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This hardware solution is suitable for both the hardened teleworker or a small office environment. It brings with it not only a stateful inspection firewall, but also the protection of a VPN. For the user logging into an enterprise, MD5 authentication comes into play. This ensures encrypted communications and also foils any attempt to steal the SonicWALL password.

We have looked at solutions that are purely based within the teleworker's domain, but we are also taking the view that some organizations of the larger variety may wish to impose server-based network and system security solutions on their remote users.

In the past we have looked at pcAnywhere, which has been a consistent runner in past telecommuting group tests. This time around Symantec has supplied its Client Security.

CyberGuard has a long and impressive track record in the firewall market, providing solutions from the desktop to those suitable for the high end, such as data centers. The SL2000 is positioned at the high end and, while certainly not the cheapest firewall in this Group Test, is worth every penny.

In this review we are not so concerned with remote access as such, but more with the security and ease of use for the teleworker; a growing breed of employee. But this still means a high level of control and security.

Putting a firewall in the home office should be a natural thing to do. After all, you are not only protecting your user but also the data that they will be working on, and probably holding, on their machine. This security is just as important as the security in the main office, as liability on data and business-critical information could otherwise be breached with ease. This is where a small but powerful appliance from a developer with experience in both the enterprise and SOHO markets is going to come in very handy.

Either as a closed environment or as a service, Endeavors Technology's Magi Enterprise is a peer-to-peer security solution ideal for end users who have little or no experience with installing security solutions, but who are charged with telecommuting on a regular basis. From the administrator's viewpoint, removing any end-user problems can make the whole job of securing the data flow far easier.

This solution is again reliant on enterprise management, but for the teleworker who requires a standalone solution BlackICE PC Protection is still available. RealSecure Desktop Protector (formally known as BlackICE Agent for Workstations) is the enterprise version.

We looked at version 3.0 of this product in the virtual private network Group Test last year, and it is good to see it being evaluated as a firewall this time around. Astaro might not be a familiar name to most people, but it deserves to be if it continues to produce products such as this.

Swedish company Ingate may be a relatively new name in the firewall market, but its products have been getting an extremely positive reaction. The Ingate 1400 appliance is its solution for the medium-sized business; it is a black, 1U rack-mounted appliance, with four Ethernet ports, a COM port and a simple LED display.

Back in the world of software, we have Microsoft's entry in the firewall market. Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server) is a fully-featured firewall with a number of bells and whistles that add considerable functionality and security.

Old hand BorderWare has decided to focus on one particular area of network security - email. Whereas most companies are happy enough to bundle email in with the rest of its internet traffic and allow the firewall to handle all of it, BorderWare's MXtreme MX-200 appliance specifically focuses on the problems of email traffic.

SonicWALL is another well-known name in the firewall arena, offering a range of products suitable for anything from the home user to the high-end of the market.

Stonesoft produced its own firewall a few years ago and has shown that it really understands the high end of the market.

The EdgeForce firewall with Performance Module 1 enabled incorporates a flexible demilitarised zone (DMZ) via a third port. This gives the ability to host public servers (email, FTP and web) from behind the firewall, and with this feature, non-authenticated access to servers behind the firewall can be granted, yet the private network itself is still completely shielded from the internet.

Symantec is a very old name in the security business, but it is not going to rest on its laurels. Its software-based Enterprise Firewall with VPN has had yet another upgrade since the last time we looked at it, and it offers quite a few new features to what was already a very powerful application. The application is also available pre-loaded on one of Symantec's distinctive bright yellow appliances if you prefer.

At the small or home office end of the market we have the ZyWall 100 Internet Security Gateway. When we looked at the ZyWall 50 appliance in the VPN Group Test last year, we had a few concerns, such as build quality. This issue has clearly been addressed, since the ZyWall 100 is a robust yet compact device with a simple and attractive design.

Clavister is a fairly new name in the security market, but its high-end firewall appliances are impressive enough to ensure that will not be the case for long.

Blade has made quite a name for itself over the last year or so with the development of its Blade IDS Informer application, which monitors the performance of your intrusion detection system and ensures that it is running to the best of its abilities. The company has now extended this with the release of Firewall Informer, which performs a similar function for your corporate firewall.

This product concentrates on hard disk data encryption. However , it does include a VPN client integration for IPCrytor VPN gateways, which is a remote access solution. Encryption may be in relation to your own local hard drive, or a specific directory or folder on the corporate LAN.