ROUTER/FIREWALL
Your pharmacies router/firewall is usually the most advanced piece of technology that you will have in your pharmacy.. Any router/firewall you purchase for your pharmacy should be business grade and not residential. We like to install Dell SonicWalls into our client’s pharmacy because of the protection services and the multiple inputs for incoming internet connections. With a business grade router/firewall you should be able to plug in more than one internet connection in-case one of the connection goes out the router/firewall will then switch to the backup internet.
WIFI: Your router will often serve as your wireless internet access point. You should have two WIFI’ connections for your pharmacy. One should be for use by pharmacy equipment only with it’s own unique password, only devices such as tablets and wireless laptops should be connected to this secure network. Do not allow employees or patients to log onto this network. All of your data is stored on this network.
The other network should be for employees and patients, a “guest network”. This guest network should be separate from your main WIFI network and have a different password. This is the WIFI users can logo on with their cell phones.
Protecting your network: Your router/firewall is your first line of defense from outside attacks. This device is what keeps your data safe from threats outside of the pharmacy. Most business grade router/firewalls have built-in intrusion protection that keep your network safe. However if you do not keep your device updated to the latest firmware you are leaving your network open for attack. Always keep your firmware updated and a backup of your hardware settings in case of emergencies.
Pharmacy downtime: Most business grade router/firewalls will have multiple inputs for internet connections. Your pharmacy should always have a backup internet in-case your primary internet goes down. Your router/firewall is smart enough to detect when the internet is down and to switch over to the backup. Some device all 3G/4G devices to plug into them and server as a wireless backup.
