"Firewall as a Service" — An Enterprise Solution Accessible to Everyone

With this service, companies can move their security functions to the cloud and delegate the management and support of the corresponding infrastructure to their service provider. This allows scaling the protection of IT infrastructure without significant capital expenditures on physical hardware and frees up human resources for more critical tasks.
The benefits of a cloud firewall for businesses also include access to the latest technologies and security updates, as the service provider takes responsibility for maintaining and developing the solution. This reduces the burden on IT departments and ensures a higher level of protection compared to self-managed on-premises firewalls.

Hardware firewalls are classic network security solutions that require physical deployment within a company’s infrastructure. They have long been the standard for protecting local networks and involve purchasing and configuring the appropriate physical equipment. However, there are costs associated with buying a hardware firewall, and scaling it is difficult (expensive and labor-intensive). Additionally, the equipment requires regular maintenance, which must be performed by qualified personnel. Traditional firewalls are also unsuitable for protecting geographically distributed networks, making them less attractive for many businesses.
In contrast, a cloud firewall provided as a service offers flexible and scalable protection that can adapt to the changing needs of a business. This solution can be managed centrally by the company itself or delegated to the service provider. The cost efficiency of a ‘firewall as a service’ stems from the fact that the company only pays for the resources it actually uses.

Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) effectively protect IT infrastructure in the cloud. They distribute it into virtual domains (vdom), created on a single physical device, which operate independently of each other and have their own security settings and routing tables.
The service provider determines how many virtual domains a single NGFW firewall will handle, based on performance parameters and the number of network ports. The client, in turn, needs to select a solution according to their requirements and expected workload to effectively protect their infrastructure under the ‘Firewall as a Service’ offering.
Unlike standard solutions, NGFWs integrate threat detection and prevention mechanisms, providing protection at all levels of the network stack, including the application layer. This makes them particularly effective in combating targeted attacks, malicious botnets, and sophisticated web application attacks.

Colobridge uses Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) to protect clients’ digital assets hosted in the cloud. FortiGate firewalls are built on Fortinet’s patented network processors, which have proven effective in modern hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
FortiGate NGFWs support FortiGuard security functions powered by artificial intelligence. This helps prevent cyberattacks, ensure real-time continuous protection, and respond quickly to the newest and most complex cyber threats.
Colobridge clients can leverage all the capabilities of the FortiGate NGFW solution. Each device comes with its own FortiOS operating system and proprietary software, including regularly updated antivirus databases.

The primary task of a firewall delivered as a service is to provide comprehensive protection for a client’s IT infrastructure. The concept of ‘Firewall as a Service’ includes:

• Various resource access scenarios;
• Network and web traffic filtering;
• Domain Name System (DNS) security;
• Usage control and protection of web applications;
• Detection of abnormal traffic spikes;
• Prioritization of network traffic;
• Intrusion detection and prevention (IPS);
• Logging and reporting on security status.

The Firewall as a Service offering is suitable for small businesses, medium-sized enterprises, and large corporate clients who need effective tools to protect their IT infrastructure. You can order FWaaS on favorable terms from Colobridge.