Item: Watchguard Endpoint Security
Rating: 10
Author: Corrado Santucci

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I adopted the Adaptive Defense 360 in my enterprise for delete an Emotet we have catch last years. When a lot of antivirus solutions I've tried have failed, with Panda Antivirus (and then WatchGuard EPDR) i fixed the problem on the root; it discovered the pc infected and in one day all computers stopped to send email.

Pros and Cons

Update definitions.
Install panel.
Suspicious elements are reported.

Italian translation (like Panda was).
None

Return on Investment

Reduced staffing cost.
Improved security.
AI reduced my time.

Alternatives Considered

Norton

Before I joined the company, the old it manager chose to install Norton on all company PCs. This antivirus turned out to be absolutely useless when we were infested with an Emotet virus about a year ago.As soon as we installed Panda (now Watchguard EPDR) in the time of 24 hours this emotet became just a bad memory

Key Insights

Do you think Watchguard Endpoint Security delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Watchguard Endpoint Security's feature set?

Yes

Did Watchguard Endpoint Security live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Watchguard Endpoint Security go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Watchguard Endpoint Security again?

Yes

Central Management

The impact that the implementation of EPDR watchguard has had is remarkably positive; now from the general control panel I can also see minor security warnings such as advertising malware. Having Wachguard on all corporate clients makes me feel a lot calmer now and without fear of possible external company data leaks

Other Software Used

Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Office 2016 (discontinued), Radmin Remote Administrator

Likelihood to Recommend

I suggest installing this suite in all SMEs where it is presented only to IT clerks or it is present external IT support companies. Easy to configure and install in all clients and servers, in one day has solved a big problem in the corporate network so I suggest this product.

Users and Roles

17 - In the company we use Watchguard (and Panda) PCs on all PCs, from the CEO's PC to the warehouse employees' PCs.The software is fully embedded and no one has ever complained about open pop up windows and scan requests as they are monitored by me via the control panel

Support Headcount Required

1 - The IT Manager (the undersigned) checks the regular functioning of the antivirus on the entire corporate network.In my opinion, however, no particular skill is needed to complete the task.In my absence it is very easy for me to manage any installations on new machines and uninstallations on old clients

Business Processes Supported

PC cleaning from possible threats
Prevent unauthorized software installation
Check virus definitions update status on clients

Innovative Uses

NN
NN
NN

Future Planned Uses

NN
NN
NN

Likelihood to Renew

10

I will definitely renew the software licenses on all our clients when they expire.Again, I have never worked so well with antivirus software before today. Watchguard is an extremely adaptable software to our business needs and I don't think I want to try other solutions that the market offers

Products Replaced

Yes - Before Watchguard (before Panda) we had Symantec Endpoint Protection, which was not able to counteract the installation by a user of an Emotet that in a few hours was able to forward hundreds of our emails, containing sensitive data, to all the mailing lists installed on each pc of our collaborators

Key Differentiators

Product Features

The choice of installing an antivirus software with artificial intelligence on all the PCs and servers of our company network and which autonomously manages to update itself and transmit any threats not yet recognized to the supplier's server in order to have in such a way as to develop an ad hoc treatment

Evaluation Lessons Learned

The Italian translation of the Watchguard EPDR panel is still missing (which Panda Adaptive defense had) and the control panel portal unfortunately disconnects every 4 hours and every time I have to repeat the login from the main watchguard page and then, after 3 links different, get to the control page

Implementation Rating

10

The software goes manually on a PC only on the company network and then proceeds through that PC to install the software on all the other clients through the control panel where all the clients / servers on the network are detected with extreme speed and ease of execution, even for uninstallation and remote control over scans

Implementation Details / Implementation Partner

Implemented in-house

Implementation Phases

No

Change Management Lessons

Change management was minimal - First I had to uninstall the old antivirus software that was present at the time from every single client, then I installed the software on my client and that's it and through the main control panel I set my pc as discover client and then proceed to install on all the PCs on the network the software remotely

Implementation Issues

NN
NN
NN

Training Types Used

No Training

In-Person Training

Online Training

Ease of Watchguard Endpoint Security Training

The implementation and management of the software does not require specific training, it is easy to use; the important thing is to read everything reported on the online panel paying particular attention only to managing the blocking of unauthorized software; for this point I had to set my CMR in the whitelist as this was blocked by default on all clients

Product Configurability

10

The configuration of Watchguard is completely adaptable to the individual needs of the user; from the small office of the accounting firm to the large company.The IT manager must first understand how the control panel works with its many configurations and decide which functions to inhibit or which others to parameterize

Configuration Lessons

The configuration of Watchguard is completely adaptable to the individual needs of the user; from the small office of the accounting firm to the large company.The IT manager must first understand how the control panel works with its many configurations and decide which functions to inhibit or which others to parameterize

UI Customization

No - we have not done any customization to the interface

Extensibility and Customization

No - the product does not support adding custom code

Additional Customization Considerations

With the implementation of watchguard (at the beginning Panda Endpoint, but it is the same) I was able to insert in the control panel all the unauthorized software previously installed by colleagues without any authorization from the various department heads.Now any licensed software goes into lockdown and can be unlocked from the control panel

Watchguard Endpoint Security Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Knowledgeable team Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	Poor followup

Premium Support

I have not purchased premium support because I have never needed it, in my opinion the best way to limit incidents is to set execution limits on each client / account, on the other hand, company PCs are tools for work and not for entertainment / leisure, so setting execution limits solves many problems upstream;)

Bug Resolution

No

Exceptional Examples of Watchguard Endpoint Security Support

When I initially decided to install the antivirus on the entire corporate network, the software was called Panda Adaptive Defense, at the time of the license renewal, however, the software (so it remained the same) passed to Watchguard EPDR the licenses must be replaced with the new ones and in a few hours the support was able to provide me with all the new licenses.

Support Rating

10

The speed with which Watchguard support is able to assist their corporate customers is exceptional.A few times have I needed the assistance from the antivirus software support that I had before Watchguard and I must say that no support has been as fast and conclusive as that of watchguard

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

Adding/discovering clients
Remote installation on clients
Add clients to quarantine

Difficult Tasks

manage the software lock
uninstall the software from the client
nothing else

Usability

10

Certainly, its simplicity of use and configuration are the strengths of this antivirus. I also add that having the T-55 as a firewall I must say that I have the complete solution against external cyber-attacks and I feel very calm. only the Italian translation is missing right now while panda antivirus had before.

Scalability

10

With the implementation of watchguard (at the beginning Panda Endpoint, but it is the same) I was able to insert in the control panel all the unauthorized software previously installed by colleagues without any authorization from the various department heads.Now any licensed software goes into lockdown and can be unlocked from the control panel

Reliability and Availability

10

The software is 100% managed on a cloud platform that can be managed via an account even if they are not present within the company network where the software is installed, I even always opened the control panel on the browser of my smartphone to monitor the situation.I have never experienced any abnormal software crashes

Performance

10

The only annoyance I complain, if we want to be picky, is the fact of the constant disconnections from the control panel.Every about 4 hours the account logs out even if I set the "remember this device" flag; having said that I have not noticed neither slowdowns nor conflicts with other software