Recommended Hardware for BranchOffices (PA-200 vs. PA-500)

[oschuler]

Hi all,

We're evaluating new IT hardware for some small/mid-sized branch offices in Asia. If we compare the PA-200 and PA-500 (Link) we don't see a technical limitation when using PA-200s instead of PA-500s. Most branch offices don't have Internet connections with more than 50 Mbps, but sometimes 100+ users.

Is there a recommendation on the amount of users where a PA-200 would be suitable and when a PA-500 should be considered?

Thanks,

Oliver

[pulukas · Accepted solution]

Bandwidth and connections per second are the main driver for moving up the platform sizes for a branch.

Bear in mind that your bandwidth for inspection can also include traffic between zones at the same site that transit the firewall and not just the traffic out the internet for the site.

[oschuler]

Thanks Steven, that helps. However, I was more afraid of the ARP and MAC table size limitations. In an office with 100 employees and a /22 subnet there could be more than 500 ARP/MAC addresses present, especially when the firewall also handles guest WiFi traffic with a lot of SmartPhones in it. But as we lack some real-world experience here I think in such a situation we'll better go with a PA-500.