Firewalls Under Central Control: Efficient Management with the COD Module

Firewalls are the backbone of every corporate IT environment — and at the same time, often the unloved "stepchild" of daily admin work. Whether it's updates, rule maintenance, alias synchronization or VPN monitoring: anyone managing multiple sites or tenants quickly gets lost in endless "interface hopping".

This is especially true in heterogeneous environments where, alongside classics like pfSense, specialized solutions like DynFi or the AIMdefense platform preferred by Secure 2 Fiber are also in use. Until now, managing all of these centrally has been a real challenge.

The COD Firewall module solves exactly this problem. We bring order to your infrastructure and consolidate the management of different firewall systems into a single, multi-tenant interface.

The COD module was built to cover the entire lifecycle of your security infrastructure — across vendors and grounded in real-world admin needs.

No more sticky notes tracking version numbers. COD supports admins with:

• Cross-vendor overview: See the status of AIMdefense, OPNsense, pfSense and DynFi in a single list.
• Automation: The system regularly checks the status and availability of every connected firewall.
• Bulk management: Roll out configurations or updates efficiently — no need to log into every individual web GUI.

Whether AIMdefense or pfSense, the logic behind your rules should be consistent.

• Central repository: Maintain aliases (IPs, networks, ports) centrally in the COD database and push them back to the relevant devices in a targeted way.
• Safety check: COD detects nested references across system boundaries and prevents the accidental deletion of objects that are still in use.
• Zone concept: Group firewalls by site or security zone. A new alias for the "HQ" site is automatically distributed to all firewalls there — no matter which vendor sits in the rack.

No more switching between different monitoring tools.

• Metrics at a glance: CPU, RAM and traffic data from all systems flow directly into the COD dashboard.
• Direct access: Need to dig deep into a configuration? Launch an in-browser SSH session straight from COD. Credentials are securely stored, so you can work on the console without detours.

• Certificate management: COD monitors the expiry dates of certificates and CA chains. Timely email notifications prevent unexpected outages of VPNs or web services.
• Backup strategy: Store configuration backups of your AIMdefense, DynFi or pfSense instances centrally — in each vendor's official format.
• Wartungsplanung: Integrieren Sie geplante Wartungsfenster direkt in den COD-Kalender. So weiß das gesamte Team, wann welche Firewall planmäßig bearbeitet wird.
  

At extocode, we know that the IT world is constantly changing. Our module is designed to leverage the strengths of each individual system:

• AIMdefense preference: Thanks to our close partnership with Secure 2 Fiber, AIMdefense is tightly integrated and the first choice for many of our customers in high-security environments.
• Openness: Whether OPNsense derivatives like DynFi or the classic pfSense — we use modern APIs (REST) or secure fallback methods (SSH/XML) to ensure maximum compatibility.

With the COD Firewall module, you choose flexibility. You're not locked into a single vendor — instead, you use the system that best fits each site, while management stays centralized, efficient and secure in COD.

Want to integrate AIMdefense or your existing OPNsense / pfSense landscape into COD? Get in touch with us for a live demo. We'd be happy to show you how to take your firewall management to the next level!

To the next level