Watchguard - Security and effective management
Updated July 29, 2022

Watchguard - Security and effective management

GILIAN HASS | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with WatchGuard Network Security

We use WatchGuard in our company for edge firewall and security of our IT infrastructure. WatchGuard in our organization solves the issue of network security against attacks and external threats, and internal access control management to also prevent access to unwanted destinations, improper downloads, spam, etc. We use the solution in 3 units of the company and we interconnect the 3 with the WatchGuard VPN solution and it works perfectly.

Pros

  • Control of web access of devices within the network.
  • Automatic address blocking after successive external attack attempts.
  • VPN feature between WatchGuard devices very transparent and stable.
  • Simple and very functional Policy Manager management console.
  • Simple and reliable spamBlocker feature, really holding back suspicious emails.

Cons

  • The mobile security part could be part of the package, without being purchased separately.
  • WatchGuard Mobile VPN client could have a smartphone version as well, not just Windows/Mac.
  • Management Server feature could be more affordable to manage devices seamlessly.
  • Greater security of our IT infrastructure, allowing business continuity.
  • WatchGuard Mobile VPN that allows anytime access and remote work.
  • Internal content control, allowing you to limit access to work content only.
I have WatchGuard fireware certification made a few years ago, so I had already made deployments in the past as a third party in companies, which allowed me to autonomously deploy the complete solution in the 3 units of our company, from firewall rule configurations, VPN between equipment, even access control rules and mobile VPN.
With proper knowledge of the situation, deploying the WatchGuard solution is simple and effective, but it is not a solution that should be deployed without technical knowledge of the software. After deployment, it is possible to obtain control over the network and effective management of firewall rules that few devices can deliver.
With the WatchGuard solution and all its built-in resources, it is possible to have complete control over the network, both from external attacks and from attempts to access unwanted content internally. With its spamBlocker feature, we were able to eliminate/retain more than 1000 spam emails per week. With its web access control feature, we were able to limit access only to content related to the work of each user. Its efficient point-to-point VPN allowed us to connect 3 work units in a simple and transparent way to users, and its Mobile VPN SSL feature allowed us to practically allow external access for some users with only a client software and valid credentials.
WatchGuard delivers firewall management and built-in features far superior to many competitors, and all built-in features are effective, not just to make the product. Its web access control is superior to many products and works transparently, which facilitates management and deployment, without impacting users and without the need to install anything directly on workstations for this control.

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

No

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

WatchGuard has excellent features for enterprise network security, but some are only available in higher-cost versions that deliver high security, such as IPS, BOTNET, APT Blocker, SpamBlocker, etc. However, due to its rather high cost, it ends up being more interesting for medium-large companies, and lower-cost solutions for small companies do not have all these security functions, so in many cases, it ends up not being interesting for small companies.

WatchGuard Network Security Feature Ratings

Identification Technologies
10
Visualization Tools
8
Content Inspection
9
Policy-based Controls
10
Active Directory and LDAP
10
Firewall Management Console
10
Reporting and Logging
6
VPN
10
Stateful Inspection
7
Proxy Server
9

Using WatchGuard Network Security

80 - Among the 80 people, there are people from various industries who use WatchGuard Network Security features directly and indirectly. The vast majority use it for internet browsing (web control and browsing security). Some company management users use VPN to securely access internal resources when they are away from the company. Only the IT sector represented by me that configures WatchGuard.
1 - Today the company has only one person capable of supporting WatchGuard Network Security, and I am the one writing this review. In order to be able to support WatchGuard Network Security, the technician or professional needs knowledge of how a firewall works (inputs, outputs, NAT, precedence), but needs to know the solution in a deeper way so that there are no configuration changes at the moment. of support. The professional must know how to configure SD-WAN, webblocker which is an essential resource for web access control, spamblocker and its functioning. I recommend that the professional has already done a watchguard certification like I did in the past, which gives essential knowledge to manage the device.
  • Web access control with webblocker
  • SSL-VPN watchguard for external access security
  • Security Firewall with IPS, Botnet Detection, Gateway Antivirus
  • Spamblocker feature
  • Isolate wireless networks using watchguard vlan interface + unifi ubiquiti
  • Use the 'blocked sites' feature to permanently block source addresses that have attempted unsuccessful attacks
  • Use DNSWatch to make name resolution more secure
  • Mobile security
I'm giving this note to WatchGuard Network Security due to its ease of daily support (after acquiring necessary knowledge in the solution), which allows agility in configuration changes, its integration of several reliable security features (such as SSL VPN, VPN Virtual Interfaces between companies, and others) and functional and stability in operation, with no downtime in the equipment due to problems or malfunctions

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