A firewall someone manages, not only installs.
The box matters least. The rules inside it, and who keeps them up, decide whether it does anything.
Short answer
A firewall sits between your business network and the internet and decides which traffic may pass. The modem from your internet provider does that only to a limited degree. Jevana installs a business firewall, sets the rules, separates guests and devices from the office network and keeps the software up to date. We work with OPNsense, an open source firewall, and also take over existing firewalls.
The provider's modem or a firewall
| Subject | Provider's modem | Managed firewall |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping out traffic from outside | Yes, at a basic level | Yes, with rules per service |
| Separating networks | Usually just a guest network | Office, guests, printers, cameras, each apart |
| Seeing what happens | Hardly | A log, with alerts |
| Connecting branches | No | Yes, with an encrypted tunnel |
| Updates | When the provider gets round to it | By us, planned |
| Who has access | The provider | You and us |
Why OPNsense
OPNsense is an open source firewall developed in the Netherlands. It runs on ordinary hardware, gets regular updates and has no licence per user or per feature. What is in it today will still be in it next year.
It is a fork of pfSense, which is built on the same base. If you already have a pfSense or a firewall of another brand, it does not have to go. We go through the rules, update it and take it over. We replace it when the supplier has ended support.
What we set up and keep up
When installing
- Everything closed, except what is needed
- Separate networks for office, guests and devices
- Every rule with a note of why it is there
Every month
- Updates to the firewall software
- Rules reviewed for anything no longer needed
- The log checked for repeated attempts from outside
With a change
- A new service gets a rule of its own, not an open door
- The previous setting kept, so it can be rolled back
- You hear what has changed
Questions
Does a small office need a firewall?
Yes, as soon as more hangs on the network than a few laptops. The provider's modem blocks unrequested traffic from outside, but it cannot separate a printer, a camera or the guest wifi from the computers that hold your accounts. A firewall can. It stops one infected or poorly secured device from reaching everything.
Which firewall do you install?
We install OPNsense, an open source firewall, on hardware that suits the speed of your connection and the number of users. There is no licence per user, and you are not tied to a supplier that puts features behind a subscription. If you prefer another brand, we can discuss it. We also manage existing firewalls.
Who keeps the firewall rules up?
We do, and you can look along. Every rule has a note: for which service, at whose request and since when. With a change we keep the previous setting. Your contact person has an account of their own with read access, and the full configuration is yours. That way you can trace why something is open, even in three years.
What is the difference between OPNsense and pfSense?
Both are open source firewalls with the same origin. OPNsense split off from pfSense in 2015 and is developed by a Dutch company, with a steady rhythm of updates and a different management interface. In what they can do they differ little. We choose OPNsense for that update rhythm and the open development. An existing pfSense we manage too.
Can you manage a firewall remotely?
Yes. We install on site, and after that the management is done remotely, over a secure connection that only we can set up. Updates, new rules and reviewing the log need no visit. If hardware has to be replaced or a cable moved, we come by or guide someone at the office.
Goes well with
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Business VPN
An encrypted connection between home and office, or between two sites, only where it is still needed.
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Business wifi
Wifi that works in every room, with guests and devices kept apart from the office network.
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Network installation
A business network for a new or refitted building: cabinet, switches, wifi and firewall, drawn and documented.
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Cybersecurity for SMEs
The measures that stop most attacks, in an order a small business can follow.
From the knowledge base
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Why is the wifi in the office slow?
The six causes we find most often, from a router in the meter cupboard to too many devices on one access point, and what to do about them.
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Ransomware: what do you do in the first hours?
Files encrypted and a ransom note on the screen. What to do straight away, what to leave alone and how to get back to work.
Tell us what you run.
An introduction costs nothing. You talk straight away to one of the two people who will actually do the work.
or email info@jevana.systems