Forcepoint NGFW (PAYG) - Next Generation Firewall

We use Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall  for security purposes in our financial institution.

The most valuable features of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall  are the advanced threat protection, including features like IPS and DDoS prevention, which help avoid internal DDoS attacks. The centralized management and smart policies are effective, providing enhanced network efficiency, connectivity, and improved security, resulting in fewer cyberattacks and data breaches.

The licensing model should be more flexible. I recommend that additional features be included in a single license to avoid the need for extra licensing costs. Additionally, there are performance limitations when storing logs, as a large number may overwhelm the log server.

I have been working with Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall for more than five to six years.

Initially, deployment involved a few hurdles, requiring a couple of days. We had to customize it according to our organizational policies, which required involving a partner in the process for proper setup.

From a stability perspective, I would rate the solution between seven and eight out of ten.

Scalability is somewhat limited. While I rate it at five to six, I note that there are restrictions in the firewall manager and limitations when deploying for cloud environments. Since we are using it on-premises, it is difficult to utilize for cloud solutions as well.

Technical support is sometimes slow to respond, and it takes longer to resolve issues. This has been true across all Forcepoint products. I rate customer service four to five out of ten.

Positive

We maintain a multi-environment with solutions like Palo Alto and Cisco.

The initial setup was a bit complex, requiring us to customize Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall according to our organization’s standards, necessitating partner involvement.

From our side, at least ten people were involved, and a partner was engaged for the deployment.

The centralized management and automated updates have lowered operational costs.

The licensing model is dependent on negotiation skills, but there is room for improvement. The costs can be high since additional features require separate licenses.

We maintain solutions like Palo Alto and Cisco.

My overall rating for Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is seven out of ten. Recommendations depend on infrastructure and return on investment analysis, as there are other alternatives, such as Palo Alto and Cisco.

On-premises

We mostly work with finance, specifically with banks most of the time. We use Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall  for these applications.

Today, the Next Generation Firewall from all companies are pretty similar, but the difference lies in the accuracy of setting up the risks. Another valuable aspect is the features and how friendly they are for cross setup. Cross setup refers to using multiple features from the same firewall simultaneously within the same environment. With Forcepoint, this process is simplified compared to others like Fortinet.

There is a lot of technical stuff that could be improved. We've encountered scenarios that were really hard to set up and required support. It would be beneficial if the support and contact with the development team were enhanced. Fast response and efficient handling of issues, similar to how Fortinet responds, would be great.

I have been using Next Generation Firewall from Forcepoint for more than seven years and the Data Loss Prevention for just a couple of projects, no more than a year.

It is really hard to work with their customer support. For example, unlike Fortinet where you can escalate an issue and quickly get responses from the development team, Forcepoint's process seems slow and challenging.

Neutral

I moved from Oracle to use security vendors like Fortinet, Kaspersky, and Forcepoint.

The initial setup can be quite complex. When trying to apply content filters with different network setups in the same machine, even with good planning and reference manuals, issues can arise. Combining different functionalities on the same box often results in problems.

I don't believe in ROI when talking about cybersecurity because there's no real way to measure it. Cybersecurity ROI could be $1 or $100 million, depending on the risk of data behind it. I've seen ROI analyses from many cybersecurity companies, but I find it hard to trust the numbers.

In terms of pricing, I would place Forcepoint in the middle when compared to other firewalls like Fortinet and Palo Alto.

Overall, I would rate Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall  a seven. I believe a 6.5 would be more accurate though. Also, my name can be used for the review, but not my company name. I am no longer working with Consulting Services; I'm with a different company now.

Other

What do you like best about the product?

Forecepoint provides Advanced threat protection, intrusion preventation and secure web application scanning. Forecpoint Policies are flexible and rules can be created and modified as per business requirements. It has low latency and does not impact the network performance

What do you dislike about the product?

Limited customization
Advance configuration options are complex and requires subject matter expert to customize the rules.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

Forecepoint protects advanced level cyberattacks from external attackers and cyberthreats like ransomware , zero-day exploits and data exfiltration etc and helping business to secure our digital assets.It provides real-time network visibility and attack surface to improve company security posture , ensure compliance and reduce risk of unahuthroized access and data breaches

Educational institutions are the main users. We planned to use it as an all-in-one solution, primarily as an edge solution and Internet-facing firewall.

We're trying to use all the firewall's features. Most of the features were effective, but the usability is a huge concern. 

My experience with this Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall wasn't very pleasant due to its complexity. For example, the firewall loses some features when working in a cluster, which is a huge challenge. It caused me several weeks to solve an issue to make the VPN work, even after opening several cases with support. Also, the debug, which should provide essential knowledge about everything going on, the flow of traffic, and how the engine works, wasn't very informative in identifying the issue.

The problem was eventually solved by chance, thanks to an idea from an expert in the market. We had to refer to a freelancer engineer with huge experience with the Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall, and he noticed something that solved the issue by luck. We had no evidence or logs that showed this was the issue.

It's the most complicated firewall I've ever faced. You have to know what you're doing to achieve the plan and take action. It would be best to be an expert, take a course, or at least read the full documentation carefully. The interface isn't organized in the same way as other competitors.

You have to be an expert in it. You need to watch training videos or read the full documentation to understand how it works, even to implement a minor firewall change. Working with this firewall requires a lot of knowledge.

I have been working with the product for three years. 

The tool's stability, policy enforcement, and management are magnificent. I rate it a nine out of ten. It depends on the resources available. In my experience, I encountered a situation where the switch collapsed before the firewall did due to huge traffic. The switch crashed before the firewall crashed because of the enormous data transfer and network traffic.

We contacted support three times, opened three cases for the same issue, and didn't find out what the issue was for two months.

Negative

We need to rethink the usability and the availability of training and resources. These should make administration and operating this solution as easy as other competitors. For example, competitors like Fortinet and Palo Alto have easier management, especially Fortinet.

It has some documents if you can reach them. That's one of the other things they need to improve badly - the documentation is inaccessible. But when we reach the right information for what we're trying to do, it is mostly informative and easy. I'd say it's seven out of ten for ease of use if you follow the instructions. It would work. It's deployed on-premises. I wasn't involved in the implementation phase. It was implemented before I joined the company.

If you're not an expert and you haven't taken a course or have the correct materials to run the solution, I don't recommend it. You have to be an expert in this specific solution before using it. Overall, I'd rate Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall six out of ten.

The product's most valuable features are its extensive policy features, especially the S7 Pro features, and its DNS security feature, which provides an additional layer of protection not found in other firewalls.

A VPN client feature is missing in our region, which we hope Forcepoint will address in future updates.

We have been using Forcepoint's Next Generation Firewall for the past year.

We find the product to be stable and reliable in terms of performance.

Forcepoint's firewall is highly scalable, which helps our organization handle increased traffic and services. Approximately 35,00 user networks are protected by the product. 

Our decision to utilize the product was based on competitive analysis, and it emerged as the preferred solution.

The setup process is more complex than other solutions but provides satisfactory results. We began the migration process one month before deploying the device and involved two people in it. Maintenance is relatively easy, and we usually contact our partners for assistance when needed.

The platform has significantly enhanced the security of our public services. However, with the rise in IoT devices, it is unclear if Forcepoint addresses this challenge.

I advise ensuring you have experienced personnel to handle the device effectively after installation.

I recommend Forcepoint's firewall and rate it a nine out of ten.

On-premises