FireMon Security Manager Reviews

Name: FireMon Security Manager
Brand: FireMon
Rating: 4.1 (54 reviews)

4.1 out of 5

54 reviews
87% willing to recommend

1,770 followers

What is FireMon Security Manager?

The increasing complexity of networks, driven by the constant influx of new devices, applications, and cloud services, presents a daunting challenge for managing firewall policies and rules. A typical enterprise environment has millions of rules, and just one simple misconfiguration can lead to devastating consequences like compliance violations, outages, and data breaches.

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FireMon Security Manager is the #4 ranked solution in top Firewall Security Management solutions. PeerSpot users give FireMon Security Manager an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 54 most recent FireMon Security Manager reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 7.7. (Among the highest in the category). FireMon Security Manager is most commonly compared to AlgoSec: FireMon Security Manager vs AlgoSec. FireMon Security Manager is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 66% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 19% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

FireMon Security Manager

December 2024

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Featured reviews

JeffReese

Senior Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

People have a tendency to just add rules to firewalls, but they don't go back and take rules away. Some of our customers have thousands of unused rules that have been sitting out there for over a year. In one report, FireMon tells us there are, say, 1,000 rules that can be taken out and it gives us the ability to disable those for a year and to track when we made our changes. After a year, we can go back and eliminate the rules, to bring the configuration down to an almost human-readable level. It also identifies risks in your environment and helps to prioritize fixes. It actually rates the risk level, meaning you look for the red and try to bring everything to green.

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Ganesh-Khutwad

Senior Network Specialist at Tech Mahindra Limited

FireMon Security Manager is excellent for real-time compliance management. It allows us to quickly retrieve any policy needed for testing and easily analyze it for loopholes. If a loophole exists, FireMon provides comprehensive details within the policy manager. It alerts us to firewall rule additions or changes that violate compliance policies. It supports various firewall platforms, including Checkpoint, Zscaler, Fortinet, Cisco, and AWS, and provides centralized management for all configured policies through a single console. FireMon Security Manager provides many features, like whether my firewall is compatible with required standards such as NTP and SNMP. Each compliance included in our RFPs is shown in the UI of FireMon. It gives robust and clear dashboards, making it easier to understand risks because the policies have ratings showing usage, and the number of hit attacks. It streamlines our compliance reporting processes by providing comprehensive risk and compliance assessments. It offers a range of features, including verification of firewall compatibility with protocols like NTP and SNMP, and detection of signal charges. FireMon effectively addresses all compliance requirements outlined in our RFPs. For instance, it can determine if firewalls or proxies within a stack are configured in Secure Mode or Active-Active mode. FireMon Security Manager enables us to generate reports on all these aspects, ensuring thorough compliance monitoring and documentation. FireMon Security Manager is robust and can help automate firewall policy changes across large multi-vendor enterprise environments. FireMon Security Manager helps automate firewall policy changes across various environments, including on-premises, cloud, hybrid, SASE, and SD-WAN. It also simplifies cleaning up firewall rules in our environment. The time required to accurately create, approve, and deploy firewall policy rules has been reduced. Tasks that took 30 minutes can now be completed in just five minutes using FireMon. FireMon provides immediate visibility into our policies through a robust and clear dashboard, making it easy to identify errors or misconfigurations based on the policy rating.

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Jaimin Mehta

Senior Server and Cloud Engineer at Ertech

What I like about FireMon is the ability to track changes made by network engineers on the network. This allows us to run reports based on those changes. We can also track new rules to see if they comply with our standards. Additionally, we can identify rules that haven't been used or those that duplicate others excessively. FireMon enables us to create reports that provide valuable information for making changes within the system. The dashboard in FireMon is excellent, offering an overview of our network's compliance and security index database, among other things. I have also used FireMon for risk analysis of policies, exploring the possibilities and findings. While primarily focused on cleaning up files for a project, I have utilized many features for removing redundant and unused rules. However, I am aware that FireMon has even more to offer, such as understanding our network topology and conducting a comprehensive risk analysis. My current work mostly revolves around compliance, change management, and reviewing the alterations made.

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FireMon Security Manager mindshare

As of December 2024, the mindshare of FireMon Security Manager in the Firewall Security Management category stands at 16.4%, up from 15.9% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewall Security Management

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Firewall Security Management	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	FireMon Security Manager vs AlgoSec	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	FireMon Security Manager vs Tufin Orchestration Suite	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	FireMon Security Manager vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama	Dec 18, 2024	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
AlgoSec	4.5	21.6%	96%	182 interviews Add to research
Tufin Orchestration Suite	4.0	21.7%	91%	183 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

FireMon Security Manager offers valuable features like comprehensive reporting for unused and redundant rules, advanced change management including alerts, policy analysis, and network security assessments. Its user-friendly interface supports multi-vendor management, and PCI compliance checks, aiding risk detection and prioritization. Security Manager provides a centralized control panel for real-time visibility, integration, and enhanced security posture through cleanup and normalization capabilities. It efficiently streamlines firewall assessment and enhances overall network performance.

"FireMon Security Manager is a fast and intelligent device that delivers results in under ten seconds, even with thousands of policies."
"Its user-friendly interface allows for easy viewing and searching of network policies, including proxies, all on one console."
"I like the Security Manager console where we can see any changes that have been made or pull the results of an assessment and control the policies that we implement."

Room for Improvement

FireMon Security Manager users highlight several areas that need enhancement. Users report that network maps require more customization options. The migration process from version 7.x to 8.x is complex and time-consuming. Reporting lacks consistency across devices. The web interface has a steep learning curve. Backup solutions need strengthening. Better support and integration with different firewall brands, particularly Palo Alto, are necessary. Improved automation and user-friendly features are also desired, along with streamlined update processes.

"The support response time has room for improvement."
"The support response time has room for improvement."
"We've had recurring issues managing FireMon's internal backups. Sometimes, the space allocated for the backup is full, and there is no process where it deletes files that are older than I certain date. It's just waiting for the storage to get full and then it's cleaned up. It isn't something that creates serious issues for us."

ROI

FireMon Security Manager has shown a positive ROI by enabling data sharing across groups and reducing casework. It maintains system uptime and improves firewall management. The tool decreases errors and misconfigurations by automating processes and aiding in change management. It helps in auditing, saving both time and labor costs. While scalability in complex environments needs improvement, its value is increasing. Users report significant time savings and error reduction, contributing to cost-effectiveness and security enhancement.

Pricing

FireMon Security Manager offers competitive pricing with options for significant discounts, although it may be perceived as expensive compared to some competitors. The pricing structure is straightforward with no hidden fees, and it involves yearly licensing and support based on modules. Users highlight the importance of differentiating between active and inactive devices for cost savings. Setup and licensing costs are generally viewed as reasonable, with professional services available as add-ons when needed.

"It's a good value. From a licensing standpoint... it's very simple to understand, and gives us a good bang for the buck."
"The pricing was very good during our initial year, but they increased it this year a little bit. The price is okay. It is not cheap, but it is still average."
"This is an expensive solution. The cost of three modules for three years was approximately one million."

Popular Use Cases

Users primarily utilize FireMon Security Manager for optimizing firewall rules, removing redundant and unused rules, and ensuring compliance. They implement it for security management, reporting, and auditing changes. It provides visibility into firewall health and helps automate workflow processes. Organizations also leverage it for tracking firewall devices, capturing logs, and maintaining firewall rule hygiene. Some use it for monitoring network configuration and ensuring infrastructure security across various environments, including hybrid cloud and on-premises setups.

Service and Support

FireMon Security Manager's customer service is praised for its excellence, offering free WebEx sessions for training. Technical support is considered responsive and knowledgeable, often rated between 8 to 10. Some users have noted occasional delays in response times and suggested improvements in communication about updates. Users appreciate the assistance from support staff and escalations rarely occur. Overall, the team is helpful, providing prompt solutions and meeting compliance deadlines worldwide.

Deployment

FireMon Security Manager's initial setup is generally easy and straightforward for most users, requiring minimal assistance. Some found the process smooth with VMware, while others needed help with certificates or more advanced configurations. Custom workflows posed challenges due to regulatory complexities. Professional services were valuable for optimization. Overall, users appreciated the simplicity and ease of use, though certain complex configurations and upgrades required additional support or knowledge from FireMon engineers.

Scalability

FireMon Security Manager supports multiple vendors and is generally scalable, able to accommodate increases in devices, users, and log volume without significant issues. Its scalability is influenced by licensing and hardware resources, allowing for expansion as needed. Users have successfully scaled deployments across various environments, though some note potential bottlenecks with specific configurations. It is adaptable to both small and large organizations, supporting extensive scalability options while remaining robust and flexible.

Stability

FireMon Security Manager stability is generally positive with few exceptions. Users report that it's stable, easy to maintain, and has minimal downtime. Some have encountered issues during upgrades or with data collectors, but these were resolved quickly. Occasional problems like server reboots or backup failures are mentioned, yet support effectively addresses these. Many users note enhancements in stability across versions, confirming reliability in different environments.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our FireMon Security Manager Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Healthcare Company

Government

Retailer

Insurance Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Real Estate/Law Firm

University

Transportation Company

Construction Company

Media Company

Logistics Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Legal Firm

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Performing Arts

Consumer Goods Company

International Affairs Institute

Outsourcing Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Leisure / Travel Company

Engineering Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

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Learn more about FireMon Security Manager

FireMon’s Security Manager is a purpose-built network security policy management (NSPM) platform that automates the management of firewall and cloud security policies to eliminate policy-related risk, accurately and quickly change rules, and meet internal and external compliance requirements.

Reduce Risk Manage risk with real-time visibility and control
Manage Change Avoid misconfigurations, accelerate business, and improve security
Enforce and Maintain Compliance Avoid violations, avoid risk, and avoid fines