Like its real-world namesake, a firewall in computer technology is a structure preventing unwanted incursion. The real world one slows or stops fire, the virtual one slows or stops hackers and malware as a barrier between the internet and your private network. Firewalls can be physical devices monitoring and filtering traffic going into or out of the network, or it can be a software product or service. A Next Gen firewall performs essentially the same task, but with added intelligence – including application awareness and control, integrated intrusion prevention, and threat intelligence.