Do you have a network? If the answer is yes, then you should have a firewall. It’s really that simple.
There is a pervasive thought that large corporations are the only targets of cyber criminals, so they’re the only ones who need a firewall. The truth is that if you have a network, you’re a target, and a firewall is the perfect first step in protecting your data and your company’s reputation.
Not only are smaller businesses a target, but it’s also estimated that as many as half of the cyber attacks that occur actually happen to small businesses. The scary part is that most of them aren’t equipped with a firewall.
Who Needs a Firewall?
If you’re doing the majority of your business in the cloud, that doesn’t mean you are exempt from needing the protection a firewall can offer. Cloud service providers offer some protection, but the onus is on the owner of the data to make sure it’s protected.
Furthermore, you have to consider that just because there are layers of protection in the cloud, the devices you use to access your data in the cloud aren’t covered by those layers, which is why your firewall is an essential tool.
How to Protect Your Business
It’s important to know that a good firewall can be software, hardware or both. The purpose of the firewall is to keep the bad guys out by “knowing” what an unauthorized connection is when it happens.
The firewall is also set up to monitor your traffic, incoming and outgoing. The rules you establish will essentially help the firewall decide what’s safe to connect to your network and what is not safe.
Not only will the firewall protect cyber criminals from gaining access to your data, it will also prevent them from using your network and computers for illicit activities. This is important because sometimes the hackers will gain access without anyone noticing for months and months, which means they can use your infrastructure for devious activities.
Managing Your Rules
Getting your firewall installed, up and running is just the beginning — you need to carefully monitor your rules, because your firewall is only as good as the rules you provide for it, and those will change over time.
Need assistance with your risk protection solutions? At Enterprise Visions, we’re the agent that can put you in touch with the information security solutions that will keep your data safe and your reputation intact. Contact us today and let’s talk about what we can do for you.