Advantages of IDS
An IDS provides visibility by allowing a very elaborate way of the activities going on in your network. It tracks malicious intrusions in an in-depth manner
An IDS provides sufficient security to your network by adding a layer of defense to your security profile; this is very important as it provides strong security measures.
Disadvantages of IDS
An IDS relies heavily on routine maintenance; this means that when it is installed, it will use up a lot of resources and manpower to maintain it. Furthermore, it does not replace a firewall, virus scan, or any other important security measure.
IDSs are known to set off false alarm when nothing is wrong. Although they can be configured to minimize the number of false positives it a huge challenge to do so.
Advantages of IPS
An IPS is almost flawless when it comes to providing up to date security, they are able to function on their own, for instance, they have the ability to guard against threats without involving the system administrator.
IPS is a relatively new technology with enhanced capabilities to ensure maximum security and faster response time.
Disadvantages of IPS
Just like IDS, IPS is also notorious with the detection of a false positive or a false negative, this simply implies that the system may block a legal activity on the network because it assumes it is malicious, leading to denial of service to a legit user, operating on the network on the other hand, in the case of a false negative, it may allowing a malicious activity to take place.
In a case where an IPS is not tuned correctly, it could deny legitimate traffic, this makes them not suitable for all applications.
I would select IPS over IDS system for my organizations, this is because, looking at IPS, although it may be similar to an IDS In many ways, an IPS is able to prevent and report potential threats. Not to mention their outstanding capability in monitoring, logging and reporting activities, what is more is that they are capable of stopping threats without the system administrator getting involved.
Advantages of software firewalls:
They are cheaper compared to hardware firewalls.
They are ideal for personal or home use since they are very easy to configure and set up.
Disadvantages of software firewalls:
They tend to consume a lot of system resources
They are hard to get rid of making them unsuitable in situations where response times are critical.
Advantages of hardware firewall.
Unlike software firewalls, hardware firewalls made to respond faster so that it is able to handle more traffic loads.
Hardware firewall offers better security since most of them have their own operating system making them less prone to threats and attacks. This means a reduction in security risk.
Disadvantage of hardware firewalls:
Hardware firewalls are more expensive than software firewall.
Hardware firewalls are difficult to configure, install or even upgrade since they involve a lot of wiring, they also take up a lot of physical space.
I do not think any office or home network is totally secure from hackers or any other external threats in any case. Many home network users are average people who are not even aware of whether their network is secure or not. This means that each time they log into their emails of other private account online they are exposing themselves to a lot of danger. Is the home or office network is not secured anyone could hack into the network, get the users personal details and use it to perform illegal activities such as impersonation.