When it comes to small businesses; they have their fair share of online threats.In order to keep their customer and business data protected, having access to effective firewall solutions is crucial. A firewall can be a software tool or a physical device and both are responsible for monitoring all incoming traffic to the network and determining whether to grant access or block completely.
This is why having an efficient firewall solution is crucial for small businesses:
Protection against viruses
The latest firewalls can do a lot more than simply filter network traffic by IP addresses. They also have the ability to identify and block malicious request to the network. This all depends on the type of firewall tool you are using.These firewalls mainly focus on HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), which browsers such as Firefox use.
Some of the strongest firewalls offer protection through SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). This allows small businesses to add firewall security to their email server and will search for any viruses that could infect your business by coming through incoming messages.
The advantages of a VPN
By using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a small business can set up a dedicated endpoint server on their cloud platform that is responsible for handling remote connections or simply in their office. Individual staff members and guest users can then connect to the personal VPN client, which launches a session that is encrypted between the VPN endpoint server and their connected device.
A VPN functions like a secure tunnel.It blocks any external threat such as hackers from decoding data that is being passed back and forth through your IT network. This allows employees to work securely no matter where they are located, even on a public wi-fi network.
Centralised control
Apps and websites that staff members download and access on the business network can contain many hidden threats that can go undetected when using traditional firewalls. This can leave small businesses forbidding employees from visiting certain websites or downloading certain apps that are considered unsafe. Trying to monitor and manage everything can be a real hassle for business owners.
At Intellect IT, we can provide effective UTM (Unified Threat Management) firewall solutions such as the Sophos Firewall.This next-gen firewall provides protection for the IT network, emails, web servers, WiFi, malware, viruses and much more. This means small businesses won’t have to go through the hassle of setting up and managing multiple software programs. Instead, everything is seamlessly managed and controlled through the Sophos Firewall real-time dashboard. This next-gen firewall is incredibly effective and easy to manage as an all-in-one small business IT security solution.
Whether a small business’s IT security needs are complex or simple, we will work closely with your business to address and solve your specific IT needs and issues. For more information on our range of next-generation firewall solutions, browse our website or call us on 1300 799 165 today.
