What is a firewall and why you need it?
RBC Technology Group recommends a firewall as the first line of defence when it comes to cyber-safety
When investing in security systems in your business, it is important to understand what each piece of software should do, and what you will need to do yourself. Ensuring your data is protected from phishing, hacking and other online related scams is an arduous task that is often confusing and full of terminology that an untrained user would struggle to understand. The first line of defence when it comes to your network is its firewall. A firewall – as the name suggests – is a wall designed to block any unsecured and potentially threatening intrusions that try to come on to your network and PC.
What is a Firewall
Offering a considerable amount of defence, a Firewall is often the difference between a virus and a clean network. Offering unique affordances, a firewall can manage, but is not limited to; application awareness and control, intrusion detection and prevention, advanced malware detection, logging, and reporting. Being a software program, this means that the firewall network can be on-premises, hybrid (on-premises and cloud), and held in either a public cloud or a private cloud. Each environment has its own benefits and can be tailored to fit specific needs.
What does a Firewall do?
Firewalls are your first line of defence, but not all threats are equal, that is why there are different types of protective software that all serve different purposes and meet different levels of threats. Below is a brief list of some of the more advanced firewall programs that are available today:
- Proxy Firewall
- An earlier model of firewall that offers a gateway from one network to another for a specific application aiding to prevent direct connections from outside the internal network.
- Stateful Inspection Firewall
- Now thought of more as a ‘traditional’ firewall, it monitors all activity from the opening of a connection until it is closed and follows administrator-defined rules of operation.
- Unified threat management firewall (UTM Firewall)
- Designed to aid in preventing unauthorized intrusion and provide antivirus support. It can also offer additional services such as cloud management.
- Next-generation firewall (NGFW)
- The most modern firewall, a NGFW works to block modern threats such as advanced malware and application-layer attacks. Offering all the bonuses of most other firewalls.
- Threat-focused Firewall
- Similar to the NGFW, however also offers further threat detection and remediation from threats.
Why do you need a firewall?
At RBC, we believe that every business should have their own firewall protection program, especially businesses that deal with confidential information on a regular basis. This extra level of automated security will help to prevent; loss of data, data theft, breaches, phishing and other negative impacts that plague any business.
A firewall will help protect you from online threats to ensure that your business runs smoothly, and you can focus on employees and clientele. Understanding which program is best for you may be difficult, however, .at RBC we specialise in technology and finding the best solution for each business we deal with. Understanding what firewall protection software is right for you and your business is difficult. To find out more about what system is best suited for you, contact our team for a tailored solution.
