A scalable security solution that doesn't sacrifice performance
April 13, 2017

A scalable security solution that doesn't sacrifice performance

Tony Dykstra | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review

Overall Satisfaction with Firebox M Series

Our organization uses the WatchGuard Firebox Security Appliances internally, but also resells the product for the vast majority of our larger clients. This appliance provides a front-line of security; protecting the network from threats - even before they enter the network. It also allows remote employees and branch offices to access resources securely. This offers peace of mind, which is very valuable in an industry with ever increasing security risks.
  • Unified Threat Management - the level of security provided by a single appliance is impressive. The WatchGuard security suite covers a vast amount of threats and does a great job of protecting my network. Many layers of protection increase the security of my network and that is something WatchGuard does very well.
  • Scalability - the WatchGuard Firebox M Series can scale from an office of 50 people, to an organization with more than 7500 users. Should your needs be less than this, you can utilize the same services by implementing a WatchGuard Firebox T Series device.
  • Throughput - up to 60 Gbps of throughput (up to 11 Gbps with Unified Threat Management) provides the speed needed to run a large organization efficiently and with enough horsepower to keep efficiency running at it's premium without sacrificing security.
  • Wireless - While WatchGuard is continually investing in their wireless solution and always making improvements, the Wireless has given us some headaches when setup in unique circumstances. Multiple SSIDs & VLANs setup to only run over 5GHz has given us some trouble. Not very often this setup is deployed but something to be aware of.
  • WatchGuard Firebox has had a positive impact on our business ROI as our end users are secure and not being infected with malware which keeps their productivity up. Without the WatchGuard in place, I am sure we would have more down-time due to exploits that would not have been caught.
  • WatchGuard Firebox does require a 1-year or 3-year renewal to keep the security services active. This is very normal in the industry but is something to note.
  • SonicWALL
We made the switch to WatchGuard shortly after Dell acquired them due to their continued wireless issues. WatchGuard seemed to be much more stable and scalable. We have had much better success with WatchGuard and are very glad we made the switch, especially for our customers. Higher visibility, a much more intuitive interface, better customer support and scalability were a few of the reasons I feel the WatchGuard is a much better solution.
The Firebox M Series devices are suited for organizations that have more than 60 users or require higher utilization of network resources than what a T Series Device can supply. These devices are very scalable and provide an enterprise level of security features without sacrificing performance. Built in redundancies ensure network stability and up-time which is important for business continuity and employee productivity. If you have less than 60 users or if you do not have a server rack in your environment, the Firebox T Series would be the better fit.