Discussion

 
This week’s reading focused on firewalls, their concepts, design and management.  Answer the following questions, and then respond to a minimum of two other replies.

Discuss what changes to firewall settings you may have performed at home or in work environments. What programs or services have you had to allow access to via a software or hardware firewall?  Why did you allow it?  Was it a preventative measure, or was something not communicating properly?  Do you have any tips or tricks for the class on what to do or not to do?

Research some of the firewall products mentioned in this module, or some of the many other products on the market. Compare prices of device versus software firewalls.  Select your top hardware and top software firewalls, and recommend which you’d prefer for small (1-250 users) networks, medium (251-500 users) and larger (500+ users).  Why?  Make sure to take functionality and price into account, and also provide a URL with specs and pricing information.

Discuss the pros and cons regarding the use of proxy servers and firewalls to secure a network. Many companies end up using both types of devices for network security, but proxy servers are typically more prone to compromises than firewalls. With this in mind, which would you use in an enterprise company, and why?

Research some other possible configurations of proxy server software not discussed in this module. Give an example of this configuration, what it is used for, and any pros or cons for using it.