What’s the best way to secure an enterprise network, including both communications and data? No single solution fits all situations, but the practices outlined here mark a solid starting point on which IT departments can build. Protect your network with a strong firewall – I recommend using Smoothwall, a security-hardened Linux distribution that runs on its own hardware. Smoothwall offers port blocking, IP blacklisting, antivirus protection, and other critical hardware firewall duties, and is exceptionally easy to use. You can either purchase a ready-to-deploy hardware device or install the Smoothwall distribution on the hardware of your choice. Installing Smoothwall is straightforward, but should you find yourself getting stuck, turn to the documentation. If you need more handholding, Smoothwall partners can help you set up a Smoothwall appliance for your business.