QOTD (Question of the Day): What's wrong with all-in-one security appliances?

I promised you all that I do read each and every one of your emails.  I do not have the bandwidth to answer all of them and I promised to incorporate a QOTD format into my blog.  So, here goes:

A few months ago, I wrote a column about Expecting All-in-one Security Headaches.  The column was about a decision made at the top of the state's security food chain to authorize purchase (sole source vendor) for a security appliance that promised everything from sliced bread to the kitchen sink.  I was skeptical but was not allowed to test the appliances before a bunch of them were purchased for our state agency.

I ended up re-purposing the appliances as intrusion detection devices.  They were not the best thing since sliced bread, to say the least.  Many readers wanted to know who the vendor was.  And mums the word.  I wouldn't want to hurt the business of a small company who is out there giving the big companies a bit of competition.  I'm sure the company I dealt with will get their marketing strategy figured out over time.

I received a lot email to the effect of "Right On C.J.!"  And some to the effect of "what's wrong with an all-in-one appliance?  We have a small company and our SonicWall is doing the job."  For those of you responsible for small company networks, SonicWalls are just fine.  It's the big companies who should not put all their eggs in one basket.  Too risky.  And the big companies have got the money to spend.  I am all for security on a shoestring budget.