{"id":27957,"date":"2026-03-04T07:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T12:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/blog\/?p=27957"},"modified":"2026-02-16T10:41:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T15:41:04","slug":"next-firewall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/blog\/next-firewall\/","title":{"rendered":"Next Firewall Scalability: Understanding Where the Limitations Are"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"27957\" class=\"elementor elementor-27957\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f1d5e0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3f1d5e0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ac0dd3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2ac0dd3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaining a clear scope of the next firewall scalability for your network security is a long-term infrastructure decision. It\u2019s going to affect angles like security effectiveness, performance, and total costs over time.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/blog\/understanding-next-gen-firewalls\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">next generation firewall<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> appliance is a core component of modern IT security. The tech generally focuses on combining traffic inspection, threat prevention, app control, and encrypted traffic handling, to name a few. Poor scalability planning leads to performance bottlenecks, rushed upgrades, and weakened security controls. This article focuses on where to find the limitations so you can better gauge the scalability of a certain firewall model.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5588a7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d5588a7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Key Takeaways:\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-353f07c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"353f07c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Real-world network performance defines the true scope of firewall scalability<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Concurrent connections and session capacity are critical to memory and CPU limits<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VPN limits impact growth and remote access, an important focal point for hybrid work environments<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Licensing and feature tiers create hidden ceilings aside from hardware specs alone<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Factoring in expected users, sites, cloud traffic, renewals, and professional services ensures long-term network scalability<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9ab687a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9ab687a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What Scalability Really Means in a Next Generation Firewall Appliance\n<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e68533 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3e68533\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firewall scalability is about sustained real-world performance, not just advertised throughput numbers you find in the datasheets. Raw firewall throughput is often measured under ideal, stateless conditions that don\u2019t reflect production traffic.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few relevant points to consider:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Real performance can drop once security services are up and running<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NGFW features are cumulative, meaning each enabled service compounds resource usage<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Certical scaling involves upgrading to a larger firewall appliance with a higher inspection capacity<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Horizontal scaling uses High Availability pairs, clustering, or load distribution to share traffic across devices<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/blog\/evolving-firewall-solutions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NGFW features<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like deep packet inspection, IPS, and TLS decryption all have an effect on performance behavior. In many ways, scalability depends heavily on aspects like firewall architecture, memory, CPU design, and feature enablement. Understanding the true scalability of your business IT security solutions helps you avoid premature upgrades and security bottlenecks.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86c1d7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"86c1d7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Core Specs That Define Next Firewall Scalability\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77003b0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"77003b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of which next generation firewall vendors you decide to work with, scalability is defined by real security workloads. You shouldn\u2019t base your decision on advertised firewall speed alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, encrypted traffic can be a major performance limiter, which is why it needs to be factored into long-term firewall sizing decisions. From reviewing threat protection throughput, session capacity, and VPN scalability, reviewing them all is a part of ending up with the right network and security solutions. Check out the table below for a little more insight into how you can define true firewall scalability.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4918a68 elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"4918a68\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\">\n<table id=\"tablepress-133\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-133\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Category<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Key Factor<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Why It Matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Threat Protection<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">IPS, Malware, and Sandboxing<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">DPI can reduce effective throughput<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Threat Protection<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">SSL\/TLS Decryption<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Major limiter as encrypted traffic is resource-intensive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Concurrent Connections<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Active Sessions<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Each session consumes memory and CPU; high volumes can exhaust capacity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Concurrent Connections<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">SaaS and Cloud Apps<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Persistent connections from cloud apps and background services dramatically increase session load<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">VPN Scalability<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">SSL\/IPsec VPNs<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Tunnel limits can restrict remote user access and degrade performance during heavy VPN usage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">VPN Scalability<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Site-to-Site VPNs<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Even predictable tunnels consume processing resources and should be factored into scalability planning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-133 from cache --><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c54861c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c54861c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dcbb304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dcbb304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thankfully, many modern next generation firewall vendors have multiple options in their lineup. If one model doesn\u2019t have what you need, there\u2019s generally always an option to scale up. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/category\/firewalls.html?manufacturer=196\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SonicWall NGFW options<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are a great example of this, as they do well to consider the lifecycle of IT demands for all businesses, small and large.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5544757 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5544757\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Hidden Scalability Ceiling of Licensing and Feature Tiers\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca4679f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca4679f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aside from the hardware itself, licensing and feature tiers are an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/blog\/effective-firewall-service\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">important consideration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as well. They can come with hidden scalability ceilings that go beyond raw hardware performance alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Subscription models determine which advanced security services can be enabled. This ranges from IPS, sandboxing, web filtering, and more. However, enabling all available services on a lower-tier appliance can significantly reduce effective throughput.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to remember that every security service consumes CPU and memory. In some cases, dedicated cores, too, all of which can lead to hidden performance bottlenecks. Factoring <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/licensing.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">licensing and renewals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into your network growth strategy guarantees the NGFW remains secure and future-ready.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa1288c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"fa1288c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to Choose the Right Next Firewall for Long-Term Business IT Security\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-692f72d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"692f72d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing the right NGFW requires planning for both current needs and future growth. Businesses should ask about long-term security features, expected users, sites, VPNs, and more.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below are several key factors you\u2019ll want to keep in mind here:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always factor in expected cloud and SaaS growth<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure your choices are aligned with long-term business goals<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plan for long-term scalability to avoid premature replacements and bottlenecks<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Budget for expansion, allocating resources for renewals, feature upgrades, and licensing<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While this can all sound like a lot to handle, there are many ways to streamline the entire process. Many businesses work with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/professional-services.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">professional services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help take a lot of the weight out of their decision-making.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Services like this help with planning, implementation, and maintenance of scalable firewall solutions. Not to mention proactive measures on any upcoming change your business network will face down the road.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-43ea55e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"43ea55e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Let\u2019s Wrap Up\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dc54920 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dc54920\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scalability is multi-dimensional, from real-world performance to session capacity, VPN limits, and the list goes on. Choosing your next firewall should be under the guise of future-proofing your network from premature changes and unwanted bottlenecks.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On top of hardware features and license tiers, the vendors you work with matter just as much. Our team at Firewalls.com can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/contact\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">help guide your decision-making<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the right direction. We help you navigate the potential limitations and educate you on the best possible security solution.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6a48170 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"6a48170\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"tel:3172254117\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Call Now<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f4cbff elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"5f4cbff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-879e6c6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"879e6c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">FAQ<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8a7eb9e elementor-widget elementor-widget-n-accordion\" data-id=\"8a7eb9e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;default_state&quot;:&quot;expanded&quot;,&quot;max_items_expended&quot;:&quot;one&quot;,&quot;n_accordion_animation_duration&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;ms&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:400,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"nested-accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-accordion\" aria-label=\"Accordion. Open links with Enter or Space, close with Escape, and navigate with Arrow Keys\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1450\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" open>\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"1\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1450\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What Does Firewall Scalability Really Mean? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1450\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34ac0af e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"34ac0af\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d15d68b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d15d68b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firewall scalability refers to a device\u2019s ability to handle growing network traffic. This includes user connections and security services over time without performance degradation.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1451\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1451\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> Why Shouldn\u2019t I Rely Solely on Advertised Throughput Specs? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1451\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-032c755 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"032c755\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-880b223 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"880b223\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughput specs are often measured under ideal, stateless conditions. Enabling security features like deep packet inspection, IPS, and TLS decryption can significantly reduce effective performance.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1452\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"3\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1452\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> How Does Licensing Affect Scalability? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1452\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a0e0ce e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5a0e0ce\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f3dc10 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5f3dc10\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Licenses determine which advanced security services can be enabled. Utilizing all available features on a lower-tier appliance can create hidden bottlenecks, limiting overall performance.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1453\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"4\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1453\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> How Can I Plan for Future Cloud and SaaS Growth? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1453\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32e2205 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"32e2205\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3cb5fac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3cb5fac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When sizing a next generation firewall appliance, factor in the expected increase in cloud traffic and SaaS usage. Persistent connections can dramatically increase session loads and CPU usage.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1454\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"5\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1454\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What Role Do Professional Services Play in Firewall Scalability? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1454\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5af3831 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5af3831\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75355c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"75355c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Professional services help businesses plan, implement, and maintain scalable NGFW solutions. They ensure hardware, licensing, and network architecture align with long-term growth and security goals.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understand how next firewall scalability really works by breaking down throughput, licensing, VPN capacity, hardware limitations, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":28016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[597],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-firewalls"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Next Firewall Scalability: Understanding the Limitations - 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