You're working for a company as they begin to standardize hardware to streamline operations and reduce costs and complexity in the IT environment. Come up with a firewall recommendation for your company.

1. Research firewalls using the web and other resources and make a recommendation for your company. The firewall must have Intrusion Detection and Intrusion Prevention features.

2. What type of firewall technology offers the right balance between protection and cost for the needs of the organization?

3. How easy is it to set up and configure the firewall? How accessible are the staff technicians who can competently configure the firewall?

4. Can the candidate firewall adapt to the growing network in the organization?

5. What is the cost of on-going maintenance?