Firewall Still Critical Tool in Network Security

The increased number of firewalls within security infrastructures has created challenges, leaving many organizations struggling with basic firewall management, according to a new report from FireMon. In its fourth annual State of the Firewall report, FireMon polled 334 C-suite executives, IT practitioners and security professionals at global companies of all sizes to understand both the state of firewall management and the impact of emerging technologies. The report found that companies planning to adopt hybrid cloud models face the potential of increased risk with network security policy management if they are not practicing basic firewall hygiene. For the vast majority of participating organizations, the firewall remains a critical tool in their overall security ecosystem. In fact, 94% said firewalls are either as critical as or more critical than they have ever been and believe the firewall will still be as critical or more critical over the next five years.