Difference Between UTM and Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)
Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) and unified threat management (UTM) systems are two of the most po En savoir plus
Difference Between Firewall and Next-Generation Firewall
Josette Martineau
2025-12-08 00:14:09
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: 2
The two most basic categories for enterprise-level firewalls are traditional and next-generation.
Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) are, as you might expect, the more advanced of the two types, offering the most robust protection for business networks.
A traditional firewall is designed to police the flow of traffic that goes in and out of a network, based on port, protocol, source address and destination address.
When we talk about ‘traditional’ firewall features, we’re essentially talking about the functions that preceded NGFWs – functions such as: Packet filtering, which ensures that incoming and outgoing packets are inspected before they are allowed to pass through.
Packets that match the filter’s set of rules are forwarded; packets that do not are dropped.
Stateless inspection means that the firewall can only check each packet individually, and is unable to discern its wider context.
Many traditional firewalls only operate on a stateless (or ‘state-unaware’) level.
The more sophisticated traditional firewalls have stateful inspection capability, which means that they can identify the operating state of packets that are trying to enter the network.
In other words, they are ‘state-aware’ and can distinguish between the safe, the potentially unsafe and the outright malicious.
NGFWs, as we’ll cover further down, go one step further than standard stateful inspection.
NGFWs have many of the traditional firewall’s common functions – plus several more.
In plain terms, NGFWs have more layers of security built into them, to protect against more sophisticated threats.
Crucially, they go beyond the static inspection that traditional firewalls are limited to, instead having application-level control.
Application awareness enables an organisation to view packets through proper context, and set application-specific rules.
An extension of the intrusion detection system (IDS), IPSs have the capability to actively block intrusions once detected – dropping malicious packets, and logging the IP addresses and blacklisting all future traffic from them.
Whereas standard packet filtering only reads the header of a packet, DPI ensures thorough inspection of the packet’s contents, including its source, which means that the NGFW is able to see the full context of each packet.
With it’s more sophisticated features for detecting and protecting against threats, next-generation firewalling is currently the most effective solution to enterprise cyber security in the cloud age.
Caroline Guillet
2025-12-07 19:45:31
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: 2
| Parameter | Traditional Firewalls | Next-generation Firewalls (NGFW) |
|---|---|---|
| Working Layer | Traditional firewalls work from Layer 1 to Layer 4 | NGFWs work through Layers 2 to Layer 7. |
| Packet Filtering | In a traditional firewall, packet filtering allows an administrator to review both ingoing and outgoing packets before they are allowed to pass through the network. | Deep Packet Filtering (DPI) inspects the contents of each packet, including its source, unlike standard packet filtering, which only reads the header of a packet. |
| Stateful or stateless inspection | In a stateless inspection, a firewall inspects each packet individually based on static information like the source and destination. | On the other hand, stateful firewalls look at the overall context of the network connection and provide greater security. |
| All NGFWs conduct stateful packet inspections, but take it one step furtner. | ||
| Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) | Traditional firewalls allow access to VPNs to keep the private network secure when using the internet. | NGFWs also allow access to VPNs to keep the private network secure when using the internet. |
| Application awareness | Traditional firewalls do not have application awareness and do not allow admins to set specific rules for different applications. | NGFWs possess application awareness and enables organisations to set application-specific rules. |
| Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) | Traditional firewalls do not provide IPS. | NGFWs have IPSs, which are capable of actively blocking intrusions and blacklisting all future traffic from a malicious source. |
| Threat Intelligence | Traditional firewalls work on the basis of rules set by the administrator, and thus do not have threat intelligence. | NGFWs are constantly learning and updating their database of malicious software and threats, offering greater protection every time a new threat tries to breach the system. |
| Reporting | Traditional firewalls only provide standard reports. | NGFWs offer organisations to pull customised reports with near real-time detail and plenty of reporting options. |
While traditional firewalls may provide basic protection to your network systems, the particularities and sensitive nature of running a business require deeper protection, one only a next-gen firewall can provide.
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Differences Between UTM and Next-Generation Firewalls
Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) and unified threat management (UTM) systems are two of the most po En savoir plus
Roger Couturier
2025-12-07 19:14:38
Nombre de réponses
: 1
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