When it comes to IT security for your business, you know that having a firewall in place is nonnegotiable. But with the ever-increasing sophistication of viruses and malware, a traditional firewall isn’t enough to give the iron-clad protection that you need to run your business with complete peace of mind. Here’s why a traditional firewall just won’t cut it anymore, and why we chose Fortinet’s FortiGate for our firewall to help businesses like you to combat security risks. 

What Is a Next-Generation Firewall?

Traditional firewalls were implemented to perform a simple but necessary task — monitor and control incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined security rules. If incoming traffic matches that certain criteria, it simply allows or disallows — but it lacks the complex intelligence necessary to protect against higher-level security threats. 

A next-generation firewall, on the other hand, is a smart device. It has the ability to inspect the inner workings of each data packet, which gives it a deeper sense of feedback before determining if a packet is good or suspicious. This specific feature is called an application-aware firewall, and it protects against a typical virus or malware. More importantly, it safeguards your network against ransomware, which is the biggest threat to businesses, as it can completely shut down your computers and servers. 

Next-generation firewalls also help protect against specific vulnerabilities to different server applications, such as the increasing attacks against phone systems, in which hackers register a phone on your internet and work off of your line. Unlike traditional firewalls, next-generation firewalls can understand what’s happening in these data exchanges and detect and flag anything that doesn’t look right — before it becomes a problem. 

Why Do I Need a Next-Generation Firewall? 

When it comes to safety precautions, we often assume that although we have protection in the event of an emergency, we won’t ever actually need it — for example, having fire extinguishers and surveillance cameras in our homes. But when it comes to IT security for your business, the reality of threats is much more grave. 

It’s not just the vague presence of random bots in faraway countries; it’s closer to home than you think. National teams of hackers are specifically targeting companies just like yours to launch their attack. Social engineering is an especially malicious tactic that uses psychological manipulation to trick employees into giving away business information to a seemingly trustworthy source. Before you know it, the hackers have found their entrance into your network and assets.

That’s why it’s critical to understand the advanced level of security threats that businesses like yours are up against today. If you don’t have the most advanced level of security in place, you won’t be able to defend against these attacks. 

Why Is FortiGate the Best Next-Generation Firewall?  

Here at Taylored Systems, we’re incredibly selective about our partnerships with vendors. We want only the most innovative and top-rated products for ourselves and our clients, because it’s our business and our reputation on the line. We’ve done all the research of evaluating the many different firewalls on the market today in search of the best one so that you don’t have to. Here are the reasons why we consider Fortinet’s FortiGate to be the leading next-generation firewall.

• A blue-ribbon reputation. For years, Fortinet has consistently been among the top two or three firewalls chosen by various trusted sources. Each year brings a revolving door of new products that claim to be the best, but Fortinet has held true as a winner at the top of the list year after year. 
• Remote working and cloud security. Other next-generation firewalls focus on protecting the perimeter of your network, but that security is limited. As more businesses harness the power of cloud services or use remote offices and workers, it’s critical to have flexible protection — especially for cloud security — because the edge of your network is no longer defined. The FortiGate firewall is flexible enough to protect your network beyond the traditional boundaries of all employees working from a single office. 
• Visibility and automation. Traditional firewalls offer a very limited view into what’s going on in your network. Traditional firewalls offer a general sense of which computers are connecting to which websites, but overall the network visibility from these firewalls is pretty limited. A FortiGate firewall, on the other hand, allows you to incorporate traffic analytics for hard proof of what’s happening within your network. This granular control helps ensure that everyone is doing what they should be doing, as well as avoid any malicious sites or activity that could threaten your network security. 
• High standards of excellence. Fortinet is all about quality assurance — not just regarding the technical aspects of their product, but ensuring that the people who administer their tools really know what they’re doing. For example, here at Taylored Systems, we have an industry-leading certification in the security field, but we’ve also been certified by Fortinet, which requires multiple-level certifications for all Fortinet techs. 

Here at Taylored Systems, the security of your business is our top priority. That’s why we’ve done our research and partnered with only the most trusted vendors who provide the best-performing tools in the IT industry. Whether you’re looking for a next-generation managed firewall service to safeguard your network, or you simply need advice on IT solutions for your business, we’re just an email or a phone call away.