For those traders concerned with Internet connectivity, one possible solution is a Dual WAN router with VPN and Firewall capability.  Such a device offers the following:

1) Redundant Internet connectivity for seemless failover in the case of a provider outage.  Of course, the trader must subscribe to two Internet Service Providers for example (a) DSL: FIOS and b) Cable modem provider: ComCast or Cablevision

2) VPN (Virtual Private Networking) – the ability to connect remotely to an office trader workstation securely over the Internet eliminating the need of a 3rd party Internet site (GoToMyPC) for this service.

3) Firewall — with stateful packet inspection (SPI), a perimeter defense may be configured potentially eliminating the need of installing a client FW on each internal host.   

One such product meeting the above offerings is the NETGEAR PROSAFE DUAL WAN VPN FIREWALL WITH 8-PORT 10/100 SWITCH: http://www.netgear.com/product…..VX538.aspx

Basic Usage: The two Internet links are input to the WAN inputs while the device is able to route and switch traffic to your internal hosts via an 8-port 100Mb/s switch.  Please see the diagram from the above link.  Setup for VPN and Firewall is also needed.

Out-of-pocket cost: $399 retail but better deals exist and the monthly cost of an additional Internet connection.