Firewalls And Why Your Organization Needs One

Effective firewalls are the first line of defense against a system breach, and having one is considered a minimum security standard by regulators, among others, for any company that handles personal information. This post explains what a firewall is and what to keep in mind when you choose, configure, install and maintain one. One basic concept that applies across the board is “Access Control List,” or ACL. Typically it’s set up as “Default Deny,” with a carefully constructed set of rules that will define the exceptions. Defining access controls too loosely can be as dangerous as having no firewall at all, but making them to too restrictive can make it impossible for people to do business with the company. To formulate rules intelligently requires a thorough analysis of an organization’s business needs and the network needed to support them.