Firewalls have long been a core component of any organization‘s cybersecurity strategy. Traditionally, firewalls were hardware appliances installed on-premises to filter incoming and outgoing network traffic. However, as more applications and infrastructure move to the cloud, organizations are rethinking their firewall approach. This is where Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) comes in.
FWaaS delivers firewall capabilities as a cloud-based service rather than an on-premises appliance. This approach provides important benefits in today‘s distributed environments with remote workers and multi-cloud architectures. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore what FWaaS is, its key benefits, implementation best practices, leading providers, and the future outlook for this critical security service.
What is a Firewall and How Does it Work?
Before diving into FWaaS, let‘s quickly review what a firewall does and how it works.
A firewall is a network security device, either hardware appliance or software, that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Firewalls act as a barrier between trusted internal networks and untrusted external networks like the public internet.
![Diagram showing a firewall between internal and external networks]
Firewalls work by examining packets of data against configured rule sets to determine whether to allow or block that traffic. Rules may filter on IP addresses, protocols, applications, ports and more.
Firewalls can operate in different modes:
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Stateful inspection – Tracks the state of connections and only allows returned traffic that matches an allowed outgoing connection. More secure than stateless.
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Next generation – Includes deeper traffic inspection, intrusion prevention, and intelligence on known threats.
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Proxy – Intercepts traffic and inspects it before forwarding to destination rather than direct routing.
Firewalls also incorporate threat intelligence feeds to stay updated with known attacks and vulnerabilities. Overall, firewalls serve as an important safeguard against cyber threats trying to infiltrate your network.
FWaaS Overview
FWaaS delivers firewall functionality as a cloud-based service rather than a hardware appliance residing on-premises. With FWaaS, the firewall provider hosts the solution in their cloud environment and manages the infrastructure and software. Organizations simply define their firewall policies and pay for the service based on usage.
![Architecture diagram showing traffic routing through a cloud FWaaS]
Key characteristics of FWaaS solutions include:
- Virtual and cloud-based rather than hardware firewalls
- Managed service provided by a third-party provider
- Scales up and down easily based on needs
- Pay-as-you-go pricing model
- Policies and rules managed through web portal or API
FWaaS architectures can vary, but often firewall resources are spun up on demand from a shared multi-tenant environment to create secure virtual networks for each customer. Providers leverage automation and orchestration to provision firewalls quickly.
Compared to traditional on-premises firewalls, FWaaS provides greater agility, scalability and cost efficiency. It‘s also easier to manage for distributed organizations without centralized network perimeters.
However, potential drawbacks include dependence on the vendor‘s availability and performance, limited customization, and software bugs. Proper vetting of providers can help mitigate these risks.
Top 8 Benefits of FWaaS
Here are some of the top reasons organizations are adopting FWaaS solutions:
1. Lower Cost
With FWaaS, organizations avoid large upfront capital expenditures for firewall hardware and software. Instead, it‘s an operational expense based on actual usage or number of sites/users. Without hardware to install and maintain, organizations also save significantly on IT overhead.
According to Gartner, FWaaS can reduce firewall spending by 70% over 5 years.
2. Flexibility and Scalability
Cloud-based FWaaS makes it easy to scale firewall capacity up or down as needs change. Extra capacity can be spun up for temporary needs or peak traffic periods. New locations can be added quickly without new hardware. For example, during COVID lockdowns in 2020, FWaaS enabled rapid expansion of remote access capabilities.
3. Centralized Management
Managing firewall policies and rules from a centralized dashboard simplifies administration across multiple sites and user groups. New policies take effect across all resources instantly. Reports provide global visibility into security.
According to Palo Alto Networks, central management decreased OPEX by $116,000 for a 5,000 user implementation.
4. Improved Security
Reputable FWaaS providers invest heavily in security research and incorporate latest threat intelligence. Cloud firewalls can be regularly updated with minimal overhead. Next-gen and threat-aware capabilities offer superior protection over traditional firewalls.
A recent report found that FWaaS blocks 99.7% of known threats versus 98.4% for appliance firewalls.
5. Supports Distributed and Cloud Environments
For remote users and cloud resources not on the corporate LAN, FWaaS provides a common set of security policies without needing to backhaul traffic to data centers. This reduces latency while improving user experience.
6. Business Continuity
Since the firewall service is hosted remotely, business impact is minimized if physical firewalls are damaged or unavailable after a disaster. Cloud firewalls remain accessible from anywhere.
7. Compliance
Many FWaaS providers maintain compliance certifications like ISO 27001, SOC 2, and PCI DSS. This simplifies compliance for customers who can rely on the vendor‘s audits.
8. Simplified Deployment
With no hardware to install and configure, FWaaS can be deployed extremely quickly, often in just a few clicks. New locations can be added in minutes via the management console. This enables business agility.
According to Zscaler, their FWaaS solution deploys in under an hour compared to a six month implementation for appliance firewalls.
Key Considerations for Implementation
If you‘re interested in leveraging FWaaS, here are some important factors to evaluate:
Integration – Assess how easily the FWaaS integrates with your existing on-premises and cloud infrastructure, as well as other security tools. API integration is ideal.
Cloud provider support – If using public clouds like AWS and Azure, check firewall support and any partnership integrations.
Management portal – The firewall management console should be intuitive and easy to use for configuring policies and rules. Evaluate reporting too.
Threat detection – Compare threat intelligence capabilities and how new threats are detected. Bolstered protection is a key FWaaS benefit.
Customer support – Look for responsive 24/7 support in case issues arise. Check service level agreements.
Customization – Evaluate how much flexibility you have to customize and fine-tune firewall policies based on your needs.
Pricing model – Compare pricing models like per user, number of sites, or bandwidth consumed. Consider free trials.
Implementation timeline – Factor in time to integrate, test policies, and roll out in phases. Can take weeks or months.
Comparing Leading FWaaS Providers
Many security vendors now offer FWaaS solutions. Here‘s an overview of key players in the market:
Cisco Umbrella – Industry leader bought out OpenDNS. Fast and flexible with good reporting. Integrates with Cisco security stack.
Palo Alto Networks – Top contender with robust features. Prisma Access combines FWaaS with zero trust. Strong compliance.
Zscaler – Pioneer in cloud security. Fast performance ratings. Also provides sandboxing, DLP, and browser isolation.
Check Point CloudGuard – From top firewall vendor. Tight integration with on-prem Check Point. Strong support.
Fortinet FortiGate – Budget-friendly fully integrated security platform including FWaaS. Simple interface.
Do thorough evaluations comparing features, performance, pricing, and third-party tests. Focus on aligning with your specific use case and existing infrastructure.
Implementation Best Practices
Follow these tips for a successful FWaaS rollout:
- Phase deployment starting with non-critical apps and locations
- Maintain legacy firewalls until fully migrated
- Set up FWaaS sandbox to test policies before enforcing
- Automate policy migration from legacy firewalls where possible
- Start migration planning 6 months prior
- Define KPIs for security efficacy, user experience, and cost savings
- Provide network team training on managing FWaaS
With careful planning and execution, organizations can maximize benefits and minimize disruption.
The Future of FWaaS
Gartner predicts over 50% of new firewall purchases will be FWaaS by 2025, up from less than 15% today. As firewalls shift from hardware to cloud, FWaaS capabilities will rapidly evolve:
- Integration with other cloud-delivered security like SWG and ZTNA
- Expanded use of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning
- Better support for 5G and mobile edge computing
- Tighter coupling with cloud access security brokers (CASBs) and SASE
- More refined user and application-aware policies
The expansion of FWaaS will be a key enabler of zero trust architecture adoption. In coming years, expect FWaaS to form the flexible, scalable cloud backbone of enterprise network security.
Conclusion: FWaaS Delivers Next-Gen Firewalls for the Cloud Era
With remote work becoming standard and infrastructure moving off-premises, traditional firewall appliances have limitations. As this guide outlined, FWaaS provides a powerful cloud-based approach to protect today‘s distributed organizations cost-effectively.
Key FWaaS benefits like centralized policy management, scalability, rapid deployment, and reduced TCO make it a compelling option for security modernization. Carefully evaluating providers, planning implementations, and phasing rollouts can ensure a smooth transition to next-gen firewalls for the cloud era.