Should you buy a firewall for your small business? Let’s be honest, do you even know what a firewall can provide for your business? If you’re unsure of the answers, you aren’t alone.

An NCSA study shows that only 4% of Americans fully understand the concept of a firewall and the level of protection that they can provide to an enterprise. What’s more surprising is that 44% of respondents said that they have zero understanding of a firewall at all, meaning that they are unable to describe the basic functionality of the device. We’re here to help you discover exactly what a firewall is and how it can help your small business:

What Is a Firewall?

Devices connected to the internet are vulnerable to a wide array of cyber threats including trojans, malicious scripts, key loggers, and exploits that attack unpatched security vulnerabilities.

If these severe threats aren’t dealt with immediately, end users are vulnerable to identity theft and malicious attacks. Malware typically targets those who shop and bank online, which are not uncommon tasks for the typical end user. Thieves will try anything to get a hold of your personal information. Wouldn’t it be nice to mitigate a threat before it even has the ability to penetrate your internal network? A firewall acts as a real time shield against malicious threats in cyberspace.

Whether you realize it or not, your office is constantly sending and receiving data packets when devices are connected to the internet. Having a firewall means that these data packets will be filtered before they reach the PC on your network to ensure that no malicious data exists. Firewall administrators can setup granular rules which allow or block the packets based on a set of conditions known as Firewall Rules.

Your enterprise firewall serves as a filter that prevents hackers from getting inside and stealing your confidential information — such as your passwords or account numbers. You can’t afford to operate your business without a firewall.

Why You Need to Upgrade Your Firewall

Basic firewalls may not offer the protection you need against advanced threats. A good firewall will not only monitors the incoming data, but it will also monitor the outgoing traffic and keep your information safe and secure. Advanced firewalls give you the ability to setup encrypted remote connections, thus allowing your users to work from home or abroad using a VPN.

Other features commonly found in high end firewall devices are Intrusion Prevention, Gateway Antivirus, and Content Filtering.

A solid firewall for your network closet not only protects your devices from unauthorized access, it also provides your business with the advanced features it needs to meet and exceed the best practices that are recommended by industry audits.

Why Your Business Needs a Firewall

Sophisticated firewalls constantly update their definitions to protect your end users from a plethora of cyber threats. Your business needs this protection because new cyber threats are emerging each day.

Even with a good firewall, some malware may still be able to slip through. Firewalls are not a substitute for enterprise antivirus on your systems; however, without a firewall, your business is exponentially more vulnerable because firewalls provide advanced capabilities for sniffing out and stopping cyber attacks.

Almost all businesses are IT integrated these days, including small to medium sized enterprises. Ensuring that you have a solid firewall for your business is one facet that you absolutely need to take care as soon as you have provided outside internet access to your staff members.

Get the Best for Your Business

Getting the best firewall for your business isn’t always about getting the most expensive device. To ensure that your business is well protected, you need to go with a trusted brand that provides the security features that help you achieve the level of security that you feel is necessary for your business.

For example, some firewalls provide two factor authentication services for those connected to the corporate VPN. This added layer of protection absolutely authenticates the identity of a user, therefore protecting your business from password theft.

For some businesses, two factor authentication could be overkill. For others, two factor could be mandatory, especially if your business handles sensitive client data.

Another exotic feature of firewalls is the ability to restrict content to employees. Firewall appliances control what data is allowed inside of your network’s gateway. If you find that employees are spending too much time on Facebook, your firewall provides you with the ability to restrict access to the website.

If you need help determining the right firewall for your business, we can help you find and implement the solutions that will keep your employees, data, and business secure. Just give us a call at (833) 482-6435, or click the banner below to schedule a consultation online.

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