Your firewall isn’t fit and forget
Is yours still protecting your business?
Business firewall security | When was the last time you thought about your firewall? If the answer is “when we installed it”, you’re probably not alone. Firewalls are one of those pieces of business technology that can easily disappear into the background. Once they’re installed, the internet is working and everyone can access the systems they need, there’s a temptation to assume the firewall is quietly getting on with the job and doesn’t need much further attention.
The problem is that your business doesn’t stand still. New employees join, more devices connect, applications change, additional services move to the cloud and the way people work continues to evolve. At the same time, cyber threats and the methods used to exploit networks are changing too. A firewall that was correctly specified and configured several years ago isn’t necessarily wrong today, but it does need to be reviewed, maintained and managed to make sure it continues to meet the needs of the business it is protecting.
And the latest figures provide a timely reminder of why that matters.
Nearly 50% of UK businesses identified a cyber breach or attack
The UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/26 found that 43% of UK businesses had identified a cyber security breach or attack during the previous 12 months, equivalent to approximately 612,000 businesses. The figures increase significantly with organisation size: 65% of medium-sized businesses and 69% of large businesses reported identifying a breach or attack during the same period.
Those numbers matter because they reinforce something we’ve been saying for some time: cyber security isn’t only an issue for large corporations with huge IT departments and dedicated security teams. Organisations of every size rely increasingly on connected systems, cloud applications and online services, and disruption to any of them can quickly become a business problem rather than simply an IT problem.
Of course a firewall can’t protect an organisation against every possible cyber threat. People, devices, applications, passwords, policies and processes all play a role in security. But a properly specified, configured and managed firewall remains an important part of that layered approach to protecting your network.
What is your firewall actually doing?
At its simplest, your firewall sits between your internal business network and the outside world, controlling what is allowed to pass between the two. Modern business firewalls and gateways, however, can do considerably more than simply allow or block an internet connection. Depending on the solution and its configuration, they can help control network traffic, restrict unauthorised access, segment different parts of the network, identify potentially suspicious activity and provide valuable visibility into what’s happening across the network.
They can also contribute to network resilience. For businesses where losing connectivity would have an immediate impact on operations, appropriate gateway solutions can support multiple internet connections so that a secondary service can provide additional resilience if the primary connection experiences a problem. The capabilities available vary according to the technology being used, but the key point is that simply buying capable hardware doesn’t automatically give you a secure or resilient network. It needs to be correctly designed and configured around the requirements of the business.
Cyber threats aren’t standing still
The 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report provides another useful indication of how the threat landscape is changing. It found that exploitation of software vulnerabilities accounted for 31% of breaches, overtaking stolen credentials as the leading initial route into an organisation for the first time in the report’s history.
For businesses, that’s another reminder of why cyber security can’t be treated as a one-off project. Software, firmware, configurations and security policies all need attention over time. Vulnerabilities are discovered, updates are released and the techniques used by attackers continue to evolve, so technology that isn’t properly maintained can become an unnecessary source of risk.
That principle extends beyond the firewall itself. Network security depends on understanding what is connected, how different parts of the network communicate and whether the infrastructure is being actively maintained. A firewall that was appropriate for your organisation several years ago may still be perfectly capable, but that’s something worth establishing rather than assuming.
Your business network has probably changed too
Think about how much your organisation has changed since your firewall was installed. You may have employed more people, connected considerably more devices or moved important applications into the cloud. Microsoft Teams, VoIP, remote and hybrid working, CCTV, access control and other connected systems may now be placing demands on a network that was originally designed for a very different working environment.
Perhaps you’ve opened another location, increased your internet bandwidth or changed connectivity provider. Even if none of those changes seemed particularly significant individually, together they can fundamentally alter the amount and type of traffic moving around your network. This is why firewall reviews shouldn’t happen in isolation. The firewall is one component of a wider infrastructure, and its suitability needs to be considered alongside connectivity, switching, WiFi, users, devices and the applications the business relies upon.
Security starts with good network design
This is something we’ve been exploring throughout our recent Xcomm networking series. A good business network isn’t simply a collection of individual pieces of hardware connected together over time. Your internet connectivity, firewall, switches and wireless access points need to work together, with the network designed around how people and systems actually use it.
Network segmentation is a good example. Rather than allowing every user, device and system to sit together on the same network, different types of traffic can be separated where appropriate. This can improve management and provide additional security controls, particularly as organisations connect an increasing variety of devices to their infrastructure.
Visibility is equally important. If something unusual happens, being able to see what is connected and understand how the network is behaving can make identifying and resolving the issue considerably easier. Good network design therefore isn’t simply about speed or capacity; it also creates a more manageable environment in which security, resilience and performance can all be considered together.
Ubiquiti, Cisco Meraki and choosing the right solution
Xcomm provides Ubiquiti hardware powered by the UniFi platform as part of our managed networking portfolio. UniFi allows routing, firewall security, switching and WiFi to be brought together within a centrally managed environment, providing visibility across the network rather than treating every component as an isolated device. This makes it a powerful and flexible option for a wide range of business environments.
That doesn’t mean we believe every business should automatically use the same platform. For larger or more complex environments, Xcomm can also design and manage Cisco Meraki solutions, where additional enterprise capabilities may be required. The choice between technologies would come after understanding the business: the number of users and locations, applications, security requirements, resilience needs, network complexity and plans for future growth.
Our role is to assess those requirements and recommend the technology that fits them, rather than starting with a particular manufacturer and trying to make the business fit around it. Whichever platform is selected, Xcomm can design, configure, monitor and support the network throughout its lifecycle.
Why ongoing firewall management matters
Installing a firewall is only the beginning. Over time, someone needs to make sure its configuration continues to reflect the way the business operates, that appropriate firmware and security updates are managed and that changes elsewhere in the network don’t inadvertently introduce problems. Monitoring can also help identify potential performance or connectivity issues before they become more disruptive.
For smaller businesses without an internal IT department, those responsibilities can easily be overlooked simply because nobody has been specifically tasked with them. Larger organisations may have their own IT resources but still benefit from specialist networking expertise, particularly when managing more complex or multi-site infrastructure.
That’s why Xcomm provides managed networking rather than simply supplying hardware. Our team can design and configure the solution, monitor the network, manage the infrastructure and provide ongoing UK-based support. The aim is to make sure the network continues to work for the business after installation, not just on the day it’s switched on.
When did you last review your business firewall security?
There are some straightforward questions that can help establish whether a review might be worthwhile. How old is your firewall, and is it still capable of supporting the performance your network requires? When was its configuration last reviewed? Who is responsible for firmware and security updates? Can you easily see what’s connected to your network and identify where a problem is coming from? And if your primary internet connection failed tomorrow, what would happen to the business?
Not knowing the answer to one or more of those questions doesn’t automatically mean there’s a problem. It does, however, suggest that it might be worth finding out. Networks tend to grow organically, with new users, devices and applications added gradually, so it’s easy for several years to pass without anyone standing back and reviewing the infrastructure as a complete system.
Network security is a process, not a product
There isn’t a single box you can buy that makes a business completely secure. Effective cyber security involves multiple layers, with people, processes, applications, devices and network infrastructure all contributing to the overall picture. Your firewall is one of those layers, and making sure it is appropriately specified, securely configured, monitored and maintained provides a stronger foundation for the rest of your network.
The wider UK threat picture reinforces the importance of that approach. The National Cyber Security Centre reported that it handled 204 nationally significant cyber attacks in the year to August 2025, compared with 89 during the previous year. While nationally significant incidents are very different from the everyday attacks encountered by individual organisations, the increase is another indication of the changing cyber environment in which UK businesses are operating.
Rather than responding by assuming every organisation needs increasingly complicated security technology, the sensible starting point is understanding your own environment: what you have, how it’s configured, where the potential weaknesses are and whether the controls you already have are being properly managed.
Is it time to give your network a health check?
If you don’t know when your firewall or wider network was last reviewed, Xcomm can help. Our free network health check looks at your existing infrastructure, helping to identify potential security risks, performance bottlenecks and areas where your network may no longer reflect the way your business operates.
From connectivity and firewalls to switching, WiFi and ongoing management, we’ll look at the network as a whole and recommend what your business actually needs rather than technology for technology’s sake. Whether you’re a smaller business with a single location or a larger organisation managing a more complex multi-site environment, the objective is the same: a network that’s secure, reliable, manageable and ready to support what your business needs next.
Get in touch with Xcomm today to arrange your free network health check.
📞 03333 447 092
🌐 xcomm.co.uk
And for independent business connectivity comparisons, check out our sister company linebroker.co.uk.