Firewall and switch finance
Fund the security hardware at the edge of your network alongside the multi-year subscriptions that keep it doing anything useful.
- FCA regulatedAppointed Representative, FRN 1031964
- 60+ lendersWhole-of-market panel, not one bank
- 5.0 from 19 Google reviews
- No credit checkEnquiring leaves no mark on your file
Yes, although firewalls are an unusual asset because most of the money is not in the box. A firewall appliance is a modest piece of hardware sold with a substantial subscription for threat feeds, filtering and support, and that subscription is where the value sits. A funder cannot repossess a subscription, and second-hand appliances usually lose their entitlement entirely, so this is a covenant lend with a small piece of metal attached. Used units are rarely funded. The thing to be clear about is that renewing the licence later is a new funding conversation, not a continuation of the first.
Who finances this
Businesses pursuing Cyber Essentials Plus or ISO 27001, firms whose insurer has tightened requirements at renewal, and anyone running an appliance that has reached end of support and stopped receiving updates. Professional services firms handling client data are frequent applicants, as are companies that have just been through an incident or a client audit. Multi-site operators replacing a mixed estate of ageing routers with a consistent managed platform also come through regularly.
How lenders see it
I will be direct about this one: I am lending against your business, with a box thrown in. The hardware element of a firewall deal is small, and the appliance is typically worthless in a recovery because the licence does not transfer and nobody buys an unsupported security device. What I am really funding is a multi-year subscription, which is a service. That does not make it a bad deal, security spend is non-discretionary for most firms now, and businesses that are being pushed into it by insurers or clients tend to be well run. But I size it against turnover, I read the accounts properly, and I am wary when the facility is large relative to the company behind it.
Buying used
No, effectively. Second-hand security appliances cannot usually be re-registered for updates, which leaves them unsupported and unsellable, so funders treat them as having no value and generally will not write against them.
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Machines we have funded
Typically £715–£4,512 + VAT to buy. Fortinet FortiGate appliance UK list prices, small-business 40F up to mid-size 120G. Hardware only; FortiGuard and support subscriptions are charged separately.Checked 2026-10-18.
| Fortinet FortiGate 90G | Firewall appliance for branch sites |
|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiGate 120G | Firewall appliance for mid-size networks |
| Palo Alto Networks PA-450 | Next-generation firewall for offices |
| Sophos XGS 2100 | Firewall for small and mid-size sites |
| WatchGuard Firebox M290 | Firewall appliance for smaller offices |
| Cisco Meraki MX75 | Cloud-managed security appliance for branches |
| Juniper SRX Series firewalls | Security gateways for branch networks |
| DrayTek Vigor 3910 | Multi-WAN router and firewall |
| Ubiquiti UniFi Enterprise Fortress Gateway | Gateway with routing and security features |
| Cisco Catalyst 9200 switch | Access switch for branch networks |
Can I finance a three-year security subscription rather than just the hardware?
Yes, and in practice that is what most firewall applications are. Funders will write against a bundled purchase of appliance plus subscription, treating the whole as a business commitment. Be aware it is assessed as unsecured lending because nothing in the package can be recovered and resold, so your accounts carry the decision.
What happens when the subscription runs out?
You renew it, and that is a fresh purchase. It can be financed again, either on its own or folded into a wider refresh, but it does not roll on automatically from the original agreement. Plan for it, because a lapsed security subscription is a compliance problem long before it becomes a finance one.
Does Cyber Essentials certification help the application?
Not directly, but the context does. An underwriter reading that the purchase is driven by an accreditation your clients require sees a business responding to commercial pressure rather than buying on a whim. Certification also implies a degree of operational discipline, which never hurts when someone is assessing how you run the company.
Can the managed service that monitors the firewall be included?
Up-front elements usually can, such as configuration, migration and the initial setup of rules and policies. Ongoing monthly monitoring fees are a service you consume as you go and normally stay outside the agreement. Many suppliers structure it that way anyway, invoicing the project once and the monitoring separately.
Is a firewall too small a purchase to bother financing?
On its own it often is, and we will say so. The exception is a high-end appliance with a long subscription, where the total is substantial. The more common pattern is folding the firewall into a broader network or infrastructure project, which gives a funder a proposal of sensible size to underwrite.
Tell us what you need
About a minute of plain questions, and no documents to dig out.
Prime is established and profitable with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining, the asset carries part of the risk, so finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Illustrative only, not a quote, a flat rate is not an APR, so the APR on a given agreement will be higher. VAT and fees excluded.
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One adviser from your first enquiry to the money in your account. No call centres.
Your adviser
Conor HullMon to Fri, 9am–6pm
5.0 from 19 Google reviews
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