What’s a Firewall Anyway?

What’s a Firewall Anyway?

I was on a call with a client and we asked if they understood what the role of the firewall was in their network. They replied honestly, which we appreciate, and said ‘not really.’ I responded that it works like an actual firewall in construction, and they commented they had never put the two ideas together even though it’s the same word—turns out the other Syscon person on the call hadn’t put that together either.

I didn’t make this up—if you Google this, the term firewall historically referred to a wall intended to confine a fire within a line of adjacent buildings. Taking that same concept, a firewall in technology is a wall protecting your network from the outside internet. In fact, when we draw network diagrams, the firewall image looks like a small masonry block wall.

If you’re at home, you want those physical firewalls in place. At your office, you absolutely need a firewall protecting your computers (and not just your ISP’s router, BTW). – CMW