The Ultimate WatchGuard Firewall Buyers Guide

FINDING YOUR NEXT WATCHGUARD FIREWALL

Recommended User Counts &#; The most important consideration when buying a WatchGuard next-gen firewall is the number of users your network must support. User counts means more than just the number of employees in your organization. A user is defined as any desktop, laptop, printer, , tablet, or other Internet-connected device operating on your organization&#;s network.

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For optimal security, get an accurate count of every user in your system. Firewalls.com recommends leaving extra room for additional users in case your business grows or if you need to accommodate guest users. This also ensures there&#;s plenty of bandwidth for resource-heavy applications.

Throughput Speeds &#; A firewall&#;s throughput is a measure of the volume of Internet traffic that can pass through the firewall at any one time, based on the processing power of the hardware. Throughput is measured in Mbps (megabits per second) & Gbps (gigabits per second). WatchGuard datasheets list a variety of throughput statistics based on the types of security services, traffic, & protocols that the firewall is handling.

Max Firewall Throughput &#; Max Firewall Throughput is the highest throughput statistic you will see on any datasheet because it denotes the maximum possible processing speed of the hardware when no additional services are deployed. This is the &#;out of the box&#; speed &, for most usage cases, does not reflect how a firewall will perform in a real-world scenario.

SSL VPN Throughput &#; Secure Socket Layer (SSL) & Virtual Private Networks (VPN) refer to communication protocols that govern how information is encrypted & transmitted between a source & its destination. Utilizing SSL VPN tunnels is the most secure means for remote workers, outposts, & branch offices to access resources from the primary database. Because a VPN is a private connection, throughput speeds are dependent on the kinds of data being transferred as well as the performance potential of the gateway encrypting & decrypting the traffic that passes through it.

IMIX Throughput &#; IMIX, or Internet Mix, refers to simulated traffic passing through a firewall to emulate how the hardware would perform in a real-world environment. IMIX throughputs represent the performance a firewall was able to achieve while handling a variety of packet sizes & traffic patterns. Internet Mix profiles are based on real-world samples captured by a selection of Internet routers & security sensors. This statistic will closely reflect the actual performance you can expect on your network.

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Business data is most secure when utilizing advanced scanning functions like Deep Packet Inspection & dedicated secure VPN tunnels. Shopping for firewalls based on Full DPI Throughput & SSL VPN Throughput guarantees your organization has plenty of performance potential to accommodate advanced services. When in doubt, assume your network will perform at 50%-70% of the throughput speeds listed on datasheets, leaving ample space for your network to grow.

Site-to-Site VPN Tunnels &#; Site-to-site VPN tunnels allow fixed-location Local Area Networks (LANs) to extend secure conduits to the main office intranet. DPI-SSL is included standard with any current generation WatchGuard firewall. WatchGuard datasheets outline the maximum number of tunnels that a firewall can accept from remote LANs. These system specification tables will also include the max number of IPSec VPN clients supported.

Form Factor &#; The form factor of an appliance is the size & shape of the hardware. Most firewalls will have either a desktop form factor or rackmount form factor. Desktop form factor indicates that the firewall is a compact appliance, small enough to comfortably sit atop a desktop, while rackmount form factor specifies that the appliance was designed to be secured in a standard 19-inch server rack. Rackmount-sized appliances will sometimes indicate how many rack units (RU) the device occupies.

Wireless Support &#; Some organizations prefer wireless firewall solutions in lieu of appliances that must be connected via Cat5E/Cat6 cabling. Wired networking solutions are generally considered more reliable & more stable, especially because signals are not influenced or impeding by other connections. Wired appliances are generally much faster with data transfer speeds constantly improving thanks to the introduction of Gigabit interfaces. Wireless solutions such as WatchGuard wireless firewalls, however, do carry the benefit of additional mobility & flexibility of deployment, being able to reach any location without the limitations of physical cables. Wireless environments can also be installed more easily as they require less equipment & planning.

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Before making your cybersecurity investment, take stock of all the physical attributes of your facilities. Are building materials conducive or unfavorable to wireless signal transmission? Are power outlets plentiful & easy to reach? Are there certain areas that should be off-limits for Internet connectivity? Physical security should be an important concern when laying out your network & may impact the final hardware details you select.

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