Analysis of Top 5 Firewall Change Management Software
As the Chief Technology Officer (CISO) of a rapidly-growing organization, I oversee a growing network footprint. To manage the risks associated with firewall configuration changes, I reviewed the leading firewall change management software:
Top 5 Firewall change management tools
Feature comparison
Software | Customized reporting | Incident management | Topology map | Deployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
✅ | ❌ | ❌ | hybrid | |
✅ | ❌ | ❌ | hybrid | |
Tufin SecureChange | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | hybrid |
ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | cloud |
Algosec | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | hybrid |
Features summary:
- Customized reporting: Generates tailored data visualizations and compliance audits based on specific security metrics and organizational needs.
- Incident management: Tracks, prioritizes, and resolves security breaches or policy violations through structured workflows and automated alerts.
- Topology map: Provides a visual representation of the network infrastructure to illustrate traffic flow and dependencies between firewalls and devices.
- Deployment: Defines the operational environment, eg. cloud, on-premise, or hybrid, where the management software is hosted and executed.
Platform compatibility summary
The table summarizes the platform support of the given firewall change management software.
Notification channels
Table specifies the supported notification delivery channels:
- Email and Dashboard Alerts
- API and Webhook Integrations
FireMon Policy Manager
FireMon is designed to help security teams make safe, accurate, and fast policy updates by focusing on automation, visibility, and risk reduction. It centralizes policy visibility, covers more than 120 firewall and cloud platforms, and automates the full change workflow from request to deployment. Other differentiating features include:
- Pre-deployment compliance checks: FireMon analyzes every proposed change before it goes live. It checks for overly permissive rules, conflicts, and compliance issues. This proactive analysis reduces misconfigurations, which remain a major cause of firewall-related incidents.
- Impact analysis for safer decisions: FireMon simulates the effect of a new rule on the network.
Choose FireMon Policy Manager for firewall change management
Visit WebsiteSolarWinds Network Configuration Manager
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) automates the tracking and management of network device settings. It helps ensure configurations remain secure, compliant, and consistent across the entire network.
- Automated compliance audits: NCM conducts automated audits and generates detailed reports. This continuous monitoring enables teams to identify and address non-compliance issues before they become a risk.
- Network inventory and visibility: NCM keeps a real-time inventory of all network devices. Teams can track changes and quickly identify which device or setting caused a problem.
Choose SolarWinds for firewall policy change management
Visit WebsiteTufin SecureChange
Tufin SecureChange helps network security teams automate and manage firewall and network policy changes. It focuses on streamlined workflows, broad coverage, and scalability, while maintaining control over risk and compliance. Key differentiator:
- Automated change orchestration: The tool automates the full lifecycle of firewall changes, from request to approval, deployment, and decommissioning. This reduces manual effort, accelerates change requests, and helps teams meet strict SLAs.
ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer
ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer continuously monitors firewall configurations, providing security teams with a clear record of every change. The tool can compare current (running) configurations with startup defaults, identify conflicts, and generate detailed reports for auditing. Teams can also schedule reports and filter out repetitive or routine changes to focus on important updates. Key differentiating features include:
- Configuration change monitoring: The tool fetches firewall configurations via CLI or API and tracks who made each change, what was modified, and when. It can compare running and startup configurations, detect conflicts, and generate detailed reports for auditing.
- Scheduled and customizable reports: Teams can schedule reports, filter out recurring or known changes, and export data in multiple formats. This helps reduce clutter and focus on critical modifications.
Algosec
AlgoSec helps manage firewall changes with visibility, automation, and risk assessment. It supports the full process, from planning and design to deployment and documentation.
Key feature:
- Proactive risk management: By analyzing traffic and policy gaps, AlgoSec tightens overly permissive rules and reduces unnecessary exposure. Teams can manage rules across all firewalls, ensuring consistent security across the network.
- Topology awareness and impact analysis: AlgoSec identifies all firewalls that will be affected by a proposed change. It evaluates the impact on security, compliance, and business operations before implementation. This helps prevent misconfigurations and reduce network risk.
What is firewall change management?
Firewall change management refers to the systematic process of updating, patching, and modifying firewall configurations to maintain security, compliance, and network performance. Since firewalls serve as the first line of defense against external threats, they must be kept current with the latest patches and rule updates to address known vulnerabilities and adapt to evolving network requirements.
Key objectives
- Reduce security risks: Timely updates and controlled configuration changes help close vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
- Maintain firewall effectiveness: Ensures protection mechanisms remain aligned with emerging threats and evolving network topologies.
- Ensure compliance and auditability: Provides a documented process for all modifications to meet internal and regulatory standards.
Firewall change management process
The process typically includes:
- Request: Submitting a formal request for a change (e.g., patch, configuration update, or new rule).
- Review and risk assessment: Evaluating potential security and operational impacts of the change.
- Approval: Obtaining authorization through defined workflows to ensure accountability.
- Implementation: Applying the update or rule modification in a controlled, documented manner.
- Verification and audit: Testing and confirming that the change was successful and did not introduce new risks.
When automated, this process allows faster and more secure updates by minimizing human error and ensuring that every change is tracked and compliant.
FAQs
- Has 20 years of experience as a white-hat hacker and development guru, with extensive expertise in programming languages and server architectures.
- Is an advisor to C-level executives and board members of corporations with high-traffic and mission-critical technology operations like payment infrastructure.
- Has extensive business acumen alongside his technical expertise.
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