SonicWall Pro Firewall

A firewall is a barrier between a network and the outside world. But it's not an impermeable barrier. It has to let the desired traffic through and provide access to support the goals and mission of the network. And therein lies the reason for advanced firewall systems. After all, you could protect your network by unplugging it from the outside world. But that is almost never a practical solution. So you need a firewall with enough intelligence and throughput capability to handle the needs of your particular application. Not sure what those needs are? Or what administrative features you need? Feel free to contact us (or by phone 847-584-1000) for help.

A firewall is part of an overall security solution. It can't, for example, protect you from sloppy internal security policies or "human engineering" attacks. What it does is create an outer perimeter, a first line of defense. On the one hand, it's going to block a large variety of malicious attacks. On the other hand, it can't stop an employee from replying to an e-mailed request for username and password (or other confidential data).

So your first step is to get a clear picture in your head (draw it out on paper, if that helps) where your firewall fits in relation to everything else that forms your means of protecting your network. This will help you optimally configure the firewall and understand which rules it needs for filtering and which it does not.

Then develop your security policy, including access to the firewall administration. The firewall administration part of your policy needs to include something about password integrity and how often the password must be changed. If you already have a security policy, you can buy your firewall based on that. If you don't have a policy, put together a basic one for now.

Now you have a basis for evaluating the featurs on the available firewalls, so you can select the one that best meets your needs.

Feel free to contact us (or by phone 847-584-1000) if you need help in developing your security policy.

As its name implies, SonicWall makes Internet security products. Its VPN and Firewall hardware offerings include physical firewalls like the SonicWall 180 series and secure switches like the SonicWall Pro 3060 series.

Meeting increasing Information Technology needs is often a challenge. We are here to help. Antenna Systems & Solutions, Inc. carries IT equipment ranging from servers, firewalls, U.P.S., KVM switches, operating systems, server appliances, and server racks. And we now rent out our extra rack space.

Do you know the single most common way IT security breaches occur? Many people are surprised to find out the answer is "people." Yes, you do need your firewall, security patches, password policy, and other security measures. But more than anything you need to ensure your facility has a security culture.

For a very long time, the construction industry has worked on safety by having supervisors hold safety meetings at specific times of the day (for example, right after the first break or at the start of the day before handing out assignments). These are short and typically have a single safety message that people can easily remember. You can do something similar for security. Hold a short security meeting where one message gets conveyed. For example, the supervisor can ask, "Can anyone tell me why we don't share our User ID?" Then two or three people in that supervisor's group can offer their ideas as to why. The supervisor makes sure the main reasons, plus an example, are given. The meeting is over quickly, but the message sticks with people.

Antenna Systems & Solutions, Inc. is now offering Co-location. We have the space available to house all of your co-location solutions. Whether you are looking for a place to house your small business server, or your entire data center, we have the solutions for your needs. Feel free to contact us (or by phone 847-584-1000) for more information.

Somebody got the not so bright idea some time ago that all IT personnel are interchangeable and anybody in IT can do anything in IT. If you've been tasked with wearing too many hats and with doing things for which you don't have the training or experience, what can you do? Isn't saying no a way to get yourself laid off?

Actually, it's not.

We can help you with IT equipment selection for the areas in which we offer IT equipment, so you're covered there. But what about other areas? Here's a tip. Your boss doesn't want unpleasant surprises. So, follow this procedure:

1. Identify exactly what the holes are for the area that has you under water. The goal here is to clearly state the problem.
2. Look at some possible resources, such as consultants, courses, outsourcing, or software. The goal here is to have some ideas for solving the problem.
3. Then tell your boss you need to discuss a problem and resources, so you can develop a good plan for proceeding.

Your boss will appreciate knowing the real score, versus going down in flames and having to explain to higher ups how, on his (or her) watch this fiasco happened.