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What is a Firewall and Why Do I need one?

Firewalls are the perimeter or frontline defense of any network or stand-alone internet connected computer. Without one, your computer can openly communicate in ways that you won't be aware of, or have any control over. Today's internet is full of thieves hackers and people with way too much time on their hands!
firewall hacker

Types of Firewall deployments

A perimeter Firewall (Gateway Firewall) is placed between the internet connection device and local (LAN) hardware such as switches, computers or printers. Some hardware routers have Firewalls, if you are considering buying a router to connect 2 or more computers look for one with a firewall built in. These types of routers provide Firewall security to a number of computers though a single internet connection. They also lower your costs for protecting all the machines in your network.

Choosing a firewall which best fits your needs and budget can often be difficult, especially if you're not aware of the performance rating or the variety of features. Since I setup this website to help mostly home/small business users, you can always send me an e-mail with your question. I'll be all too happy to help you.

Here's a diagram of how this type of connection would look in your home/office.

Another Type of Firewall is a software program that is installed on individual computers. The benefit is, if you're the only one using the internet connection, there's no sense in spending money on additional hardware you do not need. Although there are some things to consider.

Software firewalls will take up disk space for the logs they create. The program itself will use some of your computer's memory and processor to run, during a serious attack, it might be more than your computer can handle, resulting in very slow response for anything you might be doing on your machine.

But regardless of the firewall type you choose, the goal is the same...Keep hackers out and control what goes on between you and the internet. To get the most of either type of firewall you should Install/setup the software or hardware, then test it using online or downloadable software.

Then, once your firewall is properly configured, you should consider an automated log reporting tool such as the ones featured on my Firewall Page. These tools help report attempted intrusions or DoS attacks to the ISP who is responsible for maintaining the connection that's causing the problem.

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