Securenet Communication Solutions

A firewall is not a new concept. It originally referred to an actual wall that could prevent fire from spreading inside a building or vehicle and allow occupants to escape. In cybersecurity, a firewall performs the same function, only here, it prevents cyber threats from infiltrating the hardware or software system. Cyber-attacks have become more frequent and sophisticated than before. Businesses now need multiple layers of security to prevent them from occurring or reducing the intensity of any resulting disruption. Hence, it has become essential for businesses to invest in more than one security solution to keep their organisation safe. Firewall security and other network security measures can drastically reduce the risk of security breaches and hacking. 

What is Firewall?

A firewall is a hardware or software security device that protects your network by blocking unwanted traffic and malicious software and preventing hackers from gaining unauthorised access to your systems. It acts as a barrier between your computer systems and the internet and allows only those incoming connections that you have configured it to trust. 

Firewalls also perform other essential functions such as auditing, logging important events, and maintaining a record of these events, which can be used by the IT team to study and modify rule sets. By doing this, they can regularly update their cybersecurity as per changing cyber threats.

Types of Firewalls

There are two basic types of firewalls for businesses – Client or software firewall and Appliance or hardware firewall. An ideal firewall configuration has both hardware and software firewalls. 

Software Firewalls – These are installed on the computer like any other software. They can be customised, and their functions and rules can be controlled and modified to a good extent. 

Hardware Firewalls – These are commonly found in broadband routers but can also be purchased separately. Hardware firewall comes with a minimum of four ports to connect different computer systems, but businesses with large networks can use more enhanced networking firewall solutions.  

Firewall security works in different ways to filter and block network traffic and malicious attempts. The three most common methods are:

• Proxy Server

Proxy server firewall is a slow but highly efficient and secure service that works as a middleman between the internet and the computer system. It takes the information from the internet and submits it to the system and vice versa. 

• Packet Filtering

In this method, small “packets” of information trying to access the network are compared against a series of filters that help identify any known threats and block them while allowing the rest of the information to go through.

• Stateful Inspection

This type of firewall tests elements such as applications, ports, and IP addresses of different sets of information and compares them against a reliable database. Only those that are found to be trustworthy are allowed to pass through the system.

Why Do Businesses Need Firewall Security?

All businesses are at risk of cyber-attacks. They must adopt multiple network security solutions to strengthen their defences and keep their data, employees, and clients safe. Firewalls are an effective means of achieving this level of security. 

Regardless of their size, all organisations store or manage customer data in some way or the other. Firewalls come with a wide range of features and functions that can be customised and controlled to provide maximum large scale data protection and privacy. Furthermore, it helps keep malware at bay and allows administrators to identify shortfalls and upgrade network security according to the latest cyber threats. Firewalls can protect the network from several threats such as viruses, ‘denial of service attacks, and malicious macros. 

They also allow you and your employees to access your systems securely from any location when working remotely, and enhance the speed and reduce downtime.

How Can SecureNet Communications Help?

There are many layers of firewall security that you can get for your business based on your requirements. SecureNet can provide optimum layer 7 firewall security that drastically reduces downtime and enhances your network protection and performance. Our security engineers have over 20 years of experience designing and installing customised security solutions for businesses. Contact us on 1442 927002 or email us at info@securenetcoms.co.uk to learn how we can help protect your network with the best firewall security.