by Chris Bartot - Senior Producer
23. April 2009 17:37
If you browse the web while you are at work, you have probably heard the term firewall. A firewall is a special hardware and/or software package dedicated to monitoring data transmitted from inside the company and received from the outside World Wide Web. Through a series of filters or rules, certain data is allowed to pass through the wall, while other data is dropped. In this day and age where computer viruses and hackers run rampant, a firewall provides a much needed and sometimes massive measure of security, protecting your company's data from outsiders while preventing users from visiting malicious websites that are equally damaging. Here’s how it works:
Let's say that there are 500 employees in your company. The company will have hundreds of computers with network cards connecting them together. In addition, the company will have one or more connections to the Internet through something like T-1 or T-3 lines. Without a firewall in place, all of those computers are accessible to anyone on the Internet. A hacker can probe those computers and make connections to them. With a firewall in place this cyber intrusion is less likely.
As much security and safety as a firewall offers, events like webcasts are often blocked, too, because they involve an active and on-going data stream from an unfamiliar source. If a large number of internal users are logged onto the webcasting stream at one time, your company's overall network usage and speed can be burdened. Imagine those 500 employees using 500 kbps (kilobits-per-second) or 50,000Mbps of simultaneous streaming. If your company only has one T-1 line, your network could be crippled for those employees who are not participating in the webcast.
If you are considering webcasting, it’s important for the content developers to form a close partnership with your Information Technology team. A firewall is not a piece of technology that can be toggled on and off like a light. Pre-webcast preparation involves testing all segments of the webcast's path from the point of origination to a viewer's computer. Knowing the path and pitfalls will ensure that critical messages reach your employees without disrupting your day-to-day operations.
Click here to find out about Quicksilver's experience with webcasting.
