In today’s day and age, global connectivity has allowed businesses to reach heights of success that have never been seen before. Whether it’s seeing a massive increase in efficiency and productivity due to easy and immediate communication, or abilities to access markets all over the world, there is no doubt that the power of the Internet has made things once thought impossible commonplace in the world of business
With that being said, along with the incredible new powers of the internet come new risks as well. That is why any business that depends on the Internet for anything is going to want to have a strong and dependable firewall to protect themselves with.
With cyberattacks across the globe on a seemingly endless rise, and costing billions of dollars globally each year, there has simply never before been a more important time to implement an effective firewall in your business.
However, before we break down how the Fortinet FortiGate 40F, 60F and 80F firewalls make securing your business for remote work easy, let’s break down the basics of what firewalls are and what they help accomplish.
Let’s get started!
What is a firewall
To put it simply, a firewall is a network security system that is able to be either put in through hardware or software that has the primary goal of protecting the trusted network from unauthorized access from external networks and threats.
It is important to recognize that there is a difference between a firewall and antivirus software technology. Antivirus helps protect your network against unwanted programs, but a firewall works to keep attackers and external threats from getting access at all in the first place.
While there is no doubt that no single program or device will be able to protect your network completely, a firewall is going to go a very long way in creating the safest environment possible for anyone who is operating on your network.
In short, a firewall is going to work to inspect all of the data that is passing in and out of your network to make sure that the files and information is legitimate, protected and is not being attacked by any potentially damaging programs.
Why your business needs firewall to be safe
If you are not so familiar with the value that firewalls bring, you may be asking yourself if this is really a necessary addition to your network at your workplace. In order to convince you that this is certainly a crucial part of any modern company, we are going to break down the top 5 reasons why your business truly needs a strong firewall.
Firewall is your first line of defense against hackers
This is perhaps the simplest reason why a firewall is so crucial. Think of a firewall as a strong barrier or shield that is keeping your internal network safe from the many dangers and risks that come with the rest of the internet.
If you have no firewall at all, there is going to be very little that is stopping anyone with a bit of knowledge to get into your network and start quickly accessing even the most private information that you have on your network. While you may think that your Network Address Translation is enough to protect you, the truth is that only a firewall can block incoming traffic.
Firewall lets you block access to unapproved sites
One of the easiest ways for people to get in trouble while online is by accessing sites that open themselves up to unknown risks. Luckily, a firewall can help you protect your employees from themselves as you will be able to block specific external websites.
This can be used both from a perspective of safety as well as from a perspective of productivity, as you can easily block entertainment and/or social media sites on your work network.
Firewall can protect you from dangerous code
The strongest firewalls out there are going to be able to inspect the traffic that is going both in and out of your work network. Because of that, the firewall will be able to identify and block any viruses, spam, worms and any other unwanted type of traffic.
On top of that, firewalls will also be able to log any attempted intrusions onto your networks. This will allow you to examine any unauthorized access attempts on top of any other types of suspicious activity regarding your network.
Firewall can help you meter bandwidth
A firewall has many other uses than simply providing crucial security. One of the things that firewalls can do that is incredibly helpful to businesses is that it can meter and limit the bandwidth of your network.
What this means is that you can restrict things such as non-business data such as videos, music and images. The bandwidth that would be given to items like that will instead be used and prioritize business traffic.
Firewall can provide VPN services
Finally, a really valuable feature that firewalls can offer that is becoming more and more important in the ever-expanding and globalized economy is access to a VPN. A VPN – or Virtual Private Network – allows workers who are working remotely to gain virtual access to your network and the resources that come with it.
This means that you and all of your colleagues will be able to access their work no matter where they are all over the world.
The best Fortinet firewall products
Fortinet is one of the best in the business when it comes to firewall technology that can protect your business now and in the future. Depending on the size and scale of your company, there are a number of different options that may be the best suit for you.
To make the process easier for you, we have broken down some of the basic information about several different Fortinet products that are available for purchase and implementation right now.
FortiGate 40F
One of the most popular options that Fortinet offers, this hardware device offers a professional level of security in a small and fanless desktop device. Overall, this piece of machinery is recommended for mid-sized businesses or branch offices. With that being said, it is probably not powerful enough for an HQ office that is going to have hundreds, if not thousands of devices depending on it at any given moment.
One of the most impressive aspects of the FortiGate 40F is that it is able to prevent and detect against familiar and unfamiliar attacks thanks to its Artificial Intelligence-powered FortiGuard Labs security devices.
When it comes to the performance of the FortiGate 40F, this device offers the best threat protection on top of ultra-low latency thanks to its security processor technology.
FortiGate 60F
Much like the 40F, the FortiGate 60F model is also recommended for branch offices or mid-sized businesses and offers top protection against all types of cyber threats and offers an industry-leading secure SD-WAN in a simple and easy to use solution.
Beyond that, the FortiGate 60F allows users to depend upon the management console that is simple, effective and allows you to take advantage of the comprehensive network automation and visibility that it provides.
Moreover, you will be able to utilize the predefined compliance checklist that analyzes the deployment and highlights the best practices that you and everyone on your network can utilize in order to improve overall security as much as possible.
FortiGate 80F
The FortiGate 80F is another incredibly powerful option for mid-sized businesses and branch offices for larger corporations and offers users with application-centric, scalable and secure SD-Wan solution in a highly compact desktop device.
Just like the rest of the devices in the Fortinet family and FortiGate fleet, the FortiGate 80F has received unparalleled third-party certifications coming from NSS Labs, ICSA, Virus Bulletin, and AV-Comparatives. Thanks to this, users can be sure that they are utilizing a machine that is incredibly high-rated and has been put through a large array of third-party tests that are similar to issues that the device could very well face in the field.
On top of that, the FortiGate 80F allows for Fortinet and Fabric-ready partners’ products to get a great boost in broader visibility. This includes integrated end-to-end detection, threat intelligence sharing, and automated remediation.
Conclusion
When it comes to running a modern business that can compete with any other company in your industry and market, you have to be sure that you have the best connection to the internet as possible. With that being said, you also need to be sure that your dependency on the Internet does not make you a possible target for hackers and criminals across the globe who would break into your network and steal private and sensitive information if possible.
For that reason, you need to make sure that you have one of the best firewall products on the market today. Hopefully, this quick breakdown has helped you get the ball rolling when it comes to identifying the best for you!
