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Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway vs Symantec Proxy comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

iboss
Sponsored
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
13th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
Internet Security (4th), Web Content Filtering (4th), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (8th), ZTNA as a Service (13th), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (10th)
Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
7th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Internet Security (3rd), Web Content Filtering (1st)
Symantec Proxy
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
12th
Average Rating
7.2
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Jack Hamm - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 20, 2024
We experienced benefits immediately but the report generation is lagging
iboss excels on the networking side but lags slightly behind competitors like Zscaler and Netskope in terms of security feature parity. I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention. Using iboss for DLP instead of traditional endpoint solutions is preferable, but its current feature set requires some clunky workarounds. I'd also like to see better integration of DLP into the platform. Additionally, while it's improving, reporting can be slow at times. This is problematic when generating reports for executives who expect them immediately. I'd like to see further improvements in reporting speed and efficiency.
SunilSharma10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 1, 2024
Needs to improve performance but offers good user management capabilities
If there is a category of generative AI or GenAI, it is not a very detailed category, as there are many AI-based sites where data exfiltration can happen. In the category of generative AI or GenAI, the tool is not updated, and the solution has targeted only four or five sites to be included in the aforementioned category. Categories like generative AI or GenAI are not updated regularly in the solution, making it a problematic area where improvements are required. The performance issues in the product are an area of concern where improvements are required. The proxy categories in the product have certain shortcomings where improvements are needed. The solution's proxy categories are not updated regularly. The tool's categories, like the one involving generative AI, have certain shortcomings since it does not get updated, and it is not able to target many sites that the developers use for code review, which may lead to some security breaches in the future.
Ganesh Khutwad - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 13, 2023
A user-friendly solution with good technical support
The solution's databases are long, and their support is very fast. At times, certain areas are lacking in the policy manager. It would be great if we could directly control those URLs in the policy manager through the US. At the time of policy tracing, it is necessary to determine where the policies created by Blue Coat for the solution are being dropped. We should be able to get the exact results for this. Also, it would be great to have an online tool that could provide us with confidence during encryption and decryption processes without needing different tools. This tool could help us identify which problems to manipulate and where to allow manipulation. Such additions will be great for us.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss."
"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."
"Iboss is a solution that prevents advanced persistent threats, and has a zero tolerance for attacks."
"From a use-case scenario, what I like the most is the plug-in. I like the fact that we can do the filtering of these devices offsite independent of the network they are connected to, and we do not have to have traffic coming back inside our network."
"iboss is pretty scalable. They provide good support. The case managers you work with to coordinate what you need are pretty good."
"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."
"iboss has significantly lowered the number of security incidents. It is crazy how much it blocks and how much it is aware of the outside danger."
"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."
"The solution’s administration is easy."
"The Forcepoint client software can be downloaded on a user's machine so that it can filter the sites from home or the office. That's one of the biggest features. We can use it for filtering our laptops for our users at any place."
"The spam filter is very effective."
"The policies are category-based, so knowledge of another content URL is not compulsory."
"Reporting and automatic updates of website categorization."
"SWG allows me to track internet usage patterns, helping optimize bandwidth and understand how much time each employee spends online."
"In terms of functionality, Forcepoint is the best web proxy available."
"Provides good visibility and good filtering features."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the URL database, malicious URLs, policies, and policy creation."
"The solution is scalable."
"The Symantec antivirus suite and the proxy component are the most valuable feature."
"This is a stable and robust solution with many features."
"We can address and rectify issues promptly, resulting in consistently positive outcomes."
"The initial setup of Symantec Proxy is easy."
"The product is very good, and the URL filtering database is great."
"What I found most valuable in Symantec Proxy is that it doesn't have any limitations. It also has a simple configuration, with only one window pane, unlike Zscaler, which has multiple window panes. Deploying the agent is also more straightforward in Symantec Proxy."
 

Cons

"To scale up, a new iboss Node Blade Chassis must be purchased."
"Iboss is growing so fast that it is often hard for them to keep up with the challenges."
"The dashboards for local use could be better."
"The reporting feature needs improvement."
"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."
"Sometimes the agent stops working in iboss, and we have to reinstall the agent."
"Their on-premise hardware's network interface is capped at one gigabit, which is sort of a problem. If you stand a filter up where all traffic flows through that, according to them, in order to go above a gigabit, you have to have multiple devices, which in today's IT seems a little bit silly. They could easily put in an SFP port into their device that could accommodate 10 gigs or at least offer a box."
"Sometimes, obviously, there are bugs."
"It takes 20 to 30 minutes for policy replication."
"We have had latency issues."
"The technical support needs to be improved."
"But the deployment could be easier. It might take from one day to three days. Usually, that involves an engineer from the vendor and a working team at the enterprise."
"The automation lifecycle, integration, and export functionality could all be improved."
"We are using a V10000 G3 appliance. It is just a proxy. It is just HTTP, FTP, and HTTPS. Now, as our website has developed and we are using rich time-connectivity protocols, the proxy doesn't have the ability to work with these protocols. It would be nice if the UDP feature was there for it to filter UDP traffic. It needs firewall capabilities for UDP filtering. Its upgrades can be quite complex, and they don't always go as per the plan. Its reporting could be a bit more granular."
"I have been in contact with technical support several times, and I am not happy with them."
"The availability of clusters is limited, and the product is very unstable. The development team is slow as well."
"The initial setup can be somewhat complex, and deploying the system can take some time."
"The initial setup is actually quite complex to install because our users don't have admin rights on the boxes and there's no remote install option by an administrator."
"The traffic filtering could improve. Our firewall traffic is limited. Additionally, it would be helpful if there was a dashboard and reporting feature."
"Activating the SSL inspection is one of the challenges. We are currently moving to the O365 cloud, and one of the challenges is the performance when all of our users are connected to O365 by a proxy."
"Symantec Proxy needs to include content management capabilities."
"There are performance issues with all of the proxies."
"I would like to see more improvements in the cloud."
"The deployment is quite difficult."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."
"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."
"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."
"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."
"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."
"Compared to the other products in the market, Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway can be a cost-effective tool."
"It is a well-priced option."
"The pricing depends upon the number of users."
"The pricing for Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway is expensive. You pay per user and functionality. I'd rate it a four on a scale of one to ten."
"The licensing is not expensive."
"The solution's pricing is competitive."
"The solution's price is good."
"The solution is priced a little high compare to similar solutions."
"Licensing is based on a subscription."
"Our cost was based on a three-year upfront CapEx contract."
"In terms of cost, it is expensive. Its pricing has been a challenge for us since its acquisition by Broadcom."
"The tool is pretty expensive."
"There are no licensing fees required."
"There is a license needed to use Symantec Proxy."
"Symantec Proxy has different expiry dates and renewal dates, which is a problem, so Broadcom should improve the licensing renewal process for the solution."
"It's expensive. Clients often go to other products."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
8%
 

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?
I have the same complaint about them that I have about other software companies. Sometimes when you call in support, ...
What is your primary use case for iboss?
We are a PreK-12 public school district, and we use iboss to filter internet content for our students at home and sta...
What do you like most about Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway?
The product's user management is an area where my company does not face any challenges.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway?
Forcepoint is competitively priced compared to McAfee. For a similar setup, Forcepoint might take fewer days to insta...
What needs improvement with Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway?
Currently, they are planning to improve by offering a cloud solution that covers the Web Security Gateway, CASB, as w...
What do you like most about Symantec Proxy?
We can address and rectify issues promptly, resulting in consistently positive outcomes.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Proxy?
The product is highly priced. There are no additional costs apart from the standard licenses.
What needs improvement with Symantec Proxy?
In future releases, we look forward to the cloud side. So, I would like to see more improvements in the cloud.
 

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform
Forcepoint SWG, Websense Web Security, Forcepoint TRITON
Blue Coat Encrypted Traffic Management, ProxySG Appliance
 

Overview

 

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.
Adventist Health, Alphawest, Amadori, Anoka County, Compartamos Banco, Davies Turner, EverBank, iGATE, Karlstad Municipality, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Scavolini, Smurfit Kappa, Toyota
Jefferies
Find out what your peers are saying about Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway vs. Symantec Proxy and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.