Networks, including those that are private, systems, and devices all represent potential entry points for criminals. They are a gateway to exploiting company and employee data, intellectual property, and banking accounts for financial gain.  

The average cost of a U.S. data breach in 2023 was $9.48 million dollars, making preventing data breaches, much less costly than recovering from one.  

While there are a multitude of strategies that can help mitigate these breaches, one of the most vital is a robust firewall. Firewalls serve as the gatekeepers of network security, analyzing incoming and outgoing network traffic and determining whether to allow or block specific traffic based on predetermined security rules. 

Robust firewall protection is not achieved simply with installation and must be implemented along with policies and processes that are controlled and managed by experts. Without internal or external IT assistance, your firewall is likely to fail, exposing your network to hackers and viruses. 

Below, Evolv I.T. talks more about firewall management and offers best practices. Remember that the best firewall policies will be coupled with other robust cybersecurity measures and tactics.  

What Firewall is right for your business?  

All firewalls share the same goal: to prevent cyber criminals from breaching a company’s digital perimeter, whether through malware, ransomware, phishing, or other malicious external traffic.  

Each type, however, accomplishes this differently and will require different tasks to be managed effectively. Understanding these types of firewalls and choosing the right one for the company is crucial. 

In the past, most firewalls were in the form of either hardware or software. Today, many are Cloud-based. Common types of firewalls include proxy firewalls, traditional firewalls, packet-filtering firewalls, circuit-level gateways, application firewalls, and next-generation firewalls.  

At Evolv I.T., we’re committed to providing our clients with the most advanced cybersecurity methods available. This beings with providing network coverage with next-generation firewalls (NGFWs). 

NGFWs have both the capabilities of traditional firewalls and cutting-edge features that provide more robust protection against the latest online threats. Their main advantage is that they address the evolving nature and complexity of cyber threats. 

Our NGFWs and 24/7 traffic monitoring ensure all traffic flows safely and no threats go unnoticed. Unlike traditional setups, we rarely open firewalls to accept outside traffic and go a step further by hiding them entirely—hackers scanning for networks won't even know your system exists. This stealth approach means that your network is invisible to potential attackers, protecting your business from exploitation. 

Understanding your IT infrastructure, goals and risks will help you to choose and implement the firewall that can protect the integrity of your organization’s data. If your company does not have an internal IT department, we recommend outsourcing the selection and implementation of the firewall to an expert at a top-rated Managed Service Provider, like Evolv I.T.  

Set your firewall up for success right from the start 

A misconfigured firewall gives easy access to an attacker. According to Gartner, misconfiguration causes 95% of all firewall breaches. 

Expert installation of a firewall is key to ensuring companies are protected against outside threats and are receiving the intended benefits of a firewall. 

While managing and protecting a firewall can be enormously complex, there are some key strategies that will help to streamline that process and make it more effective. For businesses that decide to implement a firewall themselves, we’ve created some helpful tips for correctly managing them, as a firewall is only effective in preventing cyber breaches and viruses if installed correctly.  

Firewall Management Best Practices  

• Implement robust monitoring: While a strong firewall will play a vital role in safeguarding data, it must be monitored daily. At Evolv I.T., we implement 24/7/365 network monitoring to ensure our client’s data is safe.  

• Conduct routine firewall audits: Keep a close eye on all aspects of the firewall management process so that teams can spot and react to threats, such as unauthorized changes to settings. 

• Regularly review and update access controls: Prioritize the regular review and updating of firewall rules, which lay out how firewalls block or allow traffic into your network. At Evolv I.T., we strongly recommend creating a document for these rules so that any conflicts can be spotted and fixed immediately. 

• Implement a comprehensive logging and alert mechanism: Create a standard way for all firewall rules to be named and documented in addition to establishing logging and alerts for increased cybersecurity. Each change should be noted in the company’s firewall log so that an accurate history is created. 

• Restrict access to essential personnel: Allow only authorized expert individuals to manage firewall rules to limit the possibility of mistakes or conflicts that can be exploited by a hacker. 

• Align policies with compliance standards: Ensuring you’re keeping up with the latest compliance requirements will help prevent vulnerabilities.  

• Establish backup and restoration protocols: These procedures should be documented, accessible, and regularly tested by the IT team to ensure the integrity of backups. 

How Evolv I.T. Can Help 

Evolv I.T. is ready to help businesses with creating and managing sophisticated, strong firewalls. We have a proven nationwide track record of establishing formidable defenses against online threats. With our 24/7/365 Help Desk, diligence, and adaptability, we are committed to helping our clients to stay ahead of the shifting threat landscape by allowing the right traffic into their digital perimeters - and keeping the rest out. That’s why we created the Evolv I.T. Security Vault – the most advanced cybersecurity offering on the market. A next-generation firewall is just a small portion of this never-before-hacked package, as it offers complete protection with 7 layers of protection. Learn more about the award-winning Vault.