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Friday - July 30 2010

Software vs. Hardware Firewall

In reality, both hardware and software firewalls are software — just in different wrappings.

Through our partner offices, the InJoy Firewall™ is available as a hardware solution, but in F/X Communications the Firewall is delivered as a software solution, because:

  • Software firewalls can interact with the operator and if desired, prompt for dynamic VPN passwords or alert when loosing the Internet connections.

  • Software firewalls can be deployed from a central location, without getting the car out of the garage and with no extra cabling or office space requirements.

  • Software firewalls don't introduce a new and comprehensive operating system, which might in itself introduce new vulnerabilities.

  • Software firewalls can implement protection of application specific resources, whereas hardware firewalls are limited to network traffic.

  • Software firewalls scale effortlessly through standard hardware components; just add more memory and buy faster CPUs and network adapters.

  • Software firewalls are easy to update, in the same way you update your other software. This increases the likelihood that firewall software is kept up to date and thus remain secure.

  • Software firewalls can make direct use of your file system for logging information, accounting, policy and user databases.

  • Software firewalls can interface other software applications, such as specialized virus checking software, scripts and billing solutions.

  • Software firewalls are backed up, configured and monitored like all your other software - minimizing the learning curve and ensuring top-performance.

  • Software firewalls can more accurately manage bandwidth, as traffic is shaped at the source - without first transmitting it synchronously to a hardware device. The InJoy Firewall™ even takes this one step further, through the unique exploitation of the Firewall computer's CPU idle time for low priority traffic.

  • Software firewalls generally enjoy a shorter development life-cycle, providing faster access to new features and critical security updates for the customers.

  • Software firewalls are available immediately after purchase and can often be evaluated before purchase.

  • Software firewalls are financially and environmentally resource efficient; they make use of your existing operating system and hardware.

   Software Firewall Security
Some hardware vendors agitate that software firewalls cannot deliver effectively protection. This is a fair argument for a range of high-level firewalls that rely extensively on host operating features — thus inheriting their vulnerabilities.

The InJoy Firewall™ is different. It layers a robust low-level device driver directly on top of your network adapter, allowing it to intercept traffic at the frontier — prior to operating system exposure.

If, for any reason, the InJoy Firewall™ application becomes inactive, it offers the option to reject all traffic automatically (by means of its device driver). This feature provides a critical extra layer of security when unexpected difficulties arise.

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