In what area does the VM-Series differ from physical firewalls?

The VM-Series is designed to operate within virtualized environments, which is a significant differentiator from traditional physical firewalls. This optimization allows the VM-Series to seamlessly integrate into cloud services, facilitating dynamic scalability and flexibility that physical appliances may not offer. With the capacity to be deployed in multiple formats, such as on various hypervisors (like VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM) or in cloud environments (like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), the VM-Series takes full advantage of virtualization technologies to provide security for virtual workloads.

In contrast, advanced security features are not limited to either form factor, as both the VM-Series and physical firewalls typically include a full suite of features. The VM-Series does not operate on different security protocols; rather, it employs the same security protocols as its physical counterparts to maintain consistent organizational security. Additionally, limitations on local network use are not inherent to the VM-Series; it is designed to extend security across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments, thus providing broader coverage than just local networks.