Forcepoint Next-Generation Firewall - Short Review

Product Overview: Forcepoint Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)

The Forcepoint Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) is a comprehensive network security solution designed to protect enterprise networks from advanced threats while ensuring high availability, scalability, and efficient management.

What it Does

Forcepoint NGFW goes beyond the capabilities of traditional stateful firewalls by integrating advanced security features to block malicious attacks, prevent data theft, and protect intellectual property. It is trusted by thousands of customers worldwide, including businesses, government agencies, and other organizations, to address critical security issues efficiently and economically.

Key Features and Functionality

Advanced Security Capabilities

• Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Built-in IPS provides powerful anti-intrusion policies without the need for additional licenses or separate tools, ensuring robust protection against advanced threats.
• Deep Packet Inspection and Application Control: Forcepoint NGFW performs deep packet inspection and offers granular application control, allowing organizations to selectively allow or block network traffic based on highly detailed endpoint contextual data.
• Advanced Evasion Techniques (AETs) Detection: It pioneers in detecting AETs, disrupting attackers’ attempts to sneak in malicious code and preventing vulnerabilities exploitation.

High Availability and Scalability

• Active-Active Clustering: Supports up to 16 nodes of different models and versions, ensuring superior networking performance and resilience. This includes active-active and active-standby firewall clustering, as well as SD-WAN network clustering for high-availability coverage.
• Seamless Policy Updates and Software Upgrades: Policy updates and software upgrades can be pushed to a cluster without interrupting service, maintaining continuous security and availability.

Integrated SD-WAN Capabilities

• Native SD-WAN: Combines nonstop security with the ability to utilize local broadband connections, complementing or replacing expensive leased lines like MPLS. This ensures fast, flexible SD-WAN connectivity across diverse enterprise networks.

Comprehensive Visibility and Management

• Centralized Management: All security roles, including firewall, VPN, IPS, and more, can be managed from a single console, whether the deployment is physical, virtual, or in the cloud. This simplifies operations and reduces IT burdens.
• 360° Visibility: Provides a bird’s-eye view of network activity through its dashboard, enabling rapid identification and response to security incidents.

Advanced Malware Detection and Decryption

• Forcepoint Advanced Malware Detection: Utilizes cloud-based sandboxing and other analytical techniques to examine the behavior of files and reliably uncover and block malicious code, including zero-day threats.
• Granular Decryption of SSL/TLS Traffic: Inspects HTTPS and other SSL/TLS-based protocols to deny or allow specific HTTP commands or URL segments, even in virtualized or cloud deployments.

Compliance and Productivity

• Smart Policies: Helps comply with emerging privacy laws and internal practices by preventing the exposure of personally identifiable information (PII) and ensuring secure communication with sensitive sites.
• Higher Business Productivity: Ensures safe access to data for a distributed workforce, enhancing innovation and productivity while reducing IT risk and compliance burdens.

In summary, the Forcepoint Next-Generation Firewall is a robust, scalable, and highly manageable security solution that integrates advanced threat protection, application control, and SD-WAN capabilities to protect enterprise networks comprehensively. Its centralized management, high availability, and advanced security features make it an ideal choice for organizations seeking to enhance their network security posture.