Thoughts on open source firewalls in the enterprise?

tankerkiller125

I’m wondering what peoples thoughts are on using open source software like OpnSense and pfSense in an enterprise environment.

In my opinion it’s perfectly fine to use the software in small, medium, and even some large enterprises depending on the exact use and application. My thinking being that these software are being vetted in the open, and are using the same tools and open source software that professional companies are using (as an example WatchGuard uses OpenVPN for their VPN implementation).

The downside of course is lack of support, but both the options I listed have support available for purchase so I don’t see an issue there.

I’m interested to hear everyone’s opinion on this one.

katos

I would say that dependant on the business, this is fine. For example it might not be possible in highly regulated environments but I can see this being fine for some roles.

As you say, the open source nature means that it is vetted externally and we can purchase extended support.