What is a data center firewall?

A data center firewall is a software or hardware device that monitors traffic entering and exiting an organization’s network — or, as network perimeters fragment, a portion of that network, down to the workload level — to filter out external threats.

Data center security has traditionally been based on a perimeter firewall, designed to protect internal assets from malicious external actors hiding in north-south traffic. With the rise of distributed networks and modern applications, however, the network perimeter has become more and more porous, necessitating sophisticated distributed firewalls that can deliver fine-grained monitoring and protection of internal — or east-west — traffic.

Despite the rise of cloud-based resources and a distributed workforce, the data center remains critical to many, if not most, enterprises. Containing mission-critical applications and other essential business equities, the data center has evolved and often dispersed geographically but remains just as vulnerable. In the face of ever-growing threats, IT departments understand that securing the data center from malicious threats and unauthorized access remains essential to the continuity of the business.

A robust firewall solution will combine the strengths of gateway and distributed firewalls to deliver north-south and east-west protection for the data center that:

• Provides the foundation for a comprehensive access control and threat control
• Enables consistent performance and delivery of apps and data
• Ensures products and services get to the customers and employees who need them
• Helps eliminate downtime and reputational damage from successful attacks
• Enables a modern, distributed workforce