How to Select a Firewall with Superior Threat Intelligence Features
I have been doing cybersecurity for a long time, well before cybersecurity was a thing. I was just a network admin in ’93 with mux for voice and data over PSTN. Then came Slammer in 2003, and everything changed. That worm spread quickly — like, blink, and your network is gone, fast. That was when I began to delve deep into security.
Fast-forward to today, and I am just completing work upgrading three banks’ zero-trust architectures. I’ve just been knee-deep in firewall deployments, and, if there’s one lesson I’ve learned during my years in the industry, it is that not all firewalls are created equal. Say, concerning threat intelligence.
So let’s break it down. How do you select a firewall that not only blocks threats—but prepares for and adjusts to them in real time?
What is Threat Intelligence?
Threat Intelligence is about more than halting hackers — it’s about understanding them. Understanding their tactics, their tools, where they operate and how they evolve. The whole cat-and-mouse game.
Threat intelligence, done well, answers such questions:
- What types of attacks are popular at the moment? (That’s a business model now — Ransomware-as-a-Service.)
- How are attackers getting inside? (Spoiler: Phishing is still No. 1.)
- Is there a known bad actor currently targeting my sector? (If your business is finance, congrats — you’re likely a premier target.)
But here’s the thing: threat intelligence is only as good as the systems that process it. This is where the A.I. comes in — or at least should come in.
How AI Improves Firewall Security
I’m the first to roll my eyes when vendors slap an AI-powered sticker on their tech. Most of it is just marketing fluff. But what if AI is integrated the right way? It’s a revolutionary shift in next-gen firewalls.
Here’s what an effective AI-based firewall has to do:
- Anomaly detection in the real-time stream. Conventional firewalls work based on known bad signatures. AI models, though? Instead, they look for behavior — discovering threats, even with no previous signature to detect.
- Auto-adaptive policies. Rather than awaiting the configuration of new rules via your IT team, AI-powered firewalls automatically change on the fly, preventing threats from even impacting you.
- Correlating data at scale. AI is able to pull an analysis on logs from millions of devices and detect patterns that a human team would overlook.
- Predictive security. Imagine being able to halt an attack before it happens — because AI finds parallels in behavior leading up to the attack. That’s what the next generation of firewalls is beginning to do.
AI-powered solutions aren’t all created equal. Some vendors slap a weak machine learning model on it and call it AI-powered. That would be like putting a Ferrari logo on a bicycle, it’s not going to make it go faster.
Fortinet Solutions with AI Infrastructure Protection
I’ve been in the game with a lot of firewalls—Juniper, Palo Alto, Check Point, you name it. However, in terms of AI-driven threat intelligence, Fortinet is getting it right.
In-Depth AI-Based Detection
Fortinet’s FortiGuard AI is not just searching for known threats, but learning in real-time from how attacks are playing out in the wild. That also means threats are dispensed with before they’re even formally classified.
Threat Correlation Across the Entire Fabric
Their Security Fabric interlinks firewalls, endpoints, and cloud security, meaning that threats detected on one system are immediately used to adjust protections on others.
Zero-Trust Integration
When I guided those three banks through the overhaul of their zero-trust security, it was (relatively) painless to integrate Fortinet. Their ZTNA and identity-centric firewalling allow for access control to be seamless.
I’ll be blunt — there’s no such thing as a perfect firewall. But Fortinet strikes the right balance of security, performance, and intelligent automation. At least if you want AI-driven threat intelligence that does something interesting, it’s one of the main contenders.
Solutions (Advanced Security Solutions) of PJ Networks
Cyber crime is not slowing down. If anything, it’s getting uglier. Deepfakes. AI-generated malware. Phishing campaigns fully automated, at scale.
We eat, breathe & live cyber security at PJ Networks. We don’t merely sell firewalls, we integrate and optimize firewalls. Here’s what we focus on:
- AI-Driven Threat Prevention We utilize Fortinet artificial-intelligence-powered firewalls to block known attacks and unknown threats before they enter your perimeter.
- Zero-Trust Security Architecture Defense in depth is not sufficient nowadays. As we develop zero-trust models, we calibrate based on your unique risk profile.
- 24/7 Managed Security Services Which means firewalls require never-ending fine-tuning. That’s also why we take care of monitoring, threat response, and security updates for you.
- Endpoint & Network Security – Advanced Because security is not only about preventing inbound threats—it’s about securing every endpoint, from the desktop to the cloud asset.
Your business is vulnerable if your security doesn’t anticipate the future. And in today’s climate, that’s not something you can do.
Quick Take: So, What Should You Look for in a Firewall?
If you’re pressed for time, here’s what you need to know:
- AI-Driven Threat Protection
- Steer clear of anything that uses only signature-based detection.
- Search for behavioral analysis and anomaly detection.
- Integrating Real-Time Threat Intelligence
- Your firewall needs to evolve every day, just like threats do.
- Ensure it ingests global threat intelligence feeds.
- Zero-Trust Capabilities
- It is critical to use identity-based access.
- Micro-segmentation helps to limit lateral movement in the event of a breach.
- Security Fabric & Integration
- Your firewall isn’t on an island – it must integrate with your endpoint, cloud, and network security stack.
Conclusion
Here’s what I’m getting at — I’ve been in the game long enough to recognize that security trends come and go, and while some genuinely ought to go, others stand the test of time. But one constant remains: attackers will continue to evolve. And if your firewall isn’t evolving at the same rate (or faster), you’re already lagging.
A next-gen firewall with genuine AI-driven threat intelligence is no longer a luxury. It’s a necessity. And if it’s industry-leading protection you seek, Fortinet (and PJ Networks deploying and managing it with expertise) will keep your business ahead of the threats.
Because at the end of the day? Security isn’t reactionary. It’s about staying ahead.