Securing perimeter routers

There are a few things that should be done and configured to secure the network, and using cisco routers are one of them. It will be important that the networks be secured using some kind of security policy and parameters. The perimeter routers must be secured so that the LAN resources are not threatened by the outside world.

Perimeter router and PIX Firewall

First of all, the use of Firewalls can help with the securing. Medium-sized businesses can take security to the next level by placing a firewall between the perimeter router and the internal network. By filtering out unnecessary traffic from coming into the network, the perimeter router is actually supporting and helping the firewall.

Router Running Firewall Feature

However, for the smaller sized businesses, using Cisco routers as firewalls are possible. The only thing that needs to be done is that the firewall feature set has to be loaded on the router. When all of that is done, the router should then be configured to provide protection to the network. This is done through packet filtering. The only difference is that the firewall feature set on the router will not provide the same level of protection as the one mentioned above, PIX Firewall.

The two stated above are combined when it comes to large businesses owners who want to secure their network.

Large businesses use a three-tiered approach to secure their network. Firstly, the perimeter routers will provide the preliminary protection to the PIX Firewall. After that, the real firewall will then do the actual packet filtering. Lastly, the internal routers will make sure that certain VLANS are safe from traffic coming into the corporate LANs.

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