How Firewalls and Web Filtering Work in Tandem to Protect Your Business

One of the ways which businesses benefit most from technology is through using Internet-connected devices. Yet, the Internet is a dangerous place filled to the brim with threats and security concerns. Considering how diverse online threats can be, there’s something to be said about having enterprise-level security protocols put into place.

Due to the immense threat level on the Internet, organizations cannot afford to be online without some sort of preventative security solution. Fortunately, there are solutions designed with the enterprise in mind that can help even small businesses protect themselves from the gratuitous amount of danger on the Internet. Specifically, these solutions are content filtering and firewalls. In a sense, content filtering and firewalls work as opposite sides of the same coin.

A content filtering solution is a program that checks web pages for threats. The solution uses predetermined rules that can block either entire portions of websites, or only specific parts. In comparison, a firewall solution is the part of a network that scans incoming and outgoing traffic from a network for any suspicious entities. It acts as a bouncer, keeping only clean data entering your network, and preventing threats from entering your system. In this case, your organization can promptly eliminate the threat before it causes trouble for others. Depending on the configuration of your system, a firewall or content filtering solution could be an external piece of hardware, a software application, or a combination of the two.

It’s a common best practice for businesses to use both content filtering and firewall solutions. In fact, content filtering helps with other aspects of your organization, such as keeping your staff productive even when they don’t want to be. Distractions like Facebook and YouTube can be blocked on employee devices so that they have no choice but to perform their duties. Firewalls work in a more traditional manner, keeping your workstations and network components free of any inefficiencies that could reduce productivity.

Network Solutions Unlimited offers what’s called a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution that combines four essential pieces of network security solutions into one convenient package. With a firewall, antivirus, spam blocking, and content filtering solution, you can achieve optimal preventative security status. To learn more, reach out to us at (217) 428-6449.