The Internet has made large amounts of information available to the average computer user at home, in business and in education. For many people, having access to this information is no longer just an advantage, it is essential. Yet connecting a private network to the Internet can expose critical or confidential data to malicious attack from anywhere in the world. Users who connect their computers to the Internet must be aware of these dangers, their implications and how to protect their data and their critical systems. Firewalls can protect both individual computers and corporate networks from hostile intrusion from the Internet, but must be understood to be used correctly.

An Internet firewall examines all traffic routed between your network and the Internet to see if it meets certain criteria. If it does, it is routed between the networks, otherwise it is stopped. A network firewall filters both inbound and outbound traffic. It can also manage public access to private networked resources such as host applications. It can be used to log all attempts to enter the private network and trigger alarms when hostile or unauthorized entry is attempted.

A full-featured VPN gateway that can securely transport data over public networks. The Cisco PIX 515E Firewall is an enhanced version of the widely popular Cisco PIX 515 platform, providing industry-leading stateful firewall and IP Security (IPSec) virtual private networking (VPN) services. Designed for small and medium businesses, as well as enterprise remote offices, the Cisco PIX 515E features increased processing power and integrated, hardware-based IPSec acceleration (certain models) delivering even more robust performance for high throughput security requirements.

Proven security that helps prevent hacker attacks, McAfee Firewall  safeguards your financial documents, personal information, photos, and online communications, by preventing unwanted Internet connections to or from your PC. Whether you are on a home network, broadband or dial-up connection, or simply enjoying a hotspot, McAfee Firewall helps ensure your files and information are not compromised.

Microsoft ISA Server 2004 is a next-generation enterprise firewall, virtual private network (VPN), and Web cache solution. It introduces multi-networking support, easy-to-use and highly integrated virtual private networking, intelligent application-layer filtering capabilities, comprehensive and extensible authentication mechanisms, and vastly improved user interface and management features, including XML-based configuration import and export. As a result, ISA Server 2004 provides a cost-effective solution to perimeter security and Web performance problems for organizations of all sizes.