Everything You Need to Know About Firewalls [Video]

Here is everything you need to know about firewalls from what they are to how to maintain them to which model your business should get.

After watching this video, you'll be able to:

• Identify what is a firewall
• Determine how does a firewall work
• Get an understanding as to why a firewall is crucial for your business
• Learn what do you need to consider when buying a firewall
• Understand how firewalls fail and how to prevent that
• Define which firewall should your business get

The firewall is one of the essential elements of your system network. A firewall is a set of rules that allows or prevents traffic from coming or going. It's a gatekeeper of your network from the bad side of the internet. A firewall examines traffic as it comes or goes and compares this to known rules for items that it recognizes that it will either allow or deny or items that it doesn't recognize that it will implicitly deny.

Most are familiar with the software firewall that is installed on your computer. It protects your device when you browse the internet. However, there is also another kind: a hardware firewall.  If a software firewall protects a specific device when it goes on the internet, a hardware firewall protects your entire network. 

There are five things you should consider when buying a firewall.  

• The first one is the size of your network. 
• The second one is the speed of your internet. 
• The third one is the number of potential VPN. 
• The fourth is the general traffic flow. 
• The fifth is your line of business applications.

On top of these, you should also consider if your firewall will be managed or unmanaged. A firewall is not something you “plug it and forget it.” It needs to be monitored and managed.  

If you need further reading to help you decide on choosing a firewall, please read our article entitled "How to Choose a Firewall For Your Business?".

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