A small business may implement firewall in order to protect individual PCs on the network. Firewalls are available as either software or hardware components. Software firewalls are installed on each computer, but this choice may be expensive for a small business since it requires regular updating and maintenance.
Hardware based firewalls protect all computers on the network and does not require individual administration on each PC. Rather integration of the hardware firewalls with software controls provides comprehensive security that may include VPN support, antispam, antivirus, content filtering and antispyware (Linda Null).A firewall provides a number of security measures for a small business and is recommended. First it supports the changing business needs by allowing integration and deployment of new applications. Thus advanced application layer security is guaranteed for a wide range of application such as VoiP, multimedia programs, video and email. Next it provides a controlled access to the company resources thus security and privacy is enhanced. Firewall blocks unauthorized applications or information from accessing the network. Thirdly, blocking unauthorized applications will prevent the loss of enormous employee productivity time and important company data. Employee conduct in the workplace will be strictly adhered to, therefore, increasing productivity (Linda Null).
Finally, the best firewalls improve business resilience by preventing loss of business due to disruption of critical applications and services resulting from security breaches. Information in the internet is better managed by use of a firewall. Users without advanced security features will find requests and alerts unmanageable and, therefore, require a firewall to prevent them from the business network. There are easy to install and cost effective firewalls that are tailor made for small businesses (Linda Null)
Works Cited
Linda Null, Julia Lobur. The Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2010.
