What Is an NGFW? Next-Generation Firewall
·1 min read·136 words
An NGFW (Next-Generation Firewall) is the current generation of firewall technology, extending beyond basic stateful L3/L4 filtering to include L7 App-ID, IPS, AV, URL Filtering, SSL Decryption, User-ID, and DNS Security. This consolidated integration is essential in 2026.
NGFW Features
- Stateful L3-L7 inspection
- L7 application identification (Palo Alto App-ID, Fortinet AppCtrl)
- User identification (AD/LDAP integration)
- IPS (Intrusion Prevention)
- Inline antivirus
- URL filtering and category-based controls
- SSL/TLS decryption
- Integrated SD-WAN
- ZTNA / SASE edge
2026 Leaders
- Palo Alto Networks: Gartner leader for 13 years
- Fortinet FortiGate: mid-market leader
- Check Point: enterprise solutions
- Cisco Secure Firewall
- Stormshield (France)
- Sophos XGS
- WatchGuard
Deployment Options
- Perimeter: between the Internet and the LAN
- Internal segmentation: between security zones
- DC: microsegmentation firewall
- Cloud: virtual firewall
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