What Is Firewall as a Service (FWaaS)? How Does It Fit Into SASE?

Traditional security measures simply can’t keep up as businesses move more applications and workloads to the cloud. The latest Cloud Security Report revealed that 61% of organizations faced a cloud security incident in 2024,¹ making it increasingly clear that modern security threats call for modern security solutions.

Enter firewall as a service (FWaaS). FWaaS is a cloud-based firewall solution that provides advanced security controls designed to combat today’s evolving network security challenges. Read on to learn more about FWaaS and how it can fit into your organization’s SASE framework.

What Is FWaaS?

FWaaS solutions remove the limitations of traditional firewall tools by shifting security enforcement to the cloud. Rather than inspecting traffic through on-premises firewalls that can create bottlenecks, FWaaS applies security policies closer to where users and apps reside at the network edge.

Some key aspects of FWaaS include:

• Cloud-Native Architecture: FWaaS is hosted in the cloud, which gives businesses more scalable and elastic security.
• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) Integration: FWaaS can integrate with ZTNA tools to ensure that only authenticated users can access specific apps.
• Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): Firewall as a service inspects and filters traffic in real time to block threats.
• Policy-Based Security Controls: With FWaaS, IT teams can enforce uniform security policies across all locations.
• Centralized Management: FWaaS platforms offer a single pane of glass to simplify network security management.

Essentially, FWaaS centralizes security enforcement to provide consistent protection for all users, devices, and locations – whether your teams work in an office, remotely, or across multiple branches.

FWaaS vs. Traditional Firewalls: Compared

Cloud-based FWaaS solutions represent a major shift from traditional firewall hardware. Here’s a quick look at how they stack up:

While traditional firewalls require a lot of upkeep and hardware management, firewall as a service offloads these responsibilities to the cloud, making security more effective and easier to maintain.

5 Benefits of Firewall as a Service

Implementing FWaaS can transform how your organization approaches network security management. Some of the biggest advantages include:

1. Better Security for Remote and Hybrid Workforces

Legacy firewalls struggle to protect users who aren’t physically in the office. FWaaS extends enterprise-grade security to any location, ensuring users get the same level of protection wherever they work. 

FWaaS lets your team members access company resources safely, whether they're working from a coffee shop, home office, or client site. The security follows the use, not the location, creating a consistent protective shield around all business activities.

2. Simplified IT Management

Managing multiple hardware firewalls across branches creates complexity and demands significant time. FWaaS centralizes firewall management so that your IT team can enforce policies across every user and location from a single dashboard, resulting in faster threat responses, easier security updates, and reduced administrative overhead. 

3. Scalability Without Hardware Constraints

Unlike traditional firewalls that require expensive hardware upgrades as network demands grow, FWaaS scales automatically without needing additional infrastructure. This flexibility to add capacity as needed helps businesses securely accommodate seasonal traffic spikes, sudden growth, or new acquisitions.

4. Continuous Threat Protection

FWaaS solutions include AI-powered threat intelligence, intrusion prevention, and malware filtering to help businesses stay protected from the latest cyber threats without manual updates.

Since these systems learn from global threat data, they can identify and block new attack vectors before they impact your organization. This could be why a 2024 report found that 70% of business leaders said AI helps them detect previously undetectable threats.² 

5. Cost Efficiency

Replacing on-premises firewalls with a cloud-based solution reduces capital expenses and maintenance costs. These solutions eliminate costs associated with hardware replacement cycles, power consumption, cooling requirements, and physical space allocation. The subscription model also transforms security from a capital expense to an operational expense, improving budgeting predictability.

How Does FWaaS Fit Into SASE?

Firewall as a service is a core component of secure access service edge (SASE) – a cloud-based framework that integrates networking and security to deliver consistent, identity-driven protection. FWaaS works alongside these SASE components to secure modern networks:

• SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN): Optimizes and secures cloud application performance.
• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Replaces VPNs with identity-based access control.
• Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): Monitors and protects cloud-based applications.
• Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Filters and inspects internet traffic to block threats.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Prevents unauthorized access and sharing of sensitive data.

Incorporating FWaaS into your SASE architecture means your organization gets comprehensive network security without relying on rigid and expensive hardware firewalls.

Common Use Cases for FWaaS

Several industries and business environments rely on FWaaS for flexible network security, including:

Small IT Teams Managing Large Networks

FWaaS provides enterprise-grade security capabilities for businesses with limited IT resources by automating threat detection, security updates, and policy enforcement. The intuitive management interfaces and automated remediation features mean small IT teams can effectively manage robust security policies – without expanding headcount. 

Multi-Location Businesses

Companies with multiple offices or remote locations often struggle with inconsistent security policies. FWaaS unifies security across every site to ensure each branch and remote user has the same level of protection. IT teams can implement changes across their entire network simultaneously rather than updating each site individually, streamlining policy management and eliminating security gaps between locations.

Cloud-First Enterprises

Organizations that rely on SaaS applications like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Google Workspace need security that extends beyond traditional network perimeters. FWaaS secures cloud traffic and prevents data breaches by:

• Monitoring connections to cloud services
• Enforcing data protection policies
• Verifying user identities before granting access

This security layer lets businesses embrace cloud solutions with confidence, knowing their sensitive information remains protected even as it moves outside company-owned infrastructure.

Companies Moving to SASE

FWaaS serves as the foundational security layer for organizations adopting a full SASE framework. It integrates smoothly with other SASE components to create a cohesive security ecosystem that protects data from the user's device all the way to the application. This integrated approach eliminates security silos and provides consistent protection regardless of connection method or location. 

Embrace the Future of Network Security With FWaaS

As cyber threats continue to evolve, legacy firewalls are no longer enough to protect modern networks. Security solutions like FWaaS offer a future-proof solution – flexible, cloud-based protection that keeps businesses ahead of cyber risks.

At Impulse, we help businesses of all sizes secure their networks with modern, best-fit cloud cybersecurity solutions. We’ll leverage our expertise in SASE and FWaaS to make sure your organization gets the right level of security, scalability, and performance without having to manage complex on-prem hardware.

Ready to update your firewall strategy? Contact us today to learn how FWaaS and SASE can modernize your network security.

Sources:

1. https://engage.checkpoint.com/2024-cloud-security-report
2. https://mixmode.ai/state-of-ai-in-cybersecurity-2024