10 Best Firewall as a Service Providers (FWaaS) – 2023

Firewall as a Service Providers (FWaaS) are pillars of enterprise network security. Security for networks is provided by a firewall. It keeps an eye on both incoming and outgoing network traffic, allowing or blocking data packets in accordance with its security policies.

Its goal is to put up a wall between your internal network and traffic coming from outside networks, such as the rest of the internet. 

This prevents malicious traffic, including that of hackers and viruses.

What is a firewall as a service?

Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) moves firewall functionality to the cloud instead of the traditional network perimeter. 

By leveraging cloud computing, an organization can reap a number of financial, network performance, and security benefits.

Firewalls were initially developed to safeguard local company networks, but as more businesses migrated their data and applications to the cloud, firewalls had to change.

Firewalls can now be provided as a component of a company’s cloud infrastructure due to “firewall as a service,” or FWaaS.

It has some distinct benefits, though, like the capacity to scale almost instantly to accommodate a growing network.

Which services are provided by the firewall?

The firewall provides the following services:

Static-packet filtering

• It is a firewall with routing capabilities that can filter packets according to the packet’s fields and the rules set up by the administrator.

Circuit-level firewalls

• It serves as a handshaking mechanism for trusted clients, servers, and untrusted hosts.

Proxy server

• System for network security that defends application-layer message filtering.

Application server

• It defends web applications against numerous application layer assaults, including cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and many others.

NAT

• Many firewalls have a feature called network address translation (NAT) that converts between internal and external IP addresses.

Stateful packet inspection

• Active connections are monitored by dynamic packet filtering, which chooses which network packets to let pass through the firewall.

Is the firewall IaaS or PaaS?

A platform-as-a-service (PaaS) or infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) model is used to run virtual firewalls, which are cloud-based services that are created to run in a virtual data center using your own servers.

In these situations, traffic to, from, and between cloud applications is protected by the firewall application, which is running on the virtual servers. 

IaaS/PaaS allows you to create, provision, and manage your own virtual servers using infrastructure that you rent from a service provider. 

The term “next-generation firewalls” is sometimes used by the industry to describe any advanced firewall system that runs on-premises or in the cloud, though it is not consistently used in that sense.

10 Best Firewall as a Service Providers (FWaaS)

Firewall as a Service Provider	Key features
1. Perimeter81 Firewall as a Service	1. Every network resource, user, and environment is managed by Perimeter81 FWaaS, which is integrated. 2. Because it guarantees that IT has a direct line-of-sight with all corporate data, both at rest and in transit, Perimeter81 Firewall as a Service is noticeable. 3. As it specifies the specific guidelines for when and how traffic is allowed to flow inside your networks, Perimeter81 is granular. 4. As the business expands, Perimeter81 FWaaS just creates, modifies, and applies network traffic policies. 5. The most important resources in your company can be completely monitored and secured from a single dashboard.
2. Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)	1. Defend against cyberattacks using your branch’s SD-WAN cloud connection.	2. Check Point NGFW has strong security because it offers the best threat prevention possible with SandBlast Zero-Day protection.	3. Since managing and configuring network security environments and policies is made simple by CheckPoint NGFW’s SmartConsole, it has unified management. 4. When users are out of the office or working remotely, give them secure, seamless access to the company’s networks and resources. 5. Remote users can connect without interruption due to CheckPoint NGFW’s remote access VPN.
3. Zscaler Internet Access	1. enhances the user experience by providing constant, quick, and secure connections across all ports and protocols. 2. To identify and stop specific, targeted threats, create personalized IPS signatures and quickly deploy them using Snort syntax. 3.Using centralized policy management, create flexible access policies for cloud services and PaaS/IaaS. 4. Detect and stop evasive and encrypted cyber threats as soon as they appear in traffic on unusual ports. 5. In addition to maintaining superior performance, localized resolutions protect your users and endpoints from malicious websites and DNS tunneling.
4. Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall	1. Your company’s platform is protected, regardless of its complexity or size.  2. To block access to offensive websites, outbound connections can be filtered. 3. For thousands of branch offices, enable Zero Trust Network Security with streamlined security. 4. While analyzing traffic, guard against known vulnerability exploits, malware, spyware, and malicious URLs. 5. A PAN-OS virtual instance running on a VM-Series firewall is prepared for use in a virtualized data center environment.
5. CrowdSec	1. Check the security of your server, receive notifications of unusual activity, and gather IP address intelligence. 2. Every time an IP is blocked, the entire community is notified so they can all block it as well.  3. CrowdSec adds information, such as the origin country, the autonomous system, and other details, to the data by using resources from outside sources. 4. With a single CLI command, you can connect the Console to your current CrowdSec Agent installations. 5. Determine which IP address and attack method are used to attack your services.
6. Sophos Firewall	1. Instantly recognizes and isolates infected systems in response to incidents so that they can be cleaned up. 2. With quick and efficient intelligent TLS inspection, a significant blind spot can be removed.	3. You regain control of your networks by having better visibility into risky activity, suspicious traffic, and cutting-edge threats. 4. For all of your Firewalls, Sophos Central offers effective centralized management, reporting, and zero-touch deployment. 5. With options for isolation, bridging, zones, hotspots, channel width, and multiple SSIDs per radio, flexible configuration is possible.
7. FortiGate NGFW	1. While also adjusting to the threat landscape, it can stop malware and other kinds of attacks. 2. To identify and stop threats, see users, devices, and applications, even when they are encrypted.  3. With fully integrated networking capabilities, such as SD-Branch, SD-WAN, and 5G, you can connect and protect any edge at any scale. 4. With the included FortiGuard IPS, you can get virtual patching and protection from known and zero-day attacks. 5. Improve your environment’s operational efficiency while supporting overworked IT teams.
8. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall	1. It detects and prevents internet attacks while keeping an eye out for programs that exhibit suspicious behavior.  2. Actively defends against both incoming and outgoing cyberattacks. 3. Provides you with a daily notification of any changes to your credit report, which frequently signify identity theft. 4. Your PC can determine whether it is running a secure operating system or a potentially harmful rootkit with Early Boot Protection. 5. Removes potentially harmful elements from downloaded files, such as macros, embedded objects, and other harmful content, using Zero-Day Protection.
9. Cisco Secure Firewall	1. For situations where static IP addresses are not available, Cisco’s dynamic attributes support VMware, AWS, and Azure tags. 2. You can easily and consistently manage policies across all of your Cisco Secure firewalls with cloud-based firewall management. 3. By combining the logs from all Cisco Secure Firewalls, you can meet your compliance requirements. 4. Consistent visibility and policy enforcement for dynamic applications across the network. 5. In order to create a highly elastic, cloud-native infrastructure, Secure Firewall Native Cloud is a solution that is developer-friendly.
10. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall	1. Your security infrastructure’s configuration and maintenance are simplified by the Barracuda Firewall Control Center. 2. You will find all the practical information you need to maintain security with Barracuda Firewall Insights.  3. Your corporate network will be seamlessly connected, and reports and analyses will be compiled. 4. Advanced application-based routing path selection and Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities are provided by the Barracuda CloudGen Firewall.  5. User-defined application definitions can be quickly created using the Barracuda CloudGen Firewall.

10 Best Firewall as a Service Providers

• Perimeter81 Firewall as a Service 
• Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) 
• Zscaler Internet Access 
• Palo Alto Networks’ Next-Generation Firewall
• CrowdSec
• Sophos Firewall
• FortiGate NGFW
• ZoneAlarm Free Firewall
• Cisco Secure Firewall
• Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

1. Perimeter81 FWaaS 

Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) is a tool that is part of the Perimeter 81 platform of security systems, which is available in packages with various components. 

A key component of Perimeter 81’s Network as a Service platform is Firewall as a Service, which unifies traffic inspection and infiltration prevention for all of your organization’s resources with a single cloud-based firewall.

Remote workers can access cloud services securely without going through your LAN by using Perimeter 81, which combines access rights management and connection security.

With the use of secure internet links, Perimeter 81 connects all of your websites and online services together into one virtual network that appears to be your own. 

The firewall can then be turned on as a service to scan all incoming and outgoing traffic for your unified network.

Instead of protecting entire systems, Perimeter 81 prefers to concentrate security protection on specific applications; the FWaaS will add system-wide security on top of fine-grained fencing.

Pros	Cons
The Perimeter 81 solution is significantly less expensive than a hardware firewall.	It would be complete with a software-defined network service that uses IP address overlays.
It permits the collection of traffic data by logging on to its servers.	There is no native client manual configuration available to Linux users.
Detailed control over the services and actions that each user may access.	To give the application a simpler feel, the UI could be updated and improved overall.
A service that is simple to use.

2. Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) 

Check Point firewalls have long been a market leader, and their next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) are among the most logical and user-friendly products available.  

A next-generation firewall called Check Point NGFW allows users to use internet applications safely by throttling harmful programs and allowing safe ones through. 

It has features like integrated intrusion prevention (IPS), application and user control, and more sophisticated malware prevention capabilities like sandboxing.

The 23 firewall models in Check Point’s Next Generation Cloud Firewall (NGFW) are built to run all threat prevention technologies concurrently, including full SSL traffic inspection, without compromising security or performance.

The Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) from Check Point concentrate on improving threat prevention technologies, such as CPU-level emulation and anti-ransomware features.

Additionally, it offers the most cutting-edge and efficient security across all network segments, keeping customers safe from any threat, wherever they are.     

Pros	Cons
More secure than any Next Generation Firewall (NGFW).	It is necessary to raise the standard and accessibility of training.
Check Point NGFW is ranked fourth among the top solutions.	After each module/blade is enabled, the firewall’s throughput or performance is significantly reduced.
The Office VPN is one of the many helpful features.	Sometimes CLI doesn’t display all of the connections.
Allows users who are working remotely to connect without any issues.

3. Zscaler Internet Access 

Zscaler Internet Access defines secure, quick internet and SaaS access with the market’s most comprehensive cloud-native security service edge (SSE) platform.  

Without managing any hardware or software, Zscaler Cloud Firewall enables quick, secure on- and off-network connections as well as local internet breakouts for all of your user traffic.

With the most complete cloud-native security service edge (SSE) platform in the market, Zscaler Cloud Firewall secures internet traffic for all users, applications, and locations.

By handling all web and non-web traffic across all ports and protocols with infinite elastic scalability and unmatched performance, Zscaler Cloud Firewall guarantees that you can access the internet safely.

There is no recording or storage of any personal data when using the Zscaler service to browse the internet. 

The service only scans your internet traffic for threats when you are connected to your company’s network.

Together with Zscaler Internet Access and the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, Zscaler Cloud Firewall offers unmatched security and user experience. 

Pros	Cons
Infiltrate evasive web traffic on uncommon ports.	Setting up a global organization with split-off locations using separate SD WAN circuits is challenging.
Global edge presence protection delivered through the cloud.	If a connection is lost, users should be notified.
Without sacrificing performance, secure DNS.	Website access is a little too slow when Zscaler monitoring is enabled.
Complete security for users who work from anywhere.

4. Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall

The Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) provide security teams with complete visibility and control over all networks by utilizing advanced traffic identification, malware prevention, and threat intelligence technologies. 

Palo Alto Networks firewalls can generate CEF-formatted logs for traffic, threats, systems, configuration, and HIP matches with CEF integration. 

Their firewalls’ ability to use deep learning in real-time and a unified network security architecture will help you see and secure everything. 

Palo Alto NGFWs gives businesses access to a range of cutting-edge security tools and methods to determine which users, applications, and content are safe to use on the network.

The next-generation firewalls from Palo Alto Networks give companies the ability to view and manage applications, users, and content through the use of three different identification technologies: App-ID, User-ID, and content-ID.

Pros	Cons
perfect for your hybrid, public, and private cloud computing environments.	A little more simplicity would help with the Global Protect VPN setup.
Secure various public cloud environments with the same level of security as data centers that are located on-site.	Small businesses with limited resources cannot afford it.
By establishing decryption policies according to URL category, SSL Inspection was very manageable.	It is challenging to integrate it into an established network.
seamlessly integrates with tools and systems from third parties.

5. CrowdSec

A free and open-source massively multiplayer firewall called CrowdSec relies on both IP reputation and IP behavior analysis.  

To safeguard your online services, identify and respond to threats, and block malicious IPs, CrowdSec provides a crowd-based cyber security suite called TIP.

IP reputation intelligence is distributed by CrowdSec CTI, enabling SOC teams and security analysts to access highly curated data on intrusion attempts, sources, and trends.

When connected to CrowdSec Agent, the console offers a visual data panorama of threats, alerts, remediation choices, and suspicious IP activity.

It looks for undesirable behavior in system logs and application logs and then enforces remediation at any level (firewall, reverse proxy, etc.) and of any kind (MFA, Captcha, drop).

It examines visitor behavior and offers a customized defense against all assaults. Users can defend one another using the solution as well.

Pros	Cons
Tool for detecting and resolving cooperative malicious activity.	If it was compatible with different platforms, that would be interesting.
It is both open source and free.	Currently, only the Linux operating system is supported; Windows is not.
Manage your devices by naming and tagging them.	a few CMS plug-ins are missing.
To spot trends and patterns, examine the activity history from the previous months and over time.

6. Sophos Firewall

Deep learning and synchronized security are used to power the comprehensive next-generation firewall protection offered by Sophos XG Firewall. 

The Sophos Firewall ecosystem offers exceptional and potent advantages that can expand your network and protection and increase the effectiveness of your team.

While accelerating your critical SaaS, SD-WAN, and cloud application traffic, Sophos Firewall’s Xstream architecture safeguards your network from the most recent threats. 

Extreme network performance, flexibility, and resilience are made possible by the newest SD-WAN capabilities in Sophos Firewall.

You do not need to adapt your network to the firewall because Sophos Firewall adapts to your network. 

You receive all the capabilities, adaptability, and choices required to suit your particular environment.

For deep packet inspection, Sophos XGS Series firewalls combine the flexibility of a high-performance, multi-core CPU with the performance advantages of a dedicated Xstream Flow Processor.

Pros	Cons
Reveals unknown apps and other hidden risks on your network.	If there is any downtime activity, the support team can respond more quickly.
Blocks unknown threats using a broad range of cutting-edge security.	Putting 2FA into practice for user authentication at the domain level.
Traffic in IPsec tunnels is accelerated by Xstream FastPath.	With OpenVPN, there is no integration.
An intuitive interface for configuring rules and VLANs.

7. FortiGate NGFW

As a leader in secure networking, Fortinet offers seamless convergence that can be scaled to any environment, including remote offices, branches, campuses, data centers, and the cloud. 

FortiGate NGFW offers unparalleled AI-powered security performance, threat intelligence, complete visibility, and secure networking convergence.

This firewall solution can inspect incoming traffic at hyper-scale with high-level speed and performance to prevent a degraded user experience and downtime.

Additionally, you can use a range of features, including SD-WAN, switching, wireless, and 5G, to enable secure networking.

Industry-leading security capabilities like intrusion prevention systems (IPS), web filtering, secure sockets layer (SSL) inspection, and automated threat protection are combined by FortiGate NGFWs to enable security-driven networking.

Pros	Cons
The user interface is incredibly straightforward and user-friendly.	The Logging Services could be enhanced to provide more information.
having the capacity to control from a single automated control console.	Scaling FortiGate is not simple; in order to scale the firewall as the business expands, you must change the hardware box.
FortiGate has the benefit of being able to be used on-premises or in the cloud.	Make some features, which are only available in CLI, available in the GUI.
The control over applications is extremely strong and constantly updated.

8. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall

With the best firewall protection available, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall safeguards your computer.

In order to prevent hackers from accessing your home PC, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall shields it from unauthorized network traffic. 

Multiple layers of cutting-edge security are offered by ZoneAlarm Free Firewall to monitor and block unauthorized traffic, safeguard personal information, and protect against malware and hackers.

With the help of the Full Stealth Mode on this firewall, you can hide from hackers and stay safe from malicious software.

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall protects your computer from viruses that impede performance and spyware that steals your private information, passwords, and financial information by identifying and thwarting intrusions.

It assists you in responding to online threats as quickly as possible because of its continuous DefenseNet security updates.

Pros	Cons
Protect your personal information by making yourself untraceable to hackers.	It only supports WindowsOS at the moment.
Block unauthorized traffic and manage program internet access.	There is no URL filtering present.
With ZoneAlarm Free Firewall, your WiFi PC is protected.	There aren’t many options for scanning.
This software offers protection against network threats for desktops and laptops.

9. Cisco Secure Firewall

Firepower was the previous name for the Cisco Secure Firewall. The most well-liked firewall among the top firewalls as a service provider is Cisco Secure Firewall.

A firewall product called Cisco Secure Firewall integrates with other Cisco security services and offers advanced malware protection, such as DDoS mitigation and sandboxing settings.  

Deep visibility is provided by Cisco Secure Firewall, which uses integrated high-end security features like Cisco Secure IPS and Cisco Secure Endpoint to quickly identify and counter advanced threats.

Greater defenses for your network against a more varied and complex set of threats are provided by the Cisco Secure Firewall portfolio.

With Cisco Secure Firewall, you can achieve the strongest security posture currently and in the future.

Cisco offers integrated management for firewalls, application control, intrusion prevention, URL filtering, and malware protection policies.

We receive a thorough report from Cisco Firepower NGFW on any suspicious packets that pass through it.

Pros	Cons
You can use the firewall locally, remotely, or through the cloud2, which are the three available usage options.	There is no option for CLI configuration changes, and pushing configuration changes is slow.
Advanced level malware protection, URL filtering, VPN support, and SSL support are all provided.	Poor reporting engine, rigidity of administration console, and inability to scale product functionality
If you’re switching from a more recent ASA or FTD, Cisco provides a migration tool to make the process easier.	Compared to other market rivals, it is a little more expensive.
Integrated control across dynamic application environments through real-time, unified workload, and network security

10. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

The CloudGen Firewalls from Barracuda reimagine the function of the firewall as a distributed network optimization solution that scales across any number of locations and applications, connects on-premises and cloud infrastructures, and aids organizations in transforming their businesses.

Firewalls from Barracuda can be set up in a variety of physical locations as well as in Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform.

Multiple layers of detection are offered by Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, including advanced threat signatures, behavioral and heuristic analysis, static code analysis, and finally sandboxing.

Advanced SD-WAN capabilities are included in the on-premises or cloud deployable Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, which also supports connections to dispersed sites, various clouds, and remote users. 

To offer real-time defense against the most recent threats, Barracuda’s Advanced Threat Protection service is linked to its global threat intelligence network. 

Barracuda gathers threat information from countless sources worldwide, including network, email, website, and web browser threats.

Pros	Cons
It is user-friendly, simple to use, and makes it simple to unlock captured emails.	falsely blocking users who are not spammers and who are active on trustworthy websites.
There are a good number of features for firewall rules pertaining to internal and external networks.	A more user-friendly configuration would make it easier to find specific settings in the menu tree.
Flexibility in using tunnels to set up small, remote offices, providing an affordable solution.	A lot of unwanted contents are being allowed by content filtering, which is not functioning properly.
Excellent traffic visibility allows us to monitor real-time traffic applications on the dashboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three types of firewalls?

Firewalls are typically your first line of defense against malware, viruses, and attackers trying to access your organization’s internal network and systems, whether they are implemented as hardware, software, or both. 

The way they function is another way to classify firewalls, and each type can be configured as either software or a physical device.
1. Packet Filtering Firewalls

The earliest and most fundamental type of firewalls are packet filtering firewalls.  Firewalls with packet filtering operate in a line at intersections where switches and routers are used. 
2. Circuit-Level Gateways

Circuit-level gateways monitor active sessions and confirm established Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections while operating at the session layer. The packets are not personally inspected by them.
3. Stateful inspection firewall

State-aware devices not only examine each packet, but also keep track of whether or not it is a part of a TCP or other network session that has already been established.

Why Do Companies Need FWaaS?

When it comes to security in the cloud, the cloud provider will manage your solution and the hardware infrastructure that powers it.

Because it allows them to grow as needed without worrying about provisioning new hardware, service-based architectures are necessary for many businesses.

Businesses must still provide enterprise firewall capabilities to all users and locations across the organization even as they use cloud infrastructure providers like AWS to increase scalability.

NGFWs go much further, offering extra functionality that makes it possible for a company to detect and thwart attempted cyberattacks more successfully.

With FWaaS, a company can scale security more effectively by connecting its distributed sites and users to a single, logical, global firewall with a unified application-aware security policy.

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