A Firewall is either a hardware device or a software program that keeps your internal network protected against threats from the Internet. If your computer network is attached to the Internet through a broadband connection (Cable, DSL, T1, etc.) then you are vulnerable to attack. A firewall protects your network by allowing your PC's to "hide" behind it so that external programs and users are unable to find you and exploit vulnerabilities.

Software firewalls are a good solution when you only have one PC connected to the Internet. These programs do an adequate job of hiding your PC and protecting you from basic attacks. However, if you have more than one PC connected to an always-on Internet connection, a hardware firewall is advisable.

Hardware firewalls perform their duties by closing all ports (there are over 10,000 of these!) on your PC from being accessed from the outside world. Furthermore, firewalls operate 24 hours a day, even when you are not there, using stateful packet inspection: a method of checking every bit of incoming data and determining its purpose.

These units are highly configurable, can take the place of a router, can terminate VPN connections (allowing you to work from a remote location or allowing you to establish secure "tunnels" through the Internet to a branch office) and can act as a DHCP and virus definition server.

If you or your business would like to find out more about these devices, feel free to give our CSSA (Certified Sonicwall Administrator) Ryan McMillen a call or e-mail him at rmcmillen@ccstech.net.

Yes. Everyone or every business that has an always-on connection to the Internet needs some sort of firewall protection. CCS has invested hundreds of hours into this area and sells only Sonicwall-branded firewall appliances. These units are known for their reliability, scalability and ease of use.

Firewalls can be remotely managed, so once yours is installed, our technicians can perform maintenence or repairs from our offices, securely through the Internet. This type of service saves your business time and money, as it alleviates a need to always go on-site to diagnose firewall-related issues.

You also might require a firewall if you have remote offices you would like to securely connect to. VPN termination is a function of Sonicwall appliances, allowing two Sonicwall firewalls to find each other on the Internet and establish an encrypted "tunnel" between them, allowing your office to participate on another network seemlessly.

A firewall may be required if you would like activities such as anti-virus control, DHCP server or monitoring of network activity to be performed by a device other than your network server. Furthermore, these devices are able to restrict access to the web for individual users, log Internet activity and much more!

Above all else, it is the firewall's protection of your network. Don't wait until after an attack to purchase your company's firewall. Let CCS make the task painless and affordable. After your network has been compromised? It's too late.