Intrusion prevention systems -- security tools designed to stop problems even before they crop up -- have emerged as indispensable components of defense-in-depth security strategies.
But a key success factor for the technology is it hasn't stopped evolving over the years, and security experts expect this evolution to continue as security threats become ever more sophisticated and targeted.
Among the new features and capabilities on the horizon for network-based IPS are automated analysis and assessment to speed up investigation of malicious events; intelligence to address advanced threats and assess their impact; higher-bandwidth devices; and "application awareness."
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9229539/Getting_the_most_out_of_IPS