Burning Down the House - Build a Firewall

Smell that? That's the stench of your computer burning because you ignored the hackers and viruses constantly trying to gain access to your network. It takes more than just vigilance to keep your precious data from being accessed by criminals. You need something that can take the heat in the event of an attack. You need protective software, like a firewall. The term was coined because, just like a firewall confines a fire in a building, it can also keep threats out of your system. Sometimes, all it takes is a little protection to prevent catastrophe.

What They Do
A firewall is a type of software that analyzes the data flowing in and out of your network. Its job is to keep anything bad out of your system, which is anything that can be deemed both unsafe and insecure. These threats are mainly located on the Internet, which has grown unsafe since its inception. There are all sorts of threats that try to access your computer, such as malware, adware, and spyware.

The firewall is the first step toward protecting yourself from digital evil. This barrier comes in varying strengths, and keeps track of network traffic, validates connections and data packages, checks for legitimate application data, and performs searches of all messages going to and from your network. They can be updated regularly to ensure that you have the latest protection against the most recent threats, but don't think for a second that firewalls make your computer impenetrable.

What they Don't Do
While the firewall can protect you against specific threats, it doesn't solve all of your Internet security problems. Just like anything, it's important to understand vulnerabilities and threats when taking into account how to deal with them. Viruses, spyware, adware, and phishing scams can still make it around your firewall with relative ease if you aren't careful and give them permission. Firewalls can also fail to protect you from malicious email attachments that you open, and they don't block spam, which is frustrating and takes up a lot of email space.

Don't Settle For Less Than the Best!
One of the best ways you can protect your computer is by utilizing what is known as a Unified Threat Manager (UTM) from Computerware. The UTM provides a strong firewall plus other powerful security tools that are built to keep you safe from any threat. Whereas most computers come with a weak firewall by default that will do little to protect your PC. Take advantage of the UTM today by contacting Computerware at (703) 821-8200.

Depending on the size of your company, your UTM needs may differ from those of every other business. Computerware can help you find the best UTM for your business needs, and we can even provide you with a free network security audit to clean up the mess that could be your current firewall. Computerware will be your own personal firefighter, dousing the conflagration that could be your company.