Cisco firewall vs. Linksys firewall

gifty7474 · ‎09-20-2004

Hello all. Pretty new to the IT field. Our company has a Cicso firewall that was recently damaged by a power outage. My question is, how much different is the Cisco firewall as compared to one of the higher end Linksys models you can buy at Best Buy? We are a smaller company with probably 50 users on the network. I'm wondering how much worse off we'd be as far as security with a much much lower end piece of equipment. The price difference, $4000 vs. $80, is also a factor. Please, give me your opinions. Thanks.

shaun.oliver · ‎09-20-2004

They're totally different classes of equipment. I'd consider using a Linksys model for a home network, but for business I'd always go with a PIX.

If cost is a problem, consider a smaller model like a 506E. If you really need to squeeze the budget, even a 501 would be better than the Linksys.

jeff.bankston · ‎09-21-2004

There's no comparison - they're two worlds apart. While the SOHO devices have improved, true enough, they're still not nearly as capable of stateful packet inspection, vpn support, advanced NAT functions, and other such useful tools as the PIX and Cisco IOS-based tools are.

From a security perspective, I would rate them (in increasing order) the SOHO, then Cisco IOS, then the PIX.

My two cents based on years of use.

-Jeff

gifty7474 · ‎09-21-2004

Thanks for the replies. I just wasn't sure because the model I'm looking at has SPI and DOS protection, along with VPN support. These are not just "broadband/cable routers", these are specified by Linksys and Netgear to be firewalls, and cost more than the standard broadband routers for home use. When you guys say worlds apart, so there can be different levels of SPI and DOS, or do they just have it or don't have it? Do you think its an issue for a company of our size? Anyone have a PIX for sale :)? Thanks again guys for all your opinions.

joneschw1 · ‎09-21-2004

You also want to look at throughput. Those sohos say that they can handle 50users, but it will be garbage if you have any sort of a rule base, webserver, etc. If you are really worried about cost, you could go with a PIX501 w/ a 50user license (they also sell the 501 w/ 10 user licenses and unlimited). Overall, I definitely think it is an issue for a company of your size. Think how many times you have to hard reboot that box of yours at home. That probably wouldn't fly in your office.

New Cost: Pix 501 50 user about $600ish 10 user is about $450ish

You can find the 10user ones on ebay for about $200-300. The 50 user ones are a little more.

joneschw1 · ‎09-21-2004

Hey just thought of something else...You said your pix got damaged by the power outage? Did you have a smart net contract on it? If so, you could get it replaced for free.