What is a Firewall?
Firewall is a network device that protects computers and networks by monitoring incoming and outgoing data, blocking certain types of traffic, and analyzing packets for potential threats. Typically, firewalls are deployed between two or more networks to control access based on local security policies. They are one of the most important tools for securing your business from cyber threats.
A firewall can be a hardware appliance, software application, or even a virtual firewall hosted on a server in the cloud. The choice of firewall solution depends on your business needs and must consider factors like scalability, performance, cost, and ease of management. Ensure that you implement best practices for firewall configuration, regular updates, and monitoring of your firewall’s activity.
Originally, firewalls were physical hardware appliances that plugged into networking infrastructure. However, as more work processes moved to the cloud, funneling all networking traffic through a firewall became inefficient. Newer generations of firewalls added stateful capabilities and more in-depth packet inspection (like deep packet inspection or NGFW) so that they can check for things like application awareness and identity awareness.
These newer generation firewalls can detect more complex threats than static filtering firewalls. These include phishing attacks, ransomware, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, and other malware. Generally, these threats enter the system through an email and once they infiltrate the computer, they can spread across the entire network. Having the right firewall with advanced features can help to prevent these malicious infections and limit the damage they cause.