{"id":15400,"date":"2020-04-24T14:07:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T19:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firewalls.com\/blog\/?p=15400"},"modified":"2020-09-28T13:41:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T18:41:09","slug":"what-is-a-firewall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev01.firewalls.com\/blog\/what-is-a-firewall\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a firewall? Why does my business need a firewall?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a firewall & why do I need a firewall?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What is a firewall exactly? Here at Firewalls.com, we believe that firewalls<\/a> are not only your primary line of defense against advanced threats but also the heart of your larger network security environment. Firewalls keep users safe as they use the Internet, send or receive emails, and access company files. Firewalls scan all incoming and outgoing traffic on your network, choosing to either permit or block any data packet they read.<\/span><\/p>\n

By configuring your firewall<\/a> with a set of common sense security rules and policies, you can safeguard your confidential data against hackers. By analyzing traffic at your network’s entry points, firewalls are able to keep potential threats out while letting employees and business applications communicate safely across the open web.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How do firewalls work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Firewalls work by monitoring inbound and outbound traffic on your network. When a data packet requests access to your network, your firewall inspects the packet head to determine whether the request is valid or potentially dangerous. Next generation firewalls such as SonicWall TZ<\/a> and SonicWall NSa<\/a> firewalls go a step farther with Deep Packet Inspection, cracking open the entire data packet to inspect its contents before reaching a security determination.<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional firewalls relied on signature-based scanning to look out for threats. That meant that each packet\u2019s contents were checked against a database of millions upon millions of known threat signatures. However, more advanced firewalls and endpoint protection platforms, such as Sophos XG<\/a>, rely on machine learning and AI to make behavior-based verdicts. Super smart security engines actually think and learn inside your firewall<\/a>, using global threat data to constantly improve their understanding of what a threat looks like, how it behaves, and how to stop it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Firewall configuration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Why do businesses need to configure their firewall<\/a> and how hard is a configuration? While some deployments can be fairly simple, most businesses should have a custom configuration for their primary firewall, tailored to suit the unique needs of their network. The firewall setup wizard just doesn\u2019t cut it<\/a>. Firewalls.com recommends that you entrust a certified firewall expert with the configuration of your firewall to ensure your attack surfaces are minimized, your firewall is stealthy, and no pesky bottlenecks are jamming up your Internet speeds.<\/span><\/p>\n

A quality firewall configuration service<\/a> should include a one-on-one discussion with your organization to determine how your network is used and what unique factors may present risks to your data. Phone-based deployment and post-deployment support are a must. You can simplify installation and minimize downtime by ensuring you have a knowledgeable support engineer on the line to walk you through every step. Want to see the steps involved in a configuration?<\/span><\/p>\n