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Managed Firewall

Keep your critical systems and data safe from harm with Sharp’s Managed Firewall service. Network firewall security is your first line of defence, using security rules to block specific traffic in and out of your network.

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Managed Firewall

As cyber threats continue to become more frequent and ever more sophisticated, organisations of all sizes must remain vigilant and stay protected against emerging and potential risks. An effective, evolving, and well-managed cyber security strategy complete with a managed firewall is an essential layer to that protection. 

Firewall protection is of utmost importance for modern organisations as it serves as a critical defence mechanism against cyber threats. By acting as a barrier between the organisations internal network and the outside world, firewalls prevent unauthorised access, data breaches, and malware attacks. A network firewall safeguards sensitive information, upholds regulatory compliance, and ensures business continuity. 

In today's remote work environment, firewalls play a vital role in securing remote connections and protecting the organisation's infrastructure and assets. By implementing strong firewall protection, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of cyber incidents and maintain the integrity of their operations and reputation.

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What is a network firewall?

A network firewall acts as a protective barrier between your internal network and external threats. It filters incoming and outgoing traffic, allowing only authorised data to pass through, while blocking potential dangers such as malware, viruses, and unauthorised access attempts.

Managed Firewall plays a key role in safeguarding your organisations systems and data by protecting your network from outside threats, and denying network traffic that does not match the security rules or policies that you have put in place. As your business continues to grow and the systems you use hold more data across multiple platforms, you must be able to rely on your firewall protection as your first line of defence.

Sharp’s reliable Firewall Protection solution provides high levels of security for your current business demands – giving you peace of mind that your network and the sensitive and valuable assets you hold are kept out of reach of undesirable third parties.

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Comprehensive firewall security, designed for your business

Having a Managed Firewall Protection service in place helps you to comply with the standards set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As part of your managed service, the network firewall security device will be monitored by your IT team and any suspicious behaviour will be flagged immediately with urgent action being taken. Your outsourced IT team will carry out updates when there are new firmware releases and you will be provided with regular reports.

Sharp partners with WatchGuard to be able to offer enterprise grade Network Firewall Security for intrusion prevention, anti-virus, threat detection & response, reputation defence, application control and blocking, data loss prevention and DNS monitoring.  

What’s more, we offer a range of other IT Services including IT Support, Endpoint Protection, Email Security and Hosted Telephony to keep you productive, safe and efficient every day you’re at work.

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Our Managed Firewall Service includes the following essential features:

Intrusion Detection & Prevention System (IPS)

An essential layer of threat detection and prevention is an Intrusion Prevention System which provides a proactive approach to network security, protecting your network from malicious activities. 

Web & Content Filtering

This software empowers you to block websites and entire domains, or specific file types, whilst restricting or controlling the content that a user is capable to access maintaining a safe browsing environment.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Data breaches pose a serious threat to organisations of all sizes. A data leak can cause permanent reputational damage to your business. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software detects potential data breaches and prevents them by monitoring, detecting, and blocking sensitive data while in use.

Reputation Enabled Defence

Reviews the destination of outbound connections and identifies its threat level based on intelligence feeds. Using the returned threat score, known threats are blocked and safe destinations are allowed.

Gateway Anti-Virus (GAV)

Real-time scanning at the gateway to block known malware, trojans, worms, and spyware by providing a SOAP-based virus scanning web service.

Application Control

Application Control analyses traffic to identify applications trying to enter your network. Policies can then be created to restrict specific applications such as social media and instant messaging.

APT Blocker

APT Blocker identifies and submits suspicious files to a cloud-based sandbox, which then interrogates the attachment and analyses its behaviour. If it’s found that the file is malware or a ransomware infection, it will automatically add the file signature to a known list of malicious files that will then be automatically blocked for all clients in the future.

DNS Watch

Cloud-based domain level filtering guards against malicious redirects, enhancing overall protection for your teams.

How does Managed Firewall benefit organisations?

Network Security

Firewall network security forms the first line of defence against cyber threats, helping to prevent unauthorised access, malware, and potential data breaches. Firewalls can be configured to allow or deny access to specific ports, protocols, or services. This helps prevent unauthorised access to sensitive data or services running on the network.

Data Protection & GDPR Compliance

By controlling the flow of data in and out of the network, firewalls safeguard sensitive information, such as customer data and confidential business data. Many industries have specific regulations regarding data security. Firewall protection ensures businesses meet compliance requirements and that personal and sensitive information is handled securely, therefore reducing the likelihood of any potential fines or legal issues.

Prevents Cyber attacks

Firewall cyber security will block known malicious IP addresses, preventing cyber criminals from gaining access to the network and launching attacks. Firewalls play a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive data, intellectual property, and customer information, reducing the risk of data breaches and financial losses.

Business Continuity

By mitigating cyber threats and potential attacks, firewalls contribute to business continuity. They help prevent service disruptions, downtime, and the associated costs, enabling uninterrupted operations and maintaining customer trust. 

Network Performance

Firewalls offer insights into network traffic and patterns, allowing organisations to identify and address suspicious activities. This monitoring helps detect anomalies early, enabling prompt responses to potential security incidents as well as providing the opportunity to improve network performance by optimising traffic flow and prioritising critical applications.

Remote Work Security

In the era of remote work, firewalls secure connections for employees accessing the network from various locations. This prevents unauthorised access and ensures that devices and data remain protected regardless of where they're accessed.