These days when you search for good quality internet security, you will definitely come across the term Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW). If you dig a little bit deeper you will also come across the name Palo Alto Networks. They are a leading name in the internet security world. It takes a lot to make a name in the cybersecurity world especially keeping in mind the technologically aware world that exists today.
They claim to deliver innovation and they provide secure digital transformation. Their mission is to protect your digital life in the present and in the future. They want to work in alliance with companies to keep security threats at bay. Palo Alto Networks wants to equip companies with the ammo that is needed to deal with cybersecurity threats that can cause even big companies to collapse.
Many people don't know a lot of things related to this company so let's find out what it is all about.
Brief History
Nir Zuk created Palo Alto Networks in 2005 with the intention of solving network security issues for businesses. He was formerly working with NetScreen Technologies and Check Point. The first-ever stateful inspection firewall was primarily developed by him. The main issue that triggered him to start work on Palo Alto Networks was that he saw that most companies could not give their employees the safety to use modern software applications.
He saw the gap in the market where companies could use a firewall that was capable of giving users the safety to operate modern-day office applications.
Next-Generation Firewalls
Palo Alto Networks completed and shipped its first Next-Generation Firewall in 2007. Older firewalls relied heavily on information such as protocol and port numbers to block traffic. The creators of NGFW claimed that this newer firewall is capable of inspecting all the layers of a network stack. It is also intelligent and complex enough to block any threats without the knowledge of protocols or port numbers that are in use.
NGFWs have the full throttle of intrusion prevention systems and traditional firewalls. In addition to this, they also have support for working without interrupting network operations, application awareness, and full-stack visibility which allows for thorough detection and complete control of applications. This also enhances the intelligence of the firewall and upgrades paths.
Products Under The Palo Alto Networks Umbrella
It is a cybersecurity platform that deals with cloud security, network security, endpoint protection, etc. Following are the products that are listed on this platform's website:
Next-Generation Firewalls
This is available in different forms:
1. Physical appliance in terms of the PA series. This includes small level firewalls like the PA-220 which is mainly used by small businesses and the variants go up to the PA-7000 batch which is mainly opted by larger setups.
2. Virtualized Appliances in terms of the VM series. This allows the firewall to function like a virtual machine that can secure private clouds and virtualized data centres. It can also work with cloud environments that are public such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.
3. Streamlined cloud service under the Palo Alto Networks banner.
Panorama
This is basically a control centre for network security that can allow its users to manage a whole group of firewalls of a large magnitude such as an enterprise with a single console.
Traps
This is an endpoint protection component that is quite advanced. It is different from any run-of-the-mill antivirus software. Traps analyze the behaviour and patterns of a program to detect malware. It does not rely on signatures alone.
WildFire
This is a cloud-based service that analyzes threats. It uses bare-metal analysis, static analysis, machine learning and dynamic analysis to catch and protect against unknown threats.
All these components of Palo Alto Networks work together for a foolproof network security system. If your network is unsafe, you are open to innumerable threats. Your data will be unsafe and you will be vulnerable to hacking and stealing of company records and private information.
Traditional firewalls can only do so much. They leave a lot to be desired especially in the technologically advanced environment that prevails today. For instance, if you run an eCommerce business. Customers put in all sorts of personal data on your website when they check out their selected goods. Or at the company end, if you have software for your employees that keeps a check on their performance and job history, etc. All these things need protection.
Next Generation Firewalls are the need of the hour in terms of network security. Threats have evolved over the years and now it is the security setups that need to keep up. NGFW provides a one-stop network security solution to many companies and individuals. The firewall itself comprises many elements such as Content-ID, User-ID, App ID, WildFire, GlobalProtect and Panorama. To ensure your organisation is able to accurately and efficiently utilise its NGFWs, consider enlisting the help of an IT support service provider.
