Testing Cybersecurity & Advanced Technologies

As organizations increasingly migrate to hybrid and multi-cloud environments, firewalls that effectively inspect and control traffic within and across cloud platforms are vital for enforcing consistent, scalable security across dynamic infrastructures.

Because a firewall’s effectiveness directly impacts an organization’s ability to defend against cyber threats, objective testing is essential to ensure firewalls provide the expected protection, operational stability, and minimal disruption to legitimate traffic.

Organizations can utilize test results and data from NSS Labs to make informed decisions when selecting a cloud network firewall for modern enterprise environments.

Enterprise Firewalls (EFWs) provide advanced protection for corporate networks, acting as a security perimeter that enables protection against unauthorized access and sophisticated threats. As networks grow more complex, these firewalls anchor enterprise security strategies with deep visibility and policy enforcement.

Our test team has unmatched expertise having tested this core technology for 14 years. Enterprises, security vendors and service providers can take advantage of NSS Labs expertise in evaluating the capacity of firewalls to handle internal and external traffic, enforce security policies, and protect against sophisticated threats. Gain insights on key metrics like security effectiveness and performance to make empowered security decisions for your organization.

With the rise of branch offices, remote users, and cloud apps, SD-WAN enables secure, agile, and cost-effective enterprise networking, making up one critical piece of a SASE infrastructure. SD-WAN enhances connectivity between distributed sites while integrating performance optimization and security.

Organizations can gain deeper understanding of how the distinctive features of SD-WAN technology can optimize network management and improve user experience across multiple deployment scenarios. Assessments by NSS Labs cover critical areas such as Management, Routing and Access Control, Stability and Reliability, Quality of Experience (QoE) for audio and video, and several throughput metrics.

As the perimeter dissolves and users access services from anywhere, Security Service Edge (SSE) has become a cornerstone of modern, location-agnostic cybersecurity. This key component of SASE plays a critical role in securing users, applications, and data by providing consistent and scalable protection as traffic moves beyond the traditional network perimeter.

To help enterprises, vendors, and service providers make informed decisions about SSE products, NSS Labs conducts rigorous, independent testing rooted in real-world attack techniques and industry-accepted security standards. Organizations can leverage these evaluations to determine how effectively an SSE protects against advanced threats and aligns with their long-term goals.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a fundamental component within the broader SASE framework that plays a pivotal role in ensuring secure, authenticated, and controlled access to resources. Cloud-native architectures have become essential to modern enterprise security strategies, driven by the growing adoption of remote work, hybrid cloud environments, and advanced cyber threats. With insider threats and remote access risks on the rise, ZTNA offers a secure alternative to traditional VPNs and perimeter-based models, enforcing access based on identity and context rather than network location.

NSS Labs delivers valuable insight through its testing capabilities, evaluating ZTNA solutions across key functions such as policy enforcement, authentication, TLS/SSL encryption support, routing behavior, and access control mechanisms. This data empowers organizations to make well-informed decisions as they design and strengthen their SASE architectures.

As cyberattacks grow in speed and complexity, AI-driven solutions are becoming indispensable for staying ahead of both known and emerging threats. AI powers advanced threat detection, behavioral analysis, and autonomous response across cybersecurity domains.

Services for emerging and innovating technologies include landscape mapping and use case analysis, risk-based product feature prioritization, evaluation design and validation methodology.