Available in a wide range of models, Cisco ASA can be deployed as a physical or virtual appliance. They can even scan ssl connections since it works as a middle man.Cisco ASA firewalls deliver enterprise-class firewall functionality with highly scalable and flexible VPN capabilities to meet diverse needs, from small/branch offices to high performance data centers and service providers.
The biggest benefit of fortigate is all their capabilities. But she can get you pricing so it matches the lower end units and then you can go with whatever vendor you want. Do NOT go any smaller than the 60C otherwise you will regret it. Since you are looking at the 5505 size I would suggest you get a 60C. Like I said, I partner with them so if you need some guidance let me know and I'll get you in touch with my contact with them so they can help you out. If you are talking about spending $800 and you need filtering then yeah it may be a better option for you to go Fortigate. The user issue won't matter in Texas or the Datacenter but definitely could here as everyone has a laptop, most have tablets and phones on wireless too. I was looking at doing a combination of pfSense and Untangle, but again that might be a problem for the next guy. I know everyone uses the cliche that budget is an issue, but it truly is here.
In fact, the datacenter and the main office both have full racks so I could even go with a refurbished 1u Proliant or Poweredge for about $300 and keep a few spare drives and fans around just in case. Overkill, I know, but if I can do everything for all three locations for about $2300, then any other solution that costs much more must be very advantageous to justify the cost. I can build a pfSense device for around $500 with an Intel Atom D525 Dual core and 4GB ram or for $750 I can get a Xeon- 1200 and 8GB. Filtering is not a huge issue, and I am not sure if we need more that what we could get through OpenDNS, but it would be nice. Just purely going after the recommendations I've read here. I'm sure for many this will be classed as TL:DR but as always, your advice and support is GREATLY appreciated! So how difficult will it be for me to set this up without having experience with the Cisco CLI? Most of my experience has been with Watchguard, some Sonicwall, and pfSense, and mostly through web interfaces.
Or if that bundle is exactly what I need. But I can't find anything on support pricing or pricing for the websense filtering. NewEgg has the 50 user bundle with a 5505 for $480. Where I am confused on is exactly what I need to buy to do this. What I am going to need are three of the ASA 5505's, a site-to-site vpn between all three locations, and vpn client access for about 5 people. I'm not sure though so I am hoping for your input. The only thing I can't track is what the current throughput needs are but I can't imagine this device won't handle. This device seems to support all the needs we have. I have been reading throughout the community and see a ton of recommendations for the Cisco ASA 5505. The only other item in Texas of consequence is that they have a few VOIP lines which connect over the VPN back to the office here. The Texas office has about 5 people in and out most days but could have as many as 20 if they are all meeting together which happens about 2-4 times a month. In the Nashville office, there is mostly project management access our LOB app, some CAD users, and a few misc support staff. We have our own line of business application that will be hosted at the datacenter running on IIS 7. I need to put in a firewall/router there, one at the main office in Nashville (supporting about 25 people), and one in a satellite office in Texas. One of the companies I am working for is moving their servers into a local datacenter. I know that pfSense will do everything I need, but I also know that I may not be at this job long term and don't want to leave the next guy with something he won't be able to either handle himself or hire local support. However, I know that not every thing is good for every situation, so I am seeking some assistance. I would like to start by pointing out, for anyone who has seen my previous posts in this category, that I am a big proponent of pfSense and it is my platform of choice.