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.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a firewall and switch?
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.
Used kit: 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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What would a firewall and switch cost per month?
Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
How lenders treat 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.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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Who buys one
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.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in IT and office equipment.
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Firewall and switch finance questions
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.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Get your quote
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.