The first and most obvious reason why your small business absolutely needs a firewall is that you can't ignore small business cyberthreats just because you don't think they carry enough weight to be worth the criminals' time. .
Things don't work like that. In fact, the fact that small businesses have fewer cybersecurity resources makes them easier targets. The value of stealing data from a small business may be less than from a larger one, of course, but cybercriminals often prefer to target multiple small businesses rather than launch one big attack on a larger company with all the formidable cybersecurity. which must be violated.
What is a firewall?
Cybersecurity for any company can take the form of firewalls, spyware and ransomware detection, perimeter protection, closed networks, etc. Without a doubt, the firewall stands apart from the rest and, in most cases, it is one of the forms of cybersecurity that you should give the highest priority to.
This is because a firewall is the first line of defense against cyber attacks. Therefore, if your budget is limited, it is advisable to cover this base first. A firewall can be thought of as a barrier between the computers and mobile devices on your company network and the rest of the Internet. The role of a firewall is to keep suspicious data out of the company network, but also to allow secure data to enter.
It is important to understand that there are two types of firewalls. There are pure software firewalls, which are installed on a device and protect everything on that device from Internet threats, and there are hardware firewalls, so called because they require a piece of hardware (a router) in addition to some software. This type of firewall protects an entire network (multiple devices) from Internet attacks.
For most small businesses, it's perfectly affordable to use both: a basic software firewall installed on every device in the company, and a hardware firewall that protects the entire company network. For employees' personal devices, it is common practice to insist that each employee also have a software firewall installed.
The risks
When we talk about any kind of cybersecurity risks, the most important thing to understand is that "risks" are not a static phenomenon. Cybercriminals are updating their techniques all the time, and cybersecurity software is in a constant arms race with the technologies and methods used by cybercriminals.
One of the most prominent risks affecting small businesses right now is the cyber equivalent of the dispersal approach. Cybercriminals often send out an army of bots to identify companies at risk and attack them. experts in ciberseguridad y firewallThey state that this has its advantages and disadvantages.
The downside is, of course, that this means that no business is truly safe or "low risk." Cybercriminals don't care what a company does; his army of bots attacks almost indiscriminately. However, the advantage is that this means that a hardware firewall can be incredibly effective in offering general protection that can repel these indiscriminate attacks. Also, if your business is small, it's not worth the extra effort: there are many more small businesses, with weaker protection, that can cope.
Conclusion
It is clear then that firewalls, being the first line of defense, are effective against the most common cyberthreats small businesses face. The takeaway from this is that it should be the top cybersecurity priority for a small business. You may need more cybersecurity to really strengthen your defenses, but it all starts with the firewall.