Hi everyone, new to the forum and to enterprise firewalls. I've been looking at the specs for the new XGS 3100 for a small office rollout.
The performance numbers look great, but when I break down the cost per 10GbE port, it seems quite high compared to some other vendors. Am I missing something about the value here? Maybe the bundled security features or the HA setup? Would really appreciate any insights from those who have evaluated it. Thanks in advance
The price per port jumped out at me too. But when I priced out a comparable setup with another vendor, I had to add separate licenses for the advanced threat protection and sandboxing that comes bundled with the XGS. That changed the math.
Did your comparison include those security subscriptions, or just the base hardware?
The hardware cost per port is only one part of a total cost of ownership calculation. You're right to notice it, but the evaluation needs to start with your architectural requirements.
For a small office, the bundled security suite is the primary factor. With other vendors, you're often purchasing separate SKUs for application control, intrusion prevention, and advanced sandboxing. The XGS line includes these in a single subscription, which simplifies licensing but can make the upfront hardware appear more expensive. You should compare the total five-year cost, including all necessary security subscriptions for your compliance needs, not just the initial capex.
Also consider the operational overhead. The unified management platform and the integrated high-availability, which includes stateful sync and link aggregation without extra licenses, can reduce configuration time and complexity. If your team is small, that administrative efficiency has tangible value.