Next Generation Firewall Implementation

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Contact

Laura Humphrey
Project Manager

Progress update: June 2025

The Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) project is nearing completion. In July, three new Unified Threat Management (UTM) features will be introduced as part of the enterprise cost allocation for existing customers. Learn more about these upcoming enhancements by attending our town halls. Use this Readiness Checklist as a first step to incorporating these features into your agency roadmap and aligning them with your implementation strategy.

Upcoming townhalls for CIOs, CISOs, Network and Cybersecurity administrators:

  • June 16, 11 am – Noon: Microsoft Teams

Calendar invites were sent out to all CIOs, CISOs, and attendees of previous town halls. If your agency did not receive an invite and want to attend, or if you want to learn more about the project, please contact Project Manager Laura Humphrey.

WaTech is strengthening cybersecurity by rolling out the Next Generation Firewall project. This upgrade ensures our network is protected with the latest security technologies, helping safeguard state operations and services. 

Vision

WaTech’s vendor supported Unified Threat Management (UTM) firewalls ensure the network is protected from security threats while reducing complexity and costs. By consolidating redundant security tools, we improve efficiency and create a coordinated security approach for the state.

Project Goals

  • Increase WaTech’s capability to safeguard state government from security threats.
  • Expand WaTech’s firewall capabilities to include Unified Threat Management (UTM) capabilities.
  • Enhance state government network (SGN) security in the State’s Data Centers.
  • Improve performance of Security Operations (SOC) edge security capabilities.
timeline

Phase 1 Deliverables (Complete)

  • Established Edge Firewall IPS Support Process (RACI).
  • Migrated core traffic to new core firewalls.
  • UTM features implementation decisions.
  • Core IPS service offers processes and procedures.

Phase 2 Deliverables

Implement the UTM features that were decided in Phase 1. These features will be ready and added to the enterprise cost allocation at no additional charge:

  • Web security/filtering.
  • Spam detection.
  • Forti Analyzer indicator of compromise (IOC).

Conduct proof of concept for future prioritization and funding:

  • FortiSandbox advanced malware protection (Core).
  • SSL decryption and identity-based firewall policies.

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