Top 10 Firewall Audit Software & Review-based Analysis in 2024

In the ever-evolving landscape of network security, staying ahead of potential threats is paramount for businesses of all sizes. Firewall audit software plays a crucial role in this domain, offering tools to scrutinize and manage firewall rules, configurations, and the overall security posture. 

This article offers a comprehensive list comparing the top firewall audit tools on the market and a guide to choosing the right solution for your security needs.

This section offers a comparison between the top firewall audit tools on the market.

Table 1. Vendor comparison

Vendors	# of Reviews*	User Ratings*	Year Founded**	# of employees**	Pricing	Free Trial / Demo
Wiz	591	4.57	2020	1,111	Custom pricing	Free Trial
Lacework	356	4.28	2015	823	Custom pricing	Free Trial
SolarWinds NCM	340	4.45	1999	2,536	Starting at $1,894	Free Trial
AlgoSec	329	4.33	2004	505	Custom pricing	Demo
Tufin	289	3.98	2005	468	Usage-based pricing	Personalized Demo
Qualys	204	4.16	1999	2,525	Annual subscriptions	Free Trial
Orca Security	197	4.30	2019	506	Usage-based pricing	Demo
Security Manager by FireMon	176	4.10	2004	236	N/A	Demo
Skybox Firewall Assurance	41	4.47	2002	300	Custom pricing	Demo
RedSeal	12	3.65	2004	178	N/A	Demo

Notes & disclaimer:

* Based on data from B2B review platforms like G2, TrustRadius, Capterra and Peerspot

** Based on data from LinkedIn

• Only vendors with more than 10 total reviews, from all review platforms, were included.
• The table is made by using publically available and verifiable data.
• All vendors selected in this list have 150+ employees
• All vendors offer firewall audit and compliance products along with other network security offerings.
• The companies are ranked based on the total number of reviews

Key criteria for selecting the right vendor

This section offers criteria that companies can use to find the right firewall audit vendor for their business.

1. Number of Reviews

This metric is crucial for evaluating vendors offering firewall audit software and tools. The volume of reviews available for a vendor or a particular firewall auditing tool can provide a good view of its performance and effectiveness in managing firewall rules, configurations, and overall network security. A larger number of reviews generally offers a broader perspective on the tool’s capabilities in areas like security audit reports, customization of firewall audit reports, and alignment with network security compliance standards.

2. User Ratings

This criterion is essential in assessing the satisfaction level of users with firewall audit tools and firewall auditing software. High user ratings, from B2B review platforms like G2 and TrustRadius, often indicate that the tool effectively monitors firewall configurations, ensures firewall performance, and maintains a strong network security posture. User ratings can reflect the tool’s efficiency in firewall security auditing, managing firewall rules compliance, and its ability to provide detailed risk assessments to prevent security incidents.

3. Number of employees or size

The size of a company also plays a significant role in the type of post-purchase support and services the vendor can provide. In network security, where specific support for firewall configurations, rule auditing, and network traffic monitoring is vital, the company’s size matters.

In our experience, a larger company might offer a broader range of firewall auditing solutions and security audit tools, but they may lack a personalized service, especially in complex network environments or when managing multiple network devices. Conversely, smaller firms often provide more customized services, which are crucial for organizations requiring tailored support for firewall security.

However, this is not a rule written in stone, which is why it is important to communicate this with the vendor before purchasing its software.

4. Year founded

The year-founded of firewall audit software vendors can indicate their experience and longevity in the industry, which often correlates with their expertise, stability, and evolution of their product in response to changing cybersecurity landscapes. A longer-established company might offer more refined and tested solutions, reflecting a deep understanding of network security challenges over time.

However, this is not always the case since some companies can gain more expertise in an area based on their focus. Therefore, we recommend you analyze the user reviews before using this criterion.

5. Pricing

Like any software, the cost is one of the most important aspects to check before making the purchase. It’s no different for firewall audit solutions because it directly affects the overall cost of ownership and budget allocation for network security. Different software options vary in price based on features, scalability, and support, so understanding the pricing ensures that the chosen solution aligns with financial constraints and offers the best value for the required functionality. Here is our understanding of the pricing data we found:

• Usage-based pricing: The vendor has probably set a rate for its services and calculates the total price based on the usage of the customer.
• Annual subscriptions: The customer will purchase the product for a year.
• Custom pricing: The vendor sets the rate and the total price based on the customer’s needs.

6. Free-trial / Demo

We checked if the vendors offered a free trial or a demo of its products.

• Free trials: Free trials can be beneficial if the company knows the product and only wants to use it to understand and get a hands-on experience with the product.
• Demos: Demos can be beneficial for training purposes. Some companies also offer personalized demos in which they tweak the demo based on the customer’s network security needs.

Analysis based on customer reviews

This section offers some relevant user reviews gathered from B2B review platforms like G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra. We analyzed the reviews and picked the review specific to the companies’ firewall audit and compliance solutions.

1. Wiz

Based in Israel, Wiz is a cloud security company that provides a platform designed to identify security risks and compliance violations in cloud environments. The company claims to offer scanning and detection capabilities to safeguard against vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and threats within cloud infrastructures.

Pros and cons

A positive review regarding Wiz’s platform’s interactive user interface and user-friendliness. The review also highlights that the graphs in the compliance modules are limited and can be enhanced to offer more information.¹

2. Lacework

Based in the United States, Lacework is a security platform focusing on cloud and container environments. It claims to offer cloud compliance solutions designed to streamline audit processes and meet industry standards.

Pros and cons

A detailed review regarding its compliance management solution. A customer liked the level of detail in its reporting and analytics. The customer, however, identified integration issues with the AWS security hub and AWS compliance tools.²

3. Qualys

Qualys is also based in the U.S. and claims to offer a cloud-based platform for compliance monitoring and risk management, including Policy Compliance, File Integrity Monitoring, and Cloud Security Posture Management.

Pros and cons

While customers find Qualys’s PCI-DGG compliance tool user-friendly, they also found its subscription costs high.³

4. Orca Security

Also based in the U.S., Orca Security claims to focus on cloud security and compliance, providing visibility into cloud assets and vulnerabilities, and ensuring compliance with cloud security standards.

Pros and cons

• According to a customer review, the recent UI/UX enhancements are helpful, but Orca’s dashboards need better time-series graphs and widgets for effectively representing status in a cloud environment.⁴
• Another customer states the need to expand the platform’s coverage to more cloud platforms and services.⁵

5. AlgoSec

Headquartered in New Jersey, AlgoSec claims to offer network security policy management solutions that automate and orchestrate security policy configuration, compliance, and change management.

Pros and cons

A customer review stating that while AlgoSec offers many features, navigating the user interface (UI) can be a bit challenging, especially for users who are unfamiliar with the product.⁶

6. Security Manager by FireMon

Claims to provide solutions for network security policy management, including compliance, risk analysis, and automated change management. FireMon is also based in the United States.

Pros and cons

According to a customer review, manual data entry for the Firewall laws is useful but risky due to irreversible deletion, requiring careful management and additional components for full functionality.⁷

7. Tufin

Apart from its firewall audit tool, Tufin offers network security policy orchestration, compliance audit, and automation of security policies across complex networks. Tufin is headquartered in Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Pros and cons

• A positive customer review regarding Tufin’s securetrack tool which includes firewall audit, reporting, and compliance-related tasks. The customer also highlights that Tufin’s solutions require a good amount of memory and CPU to function smoothly.⁸
• A customer review regarding Tufin supporting numerous firewalls and network devices, offering compliance checks and conflict resolution suggestions.⁹

8. SolarWinds NCM (Network Configuration Manager)

Based in Austin, Texas, SolarWinds claims to offer a range of IT management software and tools, including those for network and security management. Its NCM product offers network compliance, audit, and other automated network management and security solutions.

Pros and cons

Customers have faced slow customer support response times and encountered bugs and vulnerabilities requiring patches and upgrades.¹⁰

9. Skybox Firewall Assurance

Based in California, Skybox claims to provide cybersecurity management solutions, including firewall audit and compliance. The company also offers products focusing on network visibility and vulnerability detection.

Pros and cons

While customers found its firewall assurance tool simple and thorough, they also identified concerns regarding its local customer support for vendors and resellers.¹¹

10. RedSeal

Based in California, RedSeal Inc. claims to offer various cybersecurity solutions, including network modeling, risk scoring, network compliance, and audit.

Pros and cons

• A customer review regarding how RedSeal offers a graphical overview of the network and is easy to deploy, but needs a user-friendly interface and a feature for compliance audit policy.¹²
• Another customer liked that RedSeal offered ‘analysis of network devices’ for potential path flows. However, the customer disliked how RedSeal communicates the essential nature of its products.¹³

Using firewall audit software is crucial in ensuring network security and operational efficiency. These tools provide a systematic and thorough examination of firewall configurations and rules, which is essential for several reasons:

• Enhanced security: Firewall audit software identifies vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that could be exploited by cyber threats.
• Compliance assurance: It helps ensure compliance with various regulatory standards by maintaining proper firewall configurations.
• Optimized performance: Regular audits can optimize firewall performance by removing unnecessary or outdated rules, improving overall network efficiency.

In conclusion, selecting the right firewall audit software is crucial for ensuring a robust security posture in an increasingly automated world. By considering the key criteria and understanding the offerings of major vendors, businesses can effectively protect their network infrastructures against potential threats and maintain compliance with regulatory mandates.

Further reading

If you need further help finding a vendor or have any questions, feel free to contact us:

Find the Right Vendors

External resources

1. Customer review regarding Wiz’s compliance offerings. G2. Accessed: 29/December/2023.
2. A mixed review regarding Lacework’s compliance solution. G2. Accessed: 29/December/2023.
3. A customer review on Qualys. G2. Accessed: 30/December/2023.
4. A customer review on Orca Security. G2. Accessed: 31/December/2023.
5. A customer review on Orca Security. G2. Accessed: 31/December/2023.
6. A customer review on Alosec. G2. Accessed: 31/December/2023.
7. A customer review on Firemon Security Manager. G2. Accessed: 31/December/2023.
8. A customer review on Tufin regarding Securetrack. G2. Accessed: 01/January/2024.
9. A customer review on Tufin. G2. Accessed: 31/December/2023.
10. A customer review on Solarwinds. G2. Accessed: 01/January/2024.
11. A customer review on Skybox. G2. Accessed: 01/January/2024.
12. A customer review on RedSeal. G2. Accessed: 01/January/2024.
13. A customer review on RedSeal. G2. Accessed: 01/January/2024.