<p>CISOs are well aware that next-generation firewalls protect their organizations by detecting a wide variety of security incidents, responding to cyberattacks, monitoring network activity and enforcing enterprise policies. NGFWs are also necessary when organizations embrace zero-trust architectures.<br><br>To take advantage of everything <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/next-generation-firewall-NGFW”>NGFWs</a> have to offer, security leaders must balance deployment architecture planning, budgeting and ROI. Let’s examine some best practices to help CISOs successfully deploy and maintain their NGFW.</p>
<section class=”section main-article-chapter” data-menu-title=”Deployment architecture”>
<h2 class=”section-title”><i class=”icon” data-icon=”1″></i>Deployment architecture</h2>
<p>Most NGFW products are available in <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/The-five-different-types-of-firewalls”>multiple deployment models</a>: hardware appliances, software to install on an organization’s hardware, cloud-based software and cloud-based SaaS. In most cases, an organization can use these models within a single deployment architecture. For example, this might include a SaaS NGFW to monitor cloud-based network traffic, an NGFW hardware appliance to monitor traffic in on-premises data centers, and a single interface to manage all NGFWs.</p>
<p>Designing the deployment architecture necessitates choosing which deployment model to use at logical network ingress and egress points, including boundaries between two organizational networks. Factors to consider include the following:</p>
<ul class=”default-list”>
<li><b>Scalability</b>. CISOs must consider the organization’s future scaling needs. For example, choose a software-based NGFW deployment model if the network’s throughput is expected to increase in the next few years.</li>
<li><b>Monitoring.</b> Consider teams’ ability to efficiently monitor network traffic in existing locations versus rerouting traffic to pass through NGFWs in other locations.</li>
<li><b>Reliability.</b> Teams should understand the reliability requirements for any deployment and how to achieve them — for example, load-balancing across multiple hardware firewalls or cloud instances.</li>
<li><b>Control.</b> Assess the degree of control required over NGFW deployments — from monitoring and managing all NGFWs on-premises to enlisting a service provider to monitor and manage all NGFWs.</li>
<li><b>Features.</b> Consider the ability to add <ins datetime=”2026-04-09T14:22″ cite=”mailto:Shea,%20Sharon”><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/How-to-evaluate-NGFW-products-to-strengthen-cybersecurity”></a></ins><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/How-to-evaluate-NGFW-products-to-strengthen-cybersecurity”>NGFW features and capabilities</a> over time, such as advanced AI technologies, without degrading the tool’s performance or reliability.</li>
</ul>
</section>
<section class=”section main-article-chapter” data-menu-title=”Budgeting”>
<h2 class=”section-title”><i class=”icon” data-icon=”1″></i>Budgeting</h2>
<p>Every <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/Explore-this-NGFW-comparison-of-leading-vendors-on-the-market”>vendor’s NGFW offerings</a> involve a unique combination of purchases, licensing, subscriptions and features. Reviewing NGFW products can be time-intensive, requiring apples-to-apples comparisons to fully understand the budgetary implications of a deployment model for each network point.</p>
<p>The following are some common NGFW acquisition and implementation costs, although some only apply to certain deployment models:</p>
<ul class=”default-list”>
<li>Hardware appliances or commodity hardware to run NGFW software.</li>
<li>One-time and recurring licenses and subscriptions, including technical support fees.</li>
<li>Deploying tool or service components, such as individual NGFWs and management consoles.</li>
<li>NGFW integration with enterprise technologies, including <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/Security-log-management-and-logging-best-practices”>log management systems</a> and identity and access management tools.</li>
<li>Training for NGFW implementers, administrators and stakeholders, as well as recurring training fees.</li>
<li>Securing the NGFW tool or service and its individual components.</li>
<li>Piloting and deployment.</li>
<li>Transitioning and retiring lega
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