M200 upgrade

ice · February 2021

Hey All

very new to WatchGuard normally a sophos guy but since taking over a new job i now have a WatchGuard to manage, Our licence is up for renewal on our M200 so we are looking to upgrade the hardware as well. I have been looking at T80 and M270. I cant see there is much difference in the M200 and T80. Would anyone move from M200 to T80 or M270

Thanks

Bruce_Briggs · February 2021

Here is a comparison of the 3 models:
https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-products/appliances-compare?pid1=3025&pid2=8811&pid3=26071

The T80 is a desktop model, whereas the others are rack mountable.
If the specs of the T80 seem to fit your needs, go with it.
I have used desktop models for years, and they are fine, as they meet my needs.
And they are usually quieter than the rack models.

greggmh123 · February 2021

How many users do you have?

What is your Internet connection speed?

What kind of web traffic?

You likely can get upgrade pricing for an M270 that may be near the price of a T80, but you should look at renewal pricing as well. I had a client last year whose T50 was up for renewal, and a T35 cost less and was almost identical in specs. The 3-year Total Security package renewal on the T50 was significantly more expensive than buying a brand new T35 with Total Security package. I bought the T35 and they very happy with it...and its price, both now, and for much cheaper renewals.

An M270 will handle higher Internet speeds, but if you have or only anticipate having a 500Mbps connection and you have users who are light users of the Internet, the T80 probably is your best buy. Look at the renewal costs!

ice · February 2021

@Greggmh123 said:
How many users do you have?

What is your Internet connection speed?

What kind of web traffic?

You likely can get upgrade pricing for an M270 that may be near the price of a T80, but you should look at renewal pricing as well. I had a client last year whose T50 was up for renewal, and a T35 cost less and was almost identical in specs. The 3-year Total Security package renewal on the T50 was significantly more expensive than buying a brand new T35 with Total Security package. I bought the T35 and they very happy with it...and its price, both now, and for much cheaper renewals.

An M270 will handle higher Internet speeds, but if you have or only anticipate having a 500Mbps connection and you have users who are light users of the Internet, the T80 probably is your best buy. Look at the renewal costs!

Thanks for you message, We only have 100/100mb dedicated line at the moment with extra 80/20 coming in soon. We have less then 30 users at our main site and our T35 is connected via Site to Site Vpn. we have max of 10 VPN users as well.

greggmh123 · February 2021

With those requirements, I'd ask, "Is the M200 too slow, or is it fitting our needs just fine and only needs to be replaced due to age or license expiration?"

If it fits your needs, then a T80 likely would be a good fit even if you had a Gigabit Internet connection.

james.carson · February 2021

The difference between the M270 and T80 are mostly going to be in subscription service scanning. AntiVirus, IPS and HTTPS are all doubled on M270. If you're looking at just packet filters, without those services, they're very close to each other.

I'd also suggest speaking to whomever sold you the M200. With a trade-up you may be able to bring the price of the M270 down. They'll be able to give you a better idea of what your options may be. If you need help finding one, our internal sales team can help too:
https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-sales/emailus

If you were looking at the less expensive T80 but want a rackmount device, there are companies like rackmount.it that make kits to convert tabletop devices to rack-able devices.

External Link:
https://www.rackmount.it/products/regulars/wgrack/rm-wg-t7.html?opt=fr

*WatchGuard isn't affiliated with Rackmount IT, but I've heard from customers that were happy with their kits.

greggmh123 · February 2021

@James_Carson said:
The difference between the M270 and T80 are mostly going to be in subscription service scanning. AntiVirus, IPS and HTTPS are all doubled on M270. If you're looking at just packet filters, without those services, they're very close to each other.

I'd also suggest speaking to whomever sold you the M200. With a trade-up you may be able to bring the price of the M270 down. They'll be able to give you a better idea of what your options may be. If you need help finding one, our internal sales team can help too:
https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-sales/emailus

If you were looking at the less expensive T80 but want a rackmount device, there are companies like rackmount.it that make kits to convert tabletop devices to rack-able devices.

External Link:
https://www.rackmount.it/products/regulars/wgrack/rm-wg-t7.html?opt=fr

*WatchGuard isn't affiliated with Rackmount IT, but I've heard from customers that were happy with their kits.

The problem with those rackmount kits is that they are for a specific model. I find using a shallow flush-mount rack shelf to be a better option. While not as pretty as a custom rack mount, they are much cheaper and they are universal.

Samir · February 2021

I echo what others have said about the necessity to upgrade--see what you need performance-wise and see if that matches the tco when you include licenses.

M200 upgrade

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