Are firewalls still relevant?
Twenty years ago, when the concept of the firewall came into being, securing information was a lot simpler. There were two very clearly defined domains: the internal “safe” zone and everywhere else.
Security was centred on keeping sensitive information from getting out and threats from getting in. Around the perimeter was the firewall – the gatekeeper which controlled traffic between accepted zones of trust.
A lot has changed since then, not just in terms of natural progression and continuous improvement, but radical movements.
Just the last three years have seen shifts in technology and behaviour that have revolutionised the way society shares and consumes information. Since information is central to IT security, the impact has been huge.
The traditional “castle and moat” infrastructure has completely disintegrated: The “moat” is no longer viable as freer access to data via a multitude of channels and devices has become a necessary part of business.
More importantly, the “castle” itself has evaporated. Company data is no longer housed in an ultra-secure mainframe, but is running rampant on laptops and mobile devices, or in hosted data centres and other cloud-based infrastructures.
In the absence of any clearly defined perimeter, many are openly questioning the relevance of the firewall in today’s security landscape.
The fact of the matter is that in an environment that is more complex and more hostile than ever, a well designed and pervasive security strategy is critical, of which the firewall is an integral part. One must remember that a “firewall” is not an actual control or even a physical technology, but rather a concept of defence and its efficacy will depend largely upon on how well it is applied.
With each subsequent generation, firewalls have become increasingly more intelligent and multi-tasking. As ring fencing information has become less and less plausible, rules governing traffic management have adapted accordingly. Next generation firewalls no longer fixate on origin and destination but rather on inappropriate usage or incongruent user access.
As firewalls continue to gain application awareness, rules are more natural and intuitive – fully cognisant of acceptable application protocols and controls. This means that although new technologies – mobility and cloud computing in particular – blur the lines around safe places, information itself is able to remain secure.
De-perimeterisation has in fact raised the bar for firewall security as the rules governing packet delivery have to be more carefully thought out and are more difficult to evade.
Plus, a wave of personal or private firewalls on mobile devices is proving invaluable for protecting against malicious activity on these travelling information sources, with a knock-on effect for the networks they connect to.
Further value is added through the assistance of big data management. Huge volumes of data are the unavoidable consequence of so many new media and devices being introduced into our corporate networks.
Big data requires more robust tools and intelligent automation of processes. The packet shaping capabilities inherent to most modern firewalls actually aid in improving latency and optimising bandwidth so that appropriate performance levels can be maintained.
Voice gateway capabilities are another enablement tool particularly as session initiation protocol – which has a tendency to utilise multiple and often random portals for access – becomes more prevalent.
By assuming the role of several single use devices, Firewalls soften the impact on network and energy resources and enable a general de-complexing of the network environment as a whole.
Unified and extensible threat management both eliminate the need for secondary applications for intrusion preventions and antivirus protection. The fewer devices needed to deliver essential security services, the less management and the easier fault resolution becomes.
Far from becoming obsolete, the firewall is the cornerstone on which a security strategy is built. Cloud or virtual, enterprise or even mobile, somewhere there is a firewall in your device unobtrusively minding your business for you.
It has become so much a part of the landscape that often it is over looked when it comes to listing core technology. But core it remains.
Source: EngineerIT
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