Hearing “firewall” in the context of computing can be confusing. How does a tall, blazing fire separating rescue teams from people trapped apply to computers?
Well, imagine the
rescue team using heavy blasts of water to save the day. A hacker is as motivated
to get at your data. They will try everything to bypass your security. They
want to get inside your network perimeter. In a business office, computers and
printers are often networked together. This lets Jane in accounting and Kevin
in graphic design access the same business tools.
In computing, a firewall sits between that internal network and the internet outside. It’s kind of like a nightclub bouncer. You definitely want it to be as burly and intimidating as possible to keep the riff-raff out. The firewall helps reduce or prevent unwanted traffic from getting through.