System Engineer at Jeraisy computers and communications services
Real User
A cost-effective solution for firewall but needs a better interface and support

What needs improvement?

Forcepoint could make the interface more reasonable and easier to navigate. If you are not good at Forcepoint, you cannot easily manage it. Fortinet is easy to navigate and reach.

Forcepoint should focus on upgrades. Sometimes, service is impacted or disrupted after an upgrade. You have to read the release notes carefully before doing anything.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall for three years.

How are customer service and support?

Four years ago, I called support. Their response was very bad, but the antivirus was good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Fortinet is better because it is very easy to manage. For Forcepoint, you need someone to dive into GUI or make some changes in the configuration, navigate, etc.

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Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall
April 2024
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How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex with the NG firewall compared to Fortinet. You can manage it easily by doing some virtual context and trying to divide the solution. You need experience for that. You have to do some lab to do something to prepare.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is not expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Fortinet. Fortinet is booming now, but it is expensive. Both have pros and cons. You can compare both with Palo Alto. Palo Alto is more stable and more scalable. Forcepoint has many more features than Fortinet.

Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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PeerSpot user
Dino R - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Has good stability, but its initial setup process needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a scalable solution."
  • "They should provide more details on potential cyber threats."

What is most valuable?

The solution's most valuable features are reporting, support, and classification of cyber attacks.

What needs improvement?

They should provide more details on potential cyber-attacks over a dashboard or email for the solution. Also, they should include centralized dashboard configuration and management.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution's stability an eight or nine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the solution's scalability a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support team is quite responsive and provides consistent support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup process is complex. It is challenging to identify new and existing systems.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution with the help of a system integrator.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
767,847 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Real User
Top 20
Affords us better centralized management over its competitors with simplicity and flexibility of use
Pros and Cons
  • "Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is very simple, easy to use, and flexible."
  • "We feel the product's technical support could be better, as this relates to the solution itself, to the installation of the product, and to having a proper understanding of the case."

What is most valuable?

It is very simple, easy to use, and flexible. It is a top solution with a complete feature set. Its most valuable feature involves its environment. 

What needs improvement?

A pain point worth mentioning is the need of the customer or client to properly know the environment as it relates to the presentation of Forcepoint and to have a better knowledge of the product's implementation. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall for six years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's very stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We feel Forcepoint's scalability to be pretty easy and good. It works very well. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We feel the product's technical support could be better, as this relates to the solution itself, to the installation of the product, and to having a proper understanding of the case. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is not terribly complex. We are talking about three months at the intermediate level. 

While the deployment of a single firewall depends on the environment, this took us between two to five days. 

We employ more than 16 people on our staff for the deployment and maintenance of the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall has a good price. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

In addition to Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall, we evaluated the concurrency of Palo Alto's features. We feel that Forcepoint affords better centralized management than its competitors.

What other advice do I have?

Our company makes use of every current version of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall. 

Our clients who use Forcepoint run the gamut from small, medium to large businesses. 

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
Ashish Choudhary - PeerSpot reviewer
Co-founder | Product Manager | CEO @ ReDi at TRIAD Technologies
Real User
Top 10
Good connectivity and integration capabilities with the ability to expand easily
Pros and Cons
  • "I have two offices, and I can route the internet of both offices using the same product. The connectivity is great."
  • "They need to improve their alerts."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for perimeter security. We use it across the entire office.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the fact that I can connect both offices together under the solution. I have two offices, and I can route the internet of both offices using the same product. The connectivity is great.

The integration capabilities are good. 

What needs improvement?

They need to improve their alerts. If I could integrate some of the alerts on WhatsApp, that would be nice. I should have the option to get my alerts, not just by email. I'd like to also see them, for example, on WhatsApp. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable and reliable. I'd rate it eight or nine out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very good. I would rate it eight or nine out of ten in terms of the ability to expand.

We have about 200 people using the solution at this time.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is okay.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup has a moderate amount of difficulty. I'd rate it five out of ten in terms of ease of deployment. The user interface was not something I was very familiar with. There was a little bit of complexity that I had to deal with. IN the end, it took a few days to get everything up and running. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is okay. I'd rate it five or six out of ten in terms of affordability.

What other advice do I have?

We are partners. 

We are using the latest version of the solution. 

I'd recommend the solution to others. Overall, I would rate the product eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Technical Support Specialist Networks at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Fully-featured and comes with everything required
Pros and Cons
  • "I don't have anything bad to say about the product. I absolutely love it."
  • "Something that I've noticed that Forcepoint lacks, is the training that they offer to their end-customers"

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are mainly the Management and the Active capabilities.

What needs improvement?

From a managerial point of view, as long as you have proper training, it's very easy to manage this firewall. Something that I've noticed that Forcepoint lacks, is the training that they offer to their customers. It's quite expensive, I believe it costs roughly $11,000. Because of this, we haven't been fully trained in this solution; to get the most out of this product, you need proper training. That is the only negative comment I have surrounding Forcepoint.

Aside from the expensive training, I honestly can't think of another issue. It's a fully-featured firewall that comes with everything required. The version that we are using has a single power supply, whereas we would prefer having dual power supplies on or firewalls.  

For how long have I used the solution?

Our company has been using Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall for roughly two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I have never had any major issues with it. No matter the situation, it has always served its purpose.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, I cannot comment because we have not increased the number of firewalls or the number of nodes on our existing firewall. Although we have not implemented these changes, I know that it's very easy to increase the number of nodes and bandwidth, which means that it is very scalable, but from an on-premise point of view, we haven't done that. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We've never had a negative experience with customer support. They have always been quickly available. I can't complain, I think they have a pretty good team. 

What other advice do I have?

I don't have anything bad to say about the product. I absolutely love it.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of nine. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
PS & Technical Manager at a integrator with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5
An easy-to-manage security solution but could be cheaper
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution offers sandboxing, which can be integrated at any time."
  • "Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall could change its interface, allowing standard or direct connect modes to be configured."

What is most valuable?

The solution offers sandboxing, which can be integrated at any time.

What needs improvement?

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall could change its interface, allowing standard or direct connect modes to be configured. While group design and configuration generally function well, there are issues related to OSSL. These issues may necessitate troubleshooting that involves accessing hidden features by adjusting product routes. This level of troubleshooting is currently restricted to technical personnel, not partners or customers.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall for a few years.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good outside Egypt.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have tried FortiGate, Palo Alto, and Symantec. We switched to Forcepoint because it is easy to manage and troubleshoot.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is expensive but cheaper than Cisco.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5
A good and simple solution, but becomes unstable when more features, like auto-scaling are introduced
Pros and Cons
  • "We like the scalability of Forcepoint because with the Forcepoint NGFW solution, we can scale anything. The solution has central management, so we can manage all the branches and devices centrally in one controller."
  • "When it comes to a complex deployment, the rules, firewall features, SD-WAN core features, and auto-scaling can cause the device to be not quite stable."

What is our primary use case?

Forcepoint is a next-generation firewall, we are using it as a firewall for one of our customers, which includes one data center and 95 branches. Using the SD-WAN feature on Forcepoint NGFW, we provide a secure connection from all the branches to the data center.

What is most valuable?

We like the scalability of Forcepoint because, with the Forcepoint NGFW solution, we can scale anything. The solution has central management, so we can manage all the branches and devices centrally in one controller. This also allows the customer to manage the solution centrally.

Forcepoint comes with the SD-WAN feature, which connects all the branches and devices to the data center with a central connection. We bypass using a VPN or IPsec or anything like that because Forcepoint can do it automatically. Also, one of the controller benefits is that it can monitor the tech, meaning all the devices that are managed by Forcepoint.

What needs improvement?

I think some of the customers who already use Forcepoint will benefit from using SD-WAN because it has features like auto-scaling, but I think the auto-scaling needs improvement since only Forcepoint NGFW comes with the SD-WAN solution. Plus, auto-scaling is an important tool and it still may not be good enough for some customers, so I think there is room for more improvement in the auto-scaling feature in SD-WAN.

We have also gotten a slow response from technical support when we experienced hiccups, errors, and bugs. I think there is a lot of room for improvement in the support capabilities.

For how long have I used the solution?

My company has been using the solution for about one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

For a simple deployment with simple requirements, like firewall blocking and connecting to the LAN or data center, the stability of the device is quite good. However, when it comes to a complex deployment, the rules, firewall features, SD-WAN core features, and auto-scaling can cause the device to be not quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We like the scalability of Forcepoint because with the Forcepoint NGFW solution, we can scale anything. However, I think there is room for more improvement in the auto-scaling feature in SD-WAN.

How are customer service and support?

I think their support capabilities have a lot of room for improvement because my company has had several issues. Of course, other products have issues too, but they have good support that helps us deliver a solution to the customer. With Forcepoint, however, the technical support is slow and I think the support team needs to be improved.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is quite simple, but when it comes to configuration we need to know why the customer is implementing the solution. Firewalling or connecting other branches is a simple configuration but with something like auto-scaling or antivirus, Forcepoint needs to be more straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I think we deployed a data center in a half-day, so you can deploy the controller or the data center in about a day. The time it takes to activate and configure each branch varies, and may range from 15-40 minutes. Once we activate the solution and set it up for the customer, they connect it to the internet with our password and can begin working. Overall, I think one week is more than enough time for a thorough deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are some options for licensing. I think usually the licenses are valid for three years, but in my country we only have the option of a one-year license. The license is gauged on the requirements and the controller. There is a basic license and an advanced license, which offers more protection for antiviruses, like web category filtering.

What other advice do I have?

I think Forcepoint is a good simple solution for firewalling. Because of the instability we faced within our project, which I think can be common with Forcepoint, I would only recommend this solution for a retail business with minimal, non-complex requirements. If you need more SD-WAN features, like auto-scaling, I don't think I would recommend Forcepoint. 

I would rate this solution as a five out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Assistant Manager, Information Security at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
The first line of defense
Pros and Cons
  • "Forcepoint is a good, stable solution."
  • "The solution needs to add an antivirus profile and anti-spyware profile, not just policies and VPN."

What is our primary use case?

We publish books and use Forcepoint Firewall as the first line of defense on VPN access.

What needs improvement?

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall could improve with applying policies. Also, improvement with publishing websites and VPN agent.

The solution needs to add an antivirus profile and anti-spyware profile, not just policies and VPN.

For how long have I used the solution?

Our company has been using Forcepoint Firewall for 5 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Forcepoint is a good, stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support for Forcepoint is fine. They are polite and available twenty-four hours and usually resolve problems the same day.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of this solution is easy. We only set up some of the policies.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is reasonable, it is priced the same as other firewalls. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Palo Alto, their main advantage over Forcepoint is that they have an antivirus profile and anti-spyware profile.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Forcepoint a 7 out of 10. I would recommend that anyone considering this solution to upgrade their software to have more advantages.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.