Cisco Systems is already the biggest name in networking hardware, in particular Internet routers and switches. According to an article in USA Today, they also plan to expand into the home Internet security arena in the near future, leveraging their line of Linksys home routers. Linksys are probably the most popular of home routers, and of wireless home routers in particular.

In the future, more and more homes will have multiple computers and other devices (TiVo’s, Apple TV’s, VoIP phones) connected to the Internet. To handle these multiple connections, as well as to provide wireless connectivity, a router will be needed. It will make sense, in many situations, to add centralized security to the router rather than (or often in addition) to the devices. A good example will be a VoIP phone, where security will be very important but where the current device manufacturers have not really done much in that area and where there’s no easy way to simply “add on” security to the device itself.

Even in the case of a Mac or Windows computer, an extra layer of security in the router certainly wouldn’t hurt, as long as people don’t scale back the security in their machines at all. Current routers, for instance, act as mini-firewalls, but it’s still important that users install and activate personal firewalls in their computers as well.

All in all, Cisco definitely seems to be heading in the right direction with their home security ideas. But what else is new!