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Network Security Policy Gets More Complex
Alan Shimel speaks with Dan Rheault, director of product management at FireMon, during Techstrong TV’s Black Hat 2026 coverage. The conversation focuses on network security policy and why it remains difficult for enterprises to manage. Rheault explains that networks have become more complex across firewalls, cloud environments, SDN, identity systems and microsegmentation platforms. FireMon has been working in this space for nearly 25 years. Rheault says the core challenge has not gone away. Organizations still need to understand their networks from the inside out. They also need to know which connections exist, which policies are active and which controls are creating risk.
Firewalls Are Only Part of the Story
The discussion looks at how network security has changed since the early days of firewall policy management. Rheault notes that FireMon is not limited to firewall management anymore. Enterprises now operate across many enforcement points. That includes traditional firewalls, cloud controls, SDN, microsegmentation and other security policy layers. This expansion creates operational pressure for network security teams. Cloud teams may deploy services quickly, but network security teams often inherit the responsibility for keeping policies consistent. Mergers, acquisitions and changing vendor stacks add even more complexity. Without a shared control layer, teams can lose visibility into what is actually allowed.
AI Raises the Stakes for Defenders
Alan and Rheault also discuss how AI is changing the threat landscape. Attack velocity is increasing, while infrastructure complexity continues to rise. That combination makes context more important. Teams need to understand which risks are material, which changes matter and which policies create the broadest blast radius. Network security policy becomes more valuable when teams can connect policy decisions to business risk. Rheault says organizations need better ways to understand exposure and prioritize action. The goal is not only to manage rules. The goal is to help defenders see where policy, infrastructure and threat activity intersect.
Security Teams Need a Control Plane
The conversation positions FireMon as a broader control layer for modern enterprise security policy. Rheault describes a need to support security policy across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. That includes reducing drift, improving consistency and giving teams a clearer view of what is happening across the network. For security leaders, the takeaway is clear. Network security policy is no longer a narrow firewall task. It is a core part of managing risk across modern enterprise infrastructure. FireMon’s approach is aimed at helping teams reduce complexity, improve visibility and make better decisions as networks and threats keep changing.