Twelve Precautions for a Secure Network Firewall

Twelve Precautions for a Secure Network Firewall

A firewall is the first line of defense in protecting our network. If this line of defense is breached, then our network is in danger! Therefore, it's necessary to pay attention to some key points when installing a firewall.

1. The firewall implements your security policy.

The firewall reinforces certain security strategies. If you haven't established a security policy before deploying the firewall, now is the time to do so. It doesn’t have to be written down, but it can still function as a security policy. If you're unclear about what a security policy should entail, installing a firewall is one of the best ways to protect your site, and maintaining it consistently is not an easy task. To have a good firewall, you need a solid security policy—something documented and accepted by everyone.

2. A firewall is often not a single device.

Unless in very simple cases, firewalls are rarely a single device; rather, they consist of a group of devices. Even if you purchase a commercial "all-in-one" firewall application, you still need to configure other machines (such as your network server) to work alongside it. These other machines are considered part of the firewall system. This includes how these machines are configured and managed, what they trust, and who or what they consider trustworthy. You cannot simply choose a device labeled as a "firewall" and expect it to handle all security responsibilities.

...