Firewall Wizards mailing list archives
Re: Opinions wanted...
From: Chris Blask <chris () blask org>
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 06:54:30 -0800 (PST)
Hey Kurt! --- Kurt Buff <kurt.buff () gmail com> wrote:
All,
I've been working with Watchguards at my current employer
for quite a while, but we're looking to replace them.
We've received a recommendation from one firm for
Sidewinders (a 410 and a couple of 110s for the branch offices).
We've received a recommendation against the Sidewinders
from another firm saying that they are too complex to manage easily, and require extensive training to understand - they recommend Checkpoint instead. The real answer is "whatever work for you is best", but I'll toss my opinions on the plate for what they are worth. Keep in mind that I don't actually manage any of these things, so others on the list will have more tactical thoughts than I do. o Sidewinder has arguably the "best security" if you can figure it out. It's a true security geek's firewall, application proxies and roots deep in US gov't use. Still popular afaik among military types and hard-core technical users. o Checkpoint can also be as complicated as you like, but by nature a simpler firewall with a much larger user base and more intended for the Great Unwashed. While I spent a decade being their #1 competitor, I have always said that anyone would be fine choosing them if they wanted to. o If you want something reliable and hard to screw up I'd recommend PIX (call it ASA if you like), functionally much like WG and with all the advantages of being supported by The Borg. Your employers are much more likely to find a replacement for you who knows Cisco inside out than someone who knows Sidewinder, and marginally more so than CP (whether you find that to be good or bad is your call...). I'm rife with biases here, so take it for what it is worth. -cheers! -chris
Neither seems to be completely out of our price range, so
it would seem to come down to concerns regarding initial implementation and ongoing management.
Are the Sidewinders that much more complex than
Checkpoints?
Is one "better" (for whatever that might mean to you)
than the other - that is, if you have experience with both, which would you prefer, and why?
I, of course, am excited to be learning a new platform,
and want to move away from some of the quirkiness of the ancient Fireboxes we have, but want to make a reasonable recommendation to management.
Thanks,
Kurt
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Current thread:
- Opinions wanted... Kurt Buff (Nov 23)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Timothy Shea (Nov 23)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Dave Piscitello (Nov 23)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Kurt Buff (Nov 25)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Kurt Buff (Nov 25)
- Re: Opinions wanted... dlang (Nov 25)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Dave Piscitello (Nov 23)
- Re: Opinions wanted... ArkanoiD (Nov 25)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Kurt Buff (Nov 25)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Chris Blask (Nov 25)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Cat Okita (Nov 25)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Kurt Buff (Nov 25)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Opinions wanted... dlang (Nov 26)
- Re: Opinions wanted... Timothy Shea (Nov 23)