Unless a small practice uses an EHR system that is totally disconnected from the Internet, it should have a firewall to protect against intrusions and threats from outside sources.Both types of firewall software normally provide technical support and configuration guidance to enable successful configuration by users without technical expertise.In either case, its job is to inspect all messages coming into the system from the outside (either from the Internet or from a local network) and decide, according to pre-determined criteria, whether the message should be allowed in.
Configuring a firewall can be technically complicated, and hardware firewalls should be configured by trained technical personnel.Software firewalls are included with some popular operating systems, providing protection at the installation stage.A hardware firewall sits between the LAN and the Internet, providing centralized management of firewall settings.