Firewall Services
Internet Firewall Servers protect organizations from the productivity, legal liability, and bandwidth risks of the internet, combining powerful flexibility with rich functionality. Our firewalls offer complete firewall protection, web content filtering, intrusion detection, proxy services, routing, DHCP, VPN’s, Dynamic DNS, logging and reporting for credit unions, financial institutions, including small and medium sized (up to 100 users) networks.
Our firewall protects your internal network by blocking all access to your internal network except for the applications that you define and need to have access to, such as VPN’s to your branch offices or mobile users or other internal applications and/or servers. The included Advanced Web Proxy software includes user authentication and controls for internet access so you can control who uses the internet and when. The Intrusion Detection software allows you to see who’s trying to access your network and computers. The server includes VPN support for Mobile-to-Network and Network-to-Network VPN’s. No more purchasing individual, costly VPN client licenses!
Why is it Important?
Inappropriate use of internet resources can expose organizations to legal liability when employees engage in illegal or inappropriate activities. The content filtering software in our server helps organizations define and enforce internet use policies that prevent employees from engaging in inappropriate behavior. Your organization can experience dramatic decreased network capacity or some system downtime when too many employees use bandwidth-sapping applications, like streaming media or internet radio. Web content filtering can help organizations balance employees’ personal internet needs while decreasing the risk of legal liability, maintaining adequate network bandwidth levels, and increasing productivity.
Schools or Libraries?
In the case of a library or school, content filtering helps comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). CIPA requires:
- Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-Rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy and technology protection measures in place. An Internet safety policy must include technology protection measures to block or filter Internet access to pictures that: (a) are obscene, (b) are child pornography, or (c) are harmful to minors, for computers that are accessed by minors.
- Schools subject to CIPA are required to adopt and enforce a policy to monitor online activities of minors; and
- Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement a policy addressing: (a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet; (b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications; (c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online; (d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and (e) restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.
Credit Unions
For consideration by credit unions, the NCUA has published an IT Security Compliance Guide. In this guide NCUA recommends “a credit union should consider the need for a firewall for their network. If a credit union maintains any sort of Internet or other external connectivity, its systems may require multiple firewalls of adequate capacity that are properly placed and appropriately configured.” and “A credit union should consider the use of an intrusion detection system to alert it to attacks on computer systems that store member information. In assessing the need for such a system, a credit union should evaluate the ability of its staff to rapidly and accurately identify an intrusion and the damage that could occur between the time an intrusion occurs and the time intrusion is recognized and action is taken.”
