IT Blog

Be it through adoption of new technology or large-scale digital transformations, businesses are walking down the path of IT innovation faster than ever. A majority are connected to the internet via email, social media, and cloud storage. All of this has made business IT systems an easy target for hackers. Hence, IT security is essential.

A 2020 survey of Canadian firms revealed that all of them had faced at least one security breach in 12 months prior to the survey. If you’re wondering “well, what can one such incident do to a firm”, here’s the answer: It can destroy it. A single data breach costs global businesses a whopping US$ 3.86 million, according to an IBM report. 

6 out of 10 companies are driven out of business within 6 months of a cyberattack. If not complete shutdown, a cybersecurity breach often leads to disastrous consequences including bankruptcy, reputational damage, and stiff penalties.   

It’s not hard to see why protection of data and business assets needs to be your top priority. You might even be taking precautions like keeping your antivirus up-to-date and having trained IT staff in your team. These are certainly helpful measures, but if your business doesn’t have the fundamental safety net of a professional-grade firewall, it leaves a gaping hole in your IT security.  

What is a Firewall? 

A firewall is a network security solution that acts as a barrier that prevents your company’s internal servers and systems architecture from any unauthorized access via external networks. Firewalls have been in use for more than 25 years and continue to remain the frontline defense in network security. 

Here’s how having a firewall can make a difference to the IT Security of your business.  

1. It is literally a ‘wall’ between your internal systems and the rest of the internet

Without a firewall in place, your network is open to access by external users. This puts your business data and assets at risk. A firewall can filter out traffic from shady IPs and malicious domains. You can even configure it to block all connections from external networks or choose to ban specific external websites from accessing your network. 

2. It shields your hardware and software 

Hackers can use remote logins to steal information from your devices or install spyware, ransomware, and other malicious programs. While an antivirus can remove corrupt software and files from your system, it offers no protection to your hardware. Only a firewall secures both your hardware and software, preventing any malicious entry in the first place.   

3. It serves as a foundation of your broader cybersecurity strategy  

To be honest, it’s not possible for a single product to ensure complete IT security. You need to have a multi-layered approach to achieve this. A firewall lies at the core of such an approach. A well-configured, maintained, and monitored firewall puts a strong lock on the doors to your network, while other cyber safety measures can create additional layers of security. 

As one of Calgary’s leading IT support provider, we work with highly-revered, next-generation firewall solutions like Cisco, Sophos, Fortinet, Checkpoint, Palo Alto, etc. to give our clients IT security of the highest degree.

Don’t wait, contact us today to book a free IT Security consultation!