The market for next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) is rapidly expanding, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of ~11% between 2023 and 2028, increasing from $5 billion to $8.6 billion.1 As organizations seek advanced security solutions to combat evolving cyber threats, NGFWs are becoming essential.
This article examines the top 5 NGFW use cases, highlighting their critical role in modern network security and providing some case studies.
If you are looking for cost effective NGFW solutions, you may read open source NGFW.
Top 5 NGFW use cases and case studies
NGFWs’ ability to offer application awareness and granular controls allows companies to manage complex threats, network traffic and network architecture, and also enable application control and URL filtering.
1. Security threat detection and response
Unlike a traditional firewall, which relies mainly on stateful inspection, a next generation firewall incorporates integrated intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and advanced malware protection. This combination allows NGFWs to inspect network traffic using deep packet inspection firewalls to identify and block malicious traffic.
Threat intelligence feeds enhance the capability to detect unknown threats, ensuring organizations can protect their networks from complex threats.
1.1. Software as a service (SaaS) security
Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) significantly enhance SaaS security by
- providing granular application control, advanced threat detection, and data protection
- enforcing strict access policies to ensure that only authorized users can access specific SaaS applications.
- integrating identity awareness and centralized management, NGFWs monitor and secure data flow, preventing unauthorized access and data breaches
- utilizing deep packet inspection (DPI) and threat intelligence feeds, NGFWs safeguard against advanced malware and zero-day threats
1.2. Internet of Things (IoT) security
NGFWs secure IoT devices by
- offering device identification, traffic analysis, and intrusion prevention capabilities
- enabling the segmentation of IoT devices into secure zones to reduce the attack surface and limit access to critical network resources
- monitoring network traffic and detecting anomalies, NGFWs provide early threat detection and prevent malicious activities targeting IoT devices
- Enforcing security policies and secure communication protocols, NGFWs ensure the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted by IoT devices
Real-life example: ENT Credit Union
Challenge: ENT Credit Union, a financial services company, provides an example of the capabilities of a next generation firewall in network security by detecting and responding to advanced threats. With over $5.7 billion in assets and 355,000 members, ENT needed improved visibility into east-west traffic to detect anomalies and potential attackers.
Solution: By deploying NGFW, ENT gained advanced threat detection capabilities, including zero-day attack protection and integrated SSL encryption. This solution provided greater visibility into network traffic, accelerated threat detection and remediation, and increased operational efficiency, ensuring the protection of their members’ information.2
Real-life example: Beaumont Legal
Challenge: Beaumont Legal, a UK law firm specializing in financial services, needed to protect clients’ financial information and comply with industry cybersecurity standards.
Solution: By deploying NGFW, the firm achieved over 99.99% network uptime and internet availability, improving visibility and control over network activity. This setup ensured regulatory compliance, enhanced threat detection, and supported more billable hours, thereby increasing business opportunities.3
2. Network visibility
NGFWs provide full visibility into network traffic, surpassing the limitations of traditional firewalls. They analyze network packets and offer insights into various traffic types, from data center operations to web applications. This visibility extends to remote users and virtual machines, ensuring comprehensive monitoring and control.
Real-life example: Bausch Health
Challenge: Bausch Health, a medical manufacturing company, needed advanced threat prevention and real-time visibility into network activity.
Solution: NGFW helped the company to maximize visibility and protection across all locations. By deploying NGFWs, Bausch achieved increased throughput capability, robust feature sets for device management, and enhanced visibility into threats.4
3. URL filtering
Next-generation firewalls incorporate URL filtering to enhance security compliance and content filtering. By inspecting Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and web traffic, NGFWs can block access to malicious or inappropriate websites. This capability is crucial for protecting users from malware attacks and maintaining a secure network perimeter.
URL filtering also supports secure SD-WAN deployments by ensuring that only legitimate web traffic reaches the network.
Real-life example: Burger King
Facing the end of life for its existing WAN appliances, Burger King deployed NGFWs to manage over 1,000 network points centrally. This deployment included URL filtering to block connections to malicious websites, enhancing network security.
The centralized management and URL filtering capabilities ensured secure connectivity from restaurants to headquarters, reduced downtime, and provided significant cost savings on operational and capital expenditures.5
4. Application control
NGFWs give you strong control over which applications can be used on your network. Unlike traditional firewalls that only care about an application’s address and port, NGFWs can identify and manage specific applications no matter how they are being used. This is especially helpful for businesses with remote workers, as it stops people from using unapproved software and helps keep the network secure.
Real-life example: Stefanini
Challenge: Stefanini, a provider of innovative IT solutions, relies on innovative technology and strong partnerships to enhance competitiveness and protect intellectual property and client data.
Solution: To protect brand value and reputation and defend against next-generation threats, Stefanini deployed NGFWs. These firewalls provide advanced protection for the network perimeter and internal networks, enabling application control, advanced identity awareness, and granular policy definitions.6
5. Network architecture optimization
NGFWs contribute to improved network efficiency by managing and prioritizing traffic types based on security policies. This ensures that critical services and applications receive the necessary bandwidth and protection, enhancing overall network performance.
Real-life example: VR Group
To ensure secure, high-speed connectivity for trains moving at over 200 km/h, VR Group adopted NGFWs with a cloud-based, zero-touch deployment. This approach allowed remote configuration of firewalls for each train, reducing overhead costs and enhancing reliability through load balancing across three mobile operators.
The NGFWs also provided high bandwidth and real-time data collection, optimizing network performance and improving customer scheduling updates.7
Real-life example: Max Planck Society
Challenge: Max Planck Society, a research institution, was faced with a lack of centralized management for its existing firewall.
Solution: The institution adopted NGFW after a collaborative review by IT administrators from participating institutes. The deployment streamlined the security of traffic across four research institutions, offering centralized management and comprehensive functionality.
This implementation successfully blocked millions of IP addresses and thousands of malicious web addresses weekly, reduced planned downtime, and provided substantial cost savings and improved uptime.8
Where to use next-generation firewalls (NGFWs)
Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) are not just for blocking unwanted traffic. They are designed to protect different parts of a modern IT environment. Their use depends on the location, type of traffic, and security needs. Below are the main areas where NGFWs bring value:
1. Data centers
In data centers, NGFWs safeguard high volumes of sensitive traffic. They:
- Detect and stop zero-day threats using machine learning and behavioral analysis.
- Protect against DNS-based attacks, such as tunneling or domain generation algorithms (DGA).
- Test and validate intrusion prevention features (IDS/IPS) by simulating attacks.
- Ensure high availability, keeping services secure and running even during failures.
- Maintain performance while handling diverse traffic types for thousands of users.
2. Campus networks
NGFWs help organizations manage security across large sites:
- Monitor and control applications, users, and devices.
- Provide visibility into who is accessing what, from where, and how.
- Simplify management by combining protection and access control in a single dashboard.
3. Branch offices
At distributed or remote locations, NGFWs provide:
- Secure SD-WAN, combining networking and security in one solution.
- AI- and ML-powered protection against advanced threats.
- Strong connectivity to link branches back to headquarters or the cloud.
4. Public and private clouds
Cloud workloads need the same level of protection as on-premises systems. NGFWs:
- Apply consistent security policies across private, public, and telecom clouds.
- Secure applications wherever they are deployed.
- Support flexible scaling as cloud demand grows.
5. Harsh or industrial environments
For mission-critical industries, NGFWs come in ruggedized models:
- Withstand extreme temperatures, dust, or vibrations.
- Keep industrial control systems and operational technology secure.
FAQs
Further Reading
- Analysis of Top 4 Open Source NGFW Based on Features
- Top 8 Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) Features
- AI Firewall vs NGFWs : Detailed Analysis & Comparison
Reference Links
Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and resources that referenced AIMultiple.
Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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