Which companies can benefit from using a WAF?
3 min
The evolving landscape of cybersecurity
In the world of IT, there is a continuous game of cat and mouse between cyber criminals and companies. In the IT industry, we must stay one step ahead of hackers at all times. Firewalls have significantly improved security on the Internet, but there are still many cyber security threats.
We have also seen continuous development in firewall technology to better protect companies. This development is known as a Web Application Firewall (WAF), because who doesn’t love a good acronym. In a previous blog post, we described how a WAF works, but what kinds of companies can benefit from using one?
Examples of companies that benefit from a WAF
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a way to regulate access to web applications. Therefore, most companies would benefit from using a WAF, but here are some key examples where it is especially useful.
Start-ups and re-launch scenarios
In start-up phases or during a re-launch, companies often don’t know what “normal” traffic patterns look like. A WAF can learn what legitimate traffic looks like for a specific web application, helping to identify and block suspicious activity early on.
Established companies making changes
Established companies that already use a WAF may decide to rewrite or significantly update their web applications. In these cases, the WAF can relearn traffic patterns in the same way as during a start-up phase. This allows teams to focus on their core services instead of spending time analyzing network structures.
High-security industries
Many current users of Web Application Firewalls are major banks and financial institutions, where protecting services from cyber attacks is critical. However, in reality, any company with a web application that is worth protecting should consider using a WAF. It helps ensure high availability and reduces the risk of data loss and data corruption.
Why are WAFs becoming more important?
Looking at security and IT trends, more and more organizations are moving to the cloud. This shift has led to a change in how companies approach security. Instead of focusing only on network-level protection, companies are now focusing on securing applications.
This shift is also reflected in cybercrime. Many modern attacks target applications directly rather than networks. Cybercriminals aim to disrupt or exploit the application itself. A Web Application Firewall helps protect against common threats such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.
Why don’t all companies use WAF yet?
WAFs and application firewalls may sound like a “holy grail,” but traditionally, security has been viewed from a network perspective rather than an application perspective. This mindset is now changing.
Additionally, the technology required to effectively protect applications has only recently matured. As more companies migrate to the cloud, it is likely that WAF adoption will continue to grow in the future.