ESET PROTECT vs. McAfee Total Protection (discontinued) vs. WatchGuard Network Security

Fits well in
our Medium sized organization, we still host a lot on prem with various Windows
/ Linux VM’s, ESET PROTECT supports all operating systems we currently use, Pricing is
very aggressive compared to its other EU security offerings.

The endpoint
is lightweight, we’ve never had any performance issue, it has many features for
the value and can also generate logs/reports for compliance.



The EDR
plugin may be overkill for a small business and requires extra IT resources to manage,
also there is currently no XDR capability if you need that in your business.

Incentivized

I think McAfee is great to have whether it's for work or for personal use. While it has some drawbacks, I like the peace of mind of feeling safe when I'm browsing the web/email, especially when my computer has sensitive/confidential information, knowing that McAfee will immediately detect any threats. The UI is extremely easy to navigate, which makes it easy for users regardless of how tech-savvy they are.

Incentivized

WatchGuard Network Security is a true next generation firewall vendor, and they are constantly improving their products. The account management is engaged, and support is responsive and knowledgeable. We've had consistent quality experiences with deployment and warranty response. The feature set is robust and effective when properly configured. Any questions or concerns with configuration have always been handled efficiently and effectively. They've been a great vendor to partner with.

Incentivized

• ESET provides comprehensive, transparent protection for my MacOS devices without interfering with the efficiency of my operating system.
• It's easy to install, configure (default settings are great for just about everyone), and update.
• ESET's customer communications, including a very detailed knowledge base online, make it clear I've chosen the right antivirus solution!

Incentivized

• Excellent protection of all internet connected assets on our VPN.
• Constant updates of needed security patches that ensure our network and systems are protected from current and emerging/potential threats.
• Prompt and reliable customer service that provides needed answers and expertise in a crisis.
• Strategic whitepapers on emerging cyber threats and McAfee solutions to resolve them before they become a problem for my team or our clients.

Incentivized

• Incoming Torrent attempts were blocked, but outgoing (by a user) were permitted. Similarly, other direct attempts were summarily blocked.
• provides full administrative support for analysis of usage and scope.
• strong Wi-Fi support and security - area wi-fi maps
• They think of all the things secure and I don't have to worry about it.
• I have not identified anything else that needs improvement - I am well satisfied.

Incentivized

• If the system administrator has functions such as pop-up notification and alert mail transmission, I believe that countermeasures can be taken faster
• It often gets in the way of the network system.
• Communication between PCs under the same network may be hindered, which may be an obstacle to verification.

Incentivized

• Price - Extremely high price tag for many of the solutions.

Incentivized

• Better integration with VoIP services, such as templates for policies handling traffic for Bria or Asterisk endponts and servers.
• Get webblocker to work without breaking secure websites.
• Lower cost on endpoint agents for antivirus and include application control and webblocker with the agents.
• Make the cost per endpoint with TDR and Netowrk access control lower than the cost of Antivirus licensing that is not integrated.
• Make it easier to set up network access control and VLAN assignment by device, perhaps with templates.
• Get webblocker and application control working with QUIC.

Incentivized

I'm giving it a 10, because I would totally have no reservations about staying on with eSet for another 3 years once our contract comes up for renewal. We are looking to transfer to a different product in January, however. This is due to a special pricing contract with the state of Ohio that made a normally much more expensive product very affordable and was cheaper than our coming eSet renewal cost. This is a very special case only available to government and educational organizations, but had that not been offered, we would have gladly stayed with eSet.

Incentivized

McAfee has consistently delivered on its stated goals of providing comprehensive protection for our networks and systems. Due to their excellent work and follow through I have been, and will continue to be a loyal customer.

Incentivized

I'm giving this note to WatchGuard Network Security due to its ease of daily support (after acquiring necessary knowledge in the solution), which allows agility in configuration changes, its integration of several reliable security features (such as SSL VPN, VPN Virtual Interfaces between companies, and others) and functional and stability in operation, with no downtime in the equipment due to problems or malfunctions

Incentivized

Provide execllent security agains malware, ransomware, and phishing. Easy to use and monitoring multiple devices and managing security settings remotely. Software firewall ability to secure network traffic and blocking websites and application at software level its gives very easy to configure .Zero-day threats as some other security products is missing with more advanced machine learning and behavioral analysis capabilities.

Incentivized

Although it might take some time to figure out, we have been able to use WatchGuard's online reference library and tech support to create/implement/modify all of our filtering rules and exceptions needed. There really has not been a shortcoming other than perhaps a learning curve.

Incentivized

Availability has always been a strong point of this product, it is rare that watchguard does not have a solution for customers' network monitoring needs.

Incentivized

The performance of WatchGuard Network Security is very good, in the years that we have used the solution we have only had a single error and Watchguard itself was able to solve it. Furthermore, when purchasing any product, the partner always evaluates the capacity of the solution to recommend the most appropriate product for our needs.

Incentivized

Excellent support from ESET and when we had questions regarding the initial deployment they were there. The questions we put forth were answered immediately with great detail. Any of the items we put forth, scenarios, were given a good solution from ESET to fit our needs. This company stands by their product and are happy to step up when needed.

Incentivized

We have only had to contact them once during the initial set up to help bring the internet back on line. After that for the most part our systems have been automated, and could easily be checked form their online FAQ and Knowledge base that they provide. Everything else is easily handled from their browser based interface

Incentivized

We participate to a in person training and the three days of learning was really useful and complete to gain skill to solve the major part of the problem we encounter during our life. And more the in person training give us the opportunity to create a network with other WatchGuard partner.

Incentivized

Online training is good for learning how to use the product. It does not teach security strategy because that is not its intent.

Incentivized

Do the full scan at the beginning and be prepared to wait until it is done. It will find things you did not know were there. You can leave on the Apple firewall as well as the ESET firewall. There have been no conflicts. Remember to remove emails from being backed up, so you do not have spam on your backup! This was the mistake I made.

Incentivized

I had my key information for setting up the firewall, and they assisted me in finding the settings and appropriate places to enter data. They also helped troubleshoot when I didn't understand some of their feature concepts, and we got it running.

Incentivized

Choosing ESET PROTECT rather than McAfee Security or other secuty softwares helps me more evaluate specific security requirements of the company. Considering the scalability of solution it provides, the ease of use of its interface, the level of support provided by the vendors, and the availability of reports makes it a top choice for me.

I haven't used Norton for a while, but when I did use it I felt that it slowed down my computer and had constant pop-ups, which were both equally frustrating and annoying. It was also very difficult to remove from my computer. Malwarebytes is a great, straightforward program I've used for virus scanning. It's pretty bare bones but I think if you just want something to scan for viruses it gets the job done quickly and reliably. In my opinion McAfee offers similar benefits as Norton but its more intuitive and doesn't impact system performance.

Incentivized

WatchGuard is what I use exclusively now. I have removed all other firewalls. WatchGuard is easier to maintain and easier to set up, PLUS WatchGuard Tech Support is very responsive and helpful. I am very familiar with both the System Management software and the Web-based access to the firewalls, and feel comfortable with the programming and troubleshooting in both areas.

Incentivized

This product is very scalable since previously everything related to Watchguard was on premises but that has now changed with the inclusion of watchguard cloud. Now the product has evolved to have full control of firewalls at the cloud level.

Incentivized

• ESET maintains the security of our machines, files, reports, etc., an invasion or infection could result in a catastrophe, loss of important data, expenses with specialized support, hours or days of work stopped until the solution is found, without ESET prevention we could have big expenses at any time.

Incentivized

• Blocks unsafe websites
• Virus detection and removal
• Protects sensitive data

Incentivized

• WatchGuard is a well-established company in the industry, and we are confident in its security solutions.
• This solution meets/exceeds our security objectives for CMMC and the DoD standards.
• I wish their cloud management were much stronger and provided more features similar to those of Meraki. If it did, we would exclusively sell these devices.

Incentivized