Item: WatchGuard Network Security
Rating: 9
Author: Justin Huntington

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We utilise 3x WatchGuard Network Security firewall devices for 3x of our offices. They are excellent devices and provide a solid endpoint IKEv2 VPN solution connecting our offices via leased lines. The VPN tunnels themselves are faultless. We also provide remote IKEv2 VPNs to our remote endpoint clients utilising the built-in Windows 10 VPN client managed by Microsoft Intune. The firewalls themselves also report into Dimension for a visually appealing security dashboard providing excellent visibility. I have managed our Watchguards for ten years now. Each time we are due a hardware upgrade, it's a simple process to migrate current settings, configs, etc., from the old firewall to the new one. The WatchGuard Network Security cloud is also a nice newer addition for managing some aspects of the firewalls. Upgrading firmware / OS etc. is now very simple with the WatchGuard Network Security cloud.

Pros and Cons

Reporting
Management
Updating

Include APT in basic security subscription

Return on Investment

Our WatchGuard Network Security firewalls have provided top-notch protection for our business for ten years. Provides peace of mind.
I am familiar with the Watchguard OS, which is consistent across all models currently under support, saving time in administration.
Official Watchguard support is always quick to respond and resolve in a timely manner

WatchGuard Network Security Partner

Netthreat for purchase. We implemented it in-house.

Implementation Rating

WatchGuard Network Security Packaging and Licensing

Yes, easy to understand and renew.

Alternatives Considered

SonicWall TZ

Very similar functionality and price.

Other Software Used

Microsoft 365 Business Premium, SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset, Lansweeper

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

For myself, it suits our needs for connecting 3x locations. The security package options are pretty good. I usually opt for basic security as this covers the most important modules for us. Multi-WAN capability works well for us. Especially using SDWAN for separating certain traffic types.

Firewall security
Location connectivity
Remote connectivity

Innovative Uses

SDWAN
IKEv2 remote VPN with auto trusted network detection providing always on remote VPN

Likelihood to Renew

I have used it for ten years and am happy with it.

Go Red! Choose WatchGuard Network Security...

Overall Satisfaction with WatchGuard Network Security