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Plixer Scrutinizer vs. Stonesoft Firewall (Discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Plixer Scrutinizer

    Score6 out of 10
    N/APlixer is a developer of network management software with a focus on network traffic analysis, network security, threat detection and network optimization, headquartered in Kennebunk, Maine. Plixer Scrutinizer collects, analyzes, visualizes, and reports on data from every network conversation and digital transaction to deliver security and network intelligence.N/A

    Stonesoft Firewall (Discontinued)

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AStonesoft firewalls were acquired and rebranded as McAfee Firewall Enterprise (MFE), then divested by McAfee and acquired by Forcepoint in 2016, and have reached end of life (EOL).N/A
    Pricing
    Plixer ScrutinizerStonesoft Firewall (Discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Plixer ScrutinizerStonesoft Firewall (Discontinued)
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Best Alternatives
    Plixer ScrutinizerStonesoft Firewall (Discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA)
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Plixer ScrutinizerStonesoft Firewall (Discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Plixer ScrutinizerStonesoft Firewall (Discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Plixer International
    If you need a network security forensic tool, this is a great fit. Scrutinizer collects everything you have configured as a target without losing data. If you need an in-depth analysis of your network flows, as in who is doing what with what this is a good fit. Scrutinizer translates a massive about of data into readable tables and reports.
    Incentivized
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    Discontinued Products
    Any scenario where a dedicated firewall administrator is on staff and a secure firewall solution that requires high availability is needed will be a good solution for the McAfee Firewall Enterprise product. The McAfee Firewall Enterprise however comes with some of its own parlance that is different from other vendors and does require some comfort on the administrators side when it comes to working in the command line. Added knowledge of protocols and how they interact is a must for any firewall admin but particularly for the McAfee Firewall Enterprise product due to its flexible nature. If the environment is to be mostly hands off where a very limited rule set is to be configured and not likely to change often, I would defer to a different product
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Plixer International
    • Once configured, Scrutinizer gives an accurate overview of network activity.
    • Scrutinizer is able to collect flows from a variety of devices, you are not limited to Cisco.
    • DSCP based reporting, which is helpful when attempting to determine how good your wireless network is from a QoS perspective.
    Incentivized
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    Discontinued Products
    • Based on the SecureComputing Sidewinder firewalls, the McAfee Firewall Enterprise does similar backend containerization of each service which provides for added security in the unlikely event of failures or breeches.
    • Tie in reporting services (if used by the admin) provide very granular details on rules accessed and the firewalls response to the requests.
    • Configurable options are plentiful. Unbound DNS can be configured on each "burb" (SecureComputing/McAfee parlance for interface), similar options for sendmail while rulesets can be configured at the application level down to simple IP-filter making options for enhancing security as well as troubleshooting equally as useful.
    • Full control over shell for scripting and/or scheduling (cron) purposes.
    • Solid HA and patching architecture.
    • Support was always helpful, knowledgeable and insightful (especially the staff that migrated from SecureComputing).
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Plixer International
    • The free version has some limitations that make an accurate evaluation difficult, every day at midnight the data is flushed and you start over.
    • If you are purchasing the appliance, you won't have admin access to it.
    • Reporting could use some polished graphics and advance filtering features.
    Incentivized
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    Discontinued Products
    • For an application-layer firewall the applications supported (at the time I managed them) were too few and would need to be expanded and the application ruleset needed to be expanded as well.
    • The remote access VPN client configuration was overly complex for the average user and would need to be supplemented with a configuration file that had already been generated. Other solutions from CheckPoint or Cisco ASA are not as complex for end user remote access.
    • Enhancing the GUI with a builtin "packet capture" feature would be useful for administrators not familiar with tcpdump.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Plixer International
    Support is support, they are either there or they are not. Scrutinizer support has been there every time I've needed them. They rely a bit too much on email correspondence, sometimes I want a voice to tell me what to do, and fast
    Incentivized
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    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Plixer International
    Scrutinizer is a faster and simpler deployment while still delivering the tools and reports needed to gain accurate view traffic and network usage. Its cheaper than most alternatives and daily use is focused on understanding data, not making config changes so you can understand data. Risk reduction and elimination is the primary focus, Scrutinizer helps you do that.
    Incentivized
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    Discontinued Products
    Compared to other firewalls I've managed (Palo Alto, Cisco ASA & CheckPoint) I would say that McAfee Firewall Enterprise was probably at the time not the leader in its field however it is a product that proved its reliability and flexibility over the other vendors. The addition of many new features usually comes as a detriment to some other area (restricted CLI, decreased logging etc.). In my experience this product gave the flexibility and options that the organization needed.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Plixer International
    • Scrutinizer is a great tool, extremely easy to implement, it lets you see your NetFlow without a large outlay.
    • WAN traffic monitoring gives you the ability to accurately predict the necessary bandwidth volume, you can now stop over buying.
    Incentivized
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    Discontinued Products
    • In its highly available configuration the impact on any business objective has been positive given the fact that any downtime of the firewall would negatively impact all business objectives.
    Incentivized
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