Traditional firewalls are typically only able to allow or block connections based on port and protocol. However, network access is now dynamic and contextual, operating under zero-trust principles. In addition, the modern enterprise is hybrid, spanning on-premises data centers, public clouds, corporate branches and campuses, as well as remote sites. Today’s IT teams require deep visibility into applications, users, and devices to defend enterprise networks against cyberthreats across the entire environment, but this is often a challenge.
Compounding the visibility problem is that almost all internet traffic is now encrypted. Enterprises are finding large swathes of network blind spots as they shift from expensive hub-and-spoke architectures to distributed models with direct internet access at sites. Malicious actors can exploit these network gaps, hiding threats in encrypted traffic.