In my work with CDW clients, I often have the opportunity not only to help them select cybersecurity technologies, but also to determine how best to integrate these tools into their operations. That’s deeply satisfying work, and I got to experience it recently when I worked with a major financial services firm on its deployment of next-generation firewall (NGFW) technology.

The firm had relied on traditional port- and protocol-based firewall rules for many years and wanted to migrate to more modern technology to improve its security posture. We identified the right product for the customer by comparing the firm’s unique needs to common NGFW capabilities. We then helped the firm implement its chosen solution in a way that minimized disruptions while advancing the organization’s security posture.

Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) play a crucial role in protecting organizations against emerging threats. These advanced network security guardians can scour inbound and outbound traffic on the network edge and in the data center for signs of intrusions and malicious activity, blocking potentially dangerous data before it reaches its destination. Many organizations have deployed NGFW technology as an integral component in their cybersecurity programs.

At the same time, organizations are fine-tuning their cloud strategies. Whether they’re adopting an all-in, cloud-first strategy or selectively using cloud services as part of a hybrid offering, the reality is that sensitive business data now resides both in our own data centers and in those run by cloud partners. Cybersecurity and networking teams must be able to defend that information from attack everywhere that it resides, or attackers will seek out the weak points in an organization’s cybersecurity architecture.

Cybersecurity leaders should integrate their NGFW and cloud computing strategies to better protect organizational assets. The best way to do this is to consolidate on a single NGFW platform and use it across both cloud and on-premises network systems. NGFW vendors offer virtual appliances and software subscription models that allow for easy cloud deployment, anticipating this approach. Let’s take a look at four drivers for this consolidation.

Organizations face many challenges when it comes to keeping their operations secure and driving the most value from their next-generation firewalls (NGFWs). How to overcome these challenges is one of the most common discussions I have with customers. They often don’t have the personnel resources to tackle these important but mundane tasks. One fix is…

Threat hunting has become an important cybersecurity practice. Building on the presumption that sophisticated attackers have already successfully penetrated many enterprise networks, threat hunting seeks to uncover evidence of these compromises, enabling a rapid response. While few of the organizations I work with are conducting threat hunting activities, many of them are talking about it….

With next-generation firewalls, there has been a lot of confusion in the market about what makes for a good solution. Organizations want a solution that will protect their gateway and business-critical applications. They also want something that will protect the perimeter, data centers and their cloud deployments — all under one central management interface. A…

The IT threat landscape is constantly changing. The internet has become a necessity to conduct business, but it’s also a dangerous place where malware lurks around every corner. And hackers have become experts in the craft of hiding said malware within packets and applications.