Firewall Definition: Does Your Business Have a Firewall?

Firewall Definition: Does Your Business Have a Firewall?
Page content

When buildings are constructed, we usually have certain walls built within the building that check the flow of fire into the other safer parts of the building, when a fire breaks out. Hence, they were traditionally called as ‘Firewalls’. However, with our increasing dependence on computers and networks of computers for our business use, the threats we now face aren’t just fire. We have all sorts of threats like starting from the older and almost ubiquitous virus to SQL Slammers, DDOS and DOS attacks and a lot more. These bare threats are all over the netosphere and we won’t even know who is trying to intrude into our systems.

But when they do our businesses can be jeopardized.

A firewall, then, is a software (or even hardware, in some cases) that filters all traffic (as being instructed to) between your computer (or network of computers, in cases of businesses) and the Internet. Firewalls are indeed important and everyone who is online must strive to have some kind of firewall protection.

Remember that the firewalls do come with the default settings and after installation, you just tweak the settings as you deem appropriate. You could pick and choose as to what kind of traffic you would like to allow within your network and what you would like to keep out. Once you do this, your firewall works around the clock like a devoted sentry and protects your computers/network from the above mentioned threats.

Firewalls are a must-have for every small business owner out there to safeguard and protect businesses. However, you can’t be too sure of just a few forms of network security. Your business’s network security policy must be as wholesome as possible because the Internet is not always the only source of malicious threats and such like. Say, the use of portable devices like thumb drives, CDs and laptops can also wreak havoc with a network.

This post is part of the series: Understanding Firewalls for Small Businesses

This series has everything to do with Firewalls – the basics, the concepts, the types and the reviews on various firewalls for small businesses

  1. Firewall Definition: Does your Business Have a Firewall?
  2. Importance of a Reliable Firewall
  3. Small Business Security Basics: Functions of a Firewall
  4. What Kind of Firewall Do You Really Need?
  5. What Does a Firewall Do?
  6. What is a Firewall?
  7. Some Common Firewall Myths Exposed