Managed IT Service starting at just $1,375

Managed IT Service starting at just $1,375

508-356-5565
508-359-4476

Why Does Firewall Management Matter for Your Business?

Man Using Firewall Protection Software on Laptop

A firewall is one of the most essential cybersecurity tools for protecting your businesses’ digital assets. However, your firewall needs to be properly configured and managed to be effective.

A well-managed firewall helps keep suspicious and unwanted traffic out of your systems. However, if your firewall isn’t configured properly, it could create vulnerabilities and leave your systems exposed to dangerous cybercriminals.

Here’s why firewall security is so essential for your business.

 

Key Takeaways

  • A firewall is a digital security device that monitors and filters traffic on your network.
  • Firewall management involves monitoring your firewall traffic and adjusting your configuration settings as new threats emerge.
  • Firewall management helps prevent malicious or unwanted traffic from using your network and causing damage to your systems.
  • An MSP can help growing businesses with firewall management, troubleshooting, and threat intelligence.

 

What is Firewall Management?

Firewall management is the process of configuring your firewall settings to keep your network secure. It also involves monitoring your network security and making changes to your firewall policy as new threats emerge.

As your organization grows, your firewall needs will get more complex. You may even need to use multiple firewalls with different configurations for different devices.

There are three main types of firewalls, all of which can be configured for different types of systems. These include:

  • Traditional firewalls: These firewalls monitor and filter both incoming and outgoing traffic. They do so based on a set of pre-defined criteria.
  • Proxy firewalls: These firewalls serve as an extra layer of security between your devices and the network. Instead of making a direct connection to the network, your device first connects to the proxy firewall, which then connects to the network for you. This filters out potential threats before they reach your device.
  • Next-generation firewalls: Often abbreviated as NGFWS, these firewalls feature extra security features beyond what a traditional firewall would offer. Many of these firewalls offer deep packet inspection, which can block malware, ransomware, and other advanced cybersecurity threats.

All three firewall types can be operated on-premise on your network devices. However, many of today’s organizations are opting for cloud-based or hybrid cloud firewalls instead. These firewalls help keep your networks safe, even while working remotely.

 

What Are The Benefits of Firewall Management?

Benefits of Firewall Management

Firewall security management has benefits for your business, your employees, and your customers. By using a properly-maintained firewall, you keep everyone associated with your business safe and secure.

If you’re not already taking time to focus on firewall configuration and management, now is the perfect time to start. Here are the benefits of firewall management.

 

Additional Security

Consistent firewall management strengthens your organization’s overall security posture. When your firewall is configured appropriately for your operations, it helps keep unwanted traffic out.

This helps reduce the risk of damaging cybersecurity threats. In Q3 2024 alone, data breaches exposed more than 422 million records globally. A properly-managed firewall can help prevent these devastating breaches.

 

Compliance

Real-time firewall management can help you comply with local data management laws or industry-specific regulations.

For example, the healthcare and finance sector are subject to very strict regulations in the U.S. due to the large volume of consumer data that they store publicly. Some states also have their own data management regulations for local businesses of all industries.

Depending on your industry, the size of your business, and your location, you may need to put extensive security policies in place to avoid hefty fines. These security policies will also need to be well-documented and regularly updated.

If this is the case for your business, firewall management can help you better adhere to these security regulations by regulating your network traffic and providing intrusion prevention.

 

Improved Network Performance

Firewall management can also improve your network’s overall performance and connectivity. Maximizing your network performance helps you avoid frustrating slowdowns that could interfere with your work.

When you optimize your firewall, only necessary traffic passes through the system, while malicious or unnecessary traffic is blocked. This means that your network will have plenty of available resources and is unlikely to become overloaded.

 

Threat Detection

A key part of firewall management is monitoring both incoming and outgoing network traffic. This helps you detect possible cyberattacks and other threats right away, giving you time to stop them before they escalate.

Effective threat detection helps you improve incident response times. This limits frustrating downtime that interferes with your businesses’ productivity and can be very costly.

By improving incident response times, you can also prevent sensitive customer data from being exposed. This helps you maintain a positive reputation among your customer base.

 

Risks of Neglecting Your Firewall Management

Risks of Neglecting Your Firewall Management

Failing to put firewall rules and management policies in place can have long-lasting consequences for your organization’s security.

Here’s what can happen if you fail to make firewall management part of your network security policy, or worse, don’t have a system firewall at all.

 

Increased Vulnerability to Data Breaches

If your firewall isn’t configured properly, it could leave you vulnerable to data breaches. Cybercriminals can exploit misconfigurations in your firewall to access your systems and your sensitive data.

Data breaches put your business and your customers at risk. Many cybercriminals target businesses that store valuable consumer data, such as financial information, birthdates, addresses, and more. When this information is exposed, it puts your customers at risk of identity theft.

A data breach can also expose your company’s financial information and your intellectual property. In some cases, it could put your employees’ personal information at risk too. Having a functional firewall serves as the first line of defense against these devastating data breaches.

 

Non-Compliance Penalties

If your organization doesn’t have a firewall management system in place, you could fail to comply with applicable industry regulations—which could land your business in hot water.

For example, you could be subject to fines if you don’t use proper firewall management and your organization is the target of a data breach. For example, penalties for HIPAA violations can range anywhere from $100 to $25,000 per record exposed.

Not only could you be subject to costly fines, but your business could also be subject to legal action if you continuously fail to comply with cybersecurity regulations. This usually happens in extreme cases where businesses are cited or fined multiple times and still fail to take action.

 

Operational Downtime

When you don’t include firewall management in your security operations, hackers could target your business, making you the target of cyber attacks. If these attacks are successful, they could interfere with your day-to-day operations and even force your systems offline.

Even if you only suffer a short amount of downtime, it can be very detrimental to your business. Since your staff will be putting out fires, they won’t have time to spend working on their other tasks. This can negatively affect your customer service while setting you back days or even weeks on your project goals and timelines.

Additionally, if you have an e-commerce site that goes offline after an attack, you could lose out on potential leads and sales. One study found that downtime cost the world’s top 2000 companies $400 billion annually.

 

Reputation Damage

A lack of firewall management could damage your reputation in the long run, especially if it leads to data breaches. If word gets out about potential privacy violations or poor cybersecurity practices, customers may choose to take their business somewhere else.

Even if you improve your security practices in the future, it can be difficult to overcome this type of damage to your reputation. Today’s consumers have so many options to choose from when shopping. They want to work with businesses they know they can trust to keep their personal and financial data safe.

 

How Can A Managed Service Provider Help?

Tech Advisors is a managed service provider specializing in IT, cybersecurity, and compliance. We provide comprehensive firewall management support that’s customized for your business needs.

This can include system configuration, access control, and ongoing monitoring to keep malicious and unwanted traffic out of your systems. We’ll also help you implement appropriate firewall management solutions to help you identify threats more efficiently.

We’ll handle the most time-consuming parts of IT and cybersecurity management so you can focus on providing amazing service for your customers. Schedule a consultation today to get started.

Avatar photo
Written by
Konrad Martin
Konrad is a nationally recognized authority on cybersecurity and IT issues. He is the co-author of Cyber Storm, an Amazon #1 best seller, and the author of Hacked: How to Protect Your Business from the Fines, Lawsuits, Customer Loss & PR Nightmare Resulting from Data Breach and Cybercrime. 
He was a guest expert on the recently-released Amazon Prime documentary “Cyber Crime 2: The Dark Web and Cyber Crime.” His firm, Tech Advisors, Inc., provides technology consulting and management services to a wide range of professional services organizations across the country, and is ranked among the Top 250 Managed Security Services Providers by MSSP Alert.
To top

Contact Us Today
To Schedule Your
Initial Consultation