What is Firewall as a Service (FWaaS)?

What is Firewall as a Service (FWaaS)?

Firewall as a Service is a cloud-based security solution where a third-party provider offers firewall protection and management services over the internet. Instead of having to purchase, install, and maintain firewall hardware or software yourself, you essentially rent the firewall functionality from a vendor. 

The provider handles the deployment, configuration, monitoring, and upkeep of the firewalls, which filter your network traffic based on defined security rules. You pay a recurring fee to access enterprise-grade firewall capabilities without the overhead of managing it in-house. FWaaS allows organizations to implement robust firewall defenses in a scalable and cost-effective manner without major upfront investments.

What Makes FWaaS Different from a Traditional Firewall?

Traditional firewalls and FWaaS both provide network security, but they differ in where they reside and how they’re managed. Here’s a breakdown:

Traditional Firewall:

• Location: On-premises hardware appliance or software installed on a local server.
• Management: Requires IT staff for configuration, updates, and maintenance.
• Scalability: Limited scalability as adding capacity requires buying new hardware.
• Updates: Manual updates needed, leaving a window of vulnerability.

FWaaS (Firewall as a Service):

• Location: Cloud-based, leveraging the provider’s infrastructure.
• Management: Simplified management through a web interface or API. Updates and maintenance handled by the provider.
• Scalability: Highly scalable, easily adjusting to changing network traffic demands.
• Updates: Automatic updates ensure your defenses stay current against evolving threats.

Here’s an analogy: Consider a regular firewall as a physical security guard at your building’s entrance. They’re reliable, but limited by their physical presence. FWaaS is like a sophisticated security system with remote monitoring and automatic updates, offering greater flexibility and protection.

How Does FWaaS Work? 

Basically, in a traditional setup, the firewall is an on-premises hardware appliance or software installed within the organization’s data center. It acts as a barrier between the internal network (consisting of servers, computers, and storage devices) and the internet (or other untrusted networks). 

All incoming and outgoing network traffic must pass through this firewall, which inspects the traffic based on predefined security rules. Traffic that meets the allowed criteria is permitted to pass, while potentially malicious or unauthorized traffic is blocked, protecting the internal systems and data from external threats.

But with FWaaS, you don’t have to deal with physical firewall appliances or software installed on-premises. Instead, the firewall functionality is delivered to you virtually over the internet by a third-party security provider.

The provider has their own cloud infrastructure set up with firewalls and related security tools. When you sign up for their FWaaS offering, they provision virtual firewall instances dedicated to protecting your network traffic.

These cloud-based firewalls are configured based on your organization’s specific security policies and requirements. You can define rules for allowing or blocking certain types of network traffic, applications, protocols, etc.

All your internet traffic gets routed through the provider’s firewalls before reaching your internal networks or applications. The firewalls inspect this traffic flow and apply your security ruleset to filter out any malicious or unauthorized access attempts.

The provider’s security team handles day-to-day firewall management tasks like updating rules, applying patches, monitoring for threats, and generating security reports.

You essentially offload the operational overhead to the FWaaS vendor while still retaining control over your security policies through a web console or API integration.

This cloud-delivered approach provides easy scalability – you can quickly scale up or down firewall capacity as your organization’s network requirements change.

Benefits of FWaaS: Why Modern Businesses Need It

Cost Savings

Using and keeping traditional on-premises firewalls can be very expensive, especially for small companies or ones with little IT money. FWaaS takes away the need to buy pricey hardware, software licenses, and have special IT staff to handle the firewalls. Companies only pay a monthly or annual subscription fee, making enterprise-grade security more affordable.

Scalability

When a company needs a network and security change, traditional firewalls sometimes cannot handle the new demands. But with FWaaS, companies can quickly adjust their firewall strength up or down whenever needed. They do not need to buy extra hardware or deal with complicated updates anymore. This way, companies always have the right level of protection without over-provisioning resources.

Expertise and Maintenance

Setting up and running firewalls properly needs special skills that might not be found within the team, especially for smaller groups. FWaaS providers have teams of security professionals who take care of deploying, setting up, watching over, and looking after the firewalls. This makes sure firewalls always have the latest security updates and threat information, making it easier for the internal IT team.

Centralized Management

For businesses with many locations or a scattered team, taking care of firewalls everywhere can be very hard. FWaaS offers one central management screen, so IT teams can simply set and apply the same security rules for all parts of the company, no matter where they are located.

Automatic Updates

Security vulnerabilities are a constant threat. FWaaS eliminates this concern by automatically updating the security software on the provider’s servers. You’ll always have the latest security patches in place, ensuring your network remains protected against evolving threats.

Compliance and Security Standards

Many industries and regulatory organizations have very strict security rules and compliance needs. FWaaS providers usually have certifications and follow certain measures to meet these standards, helping companies show they are following best practices in security and meeting required regulations more easily.

Advanced Security Features

FWaaS solutions often provide high-level security options like intrusion prevention systems (IPS), web filtering, and advanced threat protection. These tools assist businesses in shielding their networks from complex cyber dangers that might be hard or expensive to set up and manage internally.

FWaaS vs. SD-WAN vs. NGFW: Understanding their Key Roles

While FWaaS, SD-WAN, and NGFW all play a role in network security, they address different aspects. Here’s a table to break down the key differences:

Why This Matters:

• FWaaS vs. SD-WAN: Both of these are based in the cloud, but they have different purposes. FWaaS is all about network security, making sure that data and connections stay safe from threats. On the other hand, SD-WAN works on improving how well network connections perform and tries to give users a better experience when using them. You can use FWaaS together with SD-WAN if you want both strong security and good performance for your network setup.
• FWaaS vs. NGFW: Both offer strong security features, but FWaaS is cloud-based and easier to manage, while NGFWs can provide additional functionalities like intrusion prevention. The choice depends on your need for advanced features vs. centralized management and scalability.

Ultimately, choosing the right solution depends on what you need. If your main demand is keeping your network secure, then FWaaS or NGFW could be a better choice for you. If you want to make better performance and stability for applications on the internet, SD-WAN is a good choice. And more often, you may need to mix these technologies together for a complete security plan.

Final Words

Traditional security measures are often outdated and cannot cope up with modern sophisticated cyber attacks. With all its contemporary security features like centralized management, automatic updates, and scalability, FWaaS can protect your digital assets with evolving threats and keep your security posture ahead of the curve. Don’t wait for a breach to realize the importance of security. Take action today and implement FWaaS for a safer future.