Good cyber security is essential to any business. Without it, your business holds the key to potential profits for cyber criminals.
Firewalls are one of the best forms of defense against external threats. When optimised, a firewall can be the difference between business as normal and a serious cyber incident that could leave you and your business with a bill for thousands (or, depending on size, millions) in damages, litigation, and penalties.
Here, we discuss what firewalls are, the different types of firewalls, the top five benefits firewalls, and whether or not it is a benefit for your business to have a managed firewall service.
What is a firewall?
A firewall is a piece of software and/or hardware that decides what traffic can and canât access a network. A firewall monitors what is trying to access something on a network and decides whether it should be allowed to do so based on the rules the firewall has been given to follow. Take a look at the example below:
Tom is working in the office and whilst on lunch, decides he wants to check his social media account. When he tries to do so, the website doesnât load, and he is presented with a message saying that he is not allowed to access the website.
In the above, a firewall rule has been created that stops people in the office from accessing their social media accounts using the companyâs network.
What are the different types of business firewall?
In the above example, Tom is stopped from accessing a website by a network-based firewall, most likely on the companyâs local area network (LAN).
The two different types of firewalls are network-based firewalls and host-based firewalls. A network-based firewall will do something like our above example, specifically, it will filter traffic that is moving from one network to another (for example, from your company network to the internet) by sitting in between the two networks. It is usually a piece of hardware that is controlled using software. You can also have a virtual host, eliminating the need for any hardware, with the firewall living in the cloud.
A host-based firewall is a firewall that is installed directly on to a host (for example, a network host, which is essentially a computer or server that is connected to a network). The key difference between network-based firewalls and host-based firewalls is where they live. A network-based firewall sits between networks, whereas a host-based firewall lives on an asset.
Both types of firewalls have the same basic functionality.
What are the top five benefits of a firewall?
Firewalls are a cornerstone of basic cyber security. But what are the benefits of your business having one?
- Monitoring network traffic â monitoring network traffic and filtering it accordingly means that you can stop potentially malicious interactions with your network before they have the chance to become a problem.
- Block unauthorised access â one of the greatest features of a firewall is that you can specify who interacts with your network based on conditions such as device, location, and more. By keeping channels of access narrow, you reduce the risk of a cyber-attack.
- Threat prevention â modern firewalls have built-in intrusion detection and prevention systems which will automatically detect and prevent network-based threats from reaching your hosts or environments.
- Maintain Data Privacy â because of a firewallâs ability to permit only authorised access and analyse the content of both incoming and outgoing traffic, firewalls support data privacy, from financial details to personal.
- Support Regulatory Compliance â from Cyber Essentials to ISO27001, firewalls form a part of the requirement for cyber vigilance set out in the standards for such compliance requirements.
Should you use a managed firewall service?
A managed firewall service offers many benefits to give you the best possible cyber security. Properly maintaining and upgrading firewalls requires a lot of specialist knowledge, and building the necessary team of IT experts can be expensive. Thatâs where a managed firewall service becomes excellent value.
With a managed firewall service, you can rest assured that your firewall is properly configured and can do its job.
For more information on managed firewall services, or if you are looking for external support with IT and security, get in touch with us today.
FAQ
Below are some FAQs about managed firewalls. If there is anything unanswered that you would like questions to, feel free to get in touch.
How does a firewall improve network security?
A firewall improves network security by acting as a gate between your business and the internet. A firewall reduces the risk presented by external threats by effectively keeping many of them at bay.
Should I use a firewall or VPN?
A firewall and a VPN are different products and should be used together to improve network security. They should be thought of as alternatives to one another.
Does a firewall protect against viruses?
Yes, a firewall protects a business against viruses. Whilst it can never be said that firewalls will block every threat and virus, a well-configured and therefore effective firewall offers great protection against viruses.
What is the difference between managed and unmanaged firewalls?
The difference between unmanaged and managed firewalls is that unmanaged firewalls are not monitored. This means that they are not being overseen and therefore settings are not being optimised, which is essential as the threat landscape is constantly evolving.
