pfSense Plus Software in the Cloud: A Solution to Chip Shortages

As a result of the pandemic, we have experienced a chip shortage that has impacted many parts of the tech industry. This has caused problems for a wide range of industries, including computer hardware vendors, as well as for businesses and individuals who need to bolster their network security. These challenges in hardware procurement have made the cloud an attractive option for businesses that have traditionally used on-prem solutions for their hosted services. 

Thankfully, pfSense Plus software is available in AWS and Azure to aid in providing secure connectivity to cloud networks. If you are having trouble finding a hardware firewall, VPN, and router solution due to chip shortages, consider using pfSense Plus software in the cloud!

Why is there a chip shortage?

The chip shortage is caused by a number of factors, including the global pandemic and the shift to working and learning from home. This has increased demand for tech products. As demand grew, supply failed to follow, which led to a shortage of semiconductor chips and associated components required to build everything from simple digital process control boards to supercomputers.

Gartner research shows that worldwide semiconductor revenue was $595 billion in 2021, a 26% increase from the previous year. Simultaneously, data gathered by the Commerce Department show there was no corresponding rise in supply because most semiconductor fabrication facilities were operating at roughly 90% capacity and had little immediate ability to expand output.

Many sectors are worried as pandemic lockdowns, reduced freight capacity, and wildly varying demand across multiple economic sectors are leading to unexpected disruptions in the supply chain. The chip scarcity has stopped vehicle manufacturing, delayed product releases for electronics, and made it hard for companies to onboard new workers. It has also impacted businesses and individuals who want to purchase hardware firewall, VPN, and router solutions to protect their networks.

How can pfSense Plus software help?

pfSense Plus software is a remarkably effective, powerful, and simple-to-use solution that gives edge firewall, router, and VPN features to homes, businesses, schools, and government agencies all around the globe.

pfSense Plus software in the cloud can be deployed at any time and from anywhere on Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure. This makes it a great solution for businesses and individuals who need to bolster their network security but are having trouble obtaining a hardware firewall due to chip shortages.

Below are some common pfSense Plus software use cases.

Common Ways People Use pfSense Plus Software in the Cloud

1. Traditional Firewall to Cloud-hosted Products -  Of course, pfSense Plus software is often used for its traditional firewall capabilities to protect products and workloads in the cloud.
2. Site-to-Site VPN Concentrator - Using OpenVPN, IPsec, or Wireguard, pfSense Plus software can be used as a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Concentrator. This allows businesses to connect their remote locations with secure, encrypted tunnels.
3. Mobile Client VPN -  pfSense Plus software is also a remote-access style VPN solution using OpenVPN, IPsec, and Wireguard. This allows businesses to connect their remote workforce to private resources within the cloud.
4. Reverse Proxy and Load Balancer - pfSense Plus software can be used as a reverse proxy and load balancer for servers running in your VPC. This is advantageous to ensuring business continuity during peak traffic times.
5. Geoblocking -  pfSense Plus software can be used to block or allow traffic based on geographical location. This is useful for businesses who want to restrict access to internal resources based on geographic region.

pfSense Plus is a powerful tool that can help you protect your network from a variety of threats. To learn more about how pfSense Plus can help you, visit our website or contact us today. We would be happy to answer any of your questions.

Benefits of pfSense Plus Software in the Cloud

There are many benefits of using pfSense Plus software in the cloud. Some of these benefits include:

• No chip shortages: You can deploy pfSense Plus software in the cloud at any time and from anywhere. This makes it a great solution for businesses and individuals who need to bolster their network security but are having trouble finding a hardware firewall due to chip shortages.
• Dependable security features: pfSense Plus software is a powerful and simple-to-use edge firewall, router, and VPN solution with over three million installs and 15+ years of continued innovation across 53 releases and counting.
• Easy to deploy: pfSense Plus software in the cloud is easy to use and can be up and running in minutes.
• Highly configurable: pfSense Plus is highly configurable and can be customized to fit your specific needs.
• Lower TCO (total cost of ownership): pfSense Plus software in the cloud offers lower TCO when compared to other firewall, router and VPN solutions and is a cost-effective solution for businesses and individuals who need to protect their networks. 
• Scalable: Like many cloud offerings, pfSense Plus software on AWS or Azure is a highly scalable solution that can grow with your business.

Try pfSense Plus Software in Your Cloud Environment

pfSense Plus software is available on AWS and Azure. To get started with pfSense Plus in your cloud environment, you can sign up directly on AWS and Azure or contact us today. Our team of experts will help you get started with pfSense Plus and provide you with the resources you need to successfully implement pfSense Plus in your environment.

How is the chip shortage affecting you? Let us know on Twitter, LinkedIn, or the Netgate Forum.