Networks and Servers

Firewalls

A firewall is effectively a border guard: all crossing points must be safeguarded and criteria be established for appropriate network traffic to be allowed entry - and undesired traffic to be refused where its credentials cannot be verified. Network firewalls are complex applications, as the range of potential attacks is enormous. The appropriate configuration of a firewall is also a key part in its effectiveness: an incorrectly configured firewall may add to, rather than decrease, an organisation's vulnerability.

While firewalls may be relatively easy to install, their correct configuration is complex and demands both a high level of technical skill and a thorough understanding of the network and applications that they are being deployed to protect. Many organisations may have installed a firewall and given little thought to its detailed configuration: as a result, the security that they assume their firewall is providing may easily prove to be illusory.

Few computer programs have until recently been developed with security in mind, and they are therefore often vulnerable to deliberate attacks by 'hackers'. This applies not just to specific applications (financial software, e-mail software, and so on) but to the operating systems that control the core functionality and operation of individual computers.

We appreciate that few organisations have the in-house skills to appropriately configure and maintain a firewall, or the desire to acquire them where computer networking is not a core aspect of its business operations. For this reason, Powernet normally recommends that firewalls are installed on a 'fully-managed' basis, leaving you to concentrate on your core activities while we manage your firewall configuration and maintenance as required.

Our I-Guard Fully Managed Firewall service provides many benefits to organisations:

Customised configuration to suit your specific business and operational requirements
Creation of network zones to give appropriate security to different network components
Full support for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Freedom to concentrate on core business activities by outsourcing security management