What To Look For In Firewall Protection

While there are many ways to protect yourself and your computer on the internet, from anti virus protection software and adware detectors to internet filtering software and child protection software, perhaps none is more important than a strong level of firewall protection. Where firewalls for the home user were once virtually unknown, today firewall protection is in such demand that Microsoft built it into the Windows XP operating system.

Of course not all firewall protection is the same, and it is important to know what to look for as you shop for a home based firewall solution. It is important, for instance, that a firewall provide two way firewall protection. That means that traffic coming into your computer is scrutinized, as is traffic going out of your computer. While the firewall that ships as part of Windows XP is not bad, it lacks this two way protection.

Should I choose a hardware or software based firewall protection product?
This may be the first question the home internet user will have to ask, and it may also be one of the easiest to answer. In many cases, a piece of hardware like a wireless router will have a hardware based firewall built into it. If you do buy a router that includes a firewall, you will need to determine if the firewall protection provided is adequate for your needs. If not, you may want to add an additional software based firewall as an extra layer of protection.

In most cases, the typical home internet user will not need a standalone hardware based firewall. Hardware based firewalls tend to be more expensive, and more difficult to configure, than software based firewall protection. In addition, updates to hardware based firewalls are more difficult. Hardware firewalls are still mainly used in business situations.

Software based firewall protection, on the other hand, tends to be less expensive, easier to configure and easier to update. For this reason, most home users will opt for a software based firewall protection plan.

Standalone product or security suite?
The next question to ask yourself is whether you should buy a firewall protection product as a separate purchase or buy an internet security suite that includes a firewall as part of the package. The answer to this question will depend on your own needs for the other products that make up and suite, as well as your personal preference.

For instance, those who already have an anti virus solution they like may be less inclined to buy a security suite that includes anti virus protection in addition to the firewall they need. For those starting from scratch without virus protection, however, the integrated set of products may be a more attractive and more cost effective option.

No matter what type of firewall protection you decide to implement, however, the most important decision is to get started. It has been said that putting a computer on the internet without firewall protection in place is akin to leaving the keys in your ignition and the doors unlocked. While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, it is true that not having firewall protection puts your computer, and the valuable personal data it contains, at significant risk.