Companies that have migrated business-critical workloads to AWS can utilize the AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF) and AWS Security Groups to protect their cloud environment. The level of protection afforded by these native security solutions is typically only sufficient for businesses hosting simple web applications in the cloud. Organizations with more complex environments, subject to regulatory compliance requirements, or that want more granular control, can enhance their cloud security by running a FortiGate firewall.
This post examines the limitations of AWS WAF in protecting your cloud infrastructure and compares the native solution to the extended functionality of a FortiGate firewall. We will demonstrate how a FortiGate firewall secures your environment in ways that are impossible with AWS WAF. We present a compelling case for engaging with VAST to implement a firewall that provides a more comprehensive and centralized approach to network security, safeguarding your business in today’s increasingly complex threat landscape.
AWS WAF Protects Web Applications
AWS WAF is explicitly designed to protect web applications (layer 7) hosted in the AWS cloud. The firewall inspects HTTP and HTTPS traffic to block web-based threats, including SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), and botnet activity. While the firewall does a good job of addressing these specific threats, it does not handle the following broader network functions that may introduce threats to the environment.
- AWS WAF does not inspect traffic using site-to-site VPNs or private connectivity channels.
- The firewall does not address Network Address Translation (NAT), routing, or segmentation between virtual private clouds (VPCs)
- AWS WAF does not perform threat inspection for non-web traffic, such as RDP, SSH, and DNS connections.
- The firewall solution does not provide unified traffic visibility across multiple environments, which is crucial in protecting complex cloud infrastructure.
If your business runs databases, application or file servers, or is a hybrid of on-premises and cloud infrastructure, you need the additional protection that goes beyond inspecting web traffic.
FortiGate Delivers Enterprise-Grade Network Security
FortiGate virtual firewalls provide complete level 3 through 7 protection for all traffic in your AWS environment, replicating the functionality of an on-premises FortiGate appliance. The level of control ForitGate delivers is essential for protecting regulated industries, multi-cloud environments, and hybrid infrastructures. Advanced capabilities available from a FortiGate solution include:
- Enforcing consistent firewall and IPS policies across your complete cloud and on-premises environment;
- Deploying secure VPNs between sites or regions;
- Performing SSL inspection for application-layer threat prevention;
- Utilizing centralized management with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer for visibility and compliance support;
- Protecting east-west traffic between workloads inside your VPC.
Companies currently running FortiGate appliances in their data centers achieve consistent security by extending the platform to their AWS environment. The benefits of running FortiGate in the cloud and on-premises include:
- Providing a familiar management interface and policy framework;
- Consistent logging and reporting across the complete environment;
- Simplifying compliance audits and policy enforcement;
- Integration with the existing FortiNet ecosystem to support a seamless, hybrid security posture.
FortiNet’s Advanced Capabilities Absent from AWS Native Tools
AWS deploys native tools, such as WAF and Security Groups, designed to be highly effective in the AWS environment. FortiGate adds enterprise-grade security features that are critical components of comprehensive security, including:
- Intrusion prevention to keep threat actors out of the infrastructure;
- Antivirus and sandboxing capabilities,
- Data loss prevention to safeguard a company’s valuable information;
- Web filtering and application control;
- Threat intelligence feeds from FortiGuard to stay abreast of emerging threats.
These capabilities are crucial for organizations that need deep packet inspection, policy enforcement, and zero-trust segmentation within their AWS environment.
Quick Comparison of AWS WAF and FortiGate Firewall
This table summarizes the main differences between AWS WAF and FortiGate.
| AWS WAF | FortiGate Firewall | |
| Security focus | Protecting web apps (layer 7) | Protecting the complete network (layers 3-7) |
| Traffic types inspected | HTTP/HTTPS only | All traffic types |
| Management | AWS managed | Customer managed |
| Capabilities | Web filtering and rate limiting | VPN, NAT, routing, IPS, SSL inspection, DLP |
| Best use cases | Public web apps and APIs | Hybrid networks, regulated workloads, and multi-VPC security |
Engage VAST to Improve Your AWS Security
VAST’s team has extensive experience in securing complex cloud and hybrid environments using advanced solutions, such as FortiNet virtual firewalls. Our partnership with FortiNet puts us in an excellent position to help your company strengthen its security posture and protect your cloud infrastructure effectively. A FortiGate solution provides your business with the depth, consistency, and visibility that you cannot achieve using only AWS native tools.
If your environment extends beyond simple web applications, you need the protection provided by a FortiGate firewall. Contact us today to discover how we can help you implement this comprehensive network security solution, keeping your valuable cloud environment protected from threats.
