In the digital world, a firewall is a type of security software that blocks potentially malicious threats from entering other networks. In a sense, much like the physical firewall does, the digital firewall protects us from outside threats by blocking their entry.
As with many internet and digital-related terms, the terminology behind the phrase ‘firewall’ is based on its physical, real-world predecessors. This is essentially one way to easily describe what a firewall is.
The term ‘firewall’ actually comes from the idea of a physical firewall that would be located within a building. The purpose of this type of firewall is essentially to have a strong enough partition between one area and another that means it’s impossible for fire to spread. This practical idea of the firewall has been translated into digital terms.
As the digital age continues to develop at a rapid rate, people are discovering new ways to retrieve often sensitive information from various databases and networks. While this remains somewhat of a threat today, there are a number of firewall security systems that enable us to protect our devices from outside threats.
These security innovations are constantly being monitored in order to ensure that our information is safely stored within our own secure networks. This gives a lot of reassurance to individuals and organisations alike, who would perhaps suffer financial losses, and even emotional distress, if their data was to be compromised.
What Does a Firewall Protect Against?
As our digital devices connect to the internet, many of us use a network router. This is usually where the firewall begins, as it needs to stop any incoming traffic from entering our own ‘personal’ network.
The scale and quantity of the type of router we use will differ depending on our individual needs – for example, an individual will not require a router as complicated as a large-scale business would; whereby hundreds of individuals are required to connect to one network.
Since we are living in the digital age and our information is constantly being uploaded to online servers, we have adapted to become more wary concerning the ways in which our data can be misused. Once the incoming network has managed to get through our own network, the information uploaded to our own data becomes relatively easy for them to access.
In terms of firewalls used in schools and businesses, some tools are utilised that allow networks to block the outgoing traffic as well as the incoming traffic. This type of firewall can prevent, for example, an employee, from accessing an inappropriate website while at work. Parents can also use this type of firewall in software that enables them to allow only child-suitable content on their network.
In education and business, it’s also useful to be able to allow access into wider areas of a network that is part of the organisation. For example, a business may use a firewall to allow employees to access a “public” server that only employees on a particular network have permission to view. This is an extremely productive way to organise files that a selected range of people may require access to, and it can be as simple as just installing and maintaining the firewall software of your choice.
Who Needs to Use a Firewall?
Essentially, anybody who regularly uses digital devices – whether this is your phone, laptop or smart TV – is probably already using some type of firewall that was originally installed to protect the software. This is because almost any ‘smart’ device can be hacked or infiltrated by outside viruses, malicious software and other digital threats.
People may choose to install a firewall for a number of reasons. We know how precious our information is, so it’s often daunting to hear that our data could be hacked so easily. Particularly within situations where data is financially, legally or confidentially sensitive, firewalls become a crucial piece of software. Prioritising the safety of data within businesses and organisations is of the utmost importance.
That’s why businesses often have whole teams dedicated to protecting their networks on a digital level. As technology advances, the ways in which hackers and servers manage to penetrate and retrieve information changes.
There is therefore a whole industry that revolves around network safety and the evolving ways in which we can protect our digital data. That’s what we do here at Premier IT Solution. After years of expertise within the IT security market, we have developed our bespoke firewall systems that will protect you and your business against any malicious outsider threats.
Do I Need a Firewall for my Personal Computer?
For an individual, using a firewall is also recommended. While information stored on a business level is perhaps more quantitatively sensitive, it is still devastating to find your own data has been hacked.
There are estimates that suggest personal identity fraud costs individuals a total of £7 billion each year in the UK. You may have lost sums of money simply because you didn’t have the foresight to install a firewall. But, that’s okay! We’re here to warn of the dangers involved with overlooking the importance of a firewall, in a range of circumstances.
What Happens If I Don’t Use A Firewall
As not everybody is fully informed about on how a firewall works and why they are so important, you might not understand how essential they are in protecting your devices until it’s too late.
There are a few ways that outsiders can hack into your network and retrieve data. Successful firewalls, such as the ones we specialise in at Premier IT Solutions, prevent this from happening.
Here’s the lowdown on just a few of the ways that not having a firewall can compromise your information…
Macros
Applications are now used within our daily lives, as we work increasingly within the digital world. Macros are a type of script that is formed to be part of an application. As we give the application our consent to edit things within our device, the macro also gains consent to alter settings, delete data and harm our computers.
Viruses
We all know about viruses and how they can take over our computers, as they’ve been around for years. Thankfully, viruses seem to be almost a thing of the past, as firewall technology has developed beyond the capabilities of many virus activities. Despite this, we must remain vigilant in halting the spread of viruses. While our firewall software helps to detect and filter harmful viruses from us on a daily basis, avoiding suspicious emails or links can help reduce the impact that a virus may have.
How Do Firewalls Work?
Here comes the more technical bit. If it becomes easier for you to visualise the firewall in terms of the physical version we mentioned before, then go for it! You can also think of the firewall like a filter.
It basically sorts through any data that is coming through your company’s network system. The information that is analysed and doesn’t manage to make it through these filters is quickly discarded of, and only the relevant information the system has requested will make it through – enabling you to do your job securely.
Firewalls can be specifically configurated to filter out certain protocols. Protocols are a range of communication prompts that determine how information is fed from one network to another. For example, one protocol is commonly known as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). This is the standard protocol used for viewing web pages. Certain filters can be put in place that can protect us against particular threats, from http to other types of communication between devices – such as FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
At Premier IT Solutions, we’re here so that you don’t have to waste precious time figuring out all the intricacies surrounding your firewall systems. This leaves you with time to focus on other pressing matters relating to your business.
With our 24/7 IT services available round the clock, we are dedicated to providing each and every one of our valued clients with the IT security they deserve – and we know just how to do it.
What Types of Firewall are Available?
Due to the varying industries and organisations that require firewalls, there are a few different options available that will suit a range of markets. Firewalls can also come in various formats, from hardware to software.
The type of firewall you require will ultimately depend upon where and why you will be using the firewall. The type of firewall you require will ultimately depend upon where and why you will be using the firewall. At Premier IT Solution, we specialise in providing both our B2B and B2C clients with outstanding technical support.
We therefore have years of experience in ensuring that your company’s data is fully protected. Here’s how a few of the different types of firewalls available on the market can be useful:
Personal Firewall
This type of firewall is suitable for use on a PC or other personal device. Many people using personal firewalls are not storing necessarily sensitive information, however many of us use automated credit card fillers on our devices – a firewall can protect this information. Firewalls may also be used for other purposes, such as online gaming.
Departmental Firewall
Organisations may require this type of firewall in order to protect their departmentalised information. This can be used for a medium-scale business, whereby information that is not widely available to the whole organisation needs to be stored behind separate firewalls.
This means that an employee who is not authorised to access a certain area cannot retrieve information from it. However, they have full access to their own specific areas of information, due to the firewalls put into place.
Enterprise Firewall
A larger-scale company, such as an international enterprise, may need an even more secure type of firewall that protects a huge database of information from being compromised.
If an organisation of such a scale is hacked, the data from thousands of individuals can be shared. This can have severe repercussions for the company, as reputation is damaged. Experiencing such a severe breach of consumer privacy can be hard to recover from.
At this level, when information is hacked, the enterprise suffers double the losses. They lose financial assets, as well as credibility from their consumers.
How You Can Improve Digital Safety Using Reputable Firewall Software
After reading this article, we hope we’ve enlightened you as to why firewalls are such a crucial piece of software in our digital age. If you’re looking for a reputable firewall solution, look no further than Premier IT Solution.
Alongside our trusted and reliable firewall software, we offer a comprehensive IT security system that allows us to fully protect your business.
We’re passionate about our role in leading businesses towards their ideal IT security solutions, having worked within the industry for decades. Our range of loyal clients are evidence that we go above and beyond in providing expert IT support.
We believe that every business should have access to quality firewall systems; they’re essential in the digital world we’re currently living in. As technology continues to develop and firewalls are made increasingly impenetrable, Premier IT Solution are keeping up to date as the industry evolves. All of our effective IT security software and processes are regularly updated and checked – across the board.
As our own interests lie within specialising in these systems, we’re extremely well-informed about what we do. We take great pride in our ability to make your lives easier, while protecting your IT security.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of our expertise surrounding IT protection, you’ve come to the right place. Feel free to get in touch with our friendly, professional team on 020 3393 3003.
We’re more than happy to answer any queries you may have about our outstanding services. We’re just on the other end of the phone, ready to discuss how we can protect your company from its very core.
With bespoke IT security systems that are prepared to suit a variety of budgets, we can discuss how we can make the perfect solution work for you.
Get in touch with our team today for more information, advice, prices and to ask any questions you may have about utilising our services for your organisation.
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Exploring Cloud vs On Premise IT: Pros, Cons and Differences