Likelihood to Recommend FortiGuard Web Filtering Service is well-suited for an organisation that is able to funnel all its Internet connectivity through one device, i.e., the office environment - or perhaps where WFH workers are using a remote desktop or VPN. It allows management/IT to minimise risk by blocking websites that may be harmful, as well as websites that may enable data leakage, or even are websites that people ought not to be visiting in the workplace.
Read full review GoGuardian is excellent for any district with a 1:1 Chromebook program. Our program would not be nearly as successful without it. GoGuardian does work with other devices (Windows, iPads) but I believe some features do not work as well in those setups. We haven't tried using it for anything other than Chromebooks and I am not aware of anyone using it for iPad/Windows or Macs.
Read full review Pros FortiGuard Web Filtering Service effectively protects websites. There is no need to install the root certificate on all PCs inside the network. The database signature updates every hour, so we don't need to spend time updating the website to blacklist or whitelist. It can protect very well. Whereas, some traditional proxies can not do that. For example, others can not block Youtube or Facebook. It can also protect the search keyword, like in Youtube or other social media, Google, etc. Read full review The reporting Dashboard page gives you a great picture of what your users are doing on the internet. The Theft recovery piece works very well and helps recover devices that are missing in action. Read full review Cons Some websites are classified as Meaningless content, especially links used in emails to unsubscribe from lists. Luckily FortiGuard Web Filtering Service is responsive about reclassifying those quickly. Read full review With the new Minnesota state laws regarding student data privacy - it made it somewhat challenging for us to continue utilizing GoGuardian Admin. However, they provided some updates to their software to address these issues. GoGuardian Admin recently put out an option to checkbox COPPA/CIPA compliance verifications for web filtering. It seems that this still needs some work, as several educational websites we utilize are coming up as "uncategorized" - and then are being falsely flagged and declining access. Read full review Likelihood to Renew Does what we need it to do and more in a very cost-effective manner. Relatively easy to use and great customer support. They are quick and clear and will walk you through things in real time.
Read full review Support Rating Took a little longer for support to get our problem solved, but when the upper tier tech support was involved, we got excellent customer support.
Read full review GoGuardian support is the best in the business. Within seconds of the business day I can chat with a human being about any issue.
Read full review Alternatives Considered We selected FortiGuard Web Filtering because it came in the service bundle with our FortiGate unit. After testing the service for a couple of months, we disabled the web filtering that was running on our client machines and have not looked back. It's been easy to manage, effective, and fast. There isn't much more you can ask for from a filtering solution.
Read full review GoGuardian Admin has been leading the way in content filtering for both on and off site with an easy-to-use interface. At the time, it was one of the first to offer cloud-based off-site filtering for Chromebooks. They continue to grow and provide new features every year with great tutorials and updates.
Read full review Return on Investment We can be confident staff cannot inadvertantly or deliberately access websites that contain porn, or other non-safe for work content We can be confident staff cannot inadvertantly or deliberately access harmful and malicious websites We can be confident data leakage is minimised Read full review GG Admin has made it easy to justify the use of Chromebooks in our district. GG Admin has alerted us to times where students might be in a dangerous/unwanted situation. GG Admin has helped us locate quite a few lost or stolen devices over the years. Read full review ScreenShots