Go Beyond a Firewall to Secure Your Business

Some terms are thrown around like everyone knows what they are. This is especially the case with IT and technology solutions. Perhaps it’s a result of them being around for quite some time in professional environments, but it doesn’t help those who are unfamiliar with the technology. One term that we should all understand is “firewall,” as it’s omnipresent in the business sector, but it’s far from the only security solution you’ll need to guarantee safety.

In reality, it takes several different tools to make a network as secure as it needs to be.

Why a Firewall Isn’t Enough

A firewall serves only one purpose, and that’s to monitor traffic that goes in and out of your network for any security issues. However, it’s important to remember that there are threats that can bypass firewalls, and that there are other components of network security besides monitoring traffic.

Filtering Spam

Spam messages generally don’t present an actual threat, unless they hold infected attachments or malicious links, to your business’ security, but they are often a waste of time and an unwanted distraction. Spam filters can help you alleviate this issue, but you should always encourage employees to stay on the lookout for suspicious messages.

Continual Data Backup

If you ever find yourself in a corner and you’ve lost a considerable amount of data, then you’ll want a backup solution in place to alleviate the issue. With a proper data backup and disaster recovery solution in place, you can keep your business safe in the event of a worst-case scenario and promote fast recovery of data should a data loss disaster strike your business. 

Antivirus

It’s much easier to update all of your business’s workstations at once rather than individually, and it wouldn’t be possible without a centralized antivirus solution. Whenever you update your threat definitions, your entire infrastructure and network will be much better off.

Virtual Private Networking

VPNs are great for maintaining access to files that are stored locally on your business’s network while out of the office. You can use a VPN to prevent direct remote access to these local files and resources, effectively putting a lid on any unauthorized access or onlooking.

Phishing Awareness Training

Phishing is quite common these days, and scammers will stop at nothing to attack people via email and text messaging. Sometimes it is difficult to determine who is legitimate and who is fraudulent. Many hackers and scammers will try to convince users to hand over credentials to accounts and other important data through several different nefarious measures. Some attacks will be blocked by filters, but some won’t. That’s when it is important for your staff to know what they’re doing.

Remember, it’s not that a firewall is a bad investment; if anything, it’s meant to be used alongside other enterprise-level security solutions to maximize security. To learn more about how you can implement the best security services on the market, reach out to k_Street Consulting, LLC at (202) 640-2737.