Firewalls and Proxy Servers

A firewall may be either hardware or software based and will guard your system against intrusion from the Internet.  It will provide information on attempts to break into your network, while allowing you full access to the Internet. 

Windows comes with a software firewall solution built in.  This can be turned off to allow a third party product if desired, but it does a good job of protecting the average user.

Most routers also offer a firewall solution as a part of their operation.  This can be helpful when you need to direct incoming traffic to a specific internal destination, lock down various incoming ports, etc.

A proxy server stands between your network machines and the Internet and provides a wall of privacy to keep others from gaining access to your machines and your data.

Available in either hardware or software formats, these items provide  isolation and protection and are critical when connected full time to the Internet.

Every computer with Intenet connectivity should have an active firewall, properly configured.

You can get more information at the following:

ZProxy+