How Does a Firewall Protect a Business?

Keepin’ the bad guys out of your internal network and away from your data.

By: Brand Barney

What is a firewall? What do they look like? Do I have a firewall at my business? These are some of the most common questions I get from business owners. Most have heard of firewalls, but still don’t fully understand their purpose.

Watch the video to learn more about how a firewall protects your business.

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Remember – to meet Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements you must have both a software and hardware firewall. But it’s not enough to just own them. They must be configured properly to prevent data from accessing (or leaving) your network when it’s not supposed to.

SEE ALSO: Configuring and Maintaining Your Firewall with SecurityMetrics Managed Firewall

Here are some tips for proper configuration:

• Work with your IT service provider to configure firewalls and routers
• Google your firewall manufacturer to find helpful ‘how to’ articles
• Quarterly test your network with internal and external network vulnerability scans

SEE ALSO: How to Configure a Firewall in 5 Steps

Have a business security question? Tweet me and you may see your question answered on the next SecurityQ.


Brand Barney (CISSP, HCISPP, QSA) is a Security Analyst at SecurityMetrics, has over 10 years of data security experience, and will totally geek out if you mention Doctor Who. Brand loves to play jazz piano and daydreams about being as great as Dave Brubeck or Thelonious Monk. Connect with him on Twitter or check out his other blog posts.