I don\'t know how to write this without it sounding like a plug (lol), but it\'s

Question

I don't know how to write this without it sounding like a plug (lol), but it's not. So please don't close-vote it, even if you really want your editor badge. Here goes:

There's this site called av-comparatives that I use and trust to provide me independent antivirus reviews. You probably do, too, actually. While I keep myself somewhat knowledgeable about infosec, my specialties lay elsewhere and it's so useful for me to have something like that as a resource.

I don't know of anything like that for firewalls, and when I go out to find one, I'm accosted with millions, all claiming that one product or another is the best. Cross-referencing them often leads to one or two that I've never heard of. The (I think) fairly obvious conclusion there is that these are all just fake third party review sites set up for marketing purposes.
Is there a trusted independent firewall review company?

Explanation / Answer

There is NSS Labs which contrary to Gartner actually tests the devices.

But, talking about firewalls is just about as specific as taking about means of transport. What you actually need varies between a hand barrow and a container ship. Even within the same class (like passenger car) you will find lots of different solutions which not only differ by price but also by feature.

And given that your expertise is not in firewalls you better don't just buy anything yourself because it will be either provide nearly no security or you will not be able to maintain it because you don't understand what it does. Real firewalls are complex beasts and to get actually a benefit from them you need to tightly adapt them to your network and maybe also to restructure your network with security in mind. If anybody talks about simple firewalls they are probably selling only a simple packet filter with no real inspection capabilities. While this might be adequate to separate networks from each other it does not protect a company against current attacks from the outside.

Actually, no firewall is adequate to do this by its own. A firewall is only part of a larger security policy and can help to implement parts of this policy.

In summary: Don't buy just any device because you will not be able to make effective use of it. There are independent companies who offer a range of products from different vendors and do also security management and counseling. Talk to them to find out how to get the most security for your money in your specific situation.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse I
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.