Firewalls still matter. They’re just no longer the center of security.

In 2026, the real security decision is increasingly made by identity, behavior, cloud context, and data sensitivity — not by network rules alone.

NGFW is becoming an enforcement point, not the main brain.

https://blog.devgenius.io/why-firewalls-are-losing-their-central-role-in-2026-3b437cb24dd6