Firewall Software vs. Hardware

If you are setting up a new network connection then the obvious next step is to invest in a firewall. This internet security device can be software or hardware (or a mix of both) and is used to block unwanted users from accessing your network connection. The firewall reviews every message and only allows the ones that meet certain security requirements to come through.  Without firewall you are leaving your network and computers vulnerable to hackers. There is a debate between using firewall software versus firewall hardware, so this blog will inform you of the difference then we will give our opinion on the best use.
                Some people prefer hardware firewalls because they are highly effective at filtering spam and viruses, along with having an easy setup. There is little configuration and they protect every computer on a local network. Hardware firewalls use two different techniques, packet filtering and Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), to filter through pesky spam and various viruses. The one problem with hardware firewalls is that they do not filter traffic going from the local network to the Internet. This causes issues with e-mails or websites containing concealed programs that download on devices within the network, so they are not seen as harmful by the firewall.  This is not an issue with all hardware firewalls but a recurring issue with many.
            With software firewall protection you can specify which applications are allowed to communicate over the Internet from that specific computer so it has a leg up over hardware firewalls. Software firewall also comes in handy when tackling an e-mail worm that has its own server so it looks legitimate. The worm might slip through a hardware firewall because it looks like it is coming from a trusted source.  The problem with software firewalls is that they must be installed on every computer, which can end up costing a lot more than a hardware firewall.
            Both types of firewall connection have their pluses and minuses but in my opinion the hardware firewall is more cost effective than software, depending on the number of computers in your office. It is recommended to use a combination of both in most scenarios.