Until recently, most firewalls were Unix based, but now Windows NT-based offerings are coming on strong. Mich. He points out that you can save big by tapping Internet service providers to link your sites instead of using leased lines. Most vendors include proprietary encryption software in their firewalls. The security that firewalls is also now extending to how they are administered. Advances in encryption technology and authentication tools are making for more secure remote administration.
Several companies provide centralized management of multiple firewalls.
Inc. However, Peter Vogel, editor in chief of The Firewall Report published by Glen Head, N.Y., market research firm Outlink, Inc., says that users will soon need vendors to provide them with tools for integrating the management of security policies across multiple firewalls, routers and servers. A potential tiebreaker in your firewall decision, Gartner's Zboray says, is the age of the source code. For example, the TIS Firewall Toolkit is the foundation for many firewall products. He recommends working with a vendor that has a long track record, a robust product, and that routinely deploys fixes to address newfound Internet threats.