Watchguard Review
We currently use WatchGuard firewalls in most of our offices to protect the network. The firewalls are easily configurable and have great …
Overview
What is WatchGuard Network Security?
WatchGuard Network Security is a network security and firewall software. WatchGuard includes secure Wi-Fi, multi-factor authentication, and network intelligence products and services designed for SMB’s.
Recent Reviews
How WatchGuard Network Security Differs From Its Competitors
Awards
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Popular Features
- Policy-based Controls (427)8.787%
- Firewall Management Console (421)8.686%
- Content Inspection (415)8.585%
- Reporting and Logging (418)8.080%
Reviewer Pros & Cons
Pricing
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Basic Security
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Total Security
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Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.watchguard.com/wgrd…
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Product Demos
Tutorial: Get Started with a WatchGuard Firebox
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Product Details
- About
- Competitors
- Tech Details
- Downloadables
- FAQs
What is WatchGuard Network Security?
The WatchGuard Firebox family of firewalls offers critical network security solutions for businesses of all types and sizes, including tabletop and 1U rack-mounted appliances to Cloud and virtual firewalls. Firebox appliances deliver critical security services from standard IPS, URL filtering, gateway AV, application control, and antispam, to advanced protections such as file sandboxing, and DNS filtering. High-performance deep packet inspection (DPI) means users can leverage these security services against attacks attempting to hide in encrypted channels like HTTPS. Additionally, every Firebox offers SD-WAN right out of the box for improved network resiliency and performance.
WatchGuard Network Security Features
Firewall Features
- Supported: Identification Technologies
- Supported: Visualization Tools
- Supported: Content Inspection
- Supported: Policy-based Controls
- Supported: Active Directory and LDAP
- Supported: Firewall Management Console
- Supported: Reporting and Logging
- Supported: VPN
- Supported: High Availability
- Supported: Stateful Inspection
- Supported: Proxy Server
WatchGuard Network Security Screenshots
WatchGuard Network Security Video
WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard Network Security Competitors
WatchGuard Network Security Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows, Linux, Mac |
| Mobile Application | No |
| Supported Countries | Global |
| Supported Languages | English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese |
WatchGuard Network Security Downloadables
- WatchGuard M290 & M390 Datasheet: UTM performance, ideal for small and midsize organizations with up to 250 users looking for a rack-mounted solution.
- WatchGuard M590 & M690 Datasheet: UTM performance, ideal for growing midsize organizations with up to 1,000 users.
- WatchGuard M4800 & M5800 Datasheet: Typically deployed at the corporate headquarters, these appliances serve as the “hub” appliance, responsible for managing and securing all communications between the head office and all remote employee and small business sites.
- WatchGuard Total Security Suite Brochure
- WatchGuard Network Security Case Study
- WatchGuard Corporate Brochure
Frequently Asked Questions
WatchGuard Network Security is a network security and firewall software. WatchGuard includes secure Wi-Fi, multi-factor authentication, and network intelligence products and services designed for SMB’s.
Fortinet FortiGate, Sophos SG Firewall Appliances, and Cisco Meraki MX are common alternatives for WatchGuard Network Security.
Reviewers rate Stateful Inspection highest, with a score of 9.
The most common users of WatchGuard Network Security are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
Comparisons
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Reviews and Ratings
(813)Attribute Ratings
Reviews
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May 30, 2024
Powerful and Great Security Solution
In my organization, WatchGuard Network Security is used to efficiently control the use of our network and to be able to deliver under internet policies in the safest way for all our users. We apply application control policies, bandwidth management, and control via navigation proxy. In this way, we avoid improper use in our organization of internet resources.
- Internet packet filtering.
- Application policy control
- navigation control through proxy.
- Botnet Detection
- Intrusion Prevention
- Should improve control of who or what consumes the bandwidth.
- must improve to know which devices are connected to the network.
- DNS detection improve the captured data.
71%
7.1
- over the years we have used WatchGuard Network Security our perimeter security is very secure.
- The costs for this tool have been well spent knowing that it has kept our entire network secure.
I worked with Cstisa on the implementation of Watchguard, We are very happy with the implementation, it was a very efficient process and the partner was very responsible in each process. The service they gave us was very complete from start to finish. In the implementation as well as in the monitoring and then in the results. Today we continue to renew the service and Cstisa continues hand in hand with us with the advances we have with Watchguard.
If in terms of platform you are referring to Watchguard Cloud, I can say that it is a very interesting tool. It has grown quite a bit and gets even better every day. For us it is a very important ally because it allows me, in addition to updating my firewalls remotely, I can manage them and better monitor any eventuality that may arise.
As indicated, WatchGuard Cloud is an ideal complement for our organization, since we manage all our firewalls from the cloud. In addition to that, I can see in real time the network data of the firewalls, the data usage of the users connected to my firewall and if I wish I can remotely manage any firewall in our company.
For the purchase and implementation, we work hand in hand with Cstisa. At the moment we have found a very professional partnet and it always goes hand in hand with any questions or problems that arise using WatchGuard Network Security. I can say that I am very satisfied with the work that Cstisa has done.
I must say that licensing prices should be improved a bit to make them more attractive to more customers. Regarding packet filtering, I must say that WatchGuard performs very well in that function. In the policies that I have created, I have not had a problem, it has worked very well for me.
SolarWinds Network Firewall Security Management vs WatchGuard Network Security. We tried to apply the other solution but it was very complicated and had many requirements to work. Unlike WatchGuard Network Security. Everything was very easy to understand and use, a very comfortable tool compared to the one mentioned above which I do not recommend.
1
Network Security WatchGuard is only used by my service and operations coordinator. I use it with the firewalls on a day-to-day basis to create browsing policies, verify the use of the network by users and for any perimeter needs in our business network. This product is used daily by us, it is essential for the company.
1
It is a very easy tool to use for a person trained in the use of business networks. You must have extensive knowledge of network management.
- Network monitoring.
- Verification of navigation policies.
- Traffic control and threat prevention.
- To prevent network attacks.
- Know the network consumption of users.
- Control bandwidth consumption on the network.
- With more accessories in the cloud.
- With mobile devices.
No
- Scalability
- Ease of Use
Our decision to use WatchGuard Network Security was mainly because of the scalability we saw in the product and its use is very easy to learn. This motivated us to purchase the product and today we continue using it, which indicates that it was a correct decision. We are very happy with the product.
As indicated, our process was very good and we had no setbacks. The implementation was very effective since the provider who assisted us is very well trained in the use of the tool and therefore the entire process was excellent. The only thing I can indicate that should be added at the beginning is more training for the end user of the product.
- Third-party professional services
We use partner Cita to implement all of our Watchguard products, including watchguard cloud. Today we continue to use this partner for all our implementations and local support. They always provide us with excellent service in addressing our problems that arise on a daily basis.
No
Change management was minimal
- We had no problems since we did not have other products.
- No Training
The truth is that it is a very easy product to learn, I have not yet fully trained myself but with the advice and attention of my partner we have used the product for years and it is excellent to use and very easy to understand. I totally recommend it.
Have excellent knowledge of networks to be able to perfectly handle the different configurations that may arise.
No - we have not done any customization to the interface
No - the product does not support adding custom code
No, for now it is better to follow the configurations and recommendations indicated by the manufacturer for better product performance.
We acquire premium support to be able to count on the assistance of our provider at any time when any eventuality arises. This has been a very important decision because throughout the time that we have had Watchguard products, some better ones have been presented that without the help of premium support I think we would not have been able to implement.
Yes
Yes, we have reported bugs which have been resolved with new firmware versions for our firewalls. In our case I can assume that the process is normal since watchguard takes its time to test and deploy new firmware versions for the firewalls. But it is very important to report any bug that occurs in the day-to-day use of the products.
A few years ago we had a situation with one of our firewalls which restarted itself several times. After reporting the case to the local provider and validating everything on the equipment, we created the logs and opened a case to Watchguard directly. This case was evaluated and a bug was detected in the version of our firewall which required an improvement from Watchguard. In the end they were able to create the new version of the firewall and it was implemented in our firewall. Since that time we have not had any reboots on our firewalls.
- Network monitoring.
- Bandwidth usage check
- Enabling network ports.
- Verification of a user's exact real-time bandwidth consumption.
- Trellix Antivirus
At the moment it is a partial integration between the watchguard EDR and the Trellix Antivirus agent and they are working wonderfully.
- With Pc for remote control.
I have no knowledge, no.
Only with Trellix.
None by now.
Support and the advantages it can offer for the company and its needs are always negotiated. Additional there may be discounts on renewals.
For now, let them continue with that efficiency and commitment that characterizes them and which means that day after day we continue using the Watchguard products that they offer us.
Yes
Whenever I planned to update, I valid with the partner the new features and recommendations of the manufacturer for each firmware of my firewalls and so far I have not had problems in the update processes. It has been great to now be able to update from watchguard cloud, that has been a pretty big improvement.
- Better firewall management is watchguard cloud.
- Be able to manage and monitor users' bandwidth via Watchguard cloud.
No
No
January 19, 2024
WatchGuard - ultra easy
I use a WatchGuard firewall to manage my incoming and outgoing internet and to manage our wireless access points.
- Easy to manage.
- Easy to monitor.
- And keeps out the boogers.
- Pass the tests.
- I would like to see an app for my mobile phone to monitor my WatchGuard.
55.45454545454546%
5.5
- It's been very cost effective.
CDW
I do not like the unified management its a bit ugly
The cloud products work ok I really would like to keep all managment behind the firewall so I don't like the cloud managment
I worked with PCM/insight and they did an ok job. Probably would not use them in the future. I will use CDW from now on
It just makes things simpler. You have to a license for everything and they can not get the synced
I do like watchguard better then sonicwall
5
IT Managment
1
- keeping our network safe
- nothing unexpected
- remote office at other buildings
Yes
Sonicwall
- Ease of Use
I would not change a thing very happy
- Implemented in-house
No
- I did not have any problems
- No Training
yes
no
No - we have not done any customization to the interface
No - we have not done any custom code
no
yes I want 24/7 support
Yes
had a bug where we could not manage our AP's , they got it fixed really quick
everytime
- the web management works best for me
- there cloud AP setup sucks
- none
- no
nonne
I have none
just what the quoted me
no
Yes
it was easy they walked me right through it
- new firebox
- panda virus protection
No
No
As a network security architect, it is my job to design NIST SP-800 cybersecurity framework hardened network layer security solutions. These strategies are combined with a comprehensive cybersecurity kill chain plan inclusive of email, network, phone, printer, cloud, server, and endpoint layered defense strategies. As part of the design decision, technologies that consistently have extremely high efficacy while having a low TCO are absolutely essential for this solution to be manageable, effective, and affordable. WatchGuard has been our choice for network layer protection for more than 10 years. We also use their endpoint protection agent technologies and authentication solutions. In doing so, we have been able to deliver high levels of security effectiveness at an affordable price to organizations ranging from one user to 500 users.
- WatchGuard System Manager and centralized management is the key to low TCO
- Security solution efficacy is critical. A solution that is only 95% effective is not good enough.
- Partner support is good and enables us to be able to deliver quality solutions that are consistently functional
- Partner enablement. WG focuses on the channel as they know that the skill of the integrators is what makes the difference between a default appliance and an effective security solution
- Partner communications on technical issues. For example the undocumented feature of SDWAN hidden route. There is still no documentation on that.
- Too infrequent communications about high incidence technical support issues. We do not want to have to be encountering known issues and then having outages or problems that we then have to put in tickets about.
- Pay attention to your most highly technical partners, not just those that sell a lot of equipment. The highly technical partners can and do provide very usable feedback that can make the products better.
- WG wants partners to build relationships with people inside WG so we can drive solutions to problems, but too frequently, we get no response to emails sent to the proper internal resources about legitimate issues.
99.09090909090908%
9.9
- Our business is very WatchGuard-centric and we value our relationship with WatchGuard more than any other manufacturer
- Fireboxes comprise the CORE of everything we do in terms of network layer security. So you literally cannot do a secure environment without a Firebox. Therefore, nearly every single client we have or ever have had has Fireboxes.
- We have been able to consistently prove value by our network layer security techniques we implement on Fireboxes. We are able to have a viable SIEM logging solution and security incident alarm notifications because of Dimension.
- Many of our largest and most valuable customers have come to use through WatchGuard partner finder
- WatchGuard has sometimes very poorly executed aspects of their marketing plans or technologies that have cost us business. For example, they solicited our customers on behalf of competitors repeatedly. WG's wireless technologies were very poorly executed during the controller to wifi cloud transition period for about a couple years. This caused us major problems which caused us to walk away from WG wireless for that time.
We are the WatchGuard network security partner.
Consolidated security services in two major service package flavors does provide simplified solutions offering. This model has worked well. Please continue with that.
SonicWall is insecure and horrible to manage. Cisco ASA is terrible to manage. 98% of breaches occur due to a misconfiguration. Therefore, any device that makes visibility and management difficult inherently results in misconfigurations and insecure configurations. I don't think that WatchGuard realizes how much of their success pivots around WatchGuard System Manager. Not the webUI, but WSM and centralized management server. WatchGuard Cloud will be absolutely nothing if it does not provide us feature parity for WSM.
5
network security engineering and network security support
5
Our engineers must have a very advanced knowledge of layer 3 networking technologies, server support, end user support, endpoint protection strategies, network layer security strategies, understanding of the cybersecurity framework, and the cybersecurity kill chain.
- Fireboxes ARE the network
- Fireboxes provide all the hardcore network layer security we need
- WatchGuard technologies represent a comprehensive ecosystem for network layer security, visibility, awareness and monitoring
- We were one of the first organizations to use autoblocking technologies. We have been using that innovation successfully since 2009.
- We are one of the only WatchGuard partners in the entire world that successfully uses Fireboxes for hardened network layer security microsegmentation and intra-VLAN packet inspection which creates a network security layer at the endpoint level
- We use real time alerting for all network layer security type issues that we think we should know about in real time. As such, we can offer clients a security operations center type of service.
- We review all network security reports for all client sites weekly and are able to identify trends, areas for further investigation, or areas of configuration changing
- For any prospects that contact us, we will use WatchGuard solutions to provide them the most security effective and cost effective cybersecurity kill chain solutions available in the SMB space.
- We plan on using DNSWatchGo and the Access Portal technologies more.
- We plan on using WatchGuard's MFA solution AuthPoint more than we are using it now.
- We also think that WatchGuard has worked out the bugs in their Wifi Cloud solution and it is now a mature product worth adopting.
Yes
We have tried Cisco ASA, Juniper, Barracuda, SonicWall, PaloAlto, Fortinet, and Netgear. We find all of those options to be lacking in functionality, features, support, management capabilities, or just outright lacking in security effectiveness.
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
There is really only a single factor that matters. Security effectiveness at a low total cost of ownership. Forcepoint is security effective, but their baseline unit is around $40,000 unobtainium for most organizations. WatchGuard Fireboxes, year after year, are the only network security appliances that deliver security effectiveness, when properly programmed of course, at an attainable total cost of ownership.
I would have stopped wasting my time reviewing other manufacturer's products.
- Third-party professional services
We are the third-party professional services company that has done over 250 full network rearchitecture and migration projects. WatchGuard Fireboxes are at the core of creating a NIST SP-800 cybersecurity framework compliant network design.
I do not believe that in-house IT for any organization of less than 5000 employees would ever have the adequate network security architecture and engineering skill to properly implement core network security strategies. Companies should be looking to partner with a qualified WatchGuard partner for their needs.
I do not believe that in-house IT for any organization of less than 5000 employees would ever have the adequate network security architecture and engineering skill to properly implement core network security strategies. Companies should be looking to partner with a qualified WatchGuard partner for their needs.
Yes
We always start with simple replacement at first. Remove the old garbage network equipment and put in WatchGuard Firebox. Then once the Firebox is in place, implement security policies. Finally after the network layer is hardened, then refinements for security at the endpoints, servers, email system, etc. are done.
Change management was a major issue with the implementation
The biggest problem with implementing any security into an organization that has effectively had no security, which is what we find in most cases, is the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) by executive management and most users. It is a complete waste of time to try to find out what websites people need access to in advance. The only implementation that will be successful is one where you go in with your security standard that you think is going to work best for the client's organization, and then be highly available to deal with immediately any issues they encounter with regards to access. You can implement policies for a certain group of users at a time, but we generally find this to be unnecessary. We go in with our grouping of users with the set policies that we have established and maintained after 15 years of experience, and then adapt as needed.
- Educating users and executive management that network layer security is an absolute necessity
- Educating users and executive management that whitelisting websites that they want to access is not only unnecessary but an incorrect security approach
- Educating users and executive management that the Firebox and our security is not the problem. In many cases, the website developers of websites that they access are not maintaining secure website hosting or they are simply utilizing insecure methodologies. And that is the true source of the issues.
- Online training
- In-person training
- Self-taught
After 15+ years of experience with Fireboxes and having successfully trained 10 engineers to be successful supporting and managing Fireboxes, the only way to correctly and adequately learn Fireboxes or any other network security appliance is very heavy experiential effort. You must read the training manuals for Fireboxes, but you must also then spend a very significant amount of time with ANY network security appliance in order to be able to correctly and thoroughly use the solution for security efficacy. Very few people are going to have the skill to organically develop network security strategy on their own. Therefore they should partner with a highly qualified WatchGuard partner and then spend the time to learn how to use the product in order to maintain the security solution and strategy that their partner has implemented. It is actually better if managing network layer security is outsourced to a managed security services provider.
Yes
We are a WatchGuard gold partner and we also pay for 4 hour RMA warranty services on some Fireboxes. We always by TSS, which entitles us and our clients to higher support. Further, the effort we put into being a top tier WatchGuard partner and the relationship that we have built with WatchGuard over the years is how we pay for premium partner support. The level of support we have cannot be simply purchased for a fee.
Yes
I've been an extremely heavy user of WatchGuard products ever since 2007 consulting for 200+ networks. As such, yes I have found a lot of bugs over the years. WatchGuard has a good bug reporting system. They resolve the issue quickly if they are able to reproduce it. One of the reasons you should work with a highly qualified partner is because your partner will be able to use their connections to get issues dealt with even faster. There have been times that I found a bug and was able to email the engineer who manages that bit directly. The issue got fixed in less than 24 hours. That kind of response and collaboration only occurs through relationship.
Because of the quality of our skills as a top tier WatchGuard partner, we are able to have highly sophisticated and valuable interactions with WatchGuard top tier support. In the last few years, WatchGuard has really dramatically increased the skill of their support technicians at all levels. Part of it is due to the high quality of their internal training and the skill of their internal trainers. Part of it is due to a concerted effort by support executive management Shari McLaren to improve support. They have succeeded.
As long as we are asking questions of WatchGuard partner support that is within the scope of what is appropriate to ask them about, we are always able to have more than adequately sophisticated conversations about whatever the technical problem is. This results in problems being solved.
Literally, in 25 years of being in the IT industry, I have not had this experience with any other manufacturer of software or hardware.
As long as we are asking questions of WatchGuard partner support that is within the scope of what is appropriate to ask them about, we are always able to have more than adequately sophisticated conversations about whatever the technical problem is. This results in problems being solved.
Literally, in 25 years of being in the IT industry, I have not had this experience with any other manufacturer of software or hardware.
- Firebox System Manager and Firebox Policy Manager are the essence of effective troubleshooting, monitoring, configuration auditing, and configuration management. 98% of breaches occur due to a misconfiguration. Firebox Policy Manager, in the hands of a skilled network security architect can reveal network layer security misconfigurations faster than any other solution on the market. As such, it also eliminates network layer security misconfigurations.
- Dimension is an excellent visibility product
- WatchGuard's network discovery product is extremely helpful and easy to use
- There are areas of Policy Manager where no import/export or reordering function is available. This feature has been requested for years, but WatchGuard has not invested effort into improving Policy Manager. They are trying to move to WatchGuard Cloud. Unless they provide feature parity at least, then WatchGuard Cloud will never be able to replace WSM.
Yes, but I don't use it