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What is a Software Firewall and Hardware Firewall?

A firewall is a program or device that acts as a barrier to keep destructive elements out of a network or specific computer.  Firewalls can be configured in hardware or software with specific criteria to block or prevent unauthorized access to a network.

 

Software Firewalls

A software firewall is a program, which runs in the background on a computer.  Enterprise edition software firewalls allow IT professionals to manage firewall rules and configurations therefore taking the configuration and management responsibility away from the user.

The software firewall operates by inspecting the network data that is incoming to the computer, as well as outgoing from the computer. If the firewall detects the data has been altered or if appears malicious, the software blocks it, effectively preventing any form of an attack.

Firewalls operate from a set of rules. The administrator can make a specific rule in the firewall to block a specific website or even a specific application.  In some cases when connecting to a printer with advanced features, the IT professional may need to alter the firewall rules to allow certain data through to access features.

 

 

Hardware Firewalls

As data comes through the Internet, the firewall scans each transmission, looking for malicious items and to see if the data has been maliciously altered or forged.  The larger the amount of Internet activity to an organization, the harder it is for a firewall to scan through each transmission.

For a larger company with 100 users, a traditional router with a built-in firewall would not be enough and could cause a potential bottleneck.  Enterprise firewalls are customizable and allow your IT support services team to block computers, websites, and specific Internet traffic.

Hardware firewalls also allow VPN connectivity which allow remote users to access work data from a remote location.  VPN’s are very popular amongst remote workers and are sometimes used for security purposes.

There are many firewall manufacturers including Cisco, Juniper, SonicWall, Fortinet, Watchguard and Barracuda.

 

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. We provide industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Take advantage of our Complimentary Network and Security Assessment by 365itSolutions.com

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Statistics Canada provides Security Practices, Incidents and Effects

According to Statistics Canada, many companies use multiple tools to protect their data from unwanted access or attack.  Just over 76% of enterprises used anti-virus or anti-spyware software, 62% used a firewall, and 53% used a spam filter to block unwanted email.

 

Just under 49% of small businesses did regular backup of data critical to their business operations compared with 89% of large enterprises.  Only 6% of enterprises experienced an Internet security breach. The most commonly cited effects of a breach were service downtime (51%) and loss of productivity (43%).  Among large enterprises, 14% reported an Internet security breach

 

Website Functionality Increases

 

Approximately 46% of enterprises had a website however they were virtually unchanged from 2012.  Only 91% of larger enterprises had a website.  Almost 19% enterprises with a website had it optimized for mobile users.  A mobile-optimized website may take advantage of features such as touch interaction that may not be available on a traditional desktop and is formatted to be viewed on a smart device.

 

38% of enterprises with a website had social media integration and the use of social media to direct traffic to an enterprise’s website was the most commonly cited strategy.  Enterprises also used print advertising and paid search to direct people to their websites.

 

Internet Use and Connection Type

 

Over 89% of enterprises reported that they had used the Internet.  Small enterprises were the least likely to use the Internet. The most commonly cited reason for not using the Internet was that there was no need to do so for their business.

 

Mobile wireless technology was used by 38% of enterprises in 2013, compared with 35% in 2012. The use of a cable modem to connect to the Internet remained the most commonly cited method at 42%. Dial-up Internet was still employed by 3% of enterprises, although this may be used as a secondary connection.

 

All information on this article available based on 2013 Statistics Canada website.

 

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. We provide industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Take advantage of our Complimentary Network and Security Assessment by 365itSolutions.com

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IT Security IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Microsoft Word Vulnerability Hacked through Taiwanese Government

A major hacking operation has been carried out against the Taiwanese government and educational institutes known as “Taidoor”.  They have successfully managed to exploit the Microsoft Word vulnerability.

So how did Microsoft Word Vulnerability Hacked through Taiwanese Government?

Microsoft has recently issued a security advisory regarding a serious vulnerability in its Word software and had released a “fix-it” patch immediately to protect the users from being susceptible to any attack using the exploit. The users and institutions who failed to update their software and systems risked to become victims of attacks from hackers.

The hackers have used malicious email attachments with relevant titles such as national polls and free trade issues to dupe the employees into opening the content.  The files downloaded to the computers are believed to be capable of stealing sensitive data and carrying out surveillance.

“Taidoor” campaigners have used zero-day flaws in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser for similar attacks.  The operation has been active since 2009, and has a similar pattern consisting of vulnerabilities, social engineering and targets which include government agencies.

The attack has once again shed light on the importance of installing updates and running the latest available versions of system software in situations where continuous unattended network interaction takes place.

 

 

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. We provide industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Take advantage of our Complimentary Network and Security Assessment by 365itSolutions.com

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