Firewalls
Earlsbourne Computer Consulting install and configure firewall software and hardware from all the leading manufacturers.
A firewall is hardware or software that controls access to and from your network.
The advent of always on networks such as ADSL, Cable and Lease lines has given the more malicious computer user an abundance of opportunity to target your network. A firewall protects your computer systems by controlling access to your network by blocking unwanted traffic. A brief summary of features is listed below:
- Blocks traffic to and from your network based on rules that block specific ports configured by the firewall administrator.
- Blocks traffic to your network based on rules predefined in the firewall software(SPI).
- As well as keeping unauthorised users out of your network a firewall can often prove useful in controlling what your users can bring into your network - for example you may want to stop certain users viewing websites of a non work related nature or cyber skiving using chat type programs.
The Internet provides your business with an effective, useful and often essential facility. Your staff can use it to find quick answers, liaise with customers, send and receive emails and many other productive tasks. Unfortunately, the Internet also provides the opportunity for mis-use. Earlsbourne use products that help you restrict, control and monitor staff Internet usage. Staff using your Internet facility for time-wasteful activities are costing you. Even more importantly these activities can put your businesses computers and network at risk. A recent survey of 10,000 employees indicated that 44% admitted to spending time on the Internet for personal use, for up to 2.1 hours per day. Most staff are responsible and prudent with their Internet use and we always recommend a suitable AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) to be in place so that staff or any users of your systems know what they are and aren't permitted to use the computers for. This AUP can be re-inforced by DrayTek routers which can block specific content (either at certain times only or all times) and also block potentially harmful file/code types from being installed by rogue web sites. There are some staff who will make severe abuse of the Internet facilities - spending literally hours on personal matters or social networking sites. Top 5 Personal Internet Uses for Employees
All of the above are can be immensely time consuming and addictive. It's easy to let a quick visit become a prolonged stay. Inappropriate UseAs well as wasteful use, employees can also make inappropriate use of the Internet. Most obviously, this would include visiting web sites containing objectional or sensitive material, for example pornography or adult related sites. Gambling sites may also be inappropriate for an office environment. If you are operating in a school or similar, blocking specific categories of sites is even more important. Security RisksYour IT hardware operates most efficiently if it's not interfered with. A user who downloads and installs software from the Internet uses storage space and may affect the stability of your system. O/S components (DLLs) may be replaced, system services added and the risk of virus, trojans and spyware is increased. Web applications (including ActiveX components, Java etc.) are automatically downloaded by web browsers - many users may not realise the implications of that, but they're also not able to tell what the source or motivation of those components really is. A harmless 'addon' might not be so harmless. Another security risk is that of online email or instant messaging being used to disclose company confidential information or files - that could be seriously damaging. The use of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing technology could also expose your company to litigation if it is used for unlawful activities. In the case of more serious and deliberate data theft (indistrial espionage), remote access or tunnelling to your network could also be set up by a rogue employee. The Earlsbourne/DrayTek SolutionDrayTek Router/Firewalls can help control your users' Internet usage and block sites and content which you don't want on your network. You can set schedules to allow surfing certain sites at certain times (for example at lunchtime) or block them permanently. You can block specific users or all users. The DrayTek range includes content filtering methods to block the following:
To learn more abour DrayTek routers with Web Content Management and to select the right model for your needs, speak to your Earlsbourne your local DrayTek Authorised Dealer. |
