The Firebox System Manager has a simple and consistent interface for all the security functions. The Policy Manager section displays each service as an icon. Once I set up SMTP filtering, configuring WebBlocker and the other services was easy because their setup was similar. However, only one configuration module can be active at any given time. This wasn't a problem in my initial setup, but it could be troublesome if you're managing several features daily.
WatchGuard gives admins a lot of flexibility in configuring the services. By default, all security features are inactive--you decide which to enable and how aggressively each feature performs.
Security Lineup
You can set up VPNs for mobile and branch-office users. However, each VPN type requires its own license key. The device supports both PPTP and IPsec secure tunneling, though IPsec requires a license not included in the basic Firebox 500.
Mobile-user VPN setup involves enabling the mobile-user VPN server, determining the authentication scheme, and adding users and access rights. To perform these tasks, you must maneuver through three different sections of the manager application and through a separate VPN manager application. I would have preferred all the setup and maintenance functions in a single console. Once I set up the VPN, I could initiate a VPN connection from my "remote user" laptop and connect to the LAN with appropriate permissions.
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
