Re: Seeking advise on Symantec Gateway Security 5400 series

[barcajax () gmail com]

There are a few main considerations when discussing an all-in-one box.
1) Performance issues - You have a single unit doing "everything".
2) Protection - The box provides multiple security technologies so if the box goes down, you're vulnerable.
3) Offers value for $ for small or medium enterprises but if your company is large and has budget, go for best-of-breed 
technologies for each need (FW, IDS, IPS, AV, etc)
4) Compromise - If the box is compromised, all the security protection it offers your organisation will be affected.
Common Criteria (CC) is not entirely useful. It shows that the vendor made a commitment to demonstrate that their 
product is secure and certified but the thing about CC is that vendors can choose which specific components they want 
to certify. M$ Windows is CC certified but has their product secure? CC is something most government agencies ask for 
to limit the list of potential products to choose from.