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WatchGuard Network Security

WatchGuard Network Security

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.

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Recent Reviews

WatchGuard

10 out of 10
May 29, 2024
Incentivized
I use WatchGuard Network Security to protect the company infrastructure, VPN Branch Office secure access to external collaborators via VPN …
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Good Firewall

6 out of 10
May 28, 2024
Incentivized
We use WatchGuard for firewalls, DHCP, DNS and other networking abilities it offers. For our larger clients its proven to be a truly …
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great product

7 out of 10
May 06, 2024
Incentivized
We love WatchGuard products. It is easy to renew the license each year, and when it's time to replace them I have had great success with …
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Experience with WatchGuard products

10 out of 10
May 02, 2024
In our organization, WatchGuard network security products are used to protect the perimeter and protect endpoints. Every day we filter out …
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Great for SMBs

9 out of 10
April 22, 2024
Incentivized
We are an SMB and have been using WatchGuard products across Canada to secure our headquarters, branch offices, and remote workers. …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 11 features
  • Policy-based Controls (422)
    8.7
    87%
  • Firewall Management Console (416)
    8.6
    86%
  • Content Inspection (410)
    8.6
    86%
  • Reporting and Logging (413)
    8.0
    80%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Support

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On Premise
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Basic Security

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On Premise
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Total Security

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On Premise
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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
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Product Demos

Tutorial: Get Started with a WatchGuard Firebox

YouTube
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Features

Firewall

A firewall is a filter that stands between a computer or computer network and the Internet. Each firewall can be programmed to keep specific traffic in or out

8.6
Avg 8.5
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Product Details

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

Screenshot of WatchGuard Cloud Customizable DashboardScreenshot of Threat Monitoring SummaryScreenshot of Device Security SummaryScreenshot of Automated ReportingScreenshot of User Authentication SummaryScreenshot of Endpoint Protection Summary

WatchGuard Network Security Video

WatchGuard Network Security

WatchGuard Network Security Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux, Mac
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported CountriesGlobal
Supported LanguagesEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Japanese

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 9.1.

The most common users of WatchGuard Network Security are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(807)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 441)
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Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
In my own experience, WatchGuard Network Security is very good at creating packet filtering and application control policies. In this way, correct management of the internet and the applications that access it can be carried out without being always concerned about their control at all times. With WatchGuard Network Security, if you have a good organization of your policies, you can be working very calmly. In what scenario do I consider that if they should improve it is to be able to verify which devices and on which web pages my bandwidth is being consumed. Being able to take quick measures to solve a situation of that magnitude is WatchGuard Network Security should improve a lot.
May 29, 2024

WatchGuard

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
I use WatchGuard Network Security to protect the company infrastructure, VPN Branch Office secure access to external collaborators via VPN client. Management of multiple WAN connections via SDWAN. I also manage navigation rules with groups on Active Directory (Application controller, web blocker etc.).
  • simple and intuitive configuration
  • excellent monitoring management via real-time logs, host watch etc.
  • device management via dimension and/or WatchGuard Cloud is excellent
  • possibility of managing bidirectional communication on sslvpn (openvpn) connections so as to be able to exploit this channel to route traffic to the remote peer.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
We use the VPN to make VPN connections and to secure our services through security services that are included in the device, such as IPS, Anti-Virus and APT Blocker, in addition to blocking the exposed services to the whole world through the geolocation module. We can easily verify connections through the log server. Compared to other vendors, it is much easier to protect ourselves.
  • Easy Configuration
  • Offline Configuration
  • Easy to Deployment
  • Ready-made configuration
  • Policy Filtering Arrow Up Arrow Down
  • Search by Policy
I often find that we replace another vendor's devices with WatchGuard because other providers fail to make their networks as secure as WatchGuard. With simple configuration and easy monitoring, We can quickly generate reports and send them to the customer It has already protected us several times from ransomware attack where others unfortunately failed to do so
May 28, 2024

Good Firewall

Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use WatchGuard for firewalls, DHCP, DNS and other networking abilities it offers. For our larger clients its proven to be a truly robust firewall. for out smaller clients, the T series is a beneficial part of their networking ecosystem for DHCP and DNS services, as well ad still being a solid firewall.
  • Firewall
  • Network Switching and routing
  • dhcp and dns
  • traffic routing
  • training
  • documentation
  • local user database management
  • ad authentication
great at what it does for a firewall, duo integration needs some help. overall, they make a good product
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use WatchGaurd to configure our AuthPoint VPN users and manage the security while users remote into the inside network. The biggest problem this product addresses is the security of the internal network. The scope of our use case is on the enterprise level and allows users to securely access the data.
  • Security
  • User management
  • Authpoint Configuration
  • resend token function
This is best suited when an end user is traveling across the world and will be accessing international network. By remoting in using WatchGuard AuthPoint, a layer of network security is added.
Brett Minzer | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
When I get to the engineers at WatchGuard their support is fantastic. Configuration and issues causing conflict are always responded to well and relatively quickly with the right motivation relating to response need.
  • Escalate quickly
  • work from a position of information.
  • Answering calls quickly and efficiently
  • Quickly asking about urgency of issues
I work specifically with clients with 25 or less workstations, and the WatchGuard products I use are perfect for this.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Watchguard Network Security and its products to protect our network from outside threats, manage our inside network, and handle multiple connections in-house. It allows us to separate personal Wi-Fi from our business network and connections from the web to an outward-facing website. It also allows us to use multiple internet connections for redundancy.
  • Great interface.
  • Excellent support.
  • Works as needed.
  • N/A
Perfect for a business that wants extra security, help managing multiple internet connections, and the ability to separate personal and business networks.
May 06, 2024

great product

Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We love WatchGuard products. It is easy to renew the license each year, and when it's time to replace them I have had great success with their support team in helping me do this! Would recommend them to anyone interested in an easy secure firewall product.
  • url filtering
  • intrusion prevention
  • DOS monitroing
  • interface could be better
well suited for small to medium business but likely not for corporations that are needed extra fast speeds, and thousands of connections
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
In our organization, WatchGuard network security products are used to protect the perimeter and protect endpoints. Every day we filter out a very large flow of unwanted traffic. We use a web blocker together with program control to fully control user traffic. The ease of monitoring and configuration of this equipment reduces support labor costs. The all-in-one principle is a big plus. Helps resolve security issues, search for intrusion attempts and vulnerabilities. Field of activity: retail.
  • Easy Configuration
  • High degree of protection against attacks
  • Long Life time
  • Best support team
  • Increased global settings changes across many devices
  • Expand DDOS protection
  • More integration systems
The product is very suitable for perimeter security as well as wireless network security using its technology. Can be used in any business projects, both large and small. Very simple building and security features including IPsec and SDWAN tunneling. Also, using a mobile VPN, you can connect remote offices with low Internet bandwidth.
April 22, 2024

Great for SMBs

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are an SMB and have been using WatchGuard products across Canada to secure our headquarters, branch offices, and remote workers. Keeping on top of threats, trends, and vulnerabilites has become an easier task through the cloud dashboard. We also use WatchGuard Network Security WatchGuard's Secure Wi-Fi for our infrastructure. WatchGuard Network Security WatchGuard's Secure Wi-Fi cloud is easyily managed and has simplified our WiFi adoption.
  • VPN, Mobile VPN
  • Proxies
  • WebBlocker
  • Traffic management
  • Reporting
  • TDR EOL
It's very fast and easy to add or migrate to new hardware devices.
Authpoint was a no go, mostly because they only support their mobile app and not Authenticator by Microsoft or Google.
April 22, 2024

WatchGuard 2024

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
We use WatchGuard as our network firewall both for ourselves and for about 50% of our managed services clients. The device serves as the gateway to our network as well as routing traffic between on long list of VLANs. Having the Total Security Suite gives some of the security features that we use in our organization.
  • Web Filtering
  • DNS Filtering
  • Geofencing
  • Web filtering exceptions need to be entered twice due to the format
  • The quantity of policies can get to be large
  • had some glitches in the web ui though I generally prefer the WSM
The hardware doesn't seem to bog down compared to other devices I've used in the past. I generally prefer to use a true firewall in all situations as opposed to generic router/gateway. There are situations where the cost may be prohibitive, but we are able to work out financing through a specific vendor.
April 22, 2024

The right value!

Bradley Breedlove | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
As a managed service provider, we've used WatchGuard Network Security fireboxes as our "platform" of choice for our customer firewall deployments. We employ the Watchguard Total Security Suite to ensure that our customer networks are fully protected. on deployments where there are multi-site, we use the BoVPN and SD-WAN to direct traffic to appropriate sites and resources.
  • Training
  • Partner Program
  • Demo/NFR Units
  • Network Switches are not in the portfolio
  • The wireless devices are nice, but don't seem to fit our stack for the pricepoint.
  • At least in my situation, Authpoint is difficult to sell when compared to other identity providers.
I've found that the WatchGuard Network Security line of NG firewalls to be comparable to the big players, and are far more approachable. Meaning that in combination with the training provided and software available, i am able to empower lower tiers of techs to do great work. The only place that I have not found it to be appropriate is in situations where the customer is ultra price conscious, such as non-profits.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
WatchGuard provides one of the most complete firewall products I've used. We use their products as our primary offering to clients to secure small, medium, and large locations. These are also some of the easiest firewalls to configure and understand. We chose to use on-prem management via system manager which allows us to centrally manage, review, and monitor our firewalls.
  • A complete MFA solution to secure workstations, servers, and firewalls
  • Cloud based management
  • A subscription service that's worth our clients money and our time
  • Cloud management + on-prem sync
  • MFA for requiring domain credentials
  • Ability to turn poe on and off
WatchGuard + their subscription is perfect for businesses of 5-10+ employees that are looking for an all in one firewall solution. the fireboxes on their own are great for quickly securing remote locations due to the ability to quickly deploy and configure. The only instance we don't deploy WatchGuard is with a cost conscious small business.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
Between our company and our clients, we have over 15 WatchGuard Firebox systems setup in various locations across the country. Have always had good service when needed and the equipment has always been reliable. Highly recommend these units for any SMB partner that needs enterprise level security and reliable service and support.
  • Protection from DOS attacts
  • Secure VPN access from remote locations
  • Reliable Branch Office VPN even if one site has Dynamic IP
  • UI (both through WSM and Web Interface) could be more user friendly
Great choice for SMB's that want/need enterprise grade security.
April 15, 2024

Loving my WatchGuard

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
WatchGuard's Total Security Suite features intrusion prevention, spam blocking, and DNS filtering, offering me enhanced network visibility and the ability to act against threats directly from the web management page. it simplifies securing my network with VLANs and allows for easy cross VLAN secure traffic as well as blocking ALL un-authorized outgoing traffic
  • Geo Blocking allows me to use a VPN and only allow Geo Specific access.
  • IPS - gives me peace of mind that the baddies are not on my network.
  • with Traffic monitoring, I can easily troubleshoot connectivity issues.
  • I cannot think if anything that I could improve upon.
Today’s networks need to be secured by both a Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) and a Universal Threat Management (UTM) device, the WatchGuard is a perfect hybrid solution. I did a lot of research and found the WatchGuard was at or below the competitors price points for similar features. WatchGuard helps a business meet PIPEDA or GDPR requirements and protects them from the und user clicking the wrong thing.
April 15, 2024

WatchGuard appliances

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
These devices provide the first line of defense for all web traffic into and out of the offices I manage. Traffic is scanned for viruses, etc. Web sites are also blocked based on category granularly based on employee type.
  • Management
  • Warranty/Support
  • Subscriptions
  • Network throughput on smaller appliances
  • More rack mount options
It has worked well for all scenarios that I implement. Really there just needs to be better options without increasing price too much to support the faster internet speeds available now.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
We are an MSP and utilize WatchGuard firewalls at many of our client's locations.
  • Easy to setup and manage
  • IP/Content blocking
  • Remote monitoring
  • Cost
  • VPN setup was a little confusing at first
  • DNS Server limit
  • SSO
I have not come across a situation yet where WatchGuard was not a great solution. Most clients that have not implemented them have gone another direction because of cost... All have been nonprofit entities with limited funding.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We utilize these WatchGuard Network Security devices at each of our locations, with a redundant cluster at our primary location. The sites are connected using the branch office VPN system. Remote users have several VPN options. This has enabled us to provide vendors with limited network access and a VPN connection while providing our employees with full network access. We also implemented several of the security subscriptions including the Geolocation service which improved web-based attacks on our client computers.
  • They are quick to provide solutions to zero-day exploits.
  • They quickly replace warranted hardware.
  • Technical support will continue to provide good service, even when there is not a fast solution.
  • There have been occasions where a basic functionality such as having two DHCP servers was not supported and required a feature request to address the issue.
  • There are somewhat limited routing functions in the devices that we use.
  • The secondary units sold in a cluster cannot be repurposed as a stand-alone unit. This lowers the cost but limits any future uses.
For anyone looking for an entry to a mid-level firewall system, WatchGuard Network Security has some very well-suited devices. The availability and ease of use of the branch office VPN have been a boon to our business needs. Our stores connect as if connected to a Metro-E but with assured end-to-end encryption on a standard business internet connection.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller
We use WatchGuard Network Security Fireboxes to secure the boundary of our networks. These provide good security for cost, and with the advanced firmware, the systems are always being updated with new software and features.
  • Firewall
  • Security
  • SSL VPN
  • the new WatchGuard Cloud environment needs improvement
  • The partner portal is quite complicated
  • Alerts for devices don't have custom options
We recommend WatchGuard products to all our clients to be used in their environments. We also suggest they have the WatchGuard Network Security firewall and the advanced firmware that offers additional services.
April 13, 2024

Great Product

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Use several NGFW clustered in different countries, physical and virtual appliances as well. Same interface, with no learning curves. Used at the perimeter, connected sites with branch office VPN, and for some, used as a VPN SSL for roaming users. They were bought with the total security suite which provides advanced defense-related features. Globally we use all (or near) the possibilities offered by those devices, and they work as expected.
  • Firewall rules with auto-ordering
  • Bandwidth consistency
  • Branch Office VPN
  • Centralized appliance (Dimension) at no cost is a great solution to consolidate reports from several appliances
  • No possibility to negate terms in rules such as "allow everything from x.x.x.x/yy except x.x.x.z"
  • Mixing rules of pure firewalling with those concerning VPN SSL ends up in something not pleasant and not easily readable, should have a dedicated tab for VPN SSL rules, as the one for IPSEC VPN rules
  • No proxy support for SFTP or FTPS (I know it's quite hard to achieve that)
  • The embedded rule for NTP has never been corrected to remove TCP for port 123
Works great and flawlessly in all different cases I'm confronted with. Even with the tiny appliance NV5, cloud-managed it's a no-time brainer. Never had an issue or had to search for documentation on how to accomplish something unusual, it just... work! The only downside I'm thinking of is the lack of a channel to be notified of updates, having to check from time to time on their website, and while security is concerned, the time gap between an update is available and the time I'm aware it exists is too long. Emailing or something shouldn't be too hard to implement.
Joe Cullen | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are an MSP that supports around 30 businesses with WatchGuard Network Security firewalls. In most cases, we do not support the internet line, so we use the firewall as the DHCP and UTM device. VPN is often a requirement for the business and it's not uncommon to route static NATs and other bespoke setups. A few of our customers also have WatchGuard Network Security Access points connected to the device for secure WiFi.
  • Blocks unknown traffic
  • Flexible policy setups
  • Bespoke requirements always accommodated
  • Reporting has gotten much better since the Cloud portal became available, however, it still feels limited
  • Monitoring can be very hard to filter and identify problems when lots of traffic is going through the Firebox - A better way to filter, search, and trace
Generally speaking, our customers have standard requirements and the WatchGuard Network Security Firebox is there to ensure they stay protected. We've never had a successful breach on a customer's on-premise setup with a WatchGuard Network Security Firebox installed. 3rd parties (like CCTV, Printers, Login Systems, etc.) do not know which port their devices work over, so we have to identify that with them and there are often delays when this occurs.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use WatchGuard Network Security System Manager for all of our clients. I would say some of the problems would be that it is not the easiest to make quick adjusments for letting a website through part of a network. It takes a bit of work to get to these locations and need to have knowledge of how to do it.
  • Security
  • Renewals
  • Upgrades
  • Hard to use
  • Hard to make changes
  • Easier to navigate GUI
I have enjoyed using WatchGuard Network Security after learning how to use it. It also seems to be very secure as we have not had any issues with security features failing or letting anything negative happen to our clients. It has always been a very positive experience from a firewall managers end of things.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use WatchGuard Network Security in our organization mainly to protect attacks on our network. We know using WatchGuard will prevent us from viruse, DoS attacks, remote logins, phishing emails, and (my favorite) the spam blocker. I am confident when using WatchGuard that we always have the most up to date security against the ever evolving threats to our network.
  • Prevents Spam
  • Blocks Malicious Sites
  • Easy to use Interface
  • Retain Staff
  • Simplify Partner Portal
  • Update SKUs more frequently
The technical support team is a joy to speak with and work with when having issues with our WatchGuard device. I am always able to speak to a person no matter what time I need to call. I would recommend this service to small and large companies alike who want to easily stay on top of all the network threats that are constantly changing in our technology centered world.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We utilize the network security features to secure our internal network and to secure our user logins with firewalls and AuthPoint. We secure our internal network with the firewalls to keep hackers out and we secure our user logins with AuthPoint for multi-factor authentication. This allows us to keep our entire environment safe and secure.
  • Firewalls
  • Authpoint
  • Firewall integration with various other devices and firewall vendors could be easier.
We have a lot of Government clients that the Network Security has always been perfect for their situation. As far as a less appropriate situation, that I would say is with the smaller clients. These are too robust for their environment causing more configuration adjustments.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
We utilize WatchGuard to protect the edge of a number of customer sites (50+).
We've also used these internally for network segmentation / further protection of production resources.
  • Packet filtering
  • Gateway AV
  • DNSWatch
  • Content Filtering (Webblocker)
  • Authpoint could use improvements
  • Certification path could have better materials / practice exams.
  • Panda update process could use work.
I haven't seen a network that we were not able to utilize a WatchGuard solution to secure. From the tabletop appliances for small business, to the larger M series for campus / ISP applications.
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