A critical portion of the systems security for your business is a firewall. If you have more than one computer or wireless devices hooked up to a network, then usually two types of firewall are employed. One form is a software firewall which should be activated on all computers and the other form is a hardware firewall that operates within your router. The complexity of firewall protection you require is based on the needs of your business.
In order to understand the purpose of a firewall, think of it as a fence around your computer or network that protects the perimeter and helps stop the invasion of hackers into your system. A hardware firewall would be like a large fence between the Internet and your complete network while a software firewall would be like a fence around each individual computer station. The firewalls use different protocol types to filter out malicious data from being allowed to enter while allowing safe data to come through. Depending on the protocol used by the firewalls in your business, you may be asked if you wish to allow certain programs or files to have access to your network. If ever in doubt, it is best to err on the side of caution and refuse the trigger and bring it to the attention of your IT support.
Firewalls require regular updating to ensure the protocols they use to determine the safety of applications is kept as current as possible. With the rate of speed hackers are finding new ways to infiltrate systems via the Web, neglecting to update your protection software is as dangerous as not using it at all. Depending on the type of firewall that is used to protect your systems, updating may best be left to your IT support professionals.
While most instances of firewall use focus on the inbound properties, if your business handles sensitive information or you have extensive proprietary data you do not want employees to be able to send over the Internet, outbound protocols can also be established. With the appropriate settings, outbound data can be prohibited by your firewall as well, in essence keeping your valuable information inside the “fence”.
Our expert IT support specialists at Revolution Networks can assess your systems security and ensure you have the best firewall protection for your business needs. Contact us for an evaluation and a quote today.
