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Sistro Networks
Sistro Networks

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Firewall TCO: Why Hardware Price Is the Wrong Comparison

Two firewall quotes can look very different on day one.

But the real comparison begins after deployment.

A useful five-year model should include:

hardware
security subscriptions
renewals
support
engineering time
monitoring
upgrades
replacement caused by growth

For example:

TCO = Hardware + Licensing + Support + Operations + Growth

This also exposes an important distinction:

Licensing and support are not the same thing.

A platform may not require a recurring license for its core firewall functionality and still require proper maintenance, monitoring and technical support.

Conversely, a subscription-based firewall may deliver cloud security services that fully justify the recurring cost.

There is no universally better model.

The objective is to compare equivalent capabilities over the same three or five-year horizon.

Business-side Spanish analysis:

https://sistro.net/firewall-sin-licencia-vs-suscripcion-costo-total

Tags: cybersecurity, networking, infrastructure, security

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