Firewall (continued):
Hardware Firewall Choices:
» Netgear - Netgear has some high quality low cost options. Their SOHO router/firewalls will offer you a good price/performance option.
» Linksys - Linksys is by far the most popular vendor in the SOHO world. They were purchased by Cisco a few years ago, and they seem to be making the product better. Some of their models are based on Linux, so there are people who have developed their own firmware for these boxes, making them much more robust.
» Dlink - These guys have also been around for a while. Seems to be most people either love them or hate them.
» MultiTech - While they really only have one model for the SOHO user, their quality, support, and features make them someone you should really consider.
» Sonicwall - Sonicwall is again a higher end device. They offer many different models and features. If you are really concerned for security and have a larger budget, take a look at them.
» Cisco - Cisco is the "big boy" when it comes to networking. While they don't have any models really designed for the home user, their PIX 501 is price comparable to the Sonicwalls and other high end firewalls; however they are generally considered more powerful and much more complicated to set up and maintain.
» Others - These are just a few of the bigger names, there are of course many MANY different ones.
Software Firewall Choices:
» Microsoft XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) - Microsoft XP SP2 has a built-in firewall. While it is better than nothing, that really is all it is. Sadly it is very easy to disable (Microsoft includes API's for disabling and adding exceptions to it).
» ZoneAlarm - One of the oldest software firewall packages out there. Also one of the most popular, and therefore one of the most attacked. This is really a good firewall, but if you're going to run it keep it updated!
» BlackIce - Another long time player in the market. These guys started as a freeware application that has been purchased by ISS, and made into a commercial application. This is the software firewall we place on all of our laptops at work.
» Norton Personal Firewall - Yet another long time player. Norton is newer to the security world than the others are, and many of their security products have been bought from another company. They are however big, offer good updating, and many different support options.
» Others - Again, this is just a HUGE category and there are probably 100's of personal firewalls. So unfortunately I am not able to cover even a minor fraction of the options available for you. I would suggest going down to your favorite local, or Internet, computer store and have a look around. I don't recommend you look at freeware firewalls wall unless you have enough experience and knowledge to know what you are getting, and how to manage it.
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