WRSV4400N Security Appliance For Small Business Networks - Should You Upgrade?

When you build a small business computer network, typically the main concern is having high-performance and secure network. Unlike home computer network where security is the last thing you probably concern, in small business computer network - security must be given a serious attention in protecting your valuable information business assets against any internet threats.

With lack of security expert, one of the easiest and affordable ways to protect your small business network is by implementing a wireless security appliance, or network security appliance, or UTM appliance. Cisco WRSV4400N is one of wireless security appliance available in the marketplace you can consider to deploy in your small business network.

Cisco WRSV4400N is a complete device for your small business infrastructure including wireless and wired network. It's a high-speed and secure wireless security firewall.

Wireless Networking

Cisco WRSV4400N is powered by wireless -N (draft 802.11n) technology with 3 Omni-directional 2-dBi gain external antennas with MIMO (Multiple-in Multiple-out) technology for longer distance range and better performance. The router is compatible with wireless -b/g/n devices. Wireless security connection using industrial Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) WPA2.

Not just wireless encryption, the Cisco WRSV4400N supports up to 4 SSIDs for secure guest access. With secure guest access, you can segregate different security boundaries for different groups of users. With your business partners or business visitors who might frequently come to your office, providing them wireless internet access with their laptop is safer without compromising your system.

Wired Networking

Cisco WRSV4400N wireless security firewall is embedded with four Gigabit LAN Ethernet ports for reliable high-speed data transfer. And the beauty with this router is that it supports up to 4 VLANs you can configure to meet your security policies. You know that communication between VLANs require layer-3 device which is a router. Cisco WRSV4400N supports inter-VLAN communications. Not just that, with your VLANs you can map SSID-to-VLAN with wireless client isolation.

Security Features

Both of multiple VLANs and SSIDs are important features for this wireless security router with regards to the network security. Like other ordinary wireless routers, Cisco WRSV4400N also supports security features such as ACL, MAC address control, Firewall SPI and NAT, content filtering, and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS).

Security is very expensive, regarding content filtering - you cannot just rely on the static URL or keywords blocking because un-healthy and harmful websites out there are growing rapidly each months. You need to have a way to update the black-lists automatically - you cannot do it manually and yet you don't know which ones. This is what Cisco would like to get more revenue not just once but in a yearly basis. WRSV4400N wireless security router supports the optional dynamic filtering through Cisco ProtectLink Web security service. Not all Cisco routers support this ProtectLink security solution.

Cisco also introduces new wireless security router - the RV-120N firewall router. The price between the WRSV4400N and RV-150N is nearly the same. But both security routers have some major differences as follows:

Firstly, the difference between the two is the wireless technology. WRVS4400N is still powered by the draft version of 802.11n technology, but RV-120W is powered by the final version of 802.11n. Some people might thing that this is a big different, but it is not. There are only several options updated from the draft version to the final version of 802.11n standard.

Secondly, the WRVS4400N supports Gigabit Ethernet ports but RV 120W doesn't. If you demand reliable high-speed wired connection, you should choose WRSV4400N.

Thirdly, the number of VPN tunnels the routers can support. If you require more VPN tunnels, you can choose RV 120W (10 remote clients and 10 site-to-site tunnels). WRSV4400N supports only 5 remote clients and 5 site-to-site tunnels.

And lastly is about the optional Cisco Protect-Link services support. WRVS4400N router supports Protect-Link but RV-120W doesn't. Should you require dynamic content filtering services - choose the 4400N router. But you must pay in a yearly basis for the services.

Security is expensive, but it is worth for your valuable business assets protection against any threats.

By Ki Grinsing

Ki Grinsing was graduated from ITS-Surabaya with MCSE and CCNA certifications. You can read the articles here WRVS4400N wireless security router and small business network security.

Check Point UTM an All in One Solution for Network Security Appliance

Network administrators or network managers of all business sizes have critical tasks in protecting their networks against any types of external threats (aka Internet threats). Moreover, they also need to protect the organization's information assets against the threats from the inside. In protecting from the insiders, generally they develop the information security policies and enforce them to all the users.

Traditionally network administrators or network managers implement different types of protection systems for each types of the threat to secure the network. For example, you need to deploy a native firewall in each of the intersection between the internet and the private network. And you need to implement a management of antivirus server to provide virus protection for all the computer clients in the network. Or you need to deploy an intrusion detection system (or appliance) to stop the hackers infiltrating your private network.

Implementing many types of different systems or appliances to protect your business networks might raise the overhead cost and administration. Moreover, intruders today are evolving to get smarter and more harmful. Traditional firewalls cannot effectively block those threats anymore. It is therefore, you need a comprehensive network security - an all-in-one UTM appliance or UTM firewall for all the requirements you need to protect your network security.

Check Point UTM-1 Appliance is a single device for all you need to protect your network. The appliance can include flexible software blades you can add and extend as needed including the firewall, IPS (intrusion prevention system), anti-spyware, URL filtering, anti-virus, anti-spam, and web-security software blades.

Normally when you setup and install individual software system for example traditional web-filter or anti-virus systems into a server, you have to collect prerequisite information such as your server-name, how to reach the internet, what account to use in accessing the internet, and so on. But with Check-Point UTM-1 appliance, you can setup the appliance easily using the first-time installation wizard. Deployment process is as easy as plugging in and turning on the appliance; following the onscreen wizard; and launching the management interface.

To optimally use this UTM firewall appliance in protecting your internal network against any emerging threats, you require Check Point Update service. Appliance is just a hardware, but to keep your system updated you must subscribe the update services in a yearly basis. Mostly all the UTM network security appliances include the security update service you have to subscribe in a yearly basis. For example Cisco WRVS4400 for small businesses which supports the optional Cisco Protect Link services, the service to subscribe the dynamic content filtering.

Security is very expensive, but it is worth in protecting your valuable information assets against any emerging internet threats.

For SOHO (small office home office) businesses, spending lots of money for security protection is not sensible. Check Point UTM security appliance is not for SOHO, but it is for small to medium businesses where information security protection is a critical task to do. For SOHO, consider home wireless routers such as Belkin N600 wireless n dual band router. The router supports all the requirements you need to build your wireless network environment for sharing the internet, it includes two USB ports to allow you share the printer and storage at the same time. The router is ideal to start home businesses with standard networking but you still can enjoy the smooth online gaming and high-performance video streaming.

But if you are really serious in starting your small business with limited budget, consider Cisco RV 120W Wireless-N router. The router is an all-in-one device that offers high performance, business-class features, and a simple user interface and is designed for small office which includes the VPN and VLANs features.

By Ki Grinsing

Ki Grinsing was graduated from ITS with MCSE and CCNA certifications. He has prolonged years of working experiences in IT projects. Please visit the articles Checkpoint utm appliance and firewall VLAN router.