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/ Network Firewall vs. Next-Gen Firewall vs. Zero Trust Firewall

Network Firewall vs. Next-Gen Firewall vs. Zero Trust Firewall

Discover key differences between traditional network firewalls, next-generation firewalls (NGFW), and Zero Trust Firewall.

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Zero Trust
  1. Overview
  2. Firewall Comparison
  3. Which Should You Choose?
  4. Zscaler Advanced Zero Trust Firewall
  5. FAQs
  6. Related Topics

Not just any firewall will do

Firewalls are synonymous with cybersecurity. But as networks and cyberthreats have evolved, and cloud and mobility trends have taken over, what organizations need from firewalls has changed.

No two firewall solutions are exactly alike, but you can look at them as three basic types: the traditional network firewall, next-generation firewall, and zero trust firewall.

Perimeter security and incomplete inspection offer incomplete protection.

  • More than 3 in 10 breaches involve the use of stolen credentials (Verizon)
  • More than 85% of threats are delivered over encrypted channels (Zscaler)
  • More than 78% of organizations are actively implementing zero trust (Zscaler)

Firewall Comparison

Filtering Criteria

Network Firewall

Filters traffic based on static rules for IP addresses, ports, and protocols

Next-Gen Firewall

Incorporates app awareness and intrusion prevention (in addition to IP-, port-, and protocol-based filtering)

Zero Trust Firewall

Filters based on context-aware policies and dynamic verification, including source and destination IPs, ports and protocols, user-identity, risk, and business policies

Inspection Depth

Network Firewall

Shallow packet filtering based on header inspection (L2, L3, L4 headers only)

Next-Gen Firewall

Deep packet inspection (DPI) for app and payload analysis (L2, L3, L4, L7)

Zero Trust Firewall

Adds to DPI with additional microsegmentation and continuous verification

Application Awareness

Network Firewall

Not supported

Next-Gen Firewall

Supported

Zero Trust Firewall

Supported, with least-privileged access controls

User Identity Integration

Network Firewall

Not supported

Next-Gen Firewall

Supported via integration with identity providers (LDAP, AD, etc.)

Zero Trust Firewall

Core feature, deeply integrated with identity and access management (IAM)

Security Features

Network Firewall

Basic (IP/port blocking, network address translation [NAT])

Next-Gen Firewall

Often includes IPS, sandboxing, antivirus, URL filtering

Zero Trust Firewall

IDS/IPS, DNS control, user-device verification

Scalability

Network Firewall

Poor

  • Prone to bottlenecks due to processor-intensive TLS/SSL inspection
  • Requires dedicated hardware at every site
  • Needs to be replaced as processing needs grow

Next-Gen Firewall

Restrictive

  • Similar issues to network firewalls
  • Often limited by traffic flows and inspection capacity, as with network firewalls

Zero Trust Firewall

Unlimited

  • Cloud native; no appliances to manage or scale
  • Can instantly provision new features and capacity
Management

Network Firewall

Burdensome

  • Designed to secure on-premises, not the cloud
  • Policies must be re-created for each location
  • Must be reconfigured if network architecture changes
  • ACLs require cumbersome manual updating

Next-Gen Firewall

Complex

  • Still fundamentally built for static networks
  • Static policies are not flexible or scalable enough for dynamic, distributed clouds
  • Inconsistent policy enforcement across multiple environments

Zero Trust Firewall

Simple

  • Centrally define, deploy, and enforce policies for all users and locations
  • Centralized, granular rules based on user, app, location, group, and department
  • Forensically complete logs enhance investigation and response
Costs

Network Firewall

Volatile

  • High capex costs for initial purchase, deployment, and refresh
  • Continued reliance on a large security stack

Next-Gen Firewall

Inconsistent

  • High initial and moderate ongoing costs due to subscription
  • Scaling requires additional hardware or virtual appliances in the cloud

Zero Trust Firewall

Stable

  • Opex-based; predictable subscription model
  • No scaling limitations
  • Eliminate physical and virtual NGFWs, IPS devices, and logging and monitoring systems
Use Cases

Network Firewall

Basic

Securing internal, low-risk environments that require basic perimeter defense

Next-Gen Firewall

Niche

Securing complex on-premises networks that require perimeter defense

Zero Trust Firewall

Comprehensive

Securing critical assets, cloud services, and hybrid networks that require dynamic zero trust controls—regardless of where users, devices, and assets are located

Hardware firewalls vs. virtualized firewalls vs. cloud native firewalls

Virtual firewalls extend your network out to cloud resources and have the same capacity limitations as physical firewalls.

Which Should You Choose?

Only a Zero Trust Firewall is purpose-built for today’s digital world to ensure secure internet access and secure all web and non-web traffic, across all ports and protocols, with infinite scalability and high performance.

Users get consistent protection on any device, in any location—at home, at the office, or on the road—without the cost, complexity, and performance limitations of traditional network security and next-generation firewalls.

Zscaler Advanced Zero Trust Firewall

1,000+ Firewall and DNS Rules

Set precise parameters to stop a wider range of attacks with additional rules​

DNS Tunnel Detection and Categorization​

Detect and block DNS-based attacks before they compromise the network​

Support for Custom IPS Signatures​

Use custom IPS signatures specific to your organization's requirements​

User Identity Policy Controls

Define security policies based on user, identity, role, department, group, and location​

Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)/​L7 Network Application

Go beyond data packet header inspection into the actual content of data traversing the network​

Detailed Logging​

Get deep visibility into network activity with a 360-degree view of all actions and functions (User ID, App ID, IPS, etc.)​

Technology Cost Optimization

Eliminate physical and virtual NGFWs, IPS devices, and logging and monitoring systems​

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Network Firewall: Offers minimal protection against insider threats as it trusts internal traffic by default.
  • NGFW: Improves security by monitoring user behavior and applications, but may still assume some trust for traffic within the internal network.
  • Zero Trust Firewall: Provides the strongest protection against internal threats by requiring authentication for every action, even for users or devices within the network. It significantly limits lateral movement by attackers.
  • Network Firewall: Often ineffective at preventing lateral movement as it relies on perimeter-based security.
  • NGFW: Offers improved protection through application-layer controls and intrusion detection systems but may still trust internal traffic to some extent.
  • Zero Trust Firewall: Provides the best solution for preventing lateral movement by ensuring that no trust is inherent within the network. Every connection request is verified, limiting attackers' ability to move laterally.
  • Network Firewall: Inadequate for implementing zero trust as it relies on static trust assumptions.
  • NGFW: Can support some zero trust principles, such as user and application awareness, but typically requires additional tools for full implementation.
  • Zero Trust Firewall: Specifically designed to align with zero trust strategies, making it the preferred solution for organizations fully adopting this model.