Cobia - when you're in a pinch

The best part of my day is talking to Cobia users over email and IM. Today I talked with a new Cobia user, Michael, who works as a network admin in Alabama. First, let me thank Michael for taking the time to download Cobia and send email out to me. Its people like Michael who read the blogs, listen to podcasts, visit the Cobia site, and see the power and potential of Cobia in their networks.

Michael's situation is all too familiar; do more with less because we don't have a lot of budget. Sometimes there's just not a lot of extra budget to do the things that need to get done. Time can also be another enemy working against us. But in most cases, somehow it still has to get done. Enter the picture- Cobia!

How so? Well, for one... Cobia is software which you can run on off-the-shelf hardware. Need a quick firewall or a router in a pinch? Download Cobia and turn that Intel 2.0ghz machine into a speedy router or firewall. Better yet, add on more Cobia modules and turn it into a multi-function platform for any number of your network and security needs.

Rather than paying premium bucks for some under powered appliance you're going to ditch in the 6-12 months, turn the situation around in your favor. Put Cobia on your favorite brand of computer; Dell, HP, IBM... any number of quality Intel/AMD hardware boxes. Now the power's in your hands. When you're ready to upgrade, upgrade the same box in place with a faster processor, more memory or disk. Or re-purpose that box for something else and upgrade to the latest hardware at a price performance level that works in your favor, instead of the vendors.

So whether you're in a pinch or your planning your next upgrade, "be like Mike (Michael)" and download Cobia. Cobia makes an excellent alternative to buying yet another appliance you're likely to throw away.