Corporate Armor has been taking the pain out of IT for our customers for many years. And we have the stars to prove it! We’ve always prided ourselves on being much more than a “boxes-in, boxes-out” organization. We walk through your decision-making process with you. And our goal will always be the perfect solution for YOU. On budget, on time. So why are we talking about Firewall-as-a-Service?
Because Corporate Armor is looking seriously at building out new services that will dovetail with the brands we’ve spent years closely partnered with. One of these is the Managed Firewall. Sometimes it’s called Firewall-as-a-Service. Corporate Armor carries many powerful firewalls that would lend themselves quite well to this concept. The Fortinet FG-30E, FG-40F, FG-50E, FG-60E, and FG-60F, for example. The Meraki MX64, MX67, MX68 and MX84 would be good choices, too. And because of the sort of a la carte nature of the add-on features, the SonicWall TZ400 and TZ500 are good fits. Not to mention anything with a Sophos logo on it.
Why Firewall-as-a-Service?
A firewall acts as a barrier in front of a network. Its job is to prevent unwanted access to the network. It does this by proactively monitoring all incoming and outgoing traffic. It also enforces an organization’s security policies. Sort of like a bouncer at the door.
The networks that firewalls originally created were all on-site. However, over time more companies have moved their applications and data to the cloud. As a result, firewalls have had to change.
This led to a “castle and moat” approach to security that worked at the time. On-premise firewalls served as the gatekeepers. However, over time companies started moving to the cloud. And they added lots of mobile devices to their networks, many employee-owned. In addition, they added third-party data and applications. Suddenly, they no longer had clearly defined network perimeters.
They also found that:
All these third-party apps, data, and devices meant they no longer had any visibility into their networks. Much less control over them.
So companies had to completely rethink their approach to security. Enter Firewall-as-a-Service.
What is Firewall-as-a-Service?
Firewall-as-a-Service simply offers firewall and other security as a cloud service. Managing firewalls tends to absorb plenty of resources in IT departments. Dealing with all the latest threats requires people who know what they’re doing. Costly security breaches and performance issues are just a couple of the prices you’re liable to pay for getting security wrong. Additionally, firewalls have to be provisioned and upgraded to keep them performing on the cutting edge. And, devices need to be patched in real time so that you never leave yourself vulnerable to any new exploit.
What does it do?
You can’t just leave your security on autopilot. The threatscape is just as dynamic as your business environment is, and you must stay ahead of it. Conditions are always changing, so your security configuration has to keep pace. This can quickly become overwhelming.
A managed firewall, or Firewall-as-a-Service, simply hands off this management to someone else. Someone off-site, and off-staff. Ideally, they will watch at all hours of the day to alert you before threats cause any real damage. And, even if you have an IT department in your organization, don’t assume they can take this work on. Or that they want to. Security is a specialized part of the larger field of IT. FaaS can remove the burden of looking after firewalls from your already-busy IT staff.
And remember that managed firewalls free up your internal resources. Subsequently, yhey can reduce overhead. And there’s issues of compliance to think about. FaaS is adaptable, so managed firewalls can ensure your organization is compliant at all times.
There is no one-size-fits-all, of course. Some organizations will have more complex security demands than others. It’s our job to figure that out for you. Because no matter your particular needs, an experienced, easy-to-reach integrator like Corporate Armor is your best starting point. We can nail your budget and your deadline. We’ll take your network’s safety personally! Got questions? Please email us, live chat, or call 877-449-0458! Thanks for reading!
Advantages of managed firewalls
| Frees up internal resources, can reduce overhead |
| Keeps your security posture up-to-date |
| Keeps your firewalls provisioned and upgraded constantly |
| Puts network security in the hands of dedicated specialists |