There are two types of firewalls: hardware firewall and software firewall. A hardware firewall is a physical device that is located in between the internet/network connection and the computer/s on the network. A software firewall is also known as a personal firewall. Software firewalls are installed on individual computers. Many people use a combination of both hardware and software firewall, as each offers a unique blanket of protection.

If your home or business contains more than three computers that all share an internet connection, you should be using a hardware firewall, as this device will protect the entire network. A hardware firewall acts as a barrier between the internet and all the computers that share the internet connection, providing protection from hackers, spyware, worms and curiosity seekers. In most cases, a hardware firewall for a network is more economical than purchasing software firewall software licenses for each computer on the network. Hardware firewalls vary in price, depending on how many computers they are designed to protect and the type of features included.

Software firewalls are great for protecting individual computers. They are often referred to as "personal firewalls", because they watch over all data entering and leaving the PC and also provide protection for personal information. A software firewall is a must for any laptop computer that is used on public networks such as those you would find in airports, hotels, and coffee shops. Because the software firewall is installed on the laptop itself, it is always safeguarding you no matter where whose network you're on.

There is a fairly new type of firewall that is a hardware firewall, but it is designed to offer protection for only one computer. This firewall is in the form of a PCI card that is installed internally in an empty PCI slot on a computer. It also comes as a PC card for laptops, installing in an available PCMCIA slot. Firewall cards were developed for business networks, and are designed to work with a firewall policy server to provide tamper-proof, impenetrable protection for office PC's and mobile users.

Regardless of which type of firewall you choose - hardware or software - one thing is for certain: If you connect to the internet with your computer or laptop, you MUST have firewall protection. Firewalls keep intruders and malware out, and personal information in. Not using a firewall, even if you don't think you have anything of value to protect, is just asking for trouble!

More and more people are starting to use both a hardware firewall and a personal firewall due to the ever-increasing security risks associated with internet use. This is a good idea for those who spend a lot of time online, because each type of firewall offers a unique type of protection. Using both hardware and software firewalls, you get the absolute best protection from hackers, hidden spyware, viruses, and identity theft.

A firewall should be your first line of defense when it comes to computer security, but by no means should it be your only protection. Even with a good firewall, you still need to use and antivirus and anti-spyware product.