Just the ISP router
The limit
No control and no alerts: you notice problems when it is too late.With Strega Defence
A network closed by default and alerts when something happens. Why choose it
The real competitor? Doing nothing
The ISP router and hoping all goes well. Among real solutions, Strega Defence sits between the device you buy and manage yourself and the full managed service: it takes the best of both, at a price a small office can afford.
The alternatives
What a small office uses today, and what changes
Branded firewall bought from a reseller
The limit
Powerful, but designed for technicians. Without the yearly renewal, advanced protection and updates stop.With Strega Defence
Plain-language messages, service and updates included in the fee.Firewall managed by a service provider
The limit
Complete, but fees start at about €200 a month for under 15 users.With Strega Defence
A lower flat fee, the same for 3 or 30 people, with a service level suited to a small office.The technician's "DIY" device
The limit
It works as long as the technician remembers: no monitoring, no log.With Strega Defence
The technician becomes a partner and gets alerts in the right place. The comparison
Side by side, line by line
| ISP router | Branded firewall | Traditional managed firewall | Strega Defence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | €0 | About €700–1,000, plus installation | Hardware on loan | One-off activation, Box included |
| Recurring cost | €0 | Yearly protection licence | From about €200 a month for under 15 users | Flat fee, the same for 3 or 30 people |
| If you do not renew | — | Advanced protection and updates stop | Service suspended | Service suspended, Box collected |
| Who manages it | Nobody | A technician, when they remember | The service provider | Us or your partner technician |
| Alerts | None | Technical logs, often only in English | Depends on the provider | In plain language: what, how serious, what to do |
| Understandable for an owner | There is nothing to read | No | Depends on the provider | Yes, that is the whole point |
| Evidence for GDPR and clients | No | If someone prepares it | Yes | Log and periodic report |
ISP router
- Upfront cost
- €0
- Recurring cost
- €0
- If you do not renew
- —
- Who manages it
- Nobody
- Alerts
- None
- Understandable for an owner
- There is nothing to read
- Evidence for GDPR and clients
- No
Branded firewall
- Upfront cost
- About €700–1,000, plus installation
- Recurring cost
- Yearly protection licence
- If you do not renew
- Advanced protection and updates stop
- Who manages it
- A technician, when they remember
- Alerts
- Technical logs, often only in English
- Understandable for an owner
- No
- Evidence for GDPR and clients
- If someone prepares it
Traditional managed firewall
- Upfront cost
- Hardware on loan
- Recurring cost
- From about €200 a month for under 15 users
- If you do not renew
- Service suspended
- Who manages it
- The service provider
- Alerts
- Depends on the provider
- Understandable for an owner
- Depends on the provider
- Evidence for GDPR and clients
- Yes
Strega Defence
- Upfront cost
- One-off activation, Box included
- Recurring cost
- Flat fee, the same for 3 or 30 people
- If you do not renew
- Service suspended, Box collected
- Who manages it
- Us or your partner technician
- Alerts
- In plain language: what, how serious, what to do
- Understandable for an owner
- Yes, that is the whole point
- Evidence for GDPR and clients
- Log and periodic report
Product categories and indicative prices from resellers and public price lists, October 2026, excluding VAT and installation unless stated.
Annual cost
One year's costs, all included
For an office of about ten people, counting everything that is really needed: device, licences, installation, support and maintenance. Strega Defence One costs less than half a branded firewall managed by a technician, and a fraction of a high-end managed service.
Strega Defence One first year, activation included: Box, installation, updates, alerts, support. From the second year €1,068
Branded firewall licences, installation, technician support and maintenance
High-end managed firewall full managed service with 24/7 monitoring
Annual estimates, excluding VAT, October 2026. Strega Defence One: first year = €789 activation + 12 monthly fees of €89; from the second year the fees only (€1,068).
The differences that matter
Always know whether your office is safe, without having to become an IT expert.
We sell the outcome, not a box
Vendors sell a device and a feature subscription: someone else has to add the service. Strega Defence sells a network that is protected and explained.
No licence that switches off
With branded firewalls, without renewal protection and updates stop. We start from OPNsense, open source: you depend on a service, not on a closed licence.
A small-office price, not a multinational one
Less than half a traditional managed service, flat, regardless of headcount.
The trusted technician stays central
We do not replace them: we turn them into a partner, with a console and alerts in the right place.
Said clearly
When we are not the right choice
If your organisation needs 24/7 overnight monitoring, inspection of encrypted traffic or specific certifications for tenders, a traditional managed service is a better fit. We are a brand-new startup: we say it before, not after.
- No 24/7 overnight monitoring. We do not run a security operations centre staffed through the night. Critical alerts still arrive immediately; support works office hours.
- No inspection of encrypted traffic. We do not open employees' HTTPS traffic: a choice made for simplicity and respect for privacy.
- Not a replacement for antivirus or backup. It protects the network. Computers still need their antivirus and data still needs a backup copy.
- It does not make you "compliant" on its own. It helps demonstrate the security measures required by the GDPR and NIS2 clients; compliance remains the organisation's own journey.
Put us to the test in the pilot programme
Real installation, real alerts, weekly measurements. If it is not worth the price, we will find out together.