Category: Technology
How to Fix Network Jitter (for Good) in Under 10 Minutes
If you’re experiencing choppy phone or video calls, pixelated conferencing, or disjointed VoIP audio connections, your network jitter may very well be above acceptable levels. Jitter refers to the variation in the arrival times of data packets across a network. There is always going to be a little variation, but if the jitter rate is…
6 Types of Network Address Translation: Which One to Use?
Network Address Translation (NAT) is one of the key technological concepts behind the performance of communication networks and the internet at large. NAT is a mechanism for converting private (local) IP addresses into public (global) IP addresses and vice versa. There are six main NAT types: static, dynamic, port address translation, overlapping, and masquerade. Understanding…
Why Router vs Firewall Really Only Matters at Work
Routers and firewalls are network security devices, sometimes grouped into business and home network packages or sold separately as dedicated hardware. Though the two are closely linked, routers and firewalls are very different devices. Router: Exchanges data between networks or gateways. Firewall: Blocks traffic from protected networks. Put simply, routers connect networks and move data…
What Is a Host Based Firewall and Is it Secure Enough?
A host-based firewall is installed and run on a single device, like a laptop, cell phone, or server. These firewalls are tailored to individual devices so they can monitor and control its specific traffic — as opposed to network-based firewalls, which protect an entire network of devices. Most consumer devices come with host-based firewalls pre-installed….
What Does a Firewall Do To Protect My Home Network
A firewall is a security protocol that protects your internal network from the threats of the internet. It keeps an eye on the data that comes in and out of your home network. Without a firewall, your trusted private network could be at risk of cyberattacks, data breaches, and malware from the public. 1 RingCentral…
5 Reasons to Use a Stateless Firewall (+3 Key Downsides)
In networking, “state” refers to the context or session data of a current network connection. A stateful firewall, therefore, keeps track of the state of each connection passing through it, while a stateless firewall does not. Although they may sound less restrictive, stateless firewalls are incredibly useful for securing home and business networks. They use…
The 6 Tradeoffs Between a Stateful vs Stateless Firewall
A stateful firewall keeps track of the state of network connections. A stateless firewall does not. Although the difference between a stateful vs stateless firewall is relatively simple, picking one may not be as straightforward. The state of a network connection refers to its status, whether a connection is being established, actively transferring data, or…
5 Reasons a Stateful Firewall Is a Must-Have for Business
A stateful firewall is capable of tracking the state of active connections between devices on the network. It logs when devices are requesting data, sending data, or closing the connection. With this context, a stateful firewall knows whether incoming data is part of an established, legitimate session or if it’s an unsolicited request that needs…
7 Reasons to Not Use MPLS and 4 Better Alternatives
Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) is a network technology for routing and packet forwarding in private, wide-area network (WAN) connections. It is a switching mechanism that uses labels to decide the shortest possible path instead of the usual network address. In general, these labels are more effective for directing data through paths than traditional internet protocols…
ERP vs CRM: Understanding the Key Differences
Customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) have a fair amount of similarities but they do possess some key differences. Both CRM and ERP are software solutions that, when applied correctly, assist businesses of all sizes with centralizing customer data, increasing work productivity, and improving automation processes in order to drive revenue growth….