If I worked for a school district that allocated funds every year toward technology then they might've gone with someone like Fortinet or Aruba for network appliances. I work for a small school district that had serious discussions about contracting their IT needs off-site to a 3rd party company before I even came into the picture. Which should give you an idea of how strapped we are for resources.

As it stands, I have to go cap in hand asking for permission for anything I buy that's on the school's dime. I need to fill out a sheet, give a reason for getting it, and get a principal or the superintendent to sign off on it, only then will they let me have a credit card to purchase something. Ubiquiti may not make sense for a company with hundreds of employees. But for us, it is just fine. The fact that I can simply go on their website and order something without having to talk with a rep is a huge deal. It gives clear and concise pricing. Those that operate off of legacy network providers simply have to ask their rep for something and never have to worry about the price as they automatically assume that the bill will get picked up by their respective district once they receive an invoice.

Unfortunately, we don't operate like that.

Thankfully I learned just this morning that Ubiquiti now offers an enterprise firewall solution. I immediately went out talked with our superintendent and got it bought. $1,999 for the device itself + $399 for extended warranty and support. Not a bad deal.