Be Clear With Firewall and Intrusion Prevention System

With the advancement in technology, computer or network security has become a major concern for most organizations. Intruders attempt to go through the network and access confidential data or misuse emails to send spam. This is a serious threat for organizations. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is used to detect and prevent intruders and save data over the organizational network.

IPS is a technology that provides network security. It monitors the network traffic and blocks malicious activities. These activities include intrusion attempts, denial-of-service (DOS), distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, malware, backdoor activity and malicious code transmission.

The attackers send codes hidden in the main application. On occurrence of a defined event, the attackers take control of the application or the computer. This can lead to denial-of-service (DOS), if an attacker disables the target application or modifies the access rights. Another threat is backdoor activity. This is when a computer program facilitates remote access to the user to bypass normal authentication. Now, the intruder is free to make any changes to logs, rights, files, softwares and even to reboot the computer.

Generally people confuse IPS with the firewall. The firewall stands at the entry level of the network. It allows/denies the entry of the users/ programs over the network. IPS stands at the next level of security. IPS examines the traffic allowed by the firewall. For example, at the airport, the security officials check your ticket and boarding pass. After certain formalities they give you clearance to board the plane. The firewall performs and allows the selected traffic. What happens to the stuff you carry, like your baggage? Your baggage is scanned to make sure that the authorized entrants carry no harmful items. IPS plays the same role by carefully examining the allowed traffic.

Along with the intrusion prevention system, an organization cannot deny the enterprise firewall security significance. The increased online activities serve as a golden opportunity for the intruders. Fake messages/emails from friends, banks and links directing to dangerous sites can infect the computer/network. IPS helps in protecting you against the vulnerabilities.

For the data and network security of your organization, consult the experts from the security domain. These experience players offer a wide range of products/services. They customize the solutions depending upon the size of the organization, number of users, accessibility rights and level of security.

When it comes to security, you cannot rely on one technology. A perfect combination of technologies delivers security against different types of threats before they reach your computer memory.