What is firewall security management software? Firewall management is the group of actions and practices used for configuring and monitoring a firewall with the goal of maintaining network security. Firewalls are key elements used for protecting private networks.
Organizations may use multiple firewalls to protect devices and networks, and these can prove difficult to manage. That’s where firewall security management comes in. Firewall security management (FSM) software monitors and controls firewalls, routers, load balancers, and switches from a central dashboard.
Firewall security management software uses real-time event tracking to monitor network behavior and find potential threats. When the software detects changes to security policy or vulnerabilities, it sends an alert.
Most firewalls come with management functionalities. However, the comprehensive capabilities of firewall software management is what makes it a standalone category. This software supports multiple firewall products, allowing organizations to monitor, manage and control them with a centralized function.
Firewall security management solutions centralize the administration of network security policies across firewalls and similar devices. This enables visibility into network behavior, traffic, users, and actions controlling which users and packages can enter the network.
By bringing all firewalls under a single central management framework, the software delivers a tight and scalable digital security model. In addition, many firewall management software solutions have automation features that streamline and simplify workflows, reducing manual tracking and management processes.
Organizations can benefit from firewall security management tools in a number of ways:
1. Improves network visibility
By managing multiple firewalls, firewall security management (FSM) solutions improve visibility over network traffic. Data constantly coming in and out of your systems creates opportunities for hackers to attack. FSM solutions provide a centralized point of view, normalizing the rules and policies across different firewalls.
These solutions provide increased insight into what enters and exits the network. IT teams use firewall security management tools to check on potentially malicious activity on a network. Because FSM software usually integrates with other network security products like SIEM, IT service management suites, and network monitoring products, it offers complete coverage across a range of network environments.
2. Reduces the risk of data breaches and attacks
Attackers don’t rest, and the number of new threats developed daily amounts to hundreds of thousands. Thus, firewalls are a necessity. But if you want to prevent risky gaps among the different firewalls you have in place in your ecosystem, you need firewall security management software. One of the obvious benefits of FSM software is that you can control and manage policies across multiple firewalls, load balancers, and other products, ensuring airtight security around your network.
3. Optimizes firewall policy management
Firewall security management solutions provide a centralized point of view so you can identify issues in firewall policies. By deploying FSM software, you can monitor how effective your network security infrastructure is, control access, comply with regulations, and enhance risk mitigation.
Some of the features offered by top FSM vendors include:
1. Coordinating policies across firewalls
This includes planning and managing rules and auditing policies for compliance. The system achieves policy optimization by carrying on the following features:
This set of features includes network mapping, hybrid cloud support, policy orchestration, and change management. Automating features includes policy and workflow optimization.
FSM solutions also provide automatic compliance monitoring, which reduces the time it takes for policy configuration and auditing. Some activities that help achieve compliance include:
3. Continuous monitoring
One of the key features of firewall security management software is providing real-time event monitoring. The centralized console offers a single pane of glass monitoring approach that helps detect anomalies and malicious behavior in real time.
4. Generating log analysis
Most FSM solutions generate log and analytic reports in real-time. This ensures you can quickly identify security anomalies and detect internal threats.
5. Automatic updates
FSM solutions usually implement upgrades and patches as soon as they appear.
Other features that appear in top vendor offerings include: