Firewall options for the individual or for those running a small office range from native OS firewalls to special-purpose devices. Most individuals and small office/home office (SOHO) users are concerned about security but don’t want to spend more than really necessary. Obtaining a reasonable level of security for most home or small office environments is actually quite easy and cost effective. First, an understanding of the common threats facing such an environment suggests that firewall options can be simple and inexpensive. While the Internet is not a safe place, interacting with Internet resources is not an automatic recipe for damage and destruction. Common sense and use of basic security tools greatly reduces the likelihood that a significant compromise from the Internet will take place.

Average home users and workers at a large corporation can both benefit from which of the following and WHY:

Option 1: Open-source hardware firewall

Option 2: Gateway server firewall

Option 3: Commercial appliance firewall

Option 4: Host firewall

Option 5: Proprietary device firewall