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Establishing a solid firewall to protect your computer is essential in the contemporary world of computing. Even the most casual user is at risk online, and this is not an exaggeration. Hacking sites, spyware, virus carrying emails and Trojan Horses are just a few of the perils a firewall can help safeguard against. Much like a real wall, a firewall is an electronic border that can keep prying eyes out, your information, hardware and software safe from harm. The only question for most users is which program to use.
Depending on your needs, price points and level of computing expertise, the choices can be narrowed down significantly. For the more computer savvy, McAfee’s Firewall 4 is a program worth considering. It covers the basics and then some. The only possible issue is that it has a tendency to speak in computer terms and could be a bit difficult for newbie’s to find comfortable. As competent as it is, the application requires some work on the part of the end user.
For a long time Zone Labs' Zone Alarm has consistently been cited as an all around favorite by those in the know online. After spending some time with the professional version, I am starting to see that Zone Alarm Pro is on so many top ten lists for a good reason. In fact, if you are new to firewalls and want information that is as direct as possible, Zone Alarm Pro could be the place to start.
Several years ago I downloaded the trial, or rather free version, online of Zone Alarm. In fact they still offer a free version as well as a time limited full version of the Pro version online. At the time I used the gratis version of Zone Alarm it seemed, alright, if a bit limited. After having worked with the professional version, I can see why Zone Alarm has been considered the firewall of choice by so many.
Two unexpected features I found to perform admirably were the cookie controls and the ad blocking. While some firewalls are proficient with one job, Zone Alarm is actually an above average player when it comes to addressing other aspects of computer security. I was impressed with the ad blocking and cookie controls considering that some firewalls do not come packaged with that functionality. Zone Alarm even goes so far as to monitor email for suspicious virus activity. Although Zone Alarm can seek virus activity, it is not a substitute for a dedicated virus program. In conjunction with a solid anti virus program, Zone Alarm is an excellent enhancement tool in this department.
Helping to make things easier, the Zone Alarm main menu is well considered and easily accessible. Setting features and locating information is about as simple as it can be. In many ways Zone Alarm may bring to mind some features common to Norton’s Firewall utility. One can even change the color schemes in Zone Alarm.
The only peculiarity with Zone Alarm was the actual update feature. For some reason the program is oddly configured regarding contacting the company Web site to update software for the first time. I was greeted with a rather confusing message that had me thinking that my entire program was out of date. While this was a small issue, and one easily resolved, it does seem that more mention could have been of this in the documentation.
Now this brings me to my standard concern with software: documentation in hard copy form. Zone Alarm Pro does not ship with even the precursory booklet. This is unfortunate, but not a devastating loss. Considering the ease of use Zone Labs has clearly invested in this application, one does not need one. The application includes a brief demo that breaks things down into the basics. Though the program is easy enough to use, there are features, information and certain details that would be nice to have in the form of a working manual. No doubt price points are at stake when it comes to documentation, but one would find it preferable if such information was available in a form other than electronic.
Overlooking these two small complaints, there is really little here to find fault with the application. It performs amazingly well. It even addresses a slight shortcoming that some of the competition in the field have overlooked. While it may be nice to see warning messages that provide detailed information, Zone Alarm offers up accurate and timely information in plain English. For those that are not versed in the details of Internet communication, Zone Alarm offers excellent well phrased warnings that inform you of what is going on with a minimum of highly technical language. There is nothing worse than seeing a warning only to realize you have no idea what a slew of initials may mean. Zone Alarm goes to great lengths to make the process as easy as possible with warnings that do make sense to new and experienced users.
Another area where Zone Alarm “zaps” the competition is in the warning signals when it detects activity. When it makes contacts with an intruder, the program places the IP address and other relevant data online quickly when you wish to see more information concerning an intrusion. There is a detailed map that shows locations, and some very specific information about the source of an intrusion. All in all it is pretty impressive and rather unexpectedly robust.
With a relative small foot print, and placing few demands on your system, Zone Alarm is about as solid in so many areas as a firewall can, or ever, could be.
Firewall protection is a fact of Internet life. In order to cope with new and existing threats to PC security online and off, firewalls are here to stay. If you are totally confused about the process, or new to the Internet, Zone Alarm Pro is one very good starting point. While the application does have an online free version, I do think that investing in a full featured firewall is an excellent idea. Due to the many configurations of computers, such as other applications, suites and so forth, do consider working with a trial version before purchasing. It helps to have a feel for a program, as well as learning if a particular firewall can work with your computer. I have seen perfectly good programs not work on certain systems well do to the combination of virus protection, hardware, software and other factors. So do take a trial spin to see if you would like a particular firewall program and if it can run on your PC at maximum efficiency.
Point for point, Zone Alarm is a stable program. It has in my experience accurately listed online activity erroneously identified by other applications. In terms of performance, it reminds me a great deal of McAfee’s superb Firewall 4. The big difference is that Zone Alarm ships with an excellent ad blocker and cookie management. While Zone Alarm keeps hackers at bay, it can also remove annoying pop up ads. While few applications if any can eliminate all pop ups and banner ads, Zone Alarm manages to eliminate them better than some applications dedicated to this function. Also, and this is becoming more and more the case will all new software, Zone Alarm Pro version 3 does not support Windows 95. While it does support Windows 98, newer applications are not supporting older platforms. So do keep that in mind with Zone Alarm as well as many of the new programs on the market.
If all you need is a firewall and do not mind working with a few technical terms, McAfee’s Firewall 4 is a solid choice. For those new to the Web and in need of extra help and feature sets, Zone Alarm Pro is a true standout.
Supports email scanning for POP3 and iMap4 mail protocols
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