As I sit here at my desk on my third coffee, that comment about renting the firewall keeps echoing for some reason. I’d have to say I have been in this game since 1993 – as a rock bottom network admin handling voice and data mux over PSTN lines (we have come a long way since then! Between then and now, I have watched the wild arc of cybersecurity, from fixing the Slammer worm in 2003 to assisting three large banks upgrade their zero-trust architecture recently. And yes, I’ve just returned from DefCon’s hardware hacking village, feeling all abuzz about what’s next. But here’s the problem — firewalls are still one of the cornerstones of network security, particularly for Indian businesses that are weighing costs, expertise, and actual protection. So, should you rent a firewall? Spoiler: Yes, absolutely. Especially since you have P J Networks and our 24/7 NOC supporting you.
Should you be pulling your hair out then trying to rent a firewall? Is that even legit? — you’re not alone. (In India, however, it’s not the norm at all — most companies prefer to buy hardware outright.) But here’s what I’ve come to understand after decades in this line of work: Firewall rental provides the kind of flexibility businesses really can use.
Think of it as renting a car rather than purchasing a brand new one every couple of years. You get to drive a brand-new model, keep it clean and switch it in if your needs change — all without having to sell an old clunker at a loss.
It’s agile. It’s smart. And for many Indian SMBs and enterprises alike, it’s a gamechanger.
Let me get something out of the way first.
Is renting a firewall secure? Does that mean you’re getting second-rate tech? What about support? Plus — here’s a big one — is it actually cost effective for small-budget Indian businesses?
I’ve heard all the doubts over the last few years.
While the truth is not as simple as it sounds, it is true that rented firewalls are not as secure as personal ones.
It’s the same hardware. Period. We deploy industry leaders like Fortinet – best of breed! The only distinction is who owns it, not how it performs.
We’ll be left on our own to figure this out.
Not with us. P J Networks offers a FREE Network Operations Center (NOC) 24/7! Your problems are solved before they turn into disasters.
Rental is more expensive over the long term.
With maintenance, upgrades, downtime, manpower — it’s often cheaper. Plus, you have known monthly expenses. No surprises.
But other times, practical considerations are less constraining than fear of change, or the unknown. But here’s my hot take (and I’ve been wrong a lot of times, for sure): hanging on to outdated methods may ultimately leave you more exposed than just renting a firewall with experienced support.
Listen, we don’t compromise in cybersecurity. And neither should you, with your rented firewalls.
At P J Networks, we deploy Fortinet devices, the very type of firewalls I’ve watched bear up under a river of attacks at banks and big enterprises. Fortinet has a great name around India — their boxes do DPI, IPS and are regularly updated for the latest threats.
But there’s a hitch: the hardware itself is only as good as the team that built it.
Our engineers have been getting their hands dirty — PSTN voice/data mux — and the newer zero-trust models since the 90s. When the next big security thing does (and it will), you want people who’ve already seen it all.
(Ones that, thanks to real-time monitoring and expertise, are usually containable, like during the Slammer worm incident, when I saw how fast a vulnerability can blow out across the world.)
And unlike a rental box, with our model of a rental FW, you’re not just getting a box, you’re getting our many years of expertise in optimising your FW policies, applying patches and otherwise hardening your network.
If you believe a rented firewall also means you’re on your own when everything goes south, think again.
And remember, with every firewall rental you get in Network Operations Center it s available to you 24/7 FREE! And it’s not just any NOC — a team of cyber pros who are ready to monitor your network, respond to incidents, and guarantee uptime.
Let me tell you a secret about security support in India: a lot of hosting companies say 24/7 support, and then all you get is canned ticket replies, delayed reactions to threats. Not us.
Our NOC is filled with people who eat, sleep, and breathe security — they’re the people who have convinced a large number of Indian banks to rely on us. When we assisted those three banks in their move to zero trust, our NOC continued to monitor uninterrupted throughout the transition. That sort of watchfulness can’t be purchased — it is cultivated.
Not to forget the inbound and outbound logs, threat intelligence feeds, patch management—all handled by us so that your inside IT can forget about fire fighting.
Oh, and yes, it’s FREE with your rental package. No hidden charges.
This is where the calculator comes out.
Let’s be clear: many of these companies grossly miscalculate the cost to them of inadequate security, until it smacks them in the face. Firewalls won’t cure human error or a relaxed policy but a piece of a rental + managed NOC will protect your bottom line from those headaches.
Look, I get it. In India, trust takes time. Traditional buying feels less risky, because you own the gear. But having hardware isn’t the same as having security. And this is where P J Networks really is different.
Our firewall for hire, combined with FREE specialist NOC you get the best of both worlds:
I’ve seen it all, from PSTN mux lines to the frontlines of hardware hacking at DefCon. If there is one thing I’ve learned — security is availability and tech and people working together seamlessly.
If you’re an organization looking to boldly enter the zero-trust, cloud, dynamic threat landscape, you can’t be constrained by firewall budget limitations anymore.
Need some advice? Drop me a line. Right after a quick sip of coffee number four.
— Sanjay Seth, P J Networks Pvt Ltd.