When it comes to protecting your business computer or network, two of the most common forms of protection which can go a long way in preventing damage are the use of anti-virus software and a firewall.
Below breaks down the two terms and provides some tips on how to use the two effectively.


Firewall

Firewalls are a crucial barrier between the internet and your computer or network. Firewalls come in different forms, the most common are ‘personal’ and ‘hardware’.
Personal Firewalls should be installed on every individual computer. If you use Windows operating system, they will have their own firewall already installed on the computer and it will already be active for your convenience. Hardware Firewalls create additional protection and are potentially useful for medium and large businesses.
The firewall settings are in the control panel of Windows computers. Firewalls protect against hackers and certain types of viruses so they are worth putting in place and monitoring.

Internet Security Software

If you have a firewall on your computer what is the need for Anti-virus software?

As mentioned above, Firewalls are vital but they do not protect your computer from all forms of cyber attacks, therefore anti-virus is nowadays an imperative addition to the software catalogue.
Anti-virus software comes in various forms and can range from free downloadable software to software which is purchased from a shop and used for an annual fee. For a business it is important to ask the question, what do I have to lose? Financial records, Customer data, reputation, which will point to what level of protection you require.

Anti-Virus will scan a variety of areas on your computer including emails and files that are opened, and will perform regular scans on all files to thoroughly check the whole system. However it will not prevent spam or any cyber activity that isn’t initiated by a virus.

Most important of all is to ensure that updates (patches) for firewalls and internet security software is updated regularly as it needs to keep up with the vast array of new viruses that are being sent out daily.