Item: WatchGuard Network Security
Rating: 10
Author: James Martin

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use WatchGuard devices in our main and satellite office with the network security enabled on both via their Total Security package. They are vital for monitoring traffic coming and going from both sites and ensuring that users are kept safe while doing their jobs and (hopefully) prevent any outages.

Pros and Cons

Feature-rich.
Constant development.
Great support.

Firmware upgrades are currently manual (cant be "set and forget")
Takes some learning
The web interface still doesnt quite have everything the application offers

Return on Investment

Hardware and annual costs are great value.
Content inspection is great and really thorough.
Throughput is quick so keeps users working without delays.

WatchGuard Network Security Partner

No, purchased through our reseller and then implemented ourselves, using online guides and WatchGuard support. They were great when we had a few teething issues.

Usability

The feature set you get is fantastic, and there has been a great investment in various areas to cover all angles. I was blown away by various features on offer, and after getting it set up, a few more acquisitions were made by WatchGuard and as we had total security suite we got to enable them on our devices.

Implementation Rating

It was not too bad, the key thing we had a problem with was that I was used to using web interfaces or ssh to configure firewall devices and this needed a Windows application if you wanted to access some of the advanced menus. This has improved over the years and a recent refresh of the kit allowed us to mostly use the web interface to get it operational.

WatchGuard Network Security Packaging and Licensing

It makes a lot of sense to bundle it all together as it meant that we enabled everything and forced us to learn all the features to get the most out of them. Things like DNSWatch and Threat detection took a little getting used to as they have cloud platforms separate to the firewalls that you have to configure and with TDR you have to install agents on your devices to get it working. Once in though, it has been great.

Alternatives Considered

Fortinet FortiGate

I traditionally used to use FortiGate but i was really amazed at the quality of the WatchGuard devices, especially with the cost of hardware and packages they offered, especially as FortiGate is heavy on CPU and memory when you enable more of their packages (and so you have to spend more on the hardware in bigger organizations or turn off features to keep it working) whereas the WatchGuard is a good price and doesn't get hammered with everything enabled.

Likelihood to Recommend

I came to my role with WatchGuard already in place and originally planned to drop them and go with another solution. This quickly changed as I learned the features they had, and how it all worked. They have a great feature set and the network security features are phenomenal. We now buy total security suite to ensure we have access to all the various features and, after a little wrangling to get it all enabled and working, it has been a great investment.

A great solution for small and medium-sized businesses

Overall Satisfaction with WatchGuard Network Security