You have a router from your internet provider. Maybe it has a built-in firewall. Maybe you turned on Windows Firewall on every machine. That is better than nothing, but if your business has more than a handful of people and stores anything valuable, it is probably not enough.
The question is not really whether you need a firewall. Every business does. The question is whether you need someone actively managing it for you.
What a firewall actually does
A firewall sits between your internal network and the internet. Its job is to decide what traffic gets in and what gets blocked.
Think of it as a gate. Without rules, the gate is wide open. Anything can walk in. A firewall sets the rules: this type of traffic is allowed, that type is not. This device can connect, that one cannot.
A basic firewall, like the one built into your router, handles simple rules. It blocks obvious threats and keeps your network from being completely exposed.
A business firewall does more:
- Traffic inspection: It does not just check where traffic is going. It checks what is inside the traffic. This catches threats that hide inside normal-looking data.
- Application control: It can allow or block specific applications. Let staff use Microsoft Teams but block file-sharing apps that create security risks.
- Intrusion prevention: It recognises patterns of known attacks and blocks them automatically. If someone tries to exploit a vulnerability in your systems, the firewall can stop it before it reaches your machines.
- Network segmentation: It can separate parts of your network from each other. If one section gets compromised, the rest stays protected. This matters for schools where learner devices should not have access to admin systems.
- VPN access: It creates secure tunnels for remote workers to connect to the office network. With more people working from home, this is not optional anymore.
The difference between a consumer firewall and a business firewall is the difference between a padlock and a security system. Both protect something. One just does a much better job.
When off-the-shelf is not enough
For a sole proprietor working from a home office, the firewall built into a decent router is probably fine. Add Windows Firewall on your machine, keep your software updated, and you are reasonably protected.
But that stops being adequate when:
You have more than five people on the network. More users means more devices, more traffic, and more chances for something to go wrong. A router firewall does not give you visibility into who is doing what.
You handle sensitive data. Client financial records, medical information, learner data, legal files. Under POPIA, you are required to implement “appropriate, reasonable technical measures” to protect personal information. A consumer-grade firewall may not meet that bar.
You have remote workers connecting to your network. If staff are accessing files from home, a VPN through a business firewall is far more secure than opening ports on a basic router.
You run a school. This is a specific case but a common one. Schools need content filtering (blocking inappropriate websites for learners), network segmentation (keeping learner WiFi separate from admin systems), and usage monitoring. A router firewall does none of this. This is exactly the kind of environment our Kwik Shield School Edition was built for.
You have had a security incident. If malware has already gotten through, phishing has reached staff, or someone accessed something they should not have, your current setup has a gap. A managed firewall closes it.
What “managed” actually means
You can buy a business firewall, plug it in, configure it once, and hope for the best. Plenty of businesses do. The problem is that a firewall is not a fit-and-forget device.
Threats change. New vulnerabilities get discovered. Software needs updating. Rules that made sense six months ago may need adjusting because you have added new staff, new services, or new devices.
A managed firewall means someone is looking after all of this for you:
Configuration and setup. Setting the right rules from the start. Not too strict (which blocks things your team needs) and not too loose (which lets threats through). Getting this balance right takes experience.
Firmware and software updates. Firewall manufacturers release updates to patch vulnerabilities and improve detection. If these updates do not get applied, your firewall becomes less effective over time. We apply them for you.
Monitoring. Watching what the firewall catches. A firewall blocking 500 connection attempts from an unknown IP address is doing its job, but that pattern might indicate someone is probing your network. Monitoring spots these patterns. Just having a firewall without monitoring is like having a burglar alarm with no response company.
Rule changes as your business changes. You add a new cloud application. A new office opens. A staff member needs VPN access from home. Each of these requires firewall adjustments. Managed means those changes get made properly.
Reporting. Knowing what your firewall is doing. How many threats it blocked last month. What kind of traffic your network carries. Where the risks are. This is useful information, especially if you need to demonstrate POPIA compliance.
What this looks like in practice
Here is a real example of why managed matters.
A business upgrades to fibre and gets a new router from their ISP. The old firewall rules are on the old router. The new router has factory defaults. For a few days, the network is running with barely any protection, and nobody notices because everything still “works.”
With a managed firewall, this does not happen. The firewall is a separate device from the router. It keeps its rules regardless of what happens with the internet connection. And if something does change, we know about it because we are monitoring it.
Another example: a school installs a firewall for content filtering, but after a few months, learners figure out how to bypass it using a free VPN app on their phones. With a managed firewall, we see that traffic pattern and update the rules. Without management, the bypass stays open until a teacher notices.
Which plan includes firewall management?
Firewall management is included in our Plus and Enhanced plans. If you are on Core, we can add it as an individual service.
For schools, Kwik Shield School Edition includes firewall management with content filtering and network segmentation built in.
If you are not sure whether your current firewall is doing its job, we can check. A quick look at your setup tells us whether it is properly configured, up to date, and doing what it should.
Not sure if your firewall is doing its job?
We will take a look at your current setup and tell you where you stand. No obligation.
Or talk to us directly:
Call: 087 820 5005
WhatsApp: 081 526 1626
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