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Executive Summary
Commissioned By Fortinet
November 2015
METHODOLOGY
Key Findings
generation firewalls.
Forresters study yielded the following best practices for NGFW evaluation:
Conduct an
honest internal
assessment.
Thoroughly test
solutions within
your own
environment.
Deploy NGFWs in
front of your
organizations
most sensitive
data.
Web/software applications
exploits N = 90
54%
53%
Drive-by downloads
N = 46
52%
Operating system
vulnerabilities attacks N = 90
51%
71%
63%
47%
Phishing
N = 61
46%
Understand the infrastructure, staffing, and budgetary implications of implementing a NGFW. The
security pros surveyed weighed technical factors as well as cost, implementation time, and the IT resources
needed to manage the solution. Be sure to conduct a thorough assessment of all implications of a NGFW
implementation.
Conduct an honest internal evaluation. The vast majority placed high priority on all NGFW features during
the evaluation phase. But most respondents only used select features once they were implemented, with just
antivirus and application control capabilities used by more than 50% of respondents. If you are running point
products with capabilities redundant with a NGFW, beware you may encounter inefficiencies.
Identify the contenders. Nearly two-thirds would consider a broader selection of vendors if they could do it
again. Identify the NGFW vendor solutions that best fit your requirements, and use product demos, a proof of
concept, bake-offs, and third-party testing to generate your shortlist.
Test before you buy. Seven out of 10 survey respondents said if they could go back in time, they would do
more extensive testing of capabilities. Be sure to thoroughly test solutions in your own environment.
What would you do differently if you had to select and deploy an NGFW again?
(Select all that apply)
More extensive testing of capabilities
71%
61%
56%
51%
Zero Trust is becoming widely adopted by leading, cutting-edge organizations. As data breaches continue to
devastate businesses and governments, more security organizations are under pressure to create new ways of
protecting their critical data by turning to a Zero Trust data-centric network security model powered by NGFW
technology.
Next-generation firewalls are a key
enabler for implementing and applying
Zero Trust concepts. However, its more
than a matter of just deploying a NGFW.
As you embark on your Zero Trust journey
and begin to evaluate NGFWs:
1
Evangelize
Zero Trust to
gain internal
support.
2
Start a crossfunctional
Zero Trust
working group.
3
Map out your
data flows.
To read the full results of this study, please refer to the Thought Leadership Paper commissioned by Fortinet
titled, Your Best Defense: Next-Generation Firewalls Enable Zero Trust Security.
2015, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available
resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester, Technographics, Forrester Wave, RoleView,
TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
companies. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com. [1-WFUIC3]