You probably know that a firewall helps protect your network from unauthorized traffic. It is a critical component of any network, including both home and business networks. However, consumer firewalls, such as those that ship with modern operating systems, are designed to protect only one computer rather than a whole network.
Most businesses require a rather more complex solution, not least because data loss resulting from cyberattacks can become extremely costly.
A firewall works by constantly monitoring your network and enforcing restrictions. Firewalls automatically prevent applications from sending or receiving data over the internet unless they’ve first been added to a whitelist. However, it’s also a valuable tool for monitoring your network by letting you know which data is being transmitted and who is using your network.
Unsurprisingly, round-the-clock monitoring is both resource-intensive and time-consuming, which is why managed firewalls are such a perfect solution.
Most firewalls are managed by the user. For consumers, such a solution tends to be fine. However, businesses usually handle much greater amounts of data and have multiple employees using their networked resources at the same time.
Businesses also face a much wider range of cybersecurity threats, as many widescale attacks of recent months have illustrated. Managed firewalls provide multiple layers of security that are maintained entirely off-site.
Improved Threat Avoidance
A conventional firewall, while an essential tool to have, serves only as a perimeter security solution. In other words, a cybersecurity threat must come dangerously close to your network for the firewall to detect it in the first place.
There are also other drawbacks to consider, such as the age, reliability and effectiveness of the firewall. For example, if the system is outdated, it will be far less effective and open to many more potential threats.
Managed firewalls are located beyond your physical office space to provide an additional layer of security that cannot be tampered with. They provide greatly enhanced internal threat management by making sure that threats posed by malicious software or unauthorized users don’t get anywhere near your network to begin with.
Because these firewalls are managed by a team of experts, you can also be sure that you’re getting the latest and most effective cybersecurity technology.
Reduced Overheads and Simplified Management
Cybersecurity management can become extremely time-consuming, especially for growing businesses that are heavily reliant on their technology. In many situations, the limitations of existing infrastructures can stifle business growth while also increasing exposure to potential threats. A managed firewall, however, provides a scalable and flexible system that grows with your business’s needs without your on-site personnel even having to worry about it.
By outsourcing cybersecurity management, your IT team will be better able to focus on core business initiatives instead of getting bogged down in firewall management.
Managed firewalls provide greatly simplified management by taking care of the work for you while still giving you access to the latest updates, firmware and threat definitions. Most importantly, they run around the clock because, after all, your security can hardly afford to take a backseat when hackers are ever present.
Multiple layers of security often translate into increased staff training costs, but that’s not the case if you’re outsourcing your cybersecurity to an external services provider on a no-obligation subscription plan. Instead, a managed firewall, or any other managed service for that matter, is entirely implemented and maintained by a dedicated team of experts. Outsourced cybersecurity providers can also offer valuable security advice and consultations whenever you want.
Here at Complete Technology, we provide proactive cybersecurity solutions to eliminate potential threats before they can get into your network. If you’re ready to uncover a smarter approach to technology management, contact us today.
