What is difference between Shared and Dedicated Firewall?
Firewall is an internet security program designed to control access to a private network. It builds a security wall between the private network and any other external network. It prevents unauthorized access into a private network. A business firewall not only prevents threats but also filter remote access through certificates and login authentications. Firewalls can be configured on both hardware as well as software. The hardware firewalls, usually needs to be bought and provides secured network, basically in the intranet environment, while Software firewalls are used for protecting Personal Computers from the threat of public network, i.e. Internet.
For your business websites, Firewall is an integral application to protect their critical business data. Selection of firewall for your business network, whether shared firewall or dedicated firewall; whether Cisco or Juniper is an important business decision. In such situation you need to analyze 2 things- First understand the pros and cons of both the firewall options. Second, never forget to match the compatibility of firewall features with your business applications, OS, software and all other programs.
Here are the differences between Shared and Dedicated Firewall:
Shared Firewall |
Dedicated Firewall |
Shared firewalls as the name implies, host many users on a shared basis on the single firewall. |
Dedicated Firewall is a service offering, exclusively for an individual user, not shared by anyone else. |
Shared Firewall has a preset controls which provide the basic security but since it's on the sharing basis, there is always the chances for it to be exposed to unauthorized access. |
Dedicated Firewall on the other hand comes with the advanced features control and functions. Furthermore, 24x7 security monitoring on the dedicated firewall is the additional security strength. |
Shared firewall is economical as it involves a very less cost but offers limited functionality and controls for network security. |
The cost for dedicated firewall is comparatively high because of its advanced and dedicated features. |
Multiple users are on the same firewall, so if any of the users on the shared firewall gets attacked, other users on that firewall too have to take the brunt of it. They may have to suffer longer downtime, till the security issue on the shared firewall is fixed. |
Dedicated firewall comes with a devoted firewall specific to the user's hosting environment with advance controls. It offers the ability to manage huge amount of data safeguarding against any unauthorized access in accordance to user's specific requirements. |
If you are not able to decide whether it should be Juniper or Cisco for your business network security, you can contact our Web Hosting services experts at Web Werks on +91-22-40500635/609 or email us at yesweb@wwindia.com
