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Firewalls are network security systems that monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic. They can be configured based on predetermined security rules to suit every situation.
Companies can use a firewall as a trusted barrier between their internal network and external networks, such as the internet.
See below to learn all about the current global firewall market:
The firewall market
The global network security firewall was estimated at $4.3 billion in 2021. At a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9%, the market value is expected to reach $8.6 billion by 2026.
Several countries are driving growth in the firewall market:
- The U.S. had $249.4 million of the market in 2020
- China is projected to reach a market size of $580.1 million by 2027 with a CAGR of 21.4%
- Japan and Canada are forecast to grow by 20% and 18.4% annually by 2027
- Germany’s market share value is estimated to grow by 15% annually
The most common end-user industries for firewalls are:
- Health care
- Manufacturing
- Government
- Retail
- Education
- Communications
Firewall features
Firewalls are a gate that separates one network from another less-trustworthy network. A firewall can be implemented as either software or hardware.
Software firewalls
Software firewalls are installed directly on the target device and need to be installed separately for collective protection. They tend to be resource-intensive, using up the device’s CPU and RAM to operate.
Software firewalls tend to fall short for large networks, as one type of software isn’t compatible with all devices. They also need to be configured individually by the administrator on every device.
Hardware firewalls
Hardware firewalls are physical devices that contain the configuration and the needed resources. It acts as a communal gate between the internal network and any external network, scanning data packets and traffic as they go.
Physical firewalls are more convenient for large networks found in organizations.
Firewalls are also categorized based on how they filter out malicious data.
- Circuit-level gateway
- Proxy firewall (application level)
- Stateful inspection firewall
- Packet filtering firewall
Benefits of firewalls
The configuration of a firewall plays a major role in the level of protection it offers. Some firewall benefits include:
- Direct protection against malicious hackers
- Protection from malicious code
- Control of bandwidth usage
- Securing remote workers
- Protection of cloud-based data
- Consistent, 24/7 network protection
Firewall use cases
Whether it’s to accommodate remote workers, expand into multiple branches, or safely connect to the open internet, companies implement firewalls for various network security solutions.
“Lately, companies have doubled down on their existing firewall and appliances infrastructures to support and sustain their recent spike of remote users,” says Amit Bareket, a member of the Forbes Technology Council.
“Now, organizations need to understand that cloud and mobility are here to stay, and they need to seek more sustainable and innovative solutions that will fit the new normal, cloud, and mobile-first world.”
Globe Telecom
Globe Telecom is a Philippines-based telecommunications company that offers mobile and fixed-line telephony, and broadband services. With over 8,000 employees, it has a customer-first culture, where protecting customer data is of utmost importance.
Globe Telecom struggled to keep up with digital transformations and managing multiple vendors as partners without compromising data security. With Palo Alto Networks’ help, it was able to standardize security and simplify integration with the company’s evolving digital infrastructure.
“With their Layer 7 Firewalls and filtering, Palo Alto Networks was at the forefront in terms of capabilities, but it was their completeness of vision with regard to our technology requirements that won us over,” says Anton Bonifacio, chief information security officer at Globe Telecom.
“They offered us world-class, advanced technology solutions, with a keen finger on the pulse for what lay ahead, thereby ensuring they stayed ahead of the curve.”
New Castle Hotels and Resorts
New Castle Hotels and Resorts runs more than 20 award-winning hotels in the U.S. and Canada.
During COVID-19, it needed a way to secure remote workers and bring security operations in-house. Implementing cybersecurity solutions from Cisco, New Castle Hotels and Resorts was able to transition to secure remote work in under a day and reduce the time to detect and remediation of systems from days to hours.
“Cisco isn’t like other security companies that are primarily hardware or primarily software,” says Alan Zaccario, VP of IT and cybersecurity at New Castles Hotels and Resorts.
“That was really important to us, because we knew we needed control on endpoints, in the cloud, and on-prem at our properties.”
Firewall providers
Some of the leading firewall vendors include:
- Cisco
- WatchGuard
- Forcepoint
- SonicWall
- Versa Networks
- Palo Alto Networks
- Fortinet
- Barracuda Networks
- Sophos
- Check Point Software Technologies
