NEXT-GENERATION FIREWALL OPTIMIZATION: STRATEGIES FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE THREAT PREVENTION IN LARGE-SCALE ENTERPRISES

Abstract

Traditional firewall systems have not been enough to protect against quickly changing cyber threats and growing business network infrastructures. This study looked into ways to make Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) work better so that they can stop threats at high speeds in huge businesses. The study used a mixed-methods approach, which included both experimental testing of NGFWs in simulated high-traffic situations and interviews with cybersecurity experts. The results showed that performance optimization techniques such policy rule consolidation, SSL/TLS inspection offloading, and hardware acceleration made a big difference in throughput, latency, and CPU efficiency. Expert opinions also brought up operational and organizational factors that affected how well these techniques worked in real life. The results show how important it is to take an integrated approach to NGFW optimization, balancing technological progress with the ability to deploy it and keep it safe.