

Next-generation firewall technology also features an Intrusion Prevention system. This system carefully monitors the network traffic and looks for any suspicious activities. If it finds any security threat, it takes immediate action to prevent the attack. This feature adds an extra layer of security to the network.

To understand how IPS works, knowing how IP addresses are used to identify and filter traffic is essential. If you need more information on your IP address, you can easily find it out by visiting whatismyip.

Types of Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)

The three types of Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) are:

Hardware NGFWs

Hardware NGFWs are physical devices built to protect businesses’ on-site infrastructure. They are easy to install and set up. This type of firewall is mostly used by large businesses or organizations that need high network security.

Virtual NGFWs

Virtual NGFWs are software-based firewalls that work on virtual machines. This type of firewall technology does not need a physical hardware system and is best for companies using virtual systems. The Virtual NGFWs feature high performance and can be easily scaled to meet the changing business needs.

Cloud-based NGFWs

Cloud-based NGFWs deliver third-party firewall services to protect the cloud environment and services. This type of NGFW provides the same protection as hardware or virtual firewalls, but it is specially designed for cloud-based services.