Firewall Platform Migration:
Clean up complexity and migrate with confidence, reduce risk, improve performance, and align access control to Zero Trust.
Why Firewall Migrations Matter
Most firewall migrations focus on replacing old hardware. That's a missed opportunity. THe real value lies in what you migrate, and what you leave behind. Bloated rulebases, stale NAT entires, inconsistent segmentation logic, and over-permissioned access paths are often carried forward by default. We help clients use migration as a catalyst to modernize.
Whether you're moving between vendors or consolidating virtual and physical enforcement points, we align your firewall strategy with today's realities: cloud, identity-aware access, and adaptive security policies.
Key Business Objectives:
- Simplify firewall rulebases to reduce risk and improve manageability
- Eliminate stale policies and orphaned NAT or ACL entries
- Enforce segmentation and Zero Trust principles during migration
- Minimize downtime and avoid disruption with staged deployment
- Integrate with modern SIEM, identity, and observability tools
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What IVI Delivers
Discovery & Policy Analysis
We extract existing firewall configurations and analyze the rulebase for redundancy, overlap, risk exposure, and legacy artifacts. We map rules to current applications, identities, and access flows.
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Target Platform Mapping
We help you evaluate or validate your destination platform: Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco, Check Point, or cloud-native firewalls and ensure all required capabilities are mapped for parity and improvement.
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Design & Optimization
We redesign your policy structure for clarity, modularity, and Zero Trust alignment. This includes creating reusable object groups, hierarchical policy logic, and segmentation plans.
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Migration Planning
We create a staged migration plan that includes:
- Traffic validation and simulation
-Change windows and rollback strategies
-Cutover sequencing per site or application
-Validation & fall-through behavior testing
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Implementation & Testing
We deploy the new firewall platform in parallel or as a phased cutover. All policy behavior is tested against live traffic. We maintain failback paths until confidence is validated.
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Post-Migration Tuning & Training
Once the migration is complete, we tune rulesets, document policy behavior, and provide operational enablement so your team can confidently manage and evolve the new environment.
How IVI Supports Major Platforms
Palo Alto Networks: Rulebase transformation, Panorama migration, Prisma integration
Fortinet FortiGate: Policy hierarchy redesign, SD-WAN integration, HA optimization
Cisco Firepower & ASA: Policy migration, FTD tuning, integration with Umbrella / ISE
Check Point: Inline policy re-architecture, object group cleanup, logging integration
Cloud-Native (AWS/Azure): NSG/SG policy migration, TGW integration, traffic mirroring validation
Typical Project Flow
Configuration extraction and rulebase mapping
Target platform validation and design
Migration sequencing and rollback planning
Parallel deployment or phased cutover
Testing, tuning, and training
Documentation and long-term optimization
Expected Outcomes for Your Organization
- Streamlined and modern firewall rulesbases
- Stronger enforcement of segmentation and least privilege
- Better performance with less overhead
- Clear policy logic aligned to business applications
- Reduced audit findings and improved compliance posture
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I migrate firewalls if the current ones still work?
Firewall migration isn't about age; it's about alignment. Most legacy firewalls weren't designed for cloud access, app segmentation, or Zero Trust policies. Modern platforms offer better visibility, centralized management, and tighter integrations with identity and access layers. IVI helps clients migrate with minimal disruption and measurable gains.
Which firewall vendors do you work with?
We support migrations to and from all major vendors, including Palo Alto Networks, Cisco (ASA, FTD, Meraki), Fortinet, and Check Point. Our focus is on ensuring that your new platform is integrated into your broader security and observability stack, not just ported over.
Will my existing firewall rules carry over?
Not as is. We extract your rulebase and rationalize it, removing duplicates, unused objects, shadowed rules, and legacy access paths. We redesign policies to reflect Zero Trust principles then translate them into the new platform's syntax and capabilities.
How do you ensure there is no downtime during the migration?
We use dual-stack or side-by-side deployment strategies, simulate policy enforcement, and maintain rollback plans at every phase. Cutovers are phased and controlled, validated through real traffic telemetry, not guesswork.
Do you support cloud firewall migrations too?
Yes. We support firewall modernization across on-prem, virtual appliances, and cloud-native firewalls (AWS, Azure, GCP). That includes edge firewalls, east-west segmentation, and cloud perimeter enforcement.
What's the typical timeline for a firewall migration?
For mid-sized environments, migrations typically span 4-8 weeks, depending on the number of devices, rulebase complexity, and integration depth. Larger, distributed environments may require phased migration across sites or regions.
