A method and system are described for creating and maintaining a firewall subscription
service. A firewall is established within the firewall service. Customers are permitted
to subscribe to the firewall subscription service. Each subscriber is an independent,
paying party. A subscriber may subscribe to protect one or more computer systems.
The firewall offers a particular level of security to a subscriber's computer systems
when the subscriber's computer systems are communicating with an external network.
All communications transmitted to any of the subscriber's computer systems utilizing
the external network are received first by the firewall. The firewall is utilized
to protect the subscriber's computer systems when the subscriber's computer systems
receive communications transmitted utilizing the external network.