Choosing a Next Generation Firewall for a Small Office: What Datasheets Leave Out

Next generation firewall for small business offices

A basic router filters traffic by IP address and port, and that is about it. A next generation firewall (NGFW) looks deeper. It can identify applications, block intrusion attempts, filter websites and DNS, scan files for malware, apply rules by user and inspect encrypted traffic. For a small office that uses cloud apps, has staff working from home or stores customer data, that extra visibility matters.

The sizing trap

Vendor datasheets usually quote throughput with the security features switched off. Once intrusion prevention, application control, malware scanning and SSL inspection are on, real throughput is only a fraction of that number. Size the firewall for your current bandwidth plus three to five years of growth, leave headroom, and look at the threat protection figure rather than the raw firewall figure.

Questions to ask before you buy

  • What is the throughput with all security features turned on?
  • Which features stop working without an active subscription?
  • How long will the model get updates?
  • Is local support available, and how fast do they respond?
  • Can logs be exported for investigation?

After installation, change default passwords, turn on multi-factor authentication, start from deny-by-default rules and review the rules every quarter. Also plan the budget over three to five years, since yearly subscriptions and support add up.

Read the full NGFW buying and setup guide here: Next Generation Firewall for Small Business Offices

Published by Affix Center, a Mumbai-based IT services company that sizes, configures and monitors office firewalls. Learn about our cybersecurity services.

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