As I have lamented here previously, we had a Juniper SSG-140 for our Firewall at the office. This wasn’t even remotely close to my choice for the firewall, as personally I would have enjoyed installing a Calyptix AE3000, but the person that was being groomed to be the Network Admin was adamant about getting the Juniper equipment. Multple problems stem from this, as he had never personally worked with their equipment, but was going on recommendations from friends.

It took the consulting company that was tasked with the install almost two weeks to get it installed and working properly. That fact alone was a waste of a lot of the retainer we had with that company. Secondly, the box didn’t fit all the criteria we had initially put forth in what we were looking for in a firewall. The biggest of which was a actual reporting engine that would give us insight into what type of usage we were having with our internet connection.

The third problem was that the person that recommended this product also put in his two weeks’ notice the day the box was delivered. So not only was I left to handle the administration of a box that I didn’t like, but that also didn’t fit the requirements we were looking for. So one of the first tasks I engaged in when I started was to attempt to get a replacement firewall.

Thankfully we had purchased the firewall through CDW. Even though we were well outside the initial 30 day return window, I was able to get them to agree to an exchange. After some talk with our Security specialist at CDW, we determined that we could get ourselves a Sonicwall 3060 PRO, with the full Comprehensive Gateway package for hardly any more than we paid for our Juniper. This just goes to show how persistence and working hard with your vendors can get you exactly what you need on your terms.

Originally we spent about $2700 on the Juniper with 1 year of support. In order to add all the functionality we needed (sans reporting) would have cost us another $1400 for that year, plus $85 for 10 client VPN licenses. All told, the box was going to cost us almost $4200 for the first year of ownership, and it didn’t include probably the most important feature that we needed, the reporting. Frankly that is crazy, as there is no reason to spend that type of money on a piece of equipment that does not securely meet your needs, when there are plenty of comparable alternatives that will.

Our new deal on our Sonicwall was so superior in every way, since we were stuck in an exchange only deal with CDW was almost a no brainer. We received our Sonicwall hardware for free, as we still had a Watchguard unit that we were able to trade in for the cost of our new Sonicwall Hardware. All we had to pay after that was two years of the Comprehensive Gateway Suite that includes the Enhanced OS, Gateway IPS/AV/AS, Premium Content Filtering and the Viewpoint reporting package. The cost for that was $3200.

So what that gave us was a box that we owned all features and support on for two years for almost a $1000 less than the first year of owning our Juniper would have cost us. That doesn’t even bring into account year two, which would have cost us almost another $1800, so all told, we are looking at a $2800 savings in our first year. All because I took a little time, talked to our vendor about our options, and asked what type of deals they could work out for us. All vendors have room to work with their clients, and building solid relationships with them allows you to garner deals and information that they wouldn’t otherwise give to their other clients.

I truly believe that a strong relationship with your vendor is more important than just about any facet of business. If you and your vendor truly sit on the same page, there is nothing the two of you can’t accomplish in the end. This is why I feel that my relationships with many of my vendors are the true key to my success, and why I can’t wait till SMB Nation this coming weekend to meet some of the ones I’ve never met before face to face.