Firewalla launches a web-based security portal to help its users manage multiple firewalls – TechCrunch

Image Credits: Firewalla

Firewalla made a name for itself by offering powerful yet affordable hardware firewalls that were, at first, mostly geared toward consumers. Small and medium businesses also quickly caught on to the advantages of using the company’s solutions. With its $585 Gold Plus firewall and router, the company recently launched a device specifically geared toward this audience, featuring four 2.5 gigabit ports to keep those Zoom calls and large file transfers flowing freely. Today, it is taking another step in more directly serving this market with the launch of the Firewalla Managed Security Portal (though there are definitely prosumer and consumer use cases for this service, too).

Traditionally, Firewalla users relied on the company’s mobile app to manage their devices. I’m a big fan of the app, which allows you to either set and forget your device or delve as deep into your network configuration as you want. That’s always been one of the selling points for the service, but the app was always geared toward managing a single device and while you could add more devices, the experience quickly got clunky.

Now, with the new security portal, Firewalla offers a web interface that allows its users to quickly manage as many devices as they want to and set up network flows, rules and alarms. More sophisticated users can also use the tool to create VPN meshes to create a secure network between their boxes. Developers can also use Firewalla’s new APIs and Webhooks to integrate the new service with their own applications.

“The Firewalla community has extended beyond home users. Small businesses and managed service providers are also using our boxes, and this MSP gives them the ability to manage many locations without having to physically go there,” said Jerry Chen, Co-Founder of Firewalla. “Our prosumer audience has also shown great interest in the Firewalla MSP, so people can manage their home network, a specialized network for their children’s devices, and even be a trusted manager for someone else, like their parents’ home networks, all from one screen.”

This also marks the first time that Firewalla is launching a subscription service. While the portal is free for personal users who only want to manage a single box, the company’s $9.99 per month professional plan is meant for families and SOHO users with support for up to three devices. Business users get access to a number of enterprise-like features, including multiple role-based admins, improved support and longer data retention. The price for this plan is $29.99 per box and month. The company currently offers a 10-month trial for the price of a single month and discounts for annual subscriptions.

Image Credits: Firewalla