WatchGuard Firebox Reviews

We are not currently using this solution. Rather, we are reselling, and I have implemented these systems.

The most recent one I implemented was an M200 model that was being used as a gateway firewall to control their internet usage, primarily for URL filtering.

The reports are detailed. Rather than showing the IP address for a query, such as "who is the most active internet user", it will show their name and the specific activities that he or she is browsing on the internet.

The most valuable feature is the Active Directory integration. WatchGuard is very easy to integrate with. The URL filtering is ok, but instead of filtering by IP addresses I usually set up filtering through Active Directory user profiles.

I can import the users directly from Active Directory and create a space for a certain user or a certain group. This is something that is great because I have a lot of trouble setting this up with other products.

I also liked a new feature, the WatchGuard TDR (Threat Detection and Response). This reports malware activity to the cloud.

This solution needs the option to add an external hard drive. The competitors have this. With WatchGuard, you have to get another server, set it up, and then point it to WatchGuard. That is where the logs will be stored.

Some find this tedious because they have to get another server, although I find it advantageous because there is no hard drive needed. It removes another point of failure. In any case, if the customer wants an external hard drive then it would give them the option.

I saw a feature in Cisco that was a historical trajectory of the files, or sets, moving in the network. I would like to see them include this feature in the next release of the TDR.

So far, the solution is stable.

I have two customers who have experienced problems due to a storm. An electrical surge came through the internet line and caused damage to the port. This had nothing to do with the stability of the product itself.

In terms of updates, it is one of the easiest firewalls to update. I just download the latest one and let it work until it reboots.

In the company where the M200 was implemented, they have fifty users.  

Whenever I have a problem I contact the technical support and I normally have to wait at least a day for them to respond. I have opened approximately twenty tickets, and so far, all of them have been resolved.

We used an older model of the WatchGuard solution, the T50 e-series, but we have replaced it. We received a discount on a bigger unit from Fortinet. However, we recently sold a WatchGuard M200 and I had the opportunity to use the product. Comparing what I see now to what it was before, there are a lot of good changes. Not so many in the GUI, so there is familiarity there, but I think that it is faster now.

My customer for this solution did not previously have a firewall. It was just an open internet router.

The initial setup is very easy for somebody who knows the product, so I can't say that it is complex. For someone who is new to the product, of course, they would find it intimidating at first.

The deployment took three days, with the third day being the turnover. I had to train them on how to use it. The first two days were spent setting it up.

One IT person handles maintenance for the solution, just for secondary support.

I took care of the deployment for our customer.

The subscription that was purchased is for three years but it is usually for one year at a time. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.

My customer was looking into Sohpos, but because the budget was drained they opted for WatchGuard. It was a cheaper solution.

Based on the reactions from people who I have implemented this solution for, some of them find it difficult to use before they get used to the interface. At the same time, if they later move to another product then they say that WatchGuard is simpler.

I keep hearing that WatchGuard is quite marginal because it is not listed as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. It is listed under Visionary. For a firewall product, I do think that it's a leader. It doesn't cost a lot compared to Cisco, Palo Alto, or others. I think that WatchGuard is good enough.

I would rate this product eight and a half out of ten.

This device is for Unified Threat Management (UTM). Our primary uses for this solution are as a firewall, antivirus, anti-spyware, web-blocker, and APT blocker.

I can say that it has been defending our organization. There are from ten to one hundred attacks per day to our IT forum and our email server.

The most valuable feature for small and medium businesses is the support for various protocol proxies. Without any subscription, they can realize an IDS/IPS solution.

It would be wonderful if the WatchGuard team develops nice products for threat intelligence. They have a subscription service called DNSWatch, but this needs to be improved.

This product is very stable.

There is no problem with the scalability. If I need a more powerful appliance then I can buy it, but I can also use less powerful devices. Overall, scalability is ok with this solution.

We have about fifty people using this solution. There are two IT specialists, and all of the rest are salespeople, office support, etc.

The technical support is very good. I know only of one company whose tech support is better than WatchGuard's.

I have experience with Check Point UTM, and I find that this application has approximately the same functionality, but it is cheaper.

The initial setup is very easy. It is not complex.

For a small organization that has between fifty and one hundred users, the deployment can be done in perhaps fifteen minutes to three hours. Our deployment took approximately one hour.

Only one person is required for maintenance.

We handled the deployment ourselves.

I can see ROI within several months.

The cheapest configuration, for maybe five people, is approximately $500.

There are several other license steps that vary based on the number of security services that are included in the subscription.

We had considered several other solutions such as pfSense, MikroTik, and Fortinet. However, we became a WatchGuard distributor for the territory of the Russian Federation, so we are using only WatchGuard solutions.

It is a very reliable and very easy solution. I think it is the best solution in the world, judging by its price and quality.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

At a specific client location, we are using the WatchGuard Firebox M470 to control all of the security protocols, routing, VLANs, and traffic. We have a 1GB internet circuit coming into the M470 firewall, and SFPs going out to the Netgear M4300-96X modular switch. From this switch, it goes out to the Netgear GS110 devices through SFPs.

WatchGuard Web GUI is one of the best consoles I have worked with. It makes each step very simple, while you can get granular too. It made the installation process extremely easy and simple for each step to program into the Firebox. The Firebox works well with other brands and also has the capabilities to use an SFP module to use fiber connections instead of Ethernet. We were able to remove over seven devices and replace them with two devices: Firebox M470 and Netgear M4300-96X. What a cost saving and less equipment to troubleshoot. 

Here are just some of the valuable features: 

• WebGUI
• Spam blocker
• Website filtering
• Internet security
• Tech support is amazing.
• Routing and setting up VLANs. 

These are just some; there are so many more to go over. Depending on the customer's budget, I would always recommend WatchGuard Firebox and their other security products. They have some of the best customer service in the industry.

I don't think that WatchGuard would need to improve on their product. They have some of the least expensive appliances and software out there. They are extremely easy to use, the GUI is great through the web and on the desktop. That's why I feel WatchGuard has outdone themselves on their security products. Hands down, it's one of the best firewalls I have ever worked with.

This Firebox M470 is a true workhorse and has been flawless. It has not crashed yet and has been on for over a year now.

This product is very scalable: from the Total Security Suite to adding an extra module, to getting an extended tech support contract.

Their customer service is one of the best and is extremely knowledgeable about their products. They are very responsive when calling and or if they need to call you back. They have been a key part of this major installation.

I used a Sophos firewall that was already installed when we took over the account. The Sophos Web GUI is not that easy to navigate and completely different from most of the other firewalls out there. We switched because I professionally feel that the WatchGuard security products are superior over most of the other brands out there and their Web GUI is extremely easy to navigate and use. 

The initial setup was straightforward, but there is always a learning curve on all devices.

We used WatchGuard's team to help implement our programming into the firewall as our implementation was a one-off. 

Our ROI has been over 35% just on the equipment and the job.

The setup cost is extremely low for what you get with the Firebox M470. The cost of the Firebox M470 was a third of the cost of a Barracuda and a high-end SonicWall.

I loved that I could add an SFP module to the firewall and use both Ethernet and fiber connections. 

You will need licensing for the security features like Total Security Suite, etc.

We evaluated SonicWall, Sophos, Barracuda, and Fortinet for our firewall needs. WatchGuard not only was a great price point but also comes with so many great features without having to pay too much.

If you want a robust firewall that has a great price point, this is the best way to go.

Intellectual Property protection for our and our clients' data.  We strategize for deployments of new products into Federal and State healthcare formularies.

I discovered the WatchGuard T-70 could still keep the data near the 1 gigahertz data speed, without compromise on the security perimeters being active simultaneously.  I got that information through my subscription with IT Central Station.  The WatchGuard T70 does not come with WiFi capabilities, offering flexibility for what WiFi devices you prefer.

Default set-ups found on the WatchGuard site and via YouTube are very helpful - the screen for set-up and adding additional features are lists with checkboxes.  Understand what you click before you do so.

The set-up and additional feature screens are old in design and very granular.  You have to know what you are doing.

Stable - However, you need to add APC/UPC battery back-ups to avoid power outages/surges that will mitigate your time for trouble-shooting post-power outage.

Yes, I had a positive experience with tech support.

I previously used FortiGate. I moved from the FortiGate brand on account of when you turn on all of the FortiGate capabilities (80-C & 90-D), the protection is active but your data speeds drop significantly.  We had a Verizon FiOS fiber optic true gigabit subscription.  I noticed data rate drops as our 3rd party support team also noticed.  Upon system review, the function of the reduced data speeds was the Fortigate capacity.  We were literally locking up where we couldn't communicate. So, I went with the WatchGuard XTM T-70.

Go to the WatchGuard site:

>enter the model and serial number of your device

>That loads the site automatically with the provisioning apps, firmware updates and other system checks relevant for that device

> The set-up is nearly automatic

> Once the firmware is updated, the device reboots

> Drill into the site for additional steps and additional software you can activate - you have to know what they are talking about to understand which checkboxes to click and why.

> You can reference the YouTube "JSCM" for extra support and background helps that go beyond the WatchGuard site. 

No vendor team and no "in-house" beside myself.  We are a company of under 30 people, I am an IT dept/System Engineering staff of 1.

I have far less ( 50-75%) less admin time trying to figure out why our system is so slow.  That's gone.  The admin screens are informative, especially the Dimension application, reducing your search time for the information you need to assess what your users and network are doing.

If you are experienced, I can recommend the T70 set-up with minimal support and reference.  Since I am relatively new as a systems engineer/IT design, I have had to reference a lot of online sources and hire an expert familiar with the WatchGuard line of products to help shorten my learning curve and get the system up and running quickly.

Yes - SonicWall, Baracuda and Dell.

When considering a solution like this:

> not only putting data security at the top of my list

> user convenience as the second consideration.

If there's anything extra that I have my users do, I have to really look seriously at those trade-offs.

I’m a reseller. The solution is among the top-three solutions in our portfolio.

WebBlocker, because it has the best URL category database ever.

Make WatchGuard Firebox capable of integrating with third-party vendors like FireMon, Splunk, Tenable, etc.

No issues with stability.

Excellent.

Easy.

Cheap.

I rate it 10 out of 10 because it is easy to deploy and use, the best of breed in the UTM firewall concept, creating the best UTM secure platform ever.

It's easy to use.

This was an upgrade from WatchGuard XTM 505. We have and are using many different WatchGuards between locations for (among other things) VPN between firewalls. We are using this Watchguard as an endpoint firewall at an office location.

• Efficient to setup, run, and maintain. Saving man hours and cost in the process.
• The client is easy to use and stable.
• Simple to backup settings.  
• Simple to move settings between WatchGuard boxes.
• The GUI is easy and intuitive.

Ease of setup. All WatchGuards are pretty much the same to setup and manage.
We experienced that WatchGuard is easy to setup regarding VPN compared to other firewalls of other brands.

Client-based administrative tool. Cloud-based central administration of all devices from one point would be nice (although there is always an added risk regarding this).

No.

No.

The few times we have contacted Watchguard. They reply promptly without delays.

We previously used Juniper and SonicWall.

Switched at the time because we had IT personnel working for us with WatchGuard expertise and preference.

The setup was straightforward with a simple GUI-based administrative tool.

Used in-house experience.

Not measured.

Very competitive pricing regarding throughput compared to other alternatives.

We evaluated between WatchGuard and what we already had at the time.

The Juniper that we had at the time, which was fine, was complete overkill for our needs, but when realised it was already sunk cost.

Watchguard Firebox is easy to use and easy to configure.

The reporting could use improvement, because most of the firewalls available in the market come with the reporting built-in, with the memory and the hard disk capacity and all. With WatchGuard, the models we use, none of them support that part. 

I have been using this solution for over 10 years.

It's really good for X and B level organizations due to the cost and the features. As a medium-level businesses, we are satisfied. 

We have a regional office in Hong Kong, and our director and the owner of the company lives there. He prefers this solution so both companies can have the same product. That makes it great for negotiation and troubleshooting.

The initial setup was straightforward. 

We use a local vendor, Blue Chip Sri Lanka, who is very good. 

Our license is for a three year subscription. 

I evaluated Sophos, but the cost was a little bit higher than this solution, so we went with this one instead. 

I rate this solution a 10 out of 10. 

When choosing a product, make sure you understand your organizations requirements. Whatever the product you choose should ultimately match with your organization's number of users plus maintenance costs.