Why You Need a Multilayer Firewall

At first glance the phrase “multilayer firewall” might seem like a clever marketing ploy designed to get you to buy up several kinds of firewalls and use them all on your small business devices. However, not only is this not what this phrase means, but we’d actually caution against that strategy. Not all firewall systems work well together and overloading your network can slow it down and cause additional problems. 

In reality, a multilayer firewall is a single solution that uses a variety of technologies that work together to provide advanced protection. It is the next level of cybersecurity and designed to provide you with expert, high-level security technology through one easy system.

Multi-prong threats against small businesses are common now, particularly those designed to compromise financial information. It only makes sense, when cybercriminals are using multiple approaches to take advantage of you, to have a multi-prong approach to security as well.

What are the multiple “prongs” of online threats?

Businesses and consumers are connecting online now more than ever and in more ways than ever before. New devices and apps get released on a daily basis, and they may or may not have embedded security that meets your standards. Browser-based applications are easily developed and user-friendly, but the majority of Internet attacks target web vulnerabilities. And even as we slowly come out of restrictions related to the pandemic, we are making financial transactions at increasingly high volumes. This also has it’s disadvantages when the majority of consumers bank and shop online, creating more incentive for cybercriminals to target and exploit financial transactions.

Social networking and consumerization also open up your small business to communication channels that carry their own threats. It’s all too easy for an employee to open up Facebook while on a break, click a link they think was sent from a friend, and unknowingly release an attack on your systems. Spear-phishing emails disguised as security updates can direct your employees to enter login information to a fake page. Pop-ups on unsecure sites can secretly install Trojans or keyloggers, giving cyber criminals access to passwords, financial information, and other data that can compromise your small business. Stolen financial information can then be used or evensold, all without you ever knowing it happened until it is too late. 

It only takes one employee to accidentally let a malicious bug slip through and exploit your small business. We’ve talked before about the importance of staff training and getting ahead of human error, because more than 99% of cyberattacks rely on human interaction. But high standards for employee cybersecurity practices shouldn’t be your only strategy. Having a multilayer firewall is a necessary safeguard that will support a company culture of cybersecurity best practices.

How does a multi-layer firewall protect my small business?

The response to this increasingly malicious landscape of cyberthreats is a multi-layer firewall. This is a layered security strategy that takes a holistic view of threat defense. It is a sophisticated security strategy that recognizes and defends against the ways that malware is delivered, rather than waiting to address attacks after they’ve already deployed.

A multilayer firewall will provide advanced protection from attacks that gain access through email attachments, files, adware, links, and apps. It should include systems that guard against polymorphic malware, which can avoid detection by frequently changing identifiable characteristics such as file names and types. A multilayer firewall should have DNS-level security that can protect you against network-level threats. It can also come with end-user education programs that can help address human error, which we know is one of the leading factors in successful cyberattacks.

Multilayer firewalls are distinct in that rather than relying on packet-scanning to filter incoming data, they use dynamic packet filtering that monitors the networks’ active connections. The firewall then assesses which packets are safe and decides what to allow through based on those connections. This added layer of protection reduces the likelihood of malicious programs slipping through your network security.

A multilayer firewall will increase your cybersecurity and provide the best possible protection for your small business. It is an efficient tool that brings the best firewall technologies together in one convenient system.

Tech Masters provides a free IT assessment that addresses nine crucial areas where your technology can break down, including cybersecurity. Schedule your assessment today to receive a free executive level summary that includes recommendations for the best value improvements to protect and advance your small business.