A firewall is a network security device that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and permits or blocks data packets based on a set of security rules. Its purpose is to establish a barrier between your internal network and incoming traffic from external sources (such as the internet) in order to block malicious traffic like viruses and hackers.
Businesses and organizations invest a good amount on cybersecurity depending on how crucial their business is that is implementing basic SSL certificates if it is just a personal blogging website and for E-commerce websites, it is recommended to choose strong website security.
Firewalls are also one of the security measures that protect a system from hackers and cybercriminals that are active over the Internet hacking and tampering with the functionalities of a system.
Firewalls are specifically configured to prevent unauthorized access to an individual system or a network of computers. They act as a barrier to filter data between the system and the Internet. All messages, whether they are coming from an external source or leaving the system, are passed through the firewall and if they do not pass the specified criteria they are discarded.
Without a firewall, these networks become vulnerable to malicious attacks.
For example:
For full-spectrum security, firewalls should be placed between any network that has a connection to the internet, and businesses should establish clear computer security plans, with policies on external networks and data storage.
In the cloud era, network firewalls can do more than secure a network. They can also help ensure that you have uninterrupted network availability and robust access to cloud-hosted applications.
Organizations can limit the access to various websites from their official network thus controlling how the employees use their network. They also work as a filter to block the incoming and outgoing traffic on the network that may be suspicious and unsafe.
Firewalls are relied upon to secure home and corporate networks. A simple firewall program or device will sift through all information passing through the network – this process can also be customized depending on the needs of the user and the capabilities of the firewall.
There are a number of major firewall types that prevent harmful information from passing through the network:
Application-layer Firewalls
This is a hardware appliance, software filter, or server plug-in. It layers security mechanisms on top of defined applications, such as FTP servers, and defines rules for HTTP connections. These rules are built for each application, to help identify and block attacks to a network.
Packet Filtering Firewalls
This filter examines every packet that passes through the network – and then accepts or denies it as defined by rules set by the user. Packet filtering can be very helpful, but it can be challenging to properly configure. Also, it’s vulnerable to IP spoofing.
Circuit-level Firewalls
This firewall type applies a variety of security mechanisms once a UDP or TCP connection has been made. Once the connection is established, packets are exchanged directly between hosts without further oversight or filtering
Proxy Server Firewalls
This version will check all messages that enter or leave a network, and then hide the real network addresses from any external inspection.
Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW)
These work by filtering traffic moving through a network – the filtering is determined by the applications or traffic types and the ports they are assigned to. These features comprise a blend of a standard firewall with additional functionality, to help with greater, more self-sufficient network inspection.
Stateful Firewalls
It is also referred as third generation firewall technology, stateful filtering accomplishes two things: traffic classification based on the destination port, and packet tracking of every interaction between internal connections.
Need help finding the ideal firewall architecture for your business’ needs? Contact syscom distribution to get more assistance with perfecting your company’s cybersecurity strategy.
Sophos XG Series hardware appliances are purpose-built with the latest multi-core processors, generous RAM provisioning, solid-state storage, and flexible connectivity options.
Whether you’re protecting a small business or a large datacenter, you’re getting industry-leading price: performance, and the ultimate in flexibility, connectivity, and reliability in every form factor.
SOHO Protection with XG 86
Our small, ultra-affordable XG 86(w) and SD-RED devices provide the ultimate in SOHO protection with always-on dedicated or split-tunnel VPN that’s easy to deploy and manage with a variety of flexible options.
XG Firewall is part of the world’s best cybersecurity system, integrating in real time with Intercept
At Cisco, building a security platform that enables a more agile and integrated approach for harmonizing policies and enforcement across increasingly heterogenous networks.
The latest generation of Cisco Firepower Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) give you the deepest set of integrations between core networking functions and network security, delivering the most secure architecture ever.
The result is a complete security portfolio that protects your applications and users everywhere.
Cisco firewalls are foundational to the industry’s most complete and open security platform
The Cisco next-generation firewall portfolio delivers greater protections for your network against an increasingly evolving and complex set of threats. With Cisco, you’re investing in a foundation for security that is both agile and integrated- leading to the strongest security posture available today and tomorrow.
From your data center, branch offices, cloud environments, and everywhere in between, you will be able to leverage the power of Cisco to turn your existing network infrastructure into an extension of your firewall solution, leading to world class security controls everywhere you need them. Investing in a Cisco NGFW appliance today gives you robust protections against even the most sophisticated threats without compromising performance when inspecting encrypted traffic.
Further, integrations with other Cisco solutions provides you with a broad and deep portfolio of security products, all working together to correlate previously disconnected events, eliminate noise, and stop threats faster.
World-class security controls
Threats have become more sophisticated and networks have become more complex. Very few, if any, organizations have the resources to dedicate to staying up to date and successfully fend off all these constantly emerging and evolving threats. As threats and networks become more complex, it is imperative to have the right tools to protect your data, applications, and networks.
Cisco NGFWs have the power and flexibility that you need to stay one step ahead of threats. They offer a dramatic 3x performance boost over the previous generation of appliances, in addition to unique hardware- based capabilities for inspecting encrypted traffic at scale.
Consistent policy and visibility
With the Cisco NGFW portfolio you gain a stronger security posture, equipped with futureready, flexible management. Cisco offers a variety of management options tailored to meet your environment and business needs including: Firepower Device Manager (FDM), Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC), and Cisco Defense Orchestrator (CDO). Cisco FDM is an on-device management solution for locally managing small-scale deployments. Cisco FMC is an on-premises solution for large deployments to centrally manage security events and policies with rich reporting and local logging. CDO is a cloud-based security manager that streamlines security policies and device management across your extended network.
Integrate network and security
Cisco firewalls set the foundation for integrating powerful threat prevention capabilities into your existing network infrastructure, making the network a logical extension of your firewall solution.
FortiGate mid-range next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) provide high performance, multi-layered advanced security, and better visibility to protect against cyber-attacks while reducing complexity.
FortiGate firewalls are purpose-built with security processers to enable the industry’s best threat protection and performance for SSL-encrypted traffic.
FortiGate NGFWs simplify security complexity and provide visibility into applications, users, and networks.
They utilize purposebuilt security processing units (SPUs) and threat intelligence services from FortiGuard Labs to deliver top-rated security and highperformance threat protection (e.g., intrusion prevention, web filtering, anti-malware, application control) for known attacks.
The unknown attacks are detected and prevented by Fortinet on-premises and cloud-based advanced threat protection solutions.
As part of the broader Fortinet Security Fabric architecture, FortiGate NGFWs leverage automated, policy-based responses to accelerate time to resolution. When a FortiGate NGFW detects an event, it communicates with the Security Fabric, which determines what information will be shared across the enterprise.
For example, when malware is detected in one part of the organization, the Security Fabric shares threat intelligence with the rest of the enterprise IT infrastructure. In another instance, when a policy is created for one security solution, the Security Fabric can contextually apply that same policy across other security solutions in the architecture for consistent and coordinated control.
FortiGate NGFWs allow deployment flexibility that can be tailored to the specific security needs of an enterprise that require either running one or more security features like SSL/TLS inspection, IPS, and antivirus individually or concurrently with minimal performance degradation.
All deployed FortiGate devices across the organization’s network infrastructure are interconnected via the Security Fabric. This integration provides comprehensive, real-time protection while simplifying deployment and reducing the need for multiple touch points and policies across the enterprise.
Fortinet NGFW Advantages:
SonicWall next-generation firewalls (NGFW) provide the security, control and visibility you need to maintain an effective cybersecurity posture.
SonicWall’s award-winning hardware and advanced technology are built into each firewall to give you the edge on evolving threats. With solutions designed for networks of all sizes, SonicWall firewalls are designed to meet your specific security and usability needs, all at a cost that will protect your budget while securing your network.
Sonicwall provides advance threat prevention in a high-performance security platform.
SOHO/TZ series Firewalls
Protect your small business or branch location from intrusion, malware and ransomware with an easy-to-use, integrated security solution designed specifically for your needs. SonicWall TZ firewalls deliver enterprise-grade protection without the cost or complexity.
Nsa Series Firewalls
The SonicWall Network Security appliance (NSa) Mid-Range Firewall series consolidates automated advanced threat prevention technologies in a mid-range next-generation firewall platform. Built on a multi-core hardware architecture featuring 10-GbE and 2.5-GbE interfaces.
Large Enterprise
NSsp series firewalls
Designed for large distributed enterprises, data centers and service providers, the NSsp High-End series consolidates advanced security technologies that deliver proven, scalable protection for millions of connections from the most advanced threats without slowing performance.
Virtual Firewalls
SonicWall Network Security virtual (NSv) series brings SonicWall’s industry leading Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) capabilities to protect your workloads in the cloud from threats, with automated, real-time breach detection and protection. Manage consistent security policies centrally from a single pane of glass across cloud and on-prem environments.
If you’re looking for an firewall (a firewall for small to medium-sized businesses), there are a lot of options available with us.
Get complete protection for your business. Our Firewalls across top brands can help you to protect your workplace from real-world threats.