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Appliance vs. Software
Why should you choose an Appliance vs Software security solution?
A server appliance is a specialized network-based hardware device that is designed to perform a specialized set of security functions.
It comes as a complete solution that works readily out of the box and has an easy-to-use web interface.
“Easy Installation”
The Benefits of Using Appliance
· Centralized point-and-click GUI administration.
· High reliability that works out of the box.
· Up and running in 10 minutes.
· Minimal IT skills required from user.
· Plug-and-play.
· Network-ready.
· Can be installed by non-technical staff.
· Operating system and application software is pre-loaded and configured.
Disadvantages of Using Software
· Difficult to install.
· Requires advanced IT skills.
· Can require third party libraries, newer operating system version, and newer service packs in order to work.
· Requires installation of the operating system on the servers.
· Requires installation of the web server and database server.
· Requires installation of the vendor's software-based solution.
“Easy to Use”
Benefits of Using Appliance
· OS-independent interface.
· Easy configuration wizards.
· Web interface access for spam quarantine users.
Disadvantages of Using Software
· Can be difficult to maintain.
· Requires interact with other software.
“More Capabilities”
Benefits of Using Appliance
· Designed to work on the hardware it comes with.
· Compatible with most software platforms.
· OS-independent interface.
Disadvantages of Using Software
· Frequent inter-operability problems between software and hardware
· Requires a special software version for your specific OS.
“Maintenance Costs”
Benefits of Using Appliance
· Updates itself automatically with no user intervention.
Disadvantages of Using Software
· Software updates can cause incapability issues with other software on the system.
· Requires updating the server OS with the latest patches, as well as the monitoring and identification of all patches
“Total Cost of Ownership”
Benefits of Using Appliance
· Therefor, the appliance has a lower cost of ownership since everything is included in one unit and there is no per-user license.
· There is low support cost. There is only one vendor to contact.
Disadvantages of Using Software
· With the software you have to pay PER USER.
· Costly IT support is required. Multiple vendors must be contacted in case of problems.
“Stability”
Benefits of Using Appliance
· Stable OS guarantees less downtime.
· The appliance hardware is designed for the use.
· High reliability.
Disadvantages of Using Software
· Third party software can crash the system because the hardware is not tested with the specific software.
· Multiple applications from many different vendors.
· Poor reliability.
· Frequent service outages.
“License”
Benefits of Using Appliance
· Workstations pay no licensing fees for Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus, and Anti-Spam services.
· No Licenses.
· You can add computers to the network for NO additional cost.
Disadvantages of Using Software
· Each workstation usually must be licensed for each application loaded.
· Adding more computers to the network usually increases the cost of the server.
“Performance”
Benefits of Using Appliance
· Great and quick performance.
· Server appliance software is configured to work well with the hardware provided, since it comes from the same vendor.
Software Disadvantages
· Less quality of performance.
· Properly designed server appliances out-perform traditional file servers with similar memory and processors, at a much lower initial cost.
