Tag: smb firewalls

Best Small Business Firewall: A look at the top contenders for best SMB firewalls

By Andrew Harmon

Posted On October 11, 2017

Best Small Business Firewall: A look at the top contenders for best SMB firewalls
firewalls next-gen firewalls small business firewalls smb firewalls SonicWALL sonicwall tz400 Sophos sophos xg105 watchguard watchguard t50

Best Small Business Firewall, a coveted title that manufacturers are gunning to claim and users are clamoring to find the answer to. Understandably, we all want to make sure we’re getting the best of the best when it comes time to whip out the corporate card. However, this question is not as black-and-white as it is appears. Many factors play into determining the quality of a firewall and, when it comes to small businesses especially, the answer is often more dependent on the needs of the business than the hard specs of the appliance. Recently we posted a handy guide to help you choose the best small business firewall, but searchers want more specific answers.

If you came here looking for the be-all, end-all answer, the cyber security mic drop, or even a top 10 list, you won’t find it here. And chances are, if you find it somewhere else, they’re just trying to sell you something.

“Wait, isn’t Firewalls.com trying to sell me something?”

Yes.

Peace of mind.

But no, seriously, we have some insight to share here.

So in the interest of conflict of interest, today’s post will showcase three of the best-selling and most sought-after small business firewalls. Is any one of them the best small business firewall? Hard to say. But we can guarantee that these three appliances are popular, get great reviews, and are repeatedly merited as the most cost-effective, comprehensive solutions to common network security issues.

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sonicwall tz400 firewall is great smb small business firewall with secure remote access and vpn tunnels

SonicWall TZ400

Greatest Strength: The TZ400 is a great option for small to medium-sized businesses that require secure remote access between multiple offices. Site-to-site VPN tunnels can accommodate 20 users per connection and perform well with Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), SSL, and SonicWall’s patented Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection (RFDPI).

Perfect For: The small business that needs to operate at higher-than-average speeds, especially over long distances.

Recommended Users: 25-35 Users

Maximum Throughput: 1.3 Gbps

Form Factor: Desktop

Price: Appliance-Only MSRP: $945.00; Firewalls.com price: $709.00 

Learn more about the SonicWall TZ400

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sophos xg 105 firewall provides throughput that outweighs its cost

Sophos XG105

Greatest Strength: Looking for on-box reporting and high speeds? The price-to-performance ratio for this XG105 is astounding. Able to accommodate up to 20 users and reach speeds of 3 Gigabytes per second, the XG105 also delights with its modest price point.

Perfect For: Businesses looking to expand a network to match their growing performance needs. The XG105 is an extremely cost-effective way to turn your average office into a robust, high-speed network.

Recommended Users: 10-20 Users

Maximum Throughput: 3 Gbps

Price: Appliance-Only MSRP: $440.00; Firewalls.com price: $396.00

Learn more about the Sophos XG105

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watchguard firebox t50 with dimension is great for cyber security reporting tools and ease of use

WatchGuard T50

Greatest Strength: The WatchGuard T-series is easy to use for beginners but has the depth of reporting that veteran sys admins crave. WatchGuard excels at visualizing data and makes actively monitoring your network a breeze. WatchGuard Dimension is out here winning awards as a reporting tool!

Perfect For: System administrators and network architects that like to take a hands-on approach to cyber security. We don’t get to say this in the info sec industry often, but you’ll have a lot of fun with this hardware.

Recommended Users: 10 – 25 Users

Maximum Throughput: 1.2 Gpbs

Form Factor: Rack Mount

Price: Appliance-Only MSRP: $2,000.00, Firewalls.com price: $1,520.00

Learn more about the WatchGuard T50

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So, what is the best small business firewall? The debate rages on.

What is the best firewall for your small business? That answer is a bit easier to parse out. Firewalls.com can work with you to ensure that you choose the best appliance to fit the unique needs and demands of your small business. You worked your fingers to the bone building an organization, a brand, and a network that is solely, undeniably yours. You deserve a solution that is solely, undeniably yours.

Small Business Firewalls: Choosing the right firewall for your needs

By Andrew Harmon

Posted On September 26, 2017

Small Business Firewalls: Choosing the right firewall for your needs
business class firewall cyber security firewall brands Firewall configuration firewalls physical firewall small business firewall SMB smb firewalls virtual firewall

Small business firewalls come in a variety of brands, sizes, and options. The firewall is the heart of your cyber security infrastructure, so choosing the right appliance to fit your small business will be a task requiring both insight and foresight. Below, you will find a handful of things that we believe all owners should consider before investing in small business firewalls.

Software vs Hardware

There exist two distinct types of firewalls: software and hardware. While virtual software-based firewalls are great at protecting individual users, they become costly and over-complicated when several users are trying to operate on one network. In this case, a hardware solution is better suited to the job. A single firewall appliance extends protection to all users on a network.

If your organization consists of just a few users, software firewalls could be a workable option. However, if your organization is made up of more than 3 or 4 users, a hardware appliance is an obvious improvement over their software counterparts.

Ease of Use

If you’re running a small business, chances are your payroll may not comfortably accommodate a full-time system administrator role. With other job roles and departments vying for bigger budgets and more attention, an info sec department that requires minimal upkeep is a godsend. Therefore, ease-of-use should play a key role in your decision when purchasing a firewall.

Firewall manufacturers are racing to accommodate the needs of small business owners who can’t dedicate entire workdays to studying the nuances of cyber security. This is accomplished by providing intuitive user interfaces, visualized reporting, and straight-forward alert systems.

Scalable

The ultimate goal of the small business is to grow. Success means more employees. Success means more complicated procedures and systems. Success means bigger networks, more data, and more numerous attack surfaces. Watchguard’s Extensible Threat Manage (XTM)  is touted under the motto “future proof” because it was designed specifically to scale to changing needs.

Firewalls.com recommends hardware that is advertised to accommodate twice the number of users that currently inhabit your network. Not only does the extra strength ensure you’ll never run into performance issues, but it leaves you some breathing room for when your organization grows.

Versatility

Along similar lines to scalability, small business owners should consider how susceptible a firewall is to change. Small businesses have the unique ability to test several different programs and applications before deciding which ones best fit their goals. The software and web applications that you’re working with today may not be the same applications that your business utilizes next year.

If small business firewalls are going to survive the long haul, consider how the firewall interacts with the other hardware and software. Small businesses should never find themselves in a situation where their decision-making options dependent on whether their firewall can accommodate the changes or not. Look for appliances that are versatile, adaptable, and can play well with others.

The Sophos Intercept X endpoint protection was built to run alongside any other Anti-Virus clients in use.

TRY A FREE 30-DAY TRIAL OF INTERCEPT X

Configuration

Bad news. Your buyers’ journey is not over when you click “Confirm Order.” Save that sigh of relief until your firewall has been unboxed, configured, and deployed.

Properly securing your network requires that the settings of your firewall appliance reflect the needs, strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots in your network. Just as every small business operates in their own unique way, their firewall should be customized to fit those needs.

Firewalls.com recommends that small business owners take advantage of our Configuration Service, built on a proprietary 100-step configuration methodology that ensures your firewall is tailor-made to suit your network.

CHECK OUT OUR CONFIGURATION SERVICE OPTIONS

Managed Service

As mentioned earlier, small businesses may not always have a large budget set aside for hiring in-house sys admin. Luckily, there is no shortage of third parties available to do the legwork for you. Firewalls.com offers both Managed Services and Firewall-as-a-Service bundles. The gist of it: you plug your small business firewalls in and we handle it from there. If there’s a problem with your network, we alert you and fix it. Then, you go back to your workday. Next time someone asks you about your business’s network security, you can scoff and brag “Oh, I have people for that.”

CHECK OUT OUR MANAGED SERVICE OPTIONS