Firewall Buying Guide: How to Choose a Firewall in 4 Steps

So—you’re in the market for a firewall. Or perhaps you are building an IT security strategy from the ground up, in which case you are wondering where to even begin. Choosing the right firewall, then, isn’t simply about grabbing the most expensive enterprise-grade box with a million features (most of which you’ll never use). It is about choosing the correct security solution for your surroundings.

I’ve been around IT security long enough that I can even remember some environments not having firewalls at all — just ACLs and a prayer. Today, the situation has changed. Threats have evolved, businesses are more connected than ever, and firewalls no longer serve only as mere gateways to the network; they’re threat detection systems, VPN endpoints, and sometimes even intrusion prevention tools disguised as such.

So let’s break this down. Step by step.

Quick Take (For the Impatient Readers):

• Determine your needs – Be aware of what you’re protecting and who you’re protecting it from.
• Compare firewall types – There’s no one-size-fits-all. You have options between hardware, software and cloud firewalls.
• Verify security features – Check, but don’t solely check a box, ensure it fits your use case.
• Get expert help – PJ Networks help businesses with identifying and deploying the right Fortinet firewall solution.

Alright, let’s dive deeper.

1. Define Your Needs

Because if you don’t, you’re going to pay extra for features that don’t matter — or, worse, miss features that do.

Start by asking yourself:

• What is the number of users/devices that need to be accommodated behind this firewall?
• Do I need to secure just one office or multiple offices?
• Is the data I work with sensitive (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, financial records)?
• What’s my risk profile? (Attack landscapes vary widely by industry.)
• Should I get deep packet inspection? Zero-trust network access?

Most recently, I partnered with three banks deploying a Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA). They were convinced they only needed a perimeter firewall, but after some painful discussions it became clear that internal segmentation firewalls were also necessary. Why? Because lateral movement attacks are a nightmare, in particular in finance.

The takeaway: a firewall isn’t just ‘stop malware in its tracks’ but is also about controlling traffic on your subnet.

2. Compare Firewall Types

So, not every firewall is created equal. Here’s a breakdown:

• Old Style Firewalls (Packet Review)
  • These function as traffic cops for network traffic.
  • Simple, quick, not sufficient for current attacks.
• Stateful Inspection Firewalls
  • Makes choices based on link state
  • An upgrade over packet filtering — improved, but not very effective.
• NGFW (Next-Generation Firewalls)
  • The data level: deep packet inspection, intrusion prevention, application-aware filtering and even sandboxing.
  • If security is important, then NGFW or nothing.
• Cloud Firewalls & Firewall as a Service (FWaaS)
  • Awesome for hybrid environments.
  • Increases with cloud workloads.
  • But your traffic is running over someone else’s infrastructure. Think through compliance considerations.
• WAFs — Web Application Firewalls
  • Aimed precisely at securing web applications.
  • Prevention of SQL injections, XSS attacks, and API abuse.

An NGFW makes sense for most businesses. However, if your infrastructure is pure cloud, you may require a mixture of both cloud firewalls and network segmentation.

3. Check Security Features

This is where it gets real. Because the difference between a good firewall, and a bad firewall, isn’t always obvious.

• Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)
  • Blocks embedded threats in non-standard network traffic
  • Critical for contemporary cyber threats.
• Application-Aware Filtering
  • Not all traffic is created equal – Make smart prioritization decisions.
  • What if employees continue downloading random EXEs from shady websites? Block it.
• Intrusion Detection & Prevention (IDS/IPS)
  • Detects malicious traffic — before it causes chaos.
  • Basic if you care about security (and you really should).
• SSL Inspection
  • Over 80% of cyber threats are hidden in HTTPS traffic.
  • You need to inspect inside encrypted packets. If it doesn’t, then it’s actually worthless.
• Built-in VPN
  • Supporting remote workers means a decent VPN is a must-have.
  • ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) is superior to legacy VPNs in many situations — can be worth investigating.

My hot take — stay away from anything that’s overly dependent on AI-powered security. AI is good at some things, but when vendors talk about an AI-driven firewall, what they really mean is “We slapped a machine learning model onto this thing and hope you don’t ask questions.” Call it old-school, but I will indeed take properly configured access controls and threat intelligence feeds over some buzzword-laden black-box algorithm.

4. Fortinet Firewall Consultation from P. J. Networks

Now, if this all sounds like a lot to digest — it is. Selecting a firewall isn’t as simple as dumping some specs and pricing into a spreadsheet. It takes experience.

That is why PJ Networks assists businesses, banks, and enterprises in firewall selection, deployment, and management. We have worked with Fortinet firewalls for many years, and our reasons for doing so include:

• Fortinet provides real security, not marketing fluff.
• NGFWs (Example: FortiGate) provides High throughput Deep packet inspection + intelligence
• Things like ZTNA, end-to-end network segmentation, and hardware acceleration really make a difference.

If you are deploying firewalls at scale or upgrading from legacy deployment, reach out. I just returned from DefCon and wow—I’ll tell you, attackers are improving. If your firewall strategy isn’t keeping pace, then it’s only a question of when you’ll be breached — not if.

5. Conclusion

Purchasing a firewall is a major investment. And if you make the wrong choice, your network is either pwned or you shell out a fortune for something that’s not even aligned to your security model. Neither is ideal.

Key takeaways:

• Make sure you know exactly what you’re protecting before shopping around.
• For the majority of enterprises, NGFWs are the superior solution.
• SSL inspection, DPI, and IPS count. Invest in good security features.
• Avoid hype. True security isn’t about buzzwords — it’s about control.

The response covers the introductory policies and they can be refined once the lab is up and running. If you want assistance selecting or deploying a firewall, PJ Networks specializes in Fortinet firewalls. We can guide you in the right direction on how to structure to a scalable security solution, whether securing one office, a data center, or a multi-cloud environment.

And believe me — this is not something you want to mess up. Cyber threats won’t wait. Neither should you.