A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to protected systems or computer networks. Firewalls can be implemented with either software or hardware-based solutions. Sometimes a combination of both will be deployed. Firewalls typically limit access to such systems by analyzing network traffic and blocking unauthorized or "untrusted" messages from reaching the protected systems.
UW Medicine Information Security Policy (SEC-05.04) requires that network enabled systems or devices block unnecessary or potentially malicious network traffic through use of a firewall or other forms of network traffic filtering.
The Security Program provides centrally managed firewall services which can provide IP and/or protocol-based filtering protection for network enabled systems or devices.
This approach uses software running directly on the host to provide appropriate firewall protection for the system. SIT currently offers two centrally managed, host-based services for the Microsoft Windows environment:
When hosts need additional protection for defense-in-depth, or a system is unable to implement a software-based firewall, SIT offers hardware or appliance based firewall solutions:
There are other options to fulfill UW Medicine policy requirements requirements for firewalls, including both hardare and software solutions.