Networking - Firewall

Firewalls are used within a network to monitor both incoming and outgoing traffic by applying a set of rules/firewall policies to all data packets. A network firewall is an essential security device that is used to stop unauthorized access to private networks with access to the internet. Firewalls are particularly important for intranets, where they are configured to have all data entering or leaving a network passing through it.

Traffic emanating from nefarious or unsecured sources will be analyzed carefully and blocked to prevent the entry of viruses and malicious code. Firewalls act as frontline guards where information exchange with external devices occurs. A firewall ensures that trusted source addresses reach the final destination. For example, source address 172.15.1.6 is allowed to reach destination 32.18.12.168 over port 22. The traffic is further filtered to ensure that only designated traffic reaches certain destination ports.

We have software and hardware firewalls, encryption accelerator modules, firewall expansion modules to ensure that your network and all its components are secured. A software firewall is installed on a computer and helps to regulate traffic through ports and applications. A software firewall is provided by an OS or network device manufacturer and will not be effective against sophisticated network breaches. The hardware networking firewall is actually physical equipment that is installed to act as protection between a network and the gateway. It could be a standalone product typically designed for corporate/enterprise networks or as a built-in component in a router or other networking devices. Hardware firewalls will have a minimum of 3 ports to allow connection to multiple systems. Bigger firewalls including 5 port, 6 port, and 8 port options or more are available depending on need and network configuration.

You can choose from any of the following types of firewalls according to your needs and network configuration.

Packet filtering firewalls: These are the most popular types of network firewall solutions. They work by analyzing data packets and allowing or blocking them per the established ruleset. Packets that match the source IP address and the destination IP addresses are allowed into the network. There are two types of packet-filtering firewalls: stateful firewalls and stateless firewalls. Stateful firewalls are considered more secure and remember the information of previously passed packets. Stateless firewalls lack context and analyze packets independently, which predisposes them to hackers.

Next-generation (NGFW) firewalls: They offer deep packet inspection as well as additional functions including intrusion prevention, encrypted traffic inspection and antivirus. The deep packet inspection function goes beyond examining packet headers and will inspect data in the packet to ensure users can identify, categorize and stop packets containing malicious data.

Proxy firewalls: The proxy firewalls act as intermediaries between two systems and help filter network traffic at the application level. Clients must make a request to the firewall so that it is evaluated against the set security rules before being blocked or permitted. Specifically, proxy firewalls evaluate network traffic for HTTP and FTP protocols and employ deep packet inspection for purposes of identifying and stopping malicious traffic.

Network address translation (NAT) firewalls: These firewalls are used with multi-device setups and will allow all independent network addresses to use a single IP address to connect to the internet. The individual IP addresses are concealed for security purposes since attackers cannot capture the individual network addresses. NAT firewalls also act as intermediaries between multiple devices and external traffic.

Stateful multilayer inspection firewalls: SMLI firewalls filter packets at the transport, application layer, and network layer and compare them to trusted packets. SMLI firewalls work in a similar manner to NGFW firewalls by performing deep packet analysis and allowing a packet to pass only after passing each individual layer. Just as the name suggests, the firewall will ascertain the state of the communication to ensure it is taking place between trusted sources.

We help match businesses with the most suitable network firewall to establish full-spectrum security, ensure uninterrupted network availability, and allow robust access to applications on the cloud.