A crucial line of data protection for any business is a network firewall, also called router. Your router is a hub that lets internet traffic in and out. It’s like a gatekeeper that weeds out suspicious visitors. Here are ways an experienced IT services team in Dallas can evaluate your firewall so you know its status and when to replace it.

What to Know About Firewalls

The average lifespan of a network firewall is about five years, but some last much longer. Letting a knowledgeable IT services team in Dallas inspect your firewall when it starts acting peculiar is a fast, easy and reliable way to resolve technical problems. Here are signs that your firewall is getting old or needs replacing:

1. Slow data transfer – Latency in your network can be for multiple reasons, including inability of the router to handle heavy traffic.
2. Firewall’s support has expired – You may need a specialist to service the hardware, when it makes more sense to get a new device.
3. Lack of modern cybersecurity – Once support expires you won’t get regular security updates, making your network vulnerable to hackers.

Essentially, the older a firewall gets, the more often it may experience dropouts. You may need a new firewall to get better support, especially if you decide to offer remote work.

Upgrading Your Firewall

Some things you should know about your firewall include information about your ISP and number of users and devices on your network. IT experts will need to know your network configurations and how you want to upgrade.

An IT team can upgrade your firewall usually within a few hours. Sometimes it only takes about 15 minutes. Just let your workers know in advance whether there’s downtime or they can access a backup network.

Conclusion

Outsourcing to an IT services provider in Dallas can save you from dealing with technical headaches. If you would like to know more about upgrading your firewall, contact us at Technagy. We’re ready to help improve your network security.