What Is A Firewall?
A firewall is a network security system which can either be a hardware or software that protects the trusted network from unauthorised access from external networks and external threats.
While antivirus software helps to protect the file system against unwanted programs, a firewall helps to keep attackers or external threats from getting access to your system in the first place.
No single product or service will provide you with complete security, but a firewall is a fundamental requirement for Australian businesses these days. A firewall inspects all the data passing in or out of your network, ensuring that the traffic is legitimate, protecting your business systems from any malicious users or programs.
Here are the top five reasons why your business needs a strong firewall
1. A Firewall Is Your First Line of Defence against Hackers and Other Unauthorised External Users
A firewall acts as a barrier, or shield, between your internal business network and the rest of the Internet. Without a firewall, it is possible for external users to access your private business assets. While many organisations use Network Address Translation (NAT) to bridge Internet and external IP addresses, NAT will not block incoming traffic. Only a firewall can do that. Without a firewall, your organisation’s assets and data are at risk.
2. A Firewall Lets You Block Access to Unapproved Websites
In addition to stopping unauthorised external users from accessing your network, a firewall can stop your users from accessing specific external websites. For instance, you could set up a policy that blocks access to social media sites like Facebook from your network.
3. A Firewall Can Protect Your Business from Malicious Code
Some strong firewalls will inspect the traffic going into and out of your network. They look for and block viruses, worms, spam, and other unwanted Internet traffic. They will also log intrusion attempts as well as other violations to business policies. This enables you to examine unauthorised access attempts and other suspicious activity.
Many of these strong firewalls will also let you maintain a list of known malicious applications and known good applications. They will block the malicious applications, while enabling the good ones.
4. You Can Use a Firewall to Meter Bandwidth
A firewall can do more than just provide security. You can also use it to meter and limit the network bandwidth flowing through it. For example, you can limit the network bandwidth allowed for things like non-business videos, music, and images, thereby reserving bandwidth for higher priority business traffic.
5. You Can Use a Firewall to Provide VPN Services
Many firewalls provide site-to-site connectivity through Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. Through this VPN functionality, mobile device users and users at remote sites can securely access your internal network resources. This enhances productivity, collaboration, and data sharing.
Firewall: Part of a broader cyber security strategy
Firewall protection is only one element of a good business cyber security strategy. If you don’t have internal expertise, an expert IT company can help you develop and implement an effective cyber security strategy and firewall system to protect your business.
Surety IT can develop a cyber security strategy customised to suit the specific needs of your business and help you implement an effective firewall to protect your business from the threat of cybercrime.