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PeerSpot user
Adjunct Professor at Southern New Hampshire University
Real User
It is a well-priced option with reporting, Custom Block Pages, and AD integration
Pros and Cons
  • "It allowed our company to not worry about the security of a page, but talk more about the content and the productivity of specific types of web categories."
  • "Allow for faster exemption of websites or the ability to reclassify websites."

What is most valuable?

  • Reporting
  • Custom Block Pages
  • AD integration

How has it helped my organization?

It allowed our company to not worry about the security of a page, but talk more about the content and the productivity of specific types of web categories.

What needs improvement?

Allow for faster exemption of websites or the ability to reclassify websites.

For how long have I used the solution?

Five years.

Buyer's Guide
Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

None.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

None.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

None.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

Great. They made sure that we were choosing the right version and helped us understand the tradeoffs between their different deployment strategies.

Technical Support:

Great. I had only a few issues after rollout and their tech support was quick to help.

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

Cisco Web Security. The AD integration was lacking. The speed was also lacking.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward, since I had deployed it at my previous company. The engineer assigned to our deployment was also on hand to make sure that I followed the updated best practices.

What about the implementation team?

In-house with vendor support.

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

It is a well-priced option.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Zscaler, Barracuda, Sophos, and Cisco Web Security.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Jay Stelmach - PeerSpot reviewer
Jay StelmachAdjunct Professor at Southern New Hampshire University
Real User

I'm not involved with ForcePoint on a level that I could procur anything that isn't available by a quick Google search. I would recommend reviewing some YouTube channels as they may be able to show you in a video how smooth the reporting is.

See all 4 comments
Mohamed Farouk Zyada - PeerSpot reviewer
PS & Technical Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Many issues, including poor support, but easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is not complex."
  • "To access the root of the product for troubleshooting you must have a data engineer. This is the big issue with Forcepoint. The support community is not good."

What is our primary use case?

Our customers' primary use case in the banking sector is for URL history.

What needs improvement?

Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway has a lot of issues like troubleshooting and massive troubleshooting which require technical support. A lot of the product is not accessible. You must ask the tech support to communicate to open the root of the product - so that's an issue. But with Cisco you can access the product and troubleshoot.

To access the root of the product for troubleshooting you must have a data engineer. This is the big issue with Forcepoint. The support community is not good. 

The management should be directed to the object itself. They have to make a more flexible management so you can access a device using a normal web browser or you can access a device using a management tool.

For how long have I used the solution?

Our company has been working with this product for about four years.

Our company prefers Forcepoint, but I prefer Cisco.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There is one issue with Forcepoint that you can't communicate directly with the update. You must have something called the management center to communicate. For Cisco you can communicate directly. With Forcepoint you cannot communicate directly

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scaling is not good with Forcepoint. Even high availability with Forcepoint is not good.

We do have a lot of customers using Forcepoint.

Yes, we have a lot of plans to increase usage because it's the only product we have. There is no other.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex, but requires being setup from the beginning. There is no default setting, so you must go to the console and configure the product from the beginning. It takes about 10 days.

What other advice do I have?

This product, especially Web Gateway, has only a small vendor working with it.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway a five.

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 Secure Web Gateway
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1303923 - PeerSpot reviewer
AGM - IT Infrastructure at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Stable, with excellent technical support but does not scale well
Pros and Cons
  • "For the most part, the solution, when set up correctly, works fine."
  • "Overall the software is occupying too much memory space. If they could remedy that, it would be a better experience, because today Windows is occupying too much memory space as well (in terms of the RAM), and this software has also started occupying all the memory. Due to this, I have less space for my other office products and data. I can't, for example, operate a huge Excel sheet or other datasets."

What is most valuable?

For the most part, the solution, when set up correctly, works fine.

What needs improvement?

Sometimes we find the solution behaves erratically. It may be related to our configuration, which may be incorrect. We are using desktops, laptops, and workstations and the laptops are set to mobile status. We do make connections outside the office premises as well, and desktops or workstations are predominantly located in the same place. 

Overall the software is occupying too much memory space. If they could remedy that, it would be a better experience, because today Windows is occupying too much memory space as well (in terms of the RAM), and this software has also started occupying all the memory. Due to this, I have less space for my other office products and data. I can't, for example, operate a huge Excel sheet or other datasets. 

Product grouping should be made more flexible. We should be in a position to define the product groupings. Also, sometimes the standard product grouping that they are using is not applicable in this part of the world. If they could move it, if they could make it more flexible, it would make our life easier. Otherwise, we are forced to use our own definitions a lot. This sometimes causes problems with performance. The product grouping really should concentrate more on this particular geographic region.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In my opinion, it's a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Companies really have to know how their organization will scale before purchasing the solution. Otherwise, they will be limited. In our case, we've grown far beyond our expectations, and are now facing issues. These products are not that scalable even though the company claims that they are.

The solution is used quite regularly. On average, we use it up to eight hours a day.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've used technical support in the past. We are one of the major clients for most of these products in India, so we get proper attention from the company. We've been satisfied with the level of support we've received.

How was the initial setup?

We didn't face any major issues at the time of implementation. We were using the facility management of both HP and IBM. They each have their own in-house capability to manage the software. Also, the OEM would have supported them well. As such, we didn't see major issues on any of the software implementation. There were just a few initial hiccups that can happen on any major project.

What other advice do I have?

The version I'm currently using is about four years old.

My recommendation to other companies would be that they should spend more time analyzing their workload including access approvals and whitelisting/blacklisting. They should have a very clear way of defining the blacklist or whitelist.

Companies should also spend more time on sizing the product and considering how they will grow in the future when sizing it. That clarity is a must to decide the proper product size that will last over years as a company potentially grows. 

I'd rate the solution 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
Director at Foresight Software Solutions Pvt Ltd
Reseller
Offers great visibility and controls can easily be put in place
Pros and Cons
  • "Provides good visibility and good filtering features."
  • "Managing the endpoint for both DLP and web security should be simplified."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is to control internet access based on security profiles. Users are restricted to legitimate sites and then, based on the business use case, we provide access to streaming sites and the like. We are customers and resellers of Secure Web Gateway and I'm a company director.

What is most valuable?

All the secure gateways are more or less the same. The value of Secure Web Gateway is the visibility it offers and the ease by which we can put controls in place. We enabled the cloud DLP so we can see what's happening to the data. The solution also provides good filtering features. 

What needs improvement?

One improvement I'd like to see would be to simplify managing the endpoint for both DLP and web security, so that endpoint management becomes easier. The dashboard is a little old so a new GUI would be helpful as well as updated reporting tools. It currently lacks some features that other solutions have. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for over eight years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's reasonably stable but sometimes there are issues in the cloud. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good, our entire organization uses this product including engineers, marketing and administration. 

How are customer service and support?

I'd say that customer service is above average.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward, we deployed in-house and implementation required one person. The initial setup takes two or three days, but rolling it out and making sure that everybody has the required access, and that business applications are accessible, can take a month or so. 

What was our ROI?

The ROI is like insurance, it's the knowledge that you're protected. The fact that it's taking care of my security needs, is a return.

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

I'm unaware of licensing costs but there is an extra cost for additional reporting.

What other advice do I have?

It's important to test any solution before making a decision to purchase it. Evaluate your needs and expectations, and carry out a POC. 

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Customer
PeerSpot user
Shamirhan Sulaiman - PeerSpot reviewer
Director Market Growth and Development at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Good web security, reliable, and is a pretty simple solution
Pros and Cons
  • "It's stable and reliable."
  • "The initial setup can be complex."

What is our primary use case?

It protects against data leaks and offers us application security.

What is most valuable?

The solution is a combination of Gatsby web security and the LP. That is why we are pushing Forcepoint ONE. Forcepoint ONE is a product itself that Forcepoint has been recently pushing to the customers.

The product is simple.

It's stable and reliable.

What needs improvement?

They will require a combination of other brands and other products that actually caters to the data leak portion. Forcepoint ONE, for example, covers for the data leak itself, however, it's just data leaks. In order to have comprehensive security protection for your data, you will need other products, like data encryption. You will need privileged access management and endpoint security to make the Forcepoint product more robust. 

The initial setup can be complex.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for about three years. The company I work for has been working with it for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If you are looking for just data leaks and web security, the product itself should suffice, however, if you want to make your solution or your cyber portion more robust, then you will require other products to be embedded as well to work hand in hand, for your information to be more secure.

How are customer service and support?

Being the distributor for Forcepoint, we have our own engineers to cover from day zero to day two in terms of engineering support for deployment and forming payments and also for troubleshooting. We do leverage Forcepoint, however, we have our own in-house engineers to assist Forcepoint to cover the clinical aspect.

How was the initial setup?

In terms of the policy, the initial setup can be complex.

The solution is simple, however, the complexity comes when you are writing the policy for the data leak part. Even web security is all policy. You would need to translate your business requirements into cyber security requirements so that basically whatever policy that is being in place, covers your business requirements for your cyber footprint.

What about the implementation team?

We help our customers or partners deploy the solution.

What other advice do I have?

We are the authorized distributor for Forcepoint in Asia-Pacific.

Currently, we are pushing Forcepoint ONE into the market.

The thing to consider at the outset is, basically, what they want to protect. Are you protecting internal factors or are you looking at protecting from external factors? Forcepoint DLP covers the internal factor, meaning that you do not want your data to be compromised from internal leaks, and not external. If you're looking to protect against external anomalies, then basically it's Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway that you should be looking at.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Director at Foresight Software Solutions Pvt Ltd
Reseller
Easy to set up with well-integrated web security and decent technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy. It's not difficult."
  • "It takes 20 to 30 minutes for policy replication."

What is our primary use case?

We are the implementation partner for Forcepoint, and then we configure and integrate Forcepoint into the customer enrollment.

We personally use cloud Websecurity and cloud Email security of Forcepoint.

What is most valuable?

The initial setup is easy. It's not difficult. 

They have well-integrated web security. They have the enterprise DLP included in the cloud as well.

Technical support has been okay.

What needs improvement?

The Bitglass part, right now, we are trying to learn it, and then trying to acquire skillsets around it. 

For cloud web security, there are definitely areas where it requires improvement, Policy changes take 20 to 30 minutes for enforcement.

Granular control based on applications can be further enhanced.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with the solution for six or seven years and Websense for the last 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. That said, at times we do get complaints from customers. Some of the government and banking sites not being accessible via cloud proxy. At times it is required to bypass them or route it through different data centers. Though Forcepoint has no say in some websites restricting the access if they can out with a solution to detect and bypass or redirect the traffic through a working data center it will add further value. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are integrators. We are supporting from 1,000 systems to somewhere around a 10,000 to 20,000 user base.

How are customer service and support?

We have used technical support in the past. There are two aspects. How quickly they respond is one aspect. Then, whatever the answer that they provide, is it of any use. In terms of the response, it varies. Sometimes they will be able to solve it, and then sometimes it may have to be internally taken up to the next level.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple and not overly difficult. 

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

I cannot speak to the exact pricing of the solution.

What other advice do I have?

We are integrators. While we typically do cloud deployments off-late, for on-premises, we have deployed Hybrid and on-premises Websecurity deployments.

I'd advise users, if they want to make use of it, to learn the technology and then the approach the product is trying to take. I'd advise users only proceed once they understand it. That way, they'll be in a good position to manage it. As with any technology, learn the basics and building blocks of it.

I'd rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1433466 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Support Officer at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good URL categorization database, intuitive, and easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "It has got a really good URL categorization database. It is simple to set up. It is also easy to use and quite intuitive. It has got a nice utility for troubleshooting."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for internal monitoring of internet access as well as for controlling internet access.

What is most valuable?

It has got a really good URL categorization database. It is simple to set up. It is also easy to use and quite intuitive. It has got a nice utility for troubleshooting.

What needs improvement?

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. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used it for quite some time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I am satisfied with its stability. We have got a good network infrastructure.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale. You can just add another box to scale it up. 

We are using it for about 3000 users, but it can take a lot more. You have to look at the box you choose and use it as you require.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have interacted with them. Nine out of ten times, their support is really good. There are different packages you can buy for support. The one we have is really good. We usually get a response within four hours, and they are available seven days a week. They have been helpful, and they do point you in the right direction. If they don't have a solution, they will go back and solve it through another team member.

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

I can't remember, but I think we used Blue Coat. We switched because at the time, most of the technology modules were embedded into one appliance in Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway, which is how you can reduce the number of boxes you would have in your server, which is really good. In terms of cost also, it was working out better for us.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. The upgrades, however, are not straightforward, and they don't always go as per the plan. It also depends on your environment and the configuration. The advantage of going for a cloud solution is that you don't have the overhead of managing upgrades and downtime. The advantage of an on-premises solution is that you have more control, which is really nice. You have ownership, and you have the chance to develop your own solution, which is fantastic.

What about the implementation team?

We got help from a third-party vendor.

What other advice do I have?

I would not recommend the version that we have, that is, V10000 G3. I would recommend the later versions. 

Its implementation depends on your working environment. You might want to go for a hybrid version where it is partly on the cloud and partly on-premises. You also have to look at deploying agents on your systems. So, it just depends on how you are planning on working. Are you working from an office or are you going to be working remotely? That would dictate how you implement the solution. It is a fine product for what it does. Going forward, it would need firewall capabilities for UDP filtering.

I would rate Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway an eight out of ten. It needs UDP support and a bit more granular filtering of reports, but all in all, it ticks most of the boxes.

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
Lead Systems Security Administrator at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Vendor
Web filtering of malicious sites has increased our security posture
Pros and Cons
  • "Reporting and automatic updates of website categorization."
  • "The documentation is almost too much, it could be laid out in an easier to understand."

What is most valuable?

Reporting and automatic updates of website categorization.

How has it helped my organization?

  • Being able to have managers or department leads run their own reports has saved us an incredible amount of time.
  • Web filtering of malicious sites has increased our security posture.

What needs improvement?

  • The documentation is almost too much, it could be laid out in an easier to understand.
  • Upgrades can be challenging. For us, it has required a third party to assist.

For how long have I used the solution?

Seven years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No, but a few major upgrades were bumpy.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Not once live in production, it seems to just work.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Excellent! We always find ourselves paired with knowledgeable technicians who resolve most of our problems on the first call.

Technical Support:

Excellent.

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

Yes, Blue Coat Systems.

How was the initial setup?

Complex, only in it offers a huge amount of features.

What about the implementation team?

A vendor team, which was very knowledge.

What was our ROI?

Hard to calculate, but definitely there.

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

Get a qualified third party to assist with the web implementation.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes. Cisco and Barracuda.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.