• Protects you from network intruders
  • Delivers your e-mail
  • AND, lets you work from home just as if
    you were in the office

If you have access to the World Wide Web and you rely on your email to communicate with your clients and suppliers then you could be faced with the following two problems right now.

  • How do I make sure that my network will be safe from outside intruders?
  • Which email service and setup is the most reliable and efficient for my business?

Here’s the answer. A combined firewall and mail server – Firewall X. It will provide you with the following three benefits

1. Protection against malicious intruders – It is a little known fact that while you are connected to the Internet, hackers can connect back in to your PC or network.

Why people would want to hack into your system is anybody’s guess. Some are merely curious and see hacking as a challenge, others cause untold malicious damage on your system, or worse steal your valuable or confidential data.

Most users are protected only because they are not connected for long enough for a hacker to find them and because on most connections are given a new identity (IP Number) on each connection.

BT and other suppliers now have affordable permanent links to the internet, which many companies use. These allow your mail to exchange immediately and give you instant Internet access.

We recommend you install a good Firewall if you use these services or have a system that is connected for any length of time. A good Firewall closes off all the services and files to any outside connections except for essential items such as mail and web browsing. Different firewalls do this in different ways but basically you are connected to the web by a system of ports.  Each port is numbered and has a different function.  By closing all the ports except for the ones you need, you’re limiting the points of entry.

Not installing a Firewall is the computer equivalent of leaving the front door open at night.

Other Benefits

Active Intruder Detection & Lockout

Should you have a hacker attempting to enter your system then there is a program that will detect their efforts and lock them out. At the same time it will warn you that this is happening and send you or your IT department a message.

Secure Remote Management and Support

If you take up the VNC option and become a member of the IT Department then your staff can be supported over the web via remote control software. This is like having a virtual engineer on site. The VNC facility allows your engineer to view and take control of your PC’s whilst speaking to their users, giving you the benefit of faster response to 90% of your PC problems and minimising lost productivity time from users.

2. Organizes and delivers all your company’s email

When a company first starts to use email they usually start off by finding an Internet Service Provider ISP. Your mailboxes will then be stored on the ISP’s server at their premises. Your system will be set up to dial up every few hours to download your messages from this server.

Usually they use a delivery mechanism called POP3. This locates every users mail separately on the ISP’s server. Every mailbox for your company will be collected individually.   You will discover that there are four problems with this:

Firstly as staff come and go and you need to make changes to your mailboxes it is not always easy to deal with your ISP and time delays are common.

Secondly, you can end up with very high ISDN or phone bills, as you will need to dial in regularly to get your mail.

Thirdly, ISP’s can also get delays when their mail system gets busy during peak periods or if they get hit with a ‘DOS attack’, which causes them to grind to a crawl.

Fourthly, some ISP’s limit the size of attachments they will allow, so when a client sends you over an important file the ISP will refuse to deliver it, and often will not tell you. The Answer? –

Step One a permanent Internet connection

These two combined will allow you to send and receive mail directly between you and your clients. You still need your ISP to give you a backup mailbox should you temporally loose your connection. As well as an MX record.  This is simply a pointer telling everyone where to deliver your mail.

ISDN Modem ADSL or Lease line compatible?

ADSL is fast becoming available to most areas in London.  ADSL gives you unlimited access to the Internet for a fixed monthly fee, usually around the £100 mark.  You have no individual phone bills and therefore you can significantly reduce on your ISDN or phone bills. ADSL is the preferred option as it is exceedingly fast. Should you be interested we can put you into contact with an ADSL provider.

It is possible for smaller companies to use ISDN combined with an ISP un-metered package. However it has come to our attention that should an ISP deem you to be using this service too much, then you will be cut off with little or no notice. This is in the small print of your ISP’s terms and conditions. They classify this as ‘inappropriate use’. Add the cost of the un-metered package and the ISDN line together and ADSL becomes the more attractive option.

Step Two  Have your own mail server and host your own mailboxes

The ISP has one account for the whole company. This is called SMPT mail where mailboxes are on the company’s mail server.  But this is still expensive due to the dialup connection. And you will still have delays in sending and receiving mail you will need . Firewall X can give you this.

Instant Mail Collection and Delivery

This is made possible, as you no longer have to go through your Internet service provider’s mail server.  Your mail will be faster as you do not have to join the thousands of other people trying to send mail and should their system go down you will not be affected.

Your mail will be delivered to each individual person’s desktop

Using the SMTP mail server that is built into the firewall allows you to forward mail directly to the end users or to an existing mail server e.g. Microsoft Exchange. This also protects the Exchange Server from the security hazards inherent in a direct Internet connection.

And Finally,A lot of our clients ask us how they can prevent virus attacks coming into their system via email. At present most companies check their incoming mail with antivirus software on their server or desktop. We are currently testing a system that will check incoming mail on the firewall; Ensuring that viruses and Trojans (used by hackers to get in) are stopped before they come anywhere near your network. Should you decide to rent a firewall from us we will inform you as soon as our trials are successful.

3. Lets you work from home just as if you were in the office

According to the Institute of Directors “The traditional office, as it is viewed in 2000, will have come to be seen by many companies as an outdated concept that has been held on to for far too long, and that by 2010, 10% of the FTSE 100 companies will have no headquarters”.
They predict that 25% will be working from home.

According to the 2000 Government Labour Force Survey 1.5 million or 5.5% of the workforce already work from home at least one day per week using a computer linked to their employer’s or client’s office. This is a 19% increase on the previous year.

This is great for FTSE100 companies with their FTSE100 budgets. The AA recently calculated that is costs them £7000 to rig up an employee with a PC and communications links plus the running costs. However with a home ADSL and Firewall-X  we can make it more affordable for the small business.

Even more surprisingly, according to the AA their home workers do 30-40% more work than their office staff. I wonder why?

Secure Remote Connection for Single offsite Users

Firewall X has an IPSec option. This is the latest high tech military standard security system that allows secure cross platform connections. Translated, this means your Windows 98 or NT/2000 laptop can access your office network and server from any direct Internet connection anywhere, after the IPSec client software is installed. There is a reduction in actual data transferred, as the coding uses some of the available bandwidth (or speed) so for permanent connections e.g. home use, we recommend ADSL. This is the case with any encrypted communications.

The applications for this are endless: Roaming sales persons, consultants working on client’s sites, staff stuck at home due to weather or strikes. All can have access to their files, email etc.

CLICK HERE to find out more about how Firewall X can work for your business ...

 
A handy guide to network and internet security’ CLICK HERE to find out how

IT DEPARTMENT UK LTD

 

BACK TO TOP