Here’s why.

We’re guessing you’ve probably heard of firewalls. In computers of course. We deal with people’s IT, not their fires after all. Thank God.

Maybe you’ve had a notification about it pop up in the corner of your screen. In our day to day lives, we’d happily not think about these sorts of things. After all we’ve got far more important things to worry about. In fact, that’s exactly the reason why it’s so important that businesses have one. So you don’t have to worry about it.

The internet poses a potential threat to any user. Cyber-crime is on the rise and hackers are always finding new ways of getting into your system. Nobody, really, is completely safe. Even the ever-robust Apple Mac is becoming an increasingly popular target for hackers (link to below source).

https://www.darkreading.com/malware-coming-to-a-mac-near-you-yes-say-security-firms/d/d-id/1335066

As a business, your data is one of your most precious assets. If it finds its way into the wrong hands or is corrupted it could spell disaster so protecting it is of paramount importance.

In this, the first blog post in a series on cyber security for your business, we’ll be looking at how firewalls are part of security best practice. We’ll let you know about some of the threats you face and offer some practical advice about how to implement a firewall solution.

It’s a wild world out there

The idea of the internet being the new wild west has been around for almost as long as it has existed. As time’s passed, we’ve gained a much better understanding of what threats we face and how to combat them. However, the landscape is always changing.

If anything, the perpetrators have just got cleverer. The best cyber criminals are well hidden and are serious about what they do, so you need to be too.

Modern hackers are more likely to steal precious information than cause chaos but either threat is equally dangerous. A dodgy link or button clicked could be all that’s needed to bring your business to its knees.

A firewall makes sure the hackers don’t find a way in and these threats don’t reach your computer. It stands between your system and the packets of information traveling through the internet. These packets could contain a virus, crippling your system and leaving your business out of action. An even greater threat though is spyware, or a Denial of Service attack which allows hackers to take control of your system and harvest the data within.

It can be tempting for small businesses to believe they aren’t vulnerable to attacks but this may be just what the bandits want you to think. In reality businesses of all sizes are at risk.

Let’s get technical

You obviously want to know exactly how a firewall works, right? Right?

Well we’re going to tell you anyway because it can be helpful to understand what is actually going on under the hood. In some ways it’s fairly self-explanatory how a firewall works. As you might expect, it acts as a barrier between you and the fire. The fire, in this case, is everywhere. Theoretically, the internet offers anyone multiple entry points to your property so someone with the right knowhow could find a way to access it. Assuming a firewall is in place it will filter everything coming through that internet signal and establish whether it poses a threat to the system.It can do this in a number of different ways. Perhaps the most common is Packet Filtering which analyses individual packets of information against a set of criteria. Some will pass with flying colours; others will be turned away at the border.

Other methods include Proxy Service and Stateful Inspection but what is used will depend on what firewall you have. You can get firewall hardware that have varying levels of coverage and features. One things for sure, your standard internet router isn’t going to provide you with the protection you need.

Our Recommendation

So, you know what they are and why you need one. Now you’ll need to know which one to get. If you want something which really does it all, SonicWall is the one to go for. It’s a Unified Threat Management System or UTM which means it takes on a variety of cyber threats. A good firewall will block all threats before they arrive at your door. Fortunately, with an excellent intrusion management system, SonicWall does just that.

SonicWall has a range of features including controlling internet access and filtering content, allocating bandwidth to specific resources or programs and blocking ransomware, spy-ware and a whole range of other nasties.

It really is the all-round security system you need to protect your business.

Can you risk it?

So, can you risk your business going another day without adequate protection? Well the simple answer is no, you can’t.

Of course, you have to make an informed decision about what system to get. You want something which isn’t going to leave any area of your security vulnerable, which is easy to maintain and which is going to be good value for money. If your business needs a new firewall solution and want some advice on what to implement then let us know. Call us now or book an appointment to find out how we can help you in this area.

Find further information about the services and products we offer on our website: https://realitysolutions.co.uk/it-services/