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The Importance of Firewalls in Cybersecurity

The Importance of Firewalls in Cybersecurity

With cybercrime on the rise and attackers using increasingly advanced methods to harm businesses and individuals, it is vital that you are aware of the best ways to protect your sensitive data. Businesses of all sizes and in all industries are being targeted, so every organization needs to develop strong cybersecurity defense that will stop cybercriminals in their tracks and enable business continuity and peace of mind. A firewall is one of the key products you will need to use to protect your business. A firewall is a key component of any cybersecurity strategy and can assist in a number of ways. Read on to find out more.

What Is a Firewall?

So, what exactly is a firewall? A firewall is a cybersecurity product that sits between your trusted internal network and untrusted external networks (like the Internet). You set up rules for incoming and outgoing network traffic, which is then monitored and controlled by the firewall. A firewall can improve cybersecurity in a number of ways – keep reading to find out how.

Network Security

One of the primary ways that a firewall improves security is by preventing external threats from infiltrating your network. It is the first line of defense by identifying and blocking any suspicious traffic.

Access Control

Firewalls can also enable you to control who has access to what resources, services, and data. As a business, you want to make sure that employees only have access to the data that they need to protect your business against internet threats and to reduce the attack surface. A firewall can make it easy to enforce access control policies that can protect your data.

Content Filtering

You can also use firewalls to filter websites and content categories that are non-business related and inappropriate for work. This can be helpful for reducing the risk of viruses coming from malicious websites.

Application Layer Filtering

Application layer filtering involves monitoring and controlling traffic based on the application that is being used. This is useful as it provides protection against specific vulnerabilities that certain applications have.

IDPS

Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) are a proactive approach to cybersecurity where known attack patterns and suspicious activity are automatically blocked. This can help to protect your business against a wide range of common cybercrime attacks. You will find that many modern firewalls offer IDPS as well as a range of other security modules that can provide robust protection against many threats. UTM Firewalls from WatchGuard are a good example, as these firewalls come with a range of security features to provide comprehensive protection.

Traffic Segmentation

Firewalls also provide you with the ability to segment a network into different zones. This allows you to isolate sensitive areas, which can provide extra protection in the event of a breach. This is particularly useful during a time when many businesses have remote employees.

As you can clearly see, a firewall plays a critical role in cybersecurity and can help you protect your sensitive information in a number of ways. During a time when cybercrime is on the rise, a high-quality firewall should be a key part of your defense.