You know the threats are out there for your small business, and this doesn’t always pertain to the competition.

These particular threats are the ones lurking in the Internet, the ones ready to invade your data.

To protect against this, you need the right firewall to keep your data safe, and that of your customers as well. A good firewall is there to protect any information coming in or going out of your network.

As a small business owner, your security is imperative to your company to keep all of your data safe.

Choosing a Firewall

As the article “What is the next generation firewall? How can you choose one?” looks at, how can you choose the right one?

You may want some information on choosing the right one for your needs that takes cost and need into consideration.

This includes:

  • Look for trusted security – There are a lot of brands out there and the one you choose should be trusted. Security is vital to your business and you want your data safe. Look for a brand that is ICSA certified.
  • Look for support – Glitches happen. Sometimes you don’t know how to run everything. Look for a platform that offers both approachability and support when you need it.
  • Look for monitoring and reporting – Often, you never know what your firewall has blocked. If this is something you are interested in, look for a brand that monitors and reports back to you on what has been blocked. If you want alerts, seek that out, too. Many do offer alerts in critical situations.
  • Look for a firewall that suits your business, your budget and the number of users – The bigger the business, the bigger the firewall needs to be. A smaller business can go with a SOHO Small Office, Home Office firewall; while if your business is larger, you may want to opt for an enterprise class firewall that can offer more protection. Though a small business could use an enterprise level firewall, it may be too far out of budget and have features that will go unused.
  • Look for a specific amount of RAM – Depending on your needs, you will want a certain amount of RAM (Random Access Memory), and again, this relates to the size of your business. The bigger your business and more offices you have, the more RAM you’ll need.
  • Start with the best in the business – Take a look at some of the big names to see if they’ll fit your needs. They are leaders for reasons. Some of the top rated manufacturers are Cisco, Checkpoint and NetScreen.

You’re taking the right step in looking at a firewall for your small business.

Your customers will have the trust that their data is safe, and you will know it all is, too.

Firewalls give piece of mind as well as vital protection.

About the Author: Heather Legg is writer covering topics related to small business, social media and working from home.

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