Firewall for SMEs with Fewer Than 50 Employees

Why Even a 10-Person SME Needs an NGFW

In 2026, SMEs are the #1 target for ransomware—43% of cyberattacks target companies with <250 employees (ANSSI 2025 report). A 12-person law firm, a 25-person architecture practice, or an 8-person veterinary clinic—all handle sensitive data (client records, intellectual property, and health data) on networks often protected by nothing more than a basic ISP router. An ISP router is NOT a firewall: it provides basic NAT, but no IPS, application filtering, enterprise VPN, or actionable logs.

The firewall budget for an SME with 10-50 employees is €500-€3,000 for hardware plus €300-€1,500/year for security licenses. That is the price of a laptop. It is also the price of cyber insurance that can save your business in the event of ransomware—or, more accurately, help prevent you from needing it.

The 3 Best Options for SMEs with <50 Employees

FortiGate 40F / 60F: Unbeatable Price-to-Performance Ratio

The FortiGate 60F is the world's best-selling SME firewall. There is a good reason for that: 10 Gbps firewall throughput, 700 Mbps threat protection throughput (with IPS + AV + App Control enabled), integrated SD-WAN with no additional license, and unlimited IPsec and SSL VPNs—all for approximately €700 excluding tax. No competitor comes close to this ratio.

• FortiGate 40F (FG-40F): for 5-20 users. 5 Gbps FW / 600 Mbps Threat. 5 GbE ports. OPTINOC price: approximately €450 excluding tax. 1-year UTP license: approximately €350.
• FortiGate 60F (FG-60F): for 20-80 users. 10 Gbps FW / 700 Mbps Threat. 7 GbE ports + 2 SFP. Price: approximately €700 excluding tax. 1-year UTP license: approximately €550.
• SD-WAN: included in FortiOS. No additional license required. Configure dual-WAN (fiber + 4G) with automatic failover and application-aware traffic classification.
• VPN: unlimited site-to-site IPsec + SSL VPN for 200 concurrent users (FortiClient). Ideal for remote work.
• Administration: intuitive FortiOS GUI (accessible to a non-specialist IT manager). CLI for engineers.
• Recommended UTP bundle: IPS, Antivirus, App Control, Web Filter, and Antispam. Approximately €550/year for the 60F. That is the cost of one coffee per business day.

Cisco Meraki MX67: Zero-Touch Cloud Management

The Meraki MX67 is the ideal choice for SMEs that do NOT have an in-house network administrator. Everything is configured through the Meraki cloud dashboard—no CLI, configuration files, or management appliance. The CEO can configure the firewall from an iPhone.

• MX67: for up to 50 users. 450 Mbps FW / 300 Mbps Threat. 4 GbE ports + 1 WAN + 1 USB (4G). OPTINOC price: approximately €550 excluding tax.
• MX68: version with PoE (2 PoE 30W ports) and integrated Wi-Fi. Designed for very small branch offices. Price: approximately €700 excluding tax.
• Enterprise license REQUIRED: approximately €450/year. Without an active license, the equipment stops working after 30 days. This is Meraki's strict SaaS model.
• Cloud dashboard: configuration, monitoring, and alerting from anywhere. Auto VPN between Meraki sites (1 click). Umbrella integration for DNS Security.
• Limitation: no CLI and no advanced customization (limited BGP, no OSPF, and no granular policies). For straightforward SME environments, this is an advantage because it reduces complexity. For SMEs with specific requirements, it is a deal-breaker.

FortiGate 60F vs Meraki MX67: Head-to-Head Comparison

• Threat throughput: FortiGate 60F = 700 Mbps | MX67 = 300 Mbps. FortiGate advantage, x2.3.
• Hardware price: 60F = €700 | MX67 = €550. The MX67 costs less upfront.
• Annual license: 60F UTP = €550 | MX67 Enterprise = €450. Comparable.
• 5-year TCO: 60F = 700 + 5×550 = €3,450 | MX67 = 550 + 5×450 = €2,800. The MX67 has a slightly lower TCO.
• HOWEVER: if the MX67 license expires → DEAD firewall. If the 60F license expires → the firewall continues to operate (without IPS/AV updates). The operational risk is very different.
• SD-WAN: 60F = natively included (application-aware path selection, FEC, packet duplication) | MX67 = basic (failover, simple load balancing).
• VPN: 60F = unlimited IPsec + SSL VPN for 200 users | MX67 = Meraki Auto VPN (simple, but the automatic feature is limited to Meraki-to-Meraki connections).
• Administration: 60F = local GUI + FortiManager (optional) | MX67 = cloud dashboard only.
• SME verdict: choose the FortiGate 60F if you have at least some in-house IT expertise or an IT service provider. Choose the Meraki MX67 if you have NO technical resources and want a plug-and-forget solution.

Typical FortiGate 60F Configuration for a 30-Person SME

• WAN1: ISP fiber connection (100 Mbps symmetrical). WAN2: Bouygues 4G failover (via USB dongle or 4G router).
• LAN: ports 1-5 in a switch bridge. VLAN 10 = offices (DHCP 10.0.10.0/24). VLAN 20 = Wi-Fi (DHCP 10.0.20.0/24). VLAN 30 = IoT/cameras (DHCP 10.0.30.0/24).
• Policy: VLAN 10 → Internet (allow with IPS + AV + Web Filter). VLAN 20 → Internet (allow, bandwidth limited to 50 Mbps). VLAN 30 → deny Internet access (isolated cameras).
• SD-WAN: WAN1 primary, WAN2 backup. SLA probe to 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS). Failover if latency >100ms or loss >2%.
• VPN: SSL VPN on port 10443 for the 5 remote employees. Free FortiClient on their laptops.
• Admin: FortiToken Mobile 2FA for administrator access. Weekly configuration backup to a USB drive.

SME Firewall Purchasing Checklist

• 1. Count concurrent active users (not the total number of employees—the actual peak).
• 2. Measure WAN bandwidth (run a speed test during peak hours). The firewall's threat throughput must exceed the WAN bandwidth.
• 3. List the required services: VPN? SD-WAN? Integrated Wi-Fi? PoE? 4G failover?
• 4. Budget: hardware + 1-year license + 20% contingency.
• 5. Support: do you have an IT service provider? If not → Meraki. If yes → FortiGate.
• 6. Compliance: NIS2, GDPR, HDS? → FortiGate with logs + FortiAnalyzer (or syslog to a SIEM).
• 7. Order from OPTINOC with the manufacturer warranty—delivery within 24-72h and initial configuration available on request.

OPTINOC Recommendations

For 80% of French SMEs with <50 employees: FortiGate 60F + UTP license. Total: €1,250 for the first year, then €550/year. That is €46/month to secure your business—less than a per-device antivirus subscription.

OPTINOC can deliver FortiGate appliances preconfigured on request: plug them in and they work. On-site service is available in the Île-de-France region. Technical support included.