The firewall control switches on the operating system's own firewall on macOS and Windows. There is nothing to configure — you choose which devices it applies to, and that is the whole setup.

Feature/Functionality

Overview

The control blocks unsolicited inbound connections while leaving outbound traffic alone. In practice: nothing on the network can start a conversation with the laptop, and nothing the employee does stops working.

This is one of the cheapest security controls you can deploy. It needs no rules, no exceptions list and no maintenance, and it is one of the first things an auditor asks about.

How to use — set it up

1. Go to MDM > Controls > Add new control and choose Firewall.
2. Choose where it applies: every device, specific device groups, or a custom target.

There is no step three. The control has no settings of its own — turning it on is the configuration, and it is enough on both macOS and Windows.

How to use — change or switch off

Open the control from MDM > Controls to edit its targeting or disable it. Disabling stops enforcement but leaves the firewall as it is on devices that already have it. Nothing is rolled back, so switching the control off does not turn anybody's firewall off.

Tips and Best Practices

• Target every device from the start. There is no performance cost and no configuration to get wrong, so a partial rollout buys you nothing except an incomplete answer at audit time.
• Deploy it before you need it. This is the control people reach for the week an auditor asks, and it is far easier to have had it on for six months.
• Do not expect it to show up on Linux or mobile. Its absence there is a platform limit, not a gap in your configuration.
• Remember what disabling does and does not do. If you genuinely need a firewall off on a machine, the control is not the way to do it.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Troubleshooting

The control is applied but the device still reports non-compliant. It has not synced since the control landed. Check when the device last checked in before looking at anything else.

An application stopped receiving connections. The firewall blocks inbound connections by design. Anything that listens for incoming traffic — a local server, some remote-support tools — needs an exception made on the device itself.

The control is not offered for a Linux device. It covers macOS and Windows only.

FAQ

Question: Is there anything to configure?

Answer: No. Choose the devices and you are done.

Question: Does it block the internet for the employee?

Answer: No. Outbound traffic is untouched. Only unsolicited inbound connections are blocked.

Question: Does disabling the control turn the firewall off?

Answer: No. It stops enforcement and leaves devices as they are.

Question: Does it replace antivirus?

Answer: No. It stops unsolicited connections. It does nothing about what is already running on the device.

Related Articles

• Platform support
• Compliance overview
• Device groups
• Disk encryption