Webinar Description
Key Takeaways
- Examines the build versus buy decision for firewall automation tools in environments where AI coding assistants are increasingly accessible
- Addresses hidden costs including testing across vendors, security review, and long term maintenance of custom solutions
- Explores why AI agents require trusted policy context, appropriate permissions, and reliable data to function effectively
- Designed for security engineers, network architects, CISOs, and IT decision makers managing complex network environments
About the Event
This FireMon webinar addresses a growing challenge in network security operations: whether to build custom firewall automation tools using AI coding assistants or invest in commercial Network Security Policy Management (NSPM) platforms. The session uses real world examples to provide attendees with a practical framework for evaluating the true costs, risks, and operational burdens associated with each approach.
The Build Versus Buy Challenge
AI coding assistants have lowered the barrier to writing firewall automation scripts, making it tempting for security teams to develop custom solutions. However, the webinar argues that writing the initial script is not the difficult part. The real challenges emerge in subsequent stages: providing AI with trusted policy context, ensuring security throughout the automation process, testing across multiple vendors, and maintaining tools as network environments evolve.
The session positions these ongoing requirements as hidden costs that organizations often underestimate when choosing to build internally. A custom solution still carries the testing, security review, and maintenance burden that purpose built platforms are designed to absorb from deployment.
AI Agents and Policy Context
A central theme of the webinar is the dependency of AI agents on underlying infrastructure. The effectiveness of any AI driven automation depends on the quality of policy data, the tools available to the agent, and the permissions granted to it. Organizations considering AI driven firewall automation must account for how they will supply and maintain this foundational layer, regardless of whether they build or buy their tooling.
Who Should Attend
The webinar targets security engineers, network engineers, and architects responsible for firewall management and automation. IT and security operations teams evaluating automation strategies will find the framework relevant, as will CISOs and security managers making procurement or development decisions. The content is particularly applicable to organizations managing complex, multi vendor network security environments where policy management and compliance are ongoing concerns.