Securing Your Business: Firewall & VPN
The integration in businesses has never been as widespread as they are in the contemporary world mainly due to the advancement in technology. No matter whether you are processing user data, providing cloud solutions or supporting remote employees, protection of the company’s information is crucial for its functioning. Cyber threats are complex and get database day by day and the older ways of safeguarding the businesses may not be sufficient enough to keep your businesses safe from these emerging threats.
Firmware and VPN are two of the most used securities in the contemporary IT world. But all these tools are simply not enough to protect your business in a digital environment and the only way to be protected in a safer manner is to go for a multilayer approach. So, in this blog post, we are going to discuss about the significance of firewalls and VPNs in your business security plan and about other important tools and measures which should be considered for the complete protection of your business.
Role of Firewalls in Cybersecurity
A firewall resides on the first layer of protection for your business’s network. A type of software application that keeps track of the incoming and outgoing traffic within and to a computer network and only allows traffic that corresponds to the set security requirements. It is for this reason that a firewall is embraced as a wall between your own computer network and other systems that maybe trying to gain unauthorized access.
Currently there are several types of firewall that can be implemented in various business:
Network Firewalls: This particular firewall limits the access into and out of networks by allowing only specific IP addresses, protocols, ports etc.
Application firewalls: These specific firewalls filter traffic according to the applications or services provided in the computer system.
Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW): NGFWs are plug-in technologies to traditional firewalls that come with IPS, DPI as well as application awareness.
Firewalls are used to prevent the unauthorized traffic to enter or leave an organization, in preventing the diffusion of viruses/malwares and in the protection against attacks like Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). Thus, firewall is one of the essential components of a business’s security system as it protects from probable threats.
The Importance of VPNs for Secure Remote Access
When the concept of remote work has emerged, VPNs have become the necessity for organizations and companies. A VPN creates an encrypted connection between the user machine and the network of the company; the user is syncing as if they are on the company network when in real sense they are on the go.
There are several advantages of VPN and these are mostly associated with business:
Encryption: VPNs encode all content transmitted through the connection medium thus limiting the chances of someone intercepting the data particularly when using a network that is either publicly or insecure.
Privacy: VPNs work to ensure that unauthorized persons do not monitor the activities of a user by hiding the IP address.
Access Control: VPNs also enable directors to regulate remote employee access to business resources by limiting specific employees’ permissions and prohibition of right of entry to certain systems that might be unlawful.
For any organization that has its workers working from home or organizations that use cloud computing, VPN is crucial because of the risks involved when communicating and accessing the organization’s network. Nevertheless, VPNs might not suffice, especially as hackers continue to expert ways of penetrating these sabotages. That is why it is appropriate to use VPN together with other means of protection against possible threats to corporate data.
Going Beyond Firewalls and VPNs: A Layered Approach to Security
Firewalls as well as Virtual Private Networks are crucial instruments for cyberspace protection; nevertheless, a business that over relies only the ones may be vulnerable. Today we experience complex cyber threats which therefore mean that information technology security needs to be more complex, layered.
Below are some more ideas on the use of other firewalls and VPNs other than :
1. Endpoint Protection
Consequently, every computer and other devices with internet connection that can be connected to your Local Area Network, including a PC, laptop, or mobile phone is a potential window for the hacker. These days, employees use their personal mobile devices to work for their employers, thus putting the employers’ business at high risk, and endpoint protection tools such as anti-virus software, malware detection and mobile device management (MDM) solutions are considered vital in protecting these devices.
Endpoint protection software work by constantly scanning devices for any form of intrusion, malware or any sign of intrusion. With the help of the modern tools of endpoint protection, you may secure the network and prevent the leakage of data in cases with infected devices.
2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Password protection is no longer relevant since data breaches can penetrate strong passwords easily. Multi-factor authentication MFA is a way of increasing the security of a system because before the user gains access, the system requires the user to provide at least two proofs of identity. This could be something which the user knows like a password or something which the user has like a phone or token, or something which the user is such as biometric data.
With MFA, you complicate the challenge to defenders by several times and give yourself more protection even if the honeypot has got hold of the user’s password.
3. Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
SIEM solutions are intended for the business to monitor the security situation, gather security information, make a decision and perform an action immediately. Due to the accumulation of information gathered from firewalls, VPN machines, and other endpoint safeguards, SIEM systems are capable of coordinated monitoring that enables them to identify new threats, active invasions, and continued assaults.
These systems are very appropriate for business organizations that seek to have a constant check on their security systems since it will alert and make them to act as soon as they detect any issue with the systems.
4. Data Encryption
Even if all the networks in your organization are safeguarded, the data that circulates has to be safeguarded. They were stored in encrypted format and even if the hacker gains access to the network itself, data encrypted cannot be read without the decryption code.
Data encryption performs the act of protecting data that is stored on servers as well as that is in transit, making it impossible for unauthorized personnel to access business information including financial data, innovative knowledge through research, and customer information.
5. Regular Software Updates and Patches
Hackers on several occasions take advantage of the weaknesses that accompany the out-of-date software to invade systems. This is why ordinary updates and the patches accompanying them should be considered a necessity for preserving the status of deep security. These updates mend vulnerabilities that hackers may have found useful, enhance productivity within systems and guarantee that your software does not fall prey to familiar risks.
Ensure that you acting and working on a policy that requires timely update of each and every device, application, and system to minimize exposure.
6. Employee Training and Awareness
Some people could be a company’s biggest weakness when it comes to information security. The weakness of your employees is another sure way your company will be at a high risk of suffrage from phishing scams or wrong input of password or even unsafe browsing. This means that these professionals can always familiarize themselves with any new threats, understand the best practice, and also avoid other mistakes that compromise the enterprise’s networks.
Conclusion
At the age of cyber threats, reinforcing the security of the business requires modern instruments and tools that are beyond firewalls and VPNs. It is thus important always to deploy multiple layers of security tools, measures and policies to provide sufficient security to a business.
Due to constantly evolving threats from hackers, it is advisable to integrate cybersecurity measures to make sure they do not penetrate your business in the modern world.
