Security on a Shoestring Mountain Home AR

Posted by : Gregory Anderson Thinking about security in today's computing world is vital .Everyone needs to be concerned about viruses, firewalls, spyware, and spam. Users with broadband Internet access and Wi-Fi have additional worries. But most of us don't have the resources or the time to construct elaborate software and hardware obstacles. With those limitations in mind, we'll identify some creative ways to keep your homeor small business computers secure without breaking the bank.

Protection Up Front

Start with software. The first word in security software is always "antivirus."Symantec's Norton AntiVirus ($39.99) and McAfee's Virus Scan ($39.99) are the best-known products, but Comodo (free) and Grisoft (free) offer free basic antivirus applications, though with some limitations. The more established (fee-based) programs tend to be more reliable and provide broader protection than free products, and they aren't very expensive. In any case, virus protection is essential regardless of your budget.

Next, run a firewall program. Firewalls monitor network traffic for suspicious activity, hide ports from potential intruders, and block unwanted connections. One of the best firewall products on the market, Zone Alarm(free), has the best price around. The professional edition costs just$40, but the freeware version stands strong on its own. Windows XP includes a built-in firewall, which we discuss in our Windows Security Sidebar, but its feature set is limited.

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