Business Firewall Software

Virtually every company needs to invest in business firewall software to protect both proprietary information and vital records and documents. Even the tiniest sole proprietorship can be devastated by a security breach that destroys customer information, invoices, and order fulfillment data. Global companies that have had their financial records compromised often lose the goodwill and trust of customers who fear that personal credit card numbers will be used to make fraudulent purchases and that they may become victims of the growing crime of identity theft. For the sole proprietor, the damage may be so great that he will have to shut down the new venture. For the global corporation, millions of dollars may need to be spent to reassure customers that everything possible is being done to protect the data breach and to address the damaging effects from such destruction. The sole proprietor or small business owner can protect the company with firewall especially designed for what industry experts term the SOHO market. SOHO is an acronym for "small office/home office." Global companies most likely will have an entire database management system (DBMS) division devoted to protecting their giant computer networks with the use of enterprise firewall software. In between the individual business owner and the global entity are a host of companies of various sizes ranging from small town firms to large chains with national name recognition. A firewall system exists or can be customized to meet the requirements of each one, though even the most sophisticated may have an unseen vulnerability for the cleverest criminal to exploit.

The SOHO market has been growing significantly for a couple of decades, boosted along by the popularity and worldwide access of the internet. Many individuals work at home, either for themselves or as telecommuters for employers who allow and encourage such arrangements. Others work in small offices with only a handful of employees. The computer networks at these firms may be relatively small, but they still need to be protected from hackers, viruses, worms, and other devious destroyers of data. However, such a network may be able to function with an embedded, or choke-point, firewall system that is located in the computer's intranet router or switch. But even a SOHO venture can involve highly sensitive information. For example, a one-person money management broker cannot afford to take any chances with the security of her clients' personal financial information. She will most certainly invest in a business firewall software program that will protect her accounts from unscrupulous snoopers. Instead of being embedded into the existing operating system, the program, sometimes referred to as an appliance or turnkey device, is installed as an addition to the system and the hardware platform. Industry experts usually recommend software of this type for businesses with less than fifty users. No matter the size, the firewall system should efficiently monitor activity, detect and block attacks, and filter content without disrupting the needed applications or creating false alarms. The most efficient business firewall software programs run quietly in the background, unnoticed by the user.

A business with a complex operation of multiple systems and networks is often said to have an enterprise network. The DBMS team for such a company spends their time managing the extensive hardware and operating systems for the entire company intranet to ensure it is functioning properly. They most likely will be responsible for the company's enterprise firewall software network. The Security Information Management (SIM) system needs to safeguard a myriad of data, including the business's customer and client information, all financial transactions, employee records, and vital proprietary information. Properly protecting such a myriad of information usually requires multiple firewalls which need to be maintained from a central management console. Like the embedded and appliance firewalls, the enterprise firewall software system operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, monitoring and scanning traffic both coming into and going out of the intranet into the larger sphere of the internet.

Hackers dream up a myriad of ways to create havoc for unprotected computer systems. The use of business firewall software is a defense against practical jokers, identity thieves, and even over-zealous competitors determined to steal trade secrets. The devastating applications are often called worms or viruses because they seem so small and innocuous until they strike. Just like a physical worm or a virus can wreak havoc on one's health, a computer worm or virus destroys important data. It's reminiscent of what King Solomon said: "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes" (Song of Solomon 2:15). And one of the Old Testament prophets said: "O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD" (Ezekiel 13:4-5). A very little something, whether it's called a worm, a virus, or a fox, can cause widespread destruction, no matter if one is talking about physical health, computers and the internet, or spiritual matters. A well-designed enterprise firewall software program can protect a vulnerable computer network from all but the most motivated of hackers. Recommendations for appropriate SIM devices can be found on the internet by vendors who have developed business firewall software. Sizing guidelines take into consideration the number of users that need to be protected, the amount of RAM, and the processing speed. The RAM and processing speed may need to be increased to accommodate the recommended software. The bottom line, though, is that both the sole proprietor and the global corporation need firewall protection, whether it's embedded, an appliance, or a sophisticated enterprise firewall software program.

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