Final answer:
The DMZ serves as a secure buffer zone between the public Internet and the internal network, containing publicly accessible servers and minimizing the impact of security breaches through two layers of firewall protection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of creating a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) during network firewall implementation is to provide an additional layer of security for an internal network. By placing publicly accessible servers, such as web and email servers, in the DMZ, they are separated from the internal network, which contains sensitive data and resources that require greater protection. The DMZ acts as a buffer zone that exposes only the services intended to be available to the public, while the rest of the network is shielded from direct access from the outside. Firewall rules dictate the traffic allowed into the DMZ, and another set of rules monitor traffic from the DMZ to the internal network.
In a typical network setup, there are two firewalls: one facing the internet, which filters incoming and outgoing traffic between the internet and the DMZ, and another one separating the DMZ from the internal network. This setup minimizes the impact of a security breach, as attackers who compromise a server in the DMZ will still need to breach another layer of security before gaining access to the internal network.