This post is part of a blog series where we dive into the five critical mistakes to avoid when evaluating a next-generation firewall. Avoid these, and you’ll be well on your way to picking the right next-generation firewall.
How will you know if the NGFW you’re considering is the right one for your organization? The safest bet is to test it. But when evaluating and selecting a new NGFW, there are some common mistakes security professionals often make. One of these critical mistakes is highlighted in detail below, along with insight and recommendations to help you avoid the blunder.
Mistake #3: Buying In to NGFW Roadmap Features and Promises
Purchasing a firewall based on the promise of future roadmap features is extremely risky. First, there is always a high probability timelines will slip, in turn affecting business development, innovation, and execution of projects and initiatives in progress. Second, there is no guaranteeing the stability, maturity or functionality of upcoming features before significant testing. New features may also require major operating system version upgrades across all firewalls and connected management devices, the complexity of which can outweigh the benefits. Third, the mergers and acquisitions portfolio can largely influence a vendor’s product strategy and roadmap, and you may not necessarily be given insight into this.
Instead, you should evaluate your organization’s next firewall purchase as part of a trusted and tested platform, verifying that core, required features are available at the time of purchase. Furthermore, you’ll benefit from selecting a natively engineered next-generation firewall that can be easily updated with new, comprehensive threat information, data analysis and signatures. This way, performance and security can be upheld and enforced.
To avoid buying in to NGFW roadmap features and promises, while also ensuring maximum performance, security and ROI, run a proof of concept (POC) in your organization. A POC allows you to accurately test next-generation firewalls, their affiliated services and subscriptions – either on their own or against one another – in your actual, operational IT environment, whether it is physical, virtual or a hybrid.
For more critical mistakes to avoid when evaluating a next-generation firewall, download the white paper: 5 Critical Mistakes When Evaluating a Next-Generation Firewall.