Item: WatchGuard Network Security
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use WatchGuard primarily to block sites in a school environment. We also use port forwarding for a number of products and have looked into using the VPN capabilities as well. The system works over the web which is nice not having to make adjustments from one central server.

Pros and Cons

Content blocking based on category
Blacklist/whitelisting sites
Catching malicious sites and programs

some functionality doesn't work in the desktop app like website whitelist. Needs to be done on the web interface.
easier port forwarding would be helpful
the alerts/logs is a bit cumbersome

Return on Investment

pricing is a bit high for a school
great at catching content
we have not had any issues since moving toward WatchGuard

WatchGuard Network Security Partner

Worked with Joe Purcell for our renewal. At first, the quote was higher than I could find on amazon. After reaching back out to Joe he was able to match/ slightly beat the amazon pricing which was nice. I still think the software is overpriced for renewal purposes. To get physical hardware with 3 years costs almost the same as just a software license renewal. This shouldn't be the case. I know all network security providers seem to do it but it's just disappointing and promotes switching companies when renewal time comes.

Implementation Rating

The phone support is some of the best I've ever had. They were able to help me remotely in my initial setup. It is definitely a bit confusing if you are just switching to WatchGuard but the phone support was on point. They were definitely versed in the software and not just reading off a script when trying to understand the problem.

WatchGuard Network Security Packaging and Licensing

It is simple to hook up and start running that is for sure, where it falls short is the setup wizard, it doesn't do the best job with things like port forwarding. Besides the initial configuration issues, the uptime has been 100% I can't say that about some other devices I have used which require the occasional reboot.

Alternatives Considered

SonicWall NSA Series

Sonicwall has an easier-to-understand menu and when I wanted to block something it was quicker to get where I needed to be. The cost was the main issue with SonicWall with a renewal for a small business-grade device being way too expensive and probably 40 percent higher than WatchGuard.

Other Software Used

Blackbaud Education Management Solutions, Microsoft Office 2016 (discontinued), AlphaCard

Key Insights

Do you think WatchGuard Network Security delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with WatchGuard Network Security's feature set?

Yes

Did WatchGuard Network Security live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of WatchGuard Network Security go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy WatchGuard Network Security again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

We use WatchGuard in a school environment and it does a very good job at filtering out content that is not appropriate for students. There is also a great deal of granularity in some of the categories which is nice, for instance allowing certain anatomy websites to work while blocking more adult sites.

Better than the rest, but interface needs to be upgraded to 2021

Overall Satisfaction with WatchGuard Network Security