Reference no: EM132217125

Question: To some Network Administrators, a firewall is the key component of their infrastructure's security. To others, a firewall is a hassle and a barrier to accomplishing essential tasks. In most cases, the negative view of firewalls stems from a basic misunderstanding of the nature of firewalls and how they work. Your Chapter 2 readings this week will help dispel this confusion.

This chapter clearly defines the fundamentals of firewalls. These include what a firewall is, what a firewall does, how it performs these tasks, why firewalls are necessary, the various firewall types, and filtering mechanisms. Once you understand these fundamentals of firewalls, you will be able to look beyond the unschooled opinions, common mythology, and marketing hype surrounding them, and the crucial benefits of effective firewall architecture will become clear. Like any tool, firewalls are useful in solving a variety of problems and in supporting essential network security.

What do YOU think regarding the use of firewalls? Are they a important ingredient to network security or simply an obstacle?

During our week 2 collaborations we will discuss the impact and importance relative to using firewalls ~ Are firewalls deterrents or obstacles to employee productivity?