In today’s world with the constant threat of ransomware, these old firewalls simply do not have what it takes to protect your network and your data.
(Read our article on Ransomware)
Everyone has heard the term firewall. Some will think of the local firewall on your computer, such as the “windows firewall”, commonly referred to as a software firewall. The one we are focusing on in this article is your hardware firewall. This is the firewall that sits at the very edge of your network. All of your business’ internet traffic flows in and out of this device. This device is also typically the first point of entry INTO your network from the outside world.
Legacy firewalls, which are extremely common, usually block common attacks that have been around for years, such denial of service attacks. They also usually have some very basic form of packet examination and logging. The issue with these firewalls is they do not evolve or learn. Anything new applied to them usually has to be done manually, by an engineer, and even then there are restraints on what can be added or modified.
Smart firewalls are constantly learning, changing and updating.
The new age smarter firewalls go way beyond the capabilities of the firewalls of yesteryear. They are constantly learning, changing and updating. They actually examine the information flowing in and out of your firewall for malicious network traffic, viruses, and ransomware. The main component that make these devices so incredible is a feature called Advanced Threat Protection. In order to keep up with today’s threats, they have complicated software that is constantly being updated. Think of it as having a vaccine for your network, and there is a group of scientists constantly creating new vaccines and applying them to these smart firewalls. The downside to this, of course, is cost. Because these devices are constantly being updated there is almost always a monthly fee associated with them.
Ransomware and cyber-attacks are things we have all heard about in the news; however, Fuse has seen it first hand and these threats are real and can be detrimental to a business. We have strongly encouraged many of our clients to upgrade to a “Smart Firewall”. While nothing is 100%, upgrading to a smarter firewall will provide much, much greater protection and peace of mind against todays threatening technical landscape.
The Benefits of a “Smart Firewall”
- Advanced Threat Detection
- Constantly updating against viruses, Ransomware and network threats
- Web Filtering
- Malware Protection
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention
- Application Control/Blocking
- Logging
- Secure Remote Access
- Quality of Service
- HIPAA Compliant
Here at Fuse we feel that a smart, managed firewall in combination with anti-virus and a premium anti-spam solution will extremely diminish your business’s exposure to today’s ever evolving cyber threats, such as ransomware! Contact your Fuse representative for a quote today.
