Benefits of Renting a Firewall for your Business

Are you running a business that uses a lot of IT equipment and internet accessibility? Then you definitely need a firewall to avoid any kind of malicious interruptions that may result in data loss and business reputation loss. A company needs to protect itself from unauthorized access. You should possess a network security tool that can scrutinize each and every flow of data packet that is coming in and going out of your business network. You may wonder why to choose a firewall on rent when you have an option of purchasing it, rental is a good option if you are in need of firewall for short period of time and it also helps startups to maximize their profits while getting the best protection.

Your business network security tool should be able to decide whether the flow is safe, malicious or questionable and does it require any inspection. Being the business owner, you cannot sit and go on reviewing every incoming data packet and so here Firewall comes into the picture.

What is a Firewall?

firewallIt’s kind of a shield that prevents your network from unauthorized access to and from other networks.  The Firewall enhances the security of all the devices connected to the network. It monitors network traffic, identifies the suspicious traffic and blocks it. When data is exchanged between any of the devices from your office network and servers in cyberspace, the firewalls examine these packets of data and decide whether it’s safe according to the rules that have been set.

A firewall is the most crucial aspect for protecting your devices from any kind of threats, regardless you are working on a single computer or you have a large enterprise. The modern cyber-attacks are very complex and you cannot just use a simple firewall to eliminate malicious threats and vulnerabilities.

There are much web-based malwares that bypasses perimeter protection if your firewall is not strong enough and it ends up resulting in exploiting your applications. Consider the latest firewall that comes with maximum capabilities and can confront modern-day attacks.

But the question here arises is, do you want to rent or buy a new firewall? Here we will clarify how renting firewalls better than buying a new one.

Less Upfront Investment:

With renting a firewall, you can save the upfront investment which you have to pay while buying a new firewall. The firewall is priced depending on the calculation of “Number of users multiplied by active modules”. As you buy the firewall, you have to pay more as you add more users.

If you are a small-to-medium business or a startup, then renting would be a practical option to you as you will be required to pay the fraction of the cost of a new model.

Upgrade to a Newer Model at Any time:

Technology has a life span and eventually, it becomes obsolete. As your business grows the demand on your network increases, with that you will face a number of vulnerability issues. There are chances that you might have chosen the basic model that might not be able to provide that strong shield to your network anymore.

The most important and advantageous factor of renting a firewall is you can always swap your firewall with the latest technology in the market. Change your firewall with your changing business days by renting firewall and save your money.

No Repair or Replacement Costs:

Many retailers provide the option of free repair and replacement of firewall unit. If you face any issue with the firewall unit or it is not working properly, then these retailers provide repairs or replacement at no extra charges. As you buy a new firewall, you might get these options only if the firewall unit is under warranty period.

Complete Maintenance and Total Support:

From time to time, the user either increases or decreases. The retailers providing firewall on rent will help you to add/remove the user in your Firewall unit. With firewall on rent, you don’t have to worry about the system upgrade as this would be provided for free by the companies you are renting from.  With renting you also don’t have to worry about the support, you will receive complete support from the technical team as you face any firewall issue.

Access Latest High-End Firewalls:

The best part about renting a firewall is you can opt for the firewall of your choice. There are a range of firewalls in the market, and the top 10 are:

  •   Cisco ASA
  •   Barracuda NextGen
  •   Fortinet FortiGate
  •   Sophos UTM
  •   Sophos Cyberoam UTM
  •   Meraki MX
  •   Juniper SRX
  •   pfSense
  •   SonicWall TZ
  •   WatchGuard XTM

It’s your choice, either you can opt for a traditional firewall or next-generation firewall. Traditional firewalls provide basic network and port address translations, packet filtering, supports virtual private network and even provide stateful inspections that are limited to the transport layer and data link layer of the OSI model.

While the next generation firewalls come with integrated intrusion protection system, and intrusion detection systems that help to improve packet-content filtering up to the application layer. You can ask the retailer for rent as per your user accessibility and requirements.

Helpful for Start-ups & SMBs with Budget Issues:

Start-ups and SMB’s usually struggle with the cash flow during their initial years. They need to evaluate and keep the capital investments in check. While you lease firewall, you don’t have to put much upfront cost, but you will be required to provide some security deposit to the retailer. The security deposit would differ as per the product and company policy.

Tax Advantages to the Businesses:

Many people have the misconception that renting won’t provide them with the tax advantage of what they receive after buying a product. It’s not true, lease payments are also considered as business expenses on your tax returns, that further reduces the net cost of your lease.

Test your Applications:

Renting the firewall allows you to test the equipment capability. If it’s not ideal for you, then you can take an upgraded firewall for exchange. You should have the application idea you want in your firewall; this allows the firewall retailers to set the policies as per your user and application requirement.

Continue Renting as Long as You Want:

Renting doesn’t come for a stipulated time period. You can rent the firewall for as much time as you want. But you will be charged an agreed amount as long as you are using the product.

Leases are Easier to Finance than Purchase:

Many of you might not be aware of the fact that leased equipment gets easier financing or loan. There are many formalities you need to follow and provide documents while you buy new equipment. The leased equipment takes less time for getting a loan from any bank.

Conclusion

Leasing Firewall is a decision that is advantageous to your business in many ways.  You can save money with the firewall rental and upgrade easily to the latest product at any time .You don’t have to struggle with the old obsolete systems. Thus, your team would be more productive and less frustrated.  You can manage your budgets well and with time, so you won’t come across any financial risks.