With a hardware Firewall in place, there will be less questionable incoming traffic for software Firewall to analyze, thus fewer excuses for it to bother you with a request for a decision. And therefore fewer chances for you to give a dangerous answer.

This improvement in usability is not a minor matter. The difference can be so pronounced that people who install a hardware Firewall after having a software type in place for a while, begin to wonder if latter is still working, so reduced are “alarms” they have to respond to.

Another reason for using both hardware and software Firewalls is that software is … well, software. And software, any software, can be compromised. On other hand hardware Firewall, with very few exceptions, can only be “got at” physically – a baddie has to have hands-on access to Firewall to do anything nefarious with it.

Finally, both software and hardware can fail for any number of reasons. If a good software firewall encounters a problem it should be designed to fall back to some sort of safe mode, blocking all Internet traffic until problem is dealt with.

But if something should occur that forced software Firewall to shut down or that prevents it from loading at all (something many Trojans attempt to do), it is no longer an impediment to unauthorized data. You could well be vulnerable to attack and remain blissfully unaware of fact. On other hand, if hardware Firewall fails it will do so in such a way that access to and from Internet is cut off altogether. The hardware Firewall, by its very nature, can only fail on side of complete safety. If it's "not there", neither is Internet connection.

Well … does that make software Firewall too much trouble? No way !!! A good software Firewall that does its job properly is positively invaluable for its management of outgoing connections, which is where one of biggest threats to your security lies. A very, very strong case can be made for having both types in place. I do, as do most professionals with an understanding of, and a respect for, data security.

At very least you should install a good software Firewall on each PC for which you are responsible. A consistent Editor's Choice selection, probably most-recommended by IT professionals, and my personal choice is ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs. There are both free and PRO versions, with various licensing options. Even if you are eligible to use free version I do encourage you to at least give PRO serious consideration and look at extra features you get over free version. http://HackersNightmare.com?res=ZoneAlarmPRO

There is no space here to discuss hardware firewall recommendations, as most suitable type will depend on a number of factors. Seek advice from a reputable computer dealer or consult a more detailed resource such as my book "The Hacker’s Nightmare".

If this newsletter has been passed on to you by a friend, please subscribe to it yourself so you can be sure of receiving next part in this series, when I'll show you how to keep your sensitive electronic correspondence completely confidential, even if someone does manage to intercept your eMail.

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(How might cultures of some organizations start to be changed for better if, for instance, its executives gave small-unit leaders parking perks, while they, executives, took their chances in main lot?)

Top leaders who demonstrate commitment to their small-unit leaders will have committed small-unit leaders.

Without top-down commitment, effective small-unit leadership will not flourish through whole business but instead in relatively ineffective, scattered islands.

But top-level commitment, though necessary, is not sufficient. A passion for small-unit leadership should soak entire culture of organization. Everybody must catch spirit of and contribute to maintaining a culture of small-unit leadership excellence.

The word culture comes from Latin root meaning "to cultivate." To grow small-unit leaders, everybody in organization must cultivate them. Spot them early. Bring mentors into their lives. Set their expectations high, not only for themselves but for their colleagues and leaders above them. Encourage them to develop leadership in others.

A successful executive told me that his career was changed by a small-unit leader. At one time, executive was a high school dropout working on assembly line.

"During breaks," he said, "I always had people gathered around me. I had this knack of getting them interested in what I had to say. One day, my supervisor told me something that changed my life. He said, 'I've been watching you with people, and you're a natural leader. With more education, you could go far.'"

The executive said, "Until then, I had never looked at myself as a leader. Suddenly, I had a vision in life. I was something I didn't know I was: a leader. I finished high school, went to college, and came back here.

"That supervisor 's passion for leadership defined my career.. He was always spotting potential leaders and helping them become leaders. His teams consistently racked up numbers because of his leadership. He had me understand that his level of leadership is tremendously important in our company."

Finally, business that is serious about small-unit leadership must systematically develop them through well-thought-out, comprehensive training programs.

In coming New Age of Small-Unit Leadership, leadership development people will have extremely important roles to play. They will be seen as some of most important leaders in organization, since their interaction with small-unit leaders will be contributing directly to top-line growth, to having people get job done where ever generals place their pins in map.

============================= 2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved. ============================= The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and has worked with thousands of leaders worldwide during past 20 years helping them achieve sizable increases in hard, measured results. Sign up for his free leadership ezine and get a free guide, "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at www.actionleadership.com