--- title: "Best Firewall Software - 2026 Reviews & Pricing" description: "Find the best Firewall Software for your organization. Compare top Firewall Software systems with customer reviews, pricing, and free demos." source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/firewall/" page_type: "category" language: "en" --- [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / Firewall Software Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. # Best Firewall Software of 2026 Updated October 31, 2026 On this page 1. Popular Comparisons 2. Buyers Guide 3. Related Software Filter products 55 results ### Compare Products Showing 1 - 25 of 55 products #### Company Size - Self-Employed - 2-10 - 11-50 - 51-200 - 201-500 - 501-1000 - 1000+ #### Pricing Options - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ ### Compare Products Sort by **Sponsored**: Sorts listings by software vendors running active bidding campaigns, from the highest to lowest bid. Vendors who have paid for placement have a ‘Visit Website’ button, whereas unpaid vendors have a ‘Learn More’ button. **Reviews**: Sorts listings by the number of user reviews we have published, greatest to least. **Average Rating**: Sorts listings by overall star rating based on user reviews, highest to lowest. **Alphabetically (A-Z)**: Sorts listings by product name from A to Z. ### [GoodAccess](/security/goodaccess-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.9/5 - Reviews: 103 - Starting price: $7.00/month - Best for: Value for money - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview GoodAccess is a cybersecurity platform (SASE/SSE) that empowers medium-sized enterprises to easily implement Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) in their infrastructure, regardless of [Read more](/security/goodaccess-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 - Two-Factor Authentication: 5/5 - Data Security: 5/5 - Geo-spoofing: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Employee Activity Monitoring: 4/5 - Live Chat: 4/5 [See all features](/security/goodaccess-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Enterprise - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Enterprise features and Premium 24/7 support for large organizations. Allows minimum of 50 users. ##### Premium - Price: $11.00/month - ZTNA - Zero Trust Network Access for multi-site & cloud businesses. Allows a minimum of 5 users. ##### Essential - Price: $7.00/month - Dedicated Cloud VPN with Static IP whitelisting. Allows a minimum of 10 users. [See full pricing details](/security/goodaccess-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [DNSFilter](/msp/dnsfilter-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 88 - Starting price: $1.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview DNSFilter is a cloud-based cybersecurity software that helps businesses leverage AI technology and DNS protection to streamline threat detection and content filtering processes. [Read more](/msp/dnsfilter-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Remote Access/Control: 5/5 - Customizable Reports: 5/5 - Endpoint Protection: 5/5 - Activity Tracking: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - VPN: 3/5 - Firewalls: 3/5 - Access Controls/Permissions: 3.6/5 - Activity Monitoring: 3.8/5 [See all features](/msp/dnsfilter-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $1.00/month - Real-time threat detection, content filtering, malicious domain protection, scheduled reporting, and ##### Pro - Price: $2.10/month - Everything in the Basic plan PLUS: AppAware, Windows & macOS Roaming Clients, Active Directory ##### Enterprise - Price: $2.70/month - Everything in the Pro plan PLUS: iOS and Android Roaming Clients, 90-day report retention, 9-day [See full pricing details](/msp/dnsfilter-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Orca Security](/cybersecurity/orca-security-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 60 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Orca Security is a cloud security platform that helps enterprises across financial services, healthcare, retail, government, manufacturing, and other industries manage risk across [Read more](/cybersecurity/orca-security-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Anomaly/Malware Detection: 5/5 - Container Scanning: 5/5 - Assessment Management: 5/5 - Cloud Application Security: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - DDoS Protection: 2.5/5 - Incident Management: 3/5 - Encryption: 3/5 - Anti Virus: 3.9/5 [See all features](/cybersecurity/orca-security-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Sense Defence AI](/security/sense-defence-ai-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.9/5 - Reviews: 32 - Starting price: $99.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Sense Defence AI WAF is a Web Application Firewall (WAF) solution that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to provide robust protection for web applications. It offers [Read more](/security/sense-defence-ai-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - User Management: 5/5 - IP Filtering: 5/5 - Web Traffic Reporting: 5/5 - Whitelisting/Blacklisting: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Event Logs: 4/5 [See all features](/security/sense-defence-ai-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $99.00/month [See full pricing details](/security/sense-defence-ai-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Wordfence](/firewall/wordfence-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.9/5 - Reviews: 29 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Wordfence is a web application firewall (WAF) and vulnerability scanner that's designed to protect WordPress websites against malware and other malicious activity. Wordfence [Read more](/firewall/wordfence-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - IP Filtering: 5/5 - SQL Injections: 5/5 - Endpoint Protection: 5/5 - Intrusion Prevention System: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Monitoring: 4/5 [See all features](/firewall/wordfence-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Check Point SASE](/remote-monitoring-and-manageme/perimeter-81-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 80 - Starting price: $8.00/month - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Perimeter 81 is the first Cybersecurity Experience Platform to streamline SASE through its groundbreaking ease-of-use and unified network security stack. With a global network of [Read more](/remote-monitoring-and-manageme/perimeter-81-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Multi-Protocol: 5/5 - Kill Switch: 5/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 - Access Management: 5/5 [See all features](/remote-monitoring-and-manageme/perimeter-81-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Nessus](/network-security/nessus-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 94 - Starting price: $4,000.20one time - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Nessus is a cloud-based solution designed to help businesses identify potential vulnerabilities across the system and prioritize critical issues to facilitate threat remediation [Read more](/network-security/nessus-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Compliance Tracking: 5/5 - Policy Management: 5/5 - Vulnerability Protection: 5/5 - API: 4.8/5 ##### Worst rated features - Compliance Management: 2/5 - Threat Intelligence: 3/5 - Website Crawling: 3.7/5 - Runtime Container Security: 4/5 [See all features](/network-security/nessus-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $4,000.20one time - The advanced support costs additional $472 and the on-demand training costs an additional of $230.10 ##### Plan 2 - Price: $7,800.39one time - The advanced support costs additional $472 and the on-demand training costs an additional of ##### Plan 3 - Price: $11,400.60one time - The advanced support costs additional $472 and the on-demand training costs an additional of [See full pricing details](/network-security/nessus-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [GlassWire](/security/glasswire-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 69 - Starting price: $35.88/year - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview GlassWire is a network monitoring and security solution with a built-in firewall. It provides features such as internet security, bandwidth usage monitoring, remote server [Read more](/security/glasswire-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Server Monitoring: 5/5 - Monitoring: 5/5 - Alerts/Escalation: 5/5 - Real-Time Data: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Anti Virus: 3.3/5 - Risk Alerts: 4/5 - Network Mapping: 4/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 4/5 [See all features](/security/glasswire-profile/#key-features) --- ### [ZeroTrusted.ai](/product/522649-ZeroTrusted-ai/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 23 - Starting price: $24.99/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Designed for individuals and businesses, ZeroTrusted.ai is a cloud-based solution that safeguards against unintentional data exposure and exploitation by unethical LLM providers or [Read more](/product/522649-ZeroTrusted-ai/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - IP Filtering: 4.7/5 - Network Monitoring: 4.7/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 4.6/5 [See all features](/product/522649-ZeroTrusted-ai/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Standard Plan - Price: $29.99/month - For 1 user ##### Team Plan - Price: $24.99/month - Up to 5000 users ##### Enterprise Plan - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/product/522649-ZeroTrusted-ai/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall](/firewall/fortigate-next-generation-firewalls-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 44 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall, part of the Fortinet Security Fabric, is a firewall solution with automated threat protection. It is designed to protect organizations from both [Read more](/firewall/fortigate-next-generation-firewalls-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Intrusion Prevention System: 4.7/5 - SSL Security: 4.7/5 - Filtering: 4.6/5 - Content Filtering: 4.6/5 [See all features](/firewall/fortigate-next-generation-firewalls-profile/#key-features) --- ### [BrowseControl by CurrentWare](/cybersecurity/browsecontrol-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 63 - Starting price: $6.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview With BrowseControl web filtering and application blocking software by CurrentWare you can prevent the launching of applications and control what websites can be accessed based on [Read more](/cybersecurity/browsecontrol-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Endpoint Protection: 5/5 - Activity Monitoring: 4.9/5 - Two-Factor Authentication: 4.8/5 - Firewalls: 4.8/5 [See all features](/cybersecurity/browsecontrol-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### BrowseControl - Standalone Single Module | 10-99 Users - Price: $6.00/month - Cost when purchasing BrowseControl as a standalone module of the CurrentWare Suite, and before ##### CurrentWare Suite—All 4 Modules | 10-99 Users - Price: $14.00/month - Cost when purchasing all 4 modules in the CurrentWare Suite— AccessPatrol data loss prevention [See full pricing details](/cybersecurity/browsecontrol-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [NG Firewall](/network-management/ng-firewall-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 20 - Starting price: $270.00/year - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview NG Firewall is a cloud-based network security solution that helps businesses monitor network activities and view the status of firewall servers. The application enables managers to [Read more](/network-management/ng-firewall-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - IP Filtering: 5/5 - Content Filtering: 5/5 - Threat Response: 5/5 - Policy Management: 5/5 [See all features](/network-management/ng-firewall-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $270.00/year [See full pricing details](/network-management/ng-firewall-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [CrowdStrike](/product/135499-CrowdStrike-Falcon/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 56 - Starting price: $8.99/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview CrowdStrike is a cloud-based endpoint protection solution, which assists small to large businesses with anti-virus protection and device control. Key features include AI-based [Read more](/product/135499-CrowdStrike-Falcon/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Data Visualization: 5/5 - Third-Party Integrations: 5/5 - Audit Trail: 5/5 - Dashboard: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - API: 2/5 - IP Filtering: 3/5 - Policy Management: 3/5 - Application Security: 3/5 [See all features](/product/135499-CrowdStrike-Falcon/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $8.99/month [See full pricing details](/product/135499-CrowdStrike-Falcon/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [MySQL](/machine-learning/mysql-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 2,100 - Starting price: $2,000.00/year - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview MySQL is a scalable database management system, which enables organizations to securely record, update and manage data in compliance with GDPR, PCI, HIPPA and various regulatory [Read more](/machine-learning/mysql-profile/) ##### What users love - Versatile relational database management - Simple installation and configuration - Accessible learning and resources ##### To take in mind - Limited scalability and data types - Sluggish with large datasets - Complex queries and error handling issues #### Features ##### Best rated features - Activity Tracking: 5/5 - Network Monitoring: 5/5 - Data Management: 5/5 - IP Filtering: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - SSL Security: 3/5 - Mobile Access: 3/5 [See all features](/machine-learning/mysql-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $2,000.00/year [See full pricing details](/machine-learning/mysql-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Panorama](/product/122533-panorama/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 6 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Panorama is a centralized security management solution that enables IT security professionals to control and monitor network-wide traffic and threats. With centralized visibility [Read more](/product/122533-panorama/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 - Intrusion Detection System: 5/5 - Network Monitoring: 4.8/5 - Intrusion Prevention System: 4.8/5 ##### Worst rated features - Hardware Integration: 4/5 [See all features](/product/122533-panorama/#key-features) --- ### [pfSense Plus](/vpn/pfsense-plus-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 5 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview pfSense Plus is a cloud-based solution that provides businesses with security tools to monitor networking processes and prevent cyberattacks. Professionals can use the [Read more](/vpn/pfsense-plus-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Remote Access/Control: 5/5 - Authentication: 5/5 - User Management: 5/5 - Secure Login: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Monitoring: 3.5/5 - Anti Virus: 3.5/5 [See all features](/vpn/pfsense-plus-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Security Event Manager](/firewall/security-event-manager-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 9 - Starting price: $5,093.00one time - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Security & Event Manager by SolarWinds is a log management solution that caters to businesses across various industries. Key features include compliance reporting, real-time event [Read more](/firewall/security-event-manager-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Threat Intelligence: 5/5 - Event Logs: 5/5 - Real-Time Monitoring: 5/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 [See all features](/firewall/security-event-manager-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $5,093.00one time [See full pricing details](/firewall/security-event-manager-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [GoDaddy Website Security](/website-security/godaddy-website-security-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 13 - Starting price: $6.99/month - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview GoDaddy Website Security is a complete website security platform that provides end-to-end website protection with integrated SSL, web application firewall (WAF), and 24/7 security [Read more](/website-security/godaddy-website-security-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Vulnerability Scanning: 5/5 - Threat Response: 4.9/5 - Firewalls: 4.7/5 - Anomaly/Malware Detection: 4.5/5 [See all features](/website-security/godaddy-website-security-profile/#key-features) --- ### [MeghOps](/firewall/meghops-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $100.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview MeghOps emerges as a reliable partner for businesses seeking a holistic and hassle-free cybersecurity solution. By integrating cloud security compliance, a robust firewall, and a [Read more](/firewall/meghops-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Security Auditing: 5/5 - Vulnerability Scanning: 5/5 - Risk Assessment: 5/5 - Data Security: 5/5 [See all features](/firewall/meghops-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic Plan - Price: $100.00/month [See full pricing details](/firewall/meghops-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Modshield SB](/website-security/modshield-sb-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $4,300.00/year - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Modshield SB is a web application firewall (WAF), which helps small to large businesses filter and monitor traffic and protect data from malicious attacks. Features bot/crawler [Read more](/website-security/modshield-sb-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $4,300.00/year [See full pricing details](/website-security/modshield-sb-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [AppTrana](/website-security/apptrana-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 24 - Starting price: $99.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview AppTrana is a cloud-based web application and API protection platform serving mid-market and enterprise businesses across banking, healthcare, retail, SaaS, insurance, [Read more](/website-security/apptrana-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Firewalls: 5/5 - Web Traffic Monitoring: 5/5 - Risk Reporting: 4.5/5 - Risk Scoring: 4.5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Access Controls/Permissions: 1/5 - Predictive Analytics: 1/5 - Policy Management: 3/5 - Anomaly/Malware Detection: 4/5 [See all features](/website-security/apptrana-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $99.00/month [See full pricing details](/website-security/apptrana-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [XG Firewall](/firewall/xg-firewall-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 35 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview XG Firewall is a network security solution that helps businesses streamline endpoint detection and response, firewall security and compliance management operations. The application [Read more](/firewall/xg-firewall-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Access Management: 5/5 - Network Monitoring: 5/5 - Firewalls: 4.9/5 - VPN: 4.8/5 ##### Worst rated features - Reporting/Analytics: 3.8/5 [See all features](/firewall/xg-firewall-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/firewall/xg-firewall-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Quantum Force](/product/519678-Quantum-Force/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 8 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Quantum Force is an AI-enabled firewall solution that enables threat prevention for businesses of all sizes. It caters to a range of enterprise requirements, such as [Read more](/product/519678-Quantum-Force/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Firewalls: 5/5 - Intrusion Prevention System: 5/5 - Hardware Integration: 5/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 [See all features](/product/519678-Quantum-Force/#key-features) --- ### [Citrix Web Firewall](/security/citrix-web-firewall-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 2 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Citrix Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a cloud-based threat defense solution that can be deployed quickly and easily at any scale, from a single website to thousands of [Read more](/security/citrix-web-firewall-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - IP Filtering: 5/5 - Network Monitoring: 5/5 [See all features](/security/citrix-web-firewall-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Myra Security](/firewall/myra-web-application-security-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 2 - Starting price: €4.90/month - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Myra Security is a cloud-based cybersecurity provider specializing in comprehensive protection for digital applications and infrastructures. Focused on high-risk, regulated [Read more](/firewall/myra-web-application-security-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - DDoS Protection: 5/5 - Alerts/Notifications: 4/5 - Web Traffic Monitoring: 4/5 - Threat Intelligence: 3.5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Global Network: 3/5 - Dashboard: 3/5 - Threat Intelligence: 3.5/5 - Web Traffic Monitoring: 4/5 [See all features](/firewall/myra-web-application-security-profile/#key-features) --- 1 [2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/firewall/?__ai_markdown=true&page=2)[3](https://www.softwareadvice.com/firewall/?__ai_markdown=true&page=3) ## Popular Comparisons [ FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall vs ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/firewall/fortigate-next-generation-firewalls-profile/vs/manageengine-firewall-analyzer/)[ Check Point SASE vs GoodAccess ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/security/goodaccess-profile/vs/perimeter-81/)[ Orca Security vs Nessus ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/network-security/nessus-profile/vs/orca-security/) Your business network and devices such as computers and laptops are connected to the internet, making them potential targets for viruses, malware, ransomware, and other types of cyberattacks. Firewall software can help protect your systems against such cyberthreats and unauthorized access by acting as a gatekeeper. It offers features such as traffic filtering, network monitoring, threat inspection, intrusion prevention, and reporting to continuously monitor your systems and provide real-time protection. For most businesses like yours, firewall protection is a basic component of their network security mechanism. Firewall software is closely related to network security and web security software. So, it can be confusing and time-consuming to differentiate between these and select the right one for your business. This buyers guide has all the information you need to choose software that best fits your security needs. Here's what we'll cover: - [What is firewall software?](#Whatisfirewallsoftware) - [Common features of firewall software](#Commonfeaturesoffirewallsoftware) - [What type of buyer are you?](#Whattypeofbuyerareyou) - [Benefits of firewall software](#Benefitsoffirewallsoftware) - [Key considerations](#Keyconsiderations) - [Market trends to understand](#Markettrendstounderstand) ## What is firewall software? Firewall software is a software solution installed on computer systems to protect them from cyberthreats such as viruses, malware, ransomware, hacking attempts, and unauthorized network intrusions. It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic—based on a set of security rules—in real time. Any traffic data that doesn't meet the predefined security criteria gets blocked by the software. _Setting custom firewall rules in_ [Modshield SB](https://www.softwareadvice.com/website-security/modshield-sb-profile/) _(_[Source](https://www.softwareadvice.com/website-security/modshield-sb-profile/)_)_ ## Common features of firewall software These are the common features most buyers seek when purchasing a firewall system: | Feature | Description | | --- | --- | | Internet protocol (IP) filtering | Use packet filtering firewalls to manage network access and monitor incoming and outgoing network traffic. Allow or block data packets based on their source or destination IP addresses and protocols. | | Network monitoring | Scan your networks regularly, and identify malicious activity or policy violation using a combination of threat and intrusion detection methods. | | Reporting/analytics | Generate reports that provide detailed records of security incidents, network activity, activity time, access attempts, and security failures, among others. Use the reports for analysis, record-keeping, and compliance purposes. | | Security/authentication rules | Configure firewall settings and authentication rules to let only authorized users access your networks. Rules can include network security policies, firewall protection levels, IP address blacklisting, and compliance assessments. | | Alerts/notifications | Receive instant alerts and notifications in case of any firewall security breach or intrusion. Real-time alerts allow your IT team to identify potential hackers and take preventive steps. | | Task automation | Automate repetitive or time-consuming tasks such as monitoring systems, testing rules, setting notifications, and filtering false positives. | | Virtual private network (VPN) | Implement site-to-site encryption and anonymize your IP address so that hackers can only see that you’re connected to a VPN server, without knowing what you’re looking at or doing on the internet. | --- ## What type of buyer are you? Before you start evaluating firewall software options, you'll want to know which buyer category you belong to. Most buyers belong to one of the following categories: - **Small and midsize businesses (up to 500 employees):** These buyers include SMBs that monitor fewer employees, applications, systems, and devices compared with large firms. They have a small IT team and a limited budget, so their main goal is to ensure basic firewall protection for their employees, systems, and networks. Firewall software with features such as IP filtering, data backup, anti-spam, and application monitoring would be a good fit for these buyers and help them secure their business networks. - **Large enterprises (over 500 employees):** These buyers include enterprise-level firms that manage large numbers of employees, systems, and networks. They have multiple applications running on multiple web and mobile devices, as well as various network endpoints to monitor. Thus, their security needs are more complex than those of SMBs. These buyers should opt for a unified firewall solution that offers advanced security features and supports multiple devices. Besides basic IP filtering and network monitoring, they need features such as task automation, antivirus, VPN, real-time alerts, internet security, and intrusion prevention. ## Benefits of firewall software Let’s go through some of the key benefits of using firewall software: - **Better protection:** Firewall tools offer data, system, and network protection by monitoring and restricting access control, which is a must for all businesses. These tools provide a layer of security and help prevent any misuse of sensitive information. They not only protect confidential business data but also secure the devices connected to your enterprise networks. - **Real-time network monitoring:** With features such as IP filtering and network monitoring, firewall software continuously tracks the traffic passing between the internet and your business networks. It inspects the traffic for any possible threat and if found, immediately blocks its access. - **Prevents hacking:** Firewall software offers the threat detection capability, which continually monitors your network traffic and sends instant alerts about any potential security threats. These real-time notifications help prevent unauthorized hacking attempts by allowing your IT team to take immediate action. ## Key considerations Listed below are some important considerations to keep in mind when purchasing firewall software: - **Check support for multiple devices.** The bring your own device or BYOD policy allows your employees to use their personal devices such as cellphones, laptops, and tablets for work-related purposes. This increases security risk for your business, as you have to ensure all of these devices are also secured. Thus, ensure the firewall software you are planning to purchase supports all the types of devices used by your employees. Also, look for a tool that lets your IT admins create different policies for different devices and enforce strict security protocols for personal devices. - **Take business size and software scalability into account.** As your business grows in size, the number of employees, systems, networks, and devices you manage will also increase. That’s why it’s important to take your business size into consideration when purchasing a firewall system. Software that supports scalability will be able to accommodate more devices and networks as your security needs increase. - **Look for integration options.** The firewall software you’ve shortlisted should integrate well with your existing IT infrastructure and applications. It should support various plugins that facilitate functions such as content filtering, data integration, and multidevice support. This will make it easier for you to adopt firewall technology as well as reduce integration issues during the implementation phase. - **Have a budget in place.** Firewall solutions come in a variety of options, and budget can be the deciding factor for your eventual choice. While some vendors may customize the pricing model and payment options per your business requirements, not everyone would be willing to do that. Therefore, consider purchasing firewall software as a long-term investment and select a tool accordingly. ## Market trends to understand Here’s a recent firewall software market trend you should be aware of: - **Increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled firewall solutions.** Today’s threat landscape has changed drastically, and traditional firewall solutions aren’t able to keep up with advanced security threats such as zero-day attacks. [AI- and machine learning (ML)-enabled firewall solutions](https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2020/9/artificial-intelligence-ai-and-machine-learning-change-security) can analyze user and network behavioral patterns to identify and stop threats before they even begin. These firewall solutions can also analyze large volumes of traffic and user data to identify potential threats. Thus, they are being increasingly adopted by companies to ensure better enterprise security. **_Note:_** _The application selected in this guide is an example to show a feature in context and is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation. It has been taken from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication._ ### Related Firewall Software - [Anti-spam Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/anti-spam/) - [Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/category/4844-cloud-access-security-broker-casb/) - [DDoS Protection Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/ddos-protection/) - [Email Security Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/email-security/) - [Network Access Control (NAC) Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/network-access-control/) - [Secure Email Gateway Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/secure-email-gateway/) - [VPN Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vpn/) - [Website Accessibility Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/website-accessibility/) - [Website Security Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/website-security/)