Check Point Harmony Browse vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG comparison

Check Point Harmony Browse vs. Fortinet FortiGate SWG

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of iboss is 2.1%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Check Point Harmony Browse is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is 6.4%, down from 7.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

Featured Reviews

Matt Crockford

Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water

It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless

One aspect we value about iboss is its simplicity. Their customer service is brilliant, and they are super responsive and knowledgeable. It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless. We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times. The user interface is highly intuitive. Our IT team picked it up with minimal training. It's arranged so that it's easy to find where things are. Another advantage is the single pane of glass console, which gives you visibility into what's happening. We're not fully there yet because we haven't implemented zero trust, but we're excited about the possibilities from the demos we've seen. We launched a POC of iboss' ChatGPT Risk Protection feature two weeks ago. AI is a great tool, but you need to be careful what you put into it. My biggest fear is employees inputting sensitive corporate information or customer PII data into one of these chatbots. I was impressed by our trial of the feature. It's exactly what we wanted. Now, when a user goes to ChatGPT, there's a banner warning them not to share information, and we can block conversations containing customer data like bank details and email addresses. I don't want to stop people from using it, but we need visibility. We've only tried it on a test group of 15 people. You can configure it to look for specific keywords or integrate it with your DLP policy if you have that configured

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CLAUDIO SANTOS

Operation Director at GLOBALIP

Provides browser protection and has an easy deployment

You only need to create one policy in Microsoft Active Directory. This policy can be applied to all workstations and will manage access using your credentials across the network. The implementation depends on the number of employees. For smaller organizations with 100 to 400 employees, it's straightforward and quick. The process becomes more complex for larger organizations with 3,000 to 6,000 employees.

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David Carlson

CIO at Camco Mfg.

Non-IT people could plug it in, connect it to the fiber, and get it running without IT help.

FortiGate is easy to configure. We configured one of the units and sent it to Indiana to be installed. We asked them to give us a call when they got it, so we could help them through the process, but they called us back to tell us it works great. Non-IT people could plug it in, connect it to the fiber, and get it running without IT help. That was fantastic. Fortinet also offers a single pane of glass that we can use to manage our routers with gateways, so that's convenient. We're running a VPN to our remote location, and the performance is good. We're changing all our VPN connectors on our laptops from Cisco's Anywhere to Fortinet's VPN because the performance is just so much better.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"I would definitely recommend iboss for web filtering purposes to other organizations or individuals."

"iboss is easy to use despite its complexity. Multiple engineers manage it, but it's significantly more straightforward to administer than traditional VPNs and web proxies."

"Our primary use case for this product is DLP,"

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent. That's something that really helped us out. It's not just a simple proxy that just blocks the insights of potential threats that come on behind it. They do malware detection and that helps us a lot."

"It was a very easy product to install. It can be deployed very fast."

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

"iboss is among the few products providing inline filtering where no application is needed on the device."

"The console is cloud-based, which is something I really appreciate."

More iboss pros

"It has content filtering, which has helped us a lot in being able to apply the necessary filtering policies where we can allow or block websites."

"This solution has multiple protections that are generally very simple to configure and work quickly with little intrusiveness for the user."

"This solution has improved my organization by providing enhanced web security."

"Among its most important features is the integration of its analytics."

"Its Nano Agent, which integrates with the browser, is incredibly invisible to the user and the computer since it does not require much performance."

"All the features of Harmony Browse improve the security of an organization."

"The software is easy to install and deploy across any business environment and it is becoming a game changer for us."

"The product enforces the privacy of the users, which is good."

More Check Point Harmony Browse pros

"FortiGate is a great solution, although initially, it faced challenges in the Brazilian market due to lower brand recognition than Cisco. However, explaining and demonstrating its product format and offerings has proven easy. The cost-effectiveness and better features of FortiGate have made some clients skeptical. We set up a trial period, and they eventually opted for it. Many clients were convinced it was great after experiencing the solution's capabilities firsthand."

"Customers keep on improving their licenses. The solution remains scalable and flexible. On-premises deployments may have some limitations. However, cloud deployments offer a high degree of flexibility."

"The solution is easy to use and checks the access control as a firewall."

"I am content with its user interface and functionalities."

"I rate this solution a nine out of ten."

"The product is stable and strong."

"We have found the product to be scalable."

"The interface is user-friendly, so it's easy to add policies and block traffic."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG pros

Cons

"Sometimes the agent stops working in iboss, and we have to reinstall the agent."

"The solution could be stronger on the integration side and offer more cloud applications like G Suite or Oracle."

"The reporting feature needs improvement."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"Our iboss subscription access should be more secure with an OTP or VPN etc. It is easy to gain access if, for example, hackers obtain my username and password."

"The area I would like to see improvement in is the ability with in the reporter to navigate directly to the content the user is traversing. It is kind of there, but it's not perfect. Quite frequently, I receive links that lead me to pages with error messages."

"To scale up, a new iboss Node Blade Chassis must be purchased."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

More iboss cons

"The only thing they should add or improve is the reporting series."

"One of the new features I would like to see is the possibility that these tools can be brought to mobile devices such as tablets and cell phones in iOS or Android applications."

"The URL filtering database should be improved."

"The documentation of the most current applications is sometimes not so clear, and it is difficult to understand."

"Support must be faster in solving problems."

"Something that is worth mentioning is the need for support in Spanish and better representation for teams in the Latin American area, where there is a growing demand for these IT services and new technologies."

"The ease of handling should be improved, as it is currently intrusive and some users don't like it."

"The solution needs greater automation to reduce the need for manual configuration and management."

More Check Point Harmony Browse cons

"Integrating OpenVPN with FortiGate would provide a powerful combination of secure remote access and comprehensive network security."

"They should make the product user-friendly and enhance the security features."

"The solution has many heightened points which we cannot get to without working on CLI."

"One area of improvement I've noticed is the lack of built-in monitoring capabilities in the firewall. Currently, we rely on third-party solutions for monitoring purposes. However, I believe the firewall itself has the potential to do a better job in this aspect. Another aspect of Fortinet that concerns me is related to redundancy. We have a setup with two firewalls working in parallel, which requires a highly adaptable configuration. However, it feels unfair that clients need to purchase two licenses, especially when one of the firewalls serves as a backup. We have noticed that other manufacturers have different policies on this matter."

"It could always be more secure."

"The solution is expensive."

"Fortinet FortiGate SWG can be expensive for some customers."

"The software is a bit expensive to renew."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"The product has a reasonable pricing."

"The price is not very expensive for our organisation, but for others, it might be a little expensive."

"Pricing for Fortinet FortiGate SWG is more suitable for enterprise or large-sized organizations because they are the ones who can afford it versus small and medium-sized organizations."

"The pricing for this solution is reasonable."

"It is a cost-effective solution that meets the user's needs."

"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. Its one-year license cost is competitive with three and five-year licenses offered by other products."

"Fortinet FortiGate SWG is an affordable solution."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"It could be more competitive and cost-effective."

"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. The additional cost depends on the extra feature requirements."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

30%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Security Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about iboss?

Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss.

What needs improvement with iboss?

Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctl...

What is your primary use case for iboss?

We used it for student and faculty filtering on campus.

What do you like most about Check Point Harmony Browse?

The product is stable.

What needs improvement with Check Point Harmony Browse?

Support could be improved.

What is your primary use case for Check Point Harmony Browse?

When you purchase Check Point Harmony Browse, you can access this feature. For example, if an employee works from hom...

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

The interface and other reports are all user-friendly.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the pricing for FortiGate AWG as nine, which is perfect.

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

I would rate the technical support of Fortinet a six or seven out of ten. It is not very helpful. I would like to see...

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Comparisons

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Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense vs iboss

Compared 5% of the time

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Cisco Umbrella vs Check Point Harmony Browse

Compared 52% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs Check Point Harmony Browse

Compared 48% of the time

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Fortinet FortiProxy vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 48% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 20% of the time

Sangfor Internet Access Gateway (IAG) vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 6% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 5% of the time

Trend Micro Web Security vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG Competitors

Product Reports

iboss

Download iboss product report

Check Point Harmony Browse

Download Check Point Harmony Browse product report

Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Download Fortinet FortiGate SWG product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

No data available

FortiGate SWG, FortiGate Secure Web Gateway

Overview

iboss offers a comprehensive security platform designed for diverse use cases such as web filtering, data loss protection, corporate proxy services, and URL filtering.

iboss integrates advanced features to address dynamic security needs, leveraging its strength in SASE, ZTNA, AI initiatives, and cloud integration, while ensuring seamless operations for remote work. It excels in historical forensics, malware protection, and flexible cloud deployments. Users benefit from comprehensive traffic scanning, robust malware detection, and PaaS capabilities that reduce hardware management. An intuitive admin console ensures efficient management with content filtering and low false positives. SSL decryption enhances security, while DLP protects data in AI conversations. Deployment is rapid and scalable, allowing effortless integration with emerging technologies.

What features does iboss offer?

Granular Web Filtering: Provides precise control over web content access.
Traffic Scanning: Monitors data through multiple ports for security breaches.
Malware Detection: Ensures superior protection against malware threats.
PaaS Capabilities: Eliminates need for hardware management.
SSL Decryption: Enhances data protection by decrypting secure connections.
DLP Capabilities: Safeguards data during AI interactions.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts quickly to growing demands and emerging tech integration.
Rapid Deployment: Reduces time to implement security measures.
User-Friendly Admin Console: Facilitates efficient operations management.
Low False Positives: Increases accuracy of threat detection systems.

iboss finds significant application in sectors such as education, where web filtering for K-12 is crucial, and in corporate environments requiring robust proxy services and URL filtering for network security. Its adaptability is essential in scenarios demanding flexible, decentralized security frameworks, particularly for remote work setups.

iboss

Check Point Harmony Browse is a secure web browsing solution that provides users with a safe and seamless browsing experience. It is designed to protect users from web-based threats such as malware, phishing, and other cyber attacks. Harmony Browse uses advanced threat prevention technologies to detect and block malicious websites and downloads in real-time. It also provides users with a secure connection to the internet, ensuring that their online activities are not intercepted or monitored by cybercriminals.

Harmony Browse is easy to deploy and manage, with a simple and intuitive user interface that allows administrators to set policies and monitor user activity. With Harmony Browse, organizations can ensure that their employees are protected from web-based threats, while also maintaining productivity and compliance.

Check Point Harmony Browse Benefits:

Provides secure web browsing
Protects against malware and phishing attacks
Offers granular control over user access and policies
Easy to use
Integrates with other Check Point security products

Check Point Harmony Browse Features:

Web Threat Prevention: Harmony Browse includes real-time web threat prevention capabilities to protect against various web-based attacks, such as malware, ransomware, phishing, and drive-by downloads.
URL Filtering: The solution provides URL filtering capabilities to enforce policies for web access control.
Anti-Bot Protection: Harmony Browse helps prevent bot-driven attacks and botnet infections by identifying and blocking communication between infected endpoints and command-and-control (C&C) servers.
Advanced Threat Intelligence: The solution integrates with Check Point's threat intelligence services, which provide real-time updates about emerging threats and malicious URLs.
Secure Web Gateway: Harmony Browse can function as a secure web gateway, offering secure access to web resources for organizations.
User and Policy Management: The solution enables organizations to define and enforce web usage policies based on user roles, groups, or specific criteria.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Check Point Harmony Browse users.

Shrinkhala Jain, Project Consultant at a consultancy, states that "The software is easy to install and deploy across any business environment and it is becoming a game changer for us."

Anuj Kumar, Senior Manager at IRMA Anand, writes that "It completely restricts and blocks phishing attacks and any threat entry into the system and keeps the work pace fast and secure without showing any signs of lag or latency."

Javier Aguado Benito, Coordinador at OESIA, says that"This solution has multiple protections that are generally very simple to configure and work quickly with little intrusiveness for the user."

Check Point Software Technologies

Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a comprehensive web security solution provided by Fortinet. FortiGate SWG combines web filtering, malware protection, data loss prevention (DLP), and application control capabilities into a single integrated platform. It is designed to protect organizations from web-based threats, enforce compliance policies, and provide secure access to web resources.

FortiGate SWG Benefits:

Comprehensive web filtering and security features
Ease of use and management
Integration with other Fortinet products
Strong threat detection capabilities
Scalability and flexibility
Granular control over user access and activity

FortiGate SWG Features:

Web Filtering: FortiGate SWG employs URL filtering and content categorization to control and enforce web access policies.
Malware Protection: The solution provides real-time protection against web-borne threats, such as malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): FortiGate SWG helps prevent sensitive data from being leaked or exfiltrated through web channels.
SSL Inspection: The solution supports SSL/TLS decryption and inspection, allowing organizations to examine encrypted web traffic for threats and enforce security policies.
Application Control: FortiGate SWG enables granular control over web applications and protocols.
Advanced Threat Intelligence: FortiGate SWG leverages Fortinet's threat intelligence services to provide up-to-date information about emerging threats and zero-day vulnerabilities.
User Authentication and Access Control: The solution supports various authentication methods, including single sign-on (SSO) and integration with identity providers, to ensure secure user authentication and access control for web resources.
Reporting and Analytics: FortiGate SWG provides comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities.

FortiGate SWG is typically deployed as a hardware appliance or as a virtual appliance in on-premises environments, but it may also be available as a cloud-based service. It is part of Fortinet's broader security fabric ecosystem, allowing integration with other Fortinet products to provide a unified and coordinated security infrastructure.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by FortiGate SWG users.

David Carlson, CIO at Camco Mfg., says that "Non-IT people could plug it in, connect it to the fiber, and get it running without IT help".

Suresh Vijayen, Product Manager at IX Telecom, writes that FortiGate SWG "Provides helpful technical support, but its dashboard needs to be more user-friendly".

Chandan Munshi, Chief Technical Officer at Provision Technologies LLP, states that "The user interface is intuitive. Anyone can configure the firewall with little knowledge of the product. The back-end is robust with good security."

Fortinet

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

Information Not Available

Salt Lake County, Catholic College Bendigo, Azienda Unita Sanitaria

Check Point Harmony Browse vs. Fortinet FortiGate SWG