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it_user429552 - PeerSpot reviewer
Works with 51-200 employees
Vendor
VPN has allowed me to deploy applications just for the organization and not to public servers.
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to create a VPN allows me to monitor branch offices from a central location."
  • "A way to clean squid cache from the GUI."

How has it helped my organization?

VPN has allowed me to deploy applications just for the organization and not to public servers.

What is most valuable?

The ability to create a VPN allows me to monitor branch offices from a central location.

What needs improvement?

A way to clean squid cache from the GUI.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Not at all.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

PeerSpot user
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    PeerSpot user
    IT Chief at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    The pfSense OS is stable, but if the service packages are not updated to their new version when the OS is updated, we can't use those features.

    What is most valuable?

    • Load balancer
    • Multi-WAN

    How has it helped my organization?

    Network security and speed have both improved.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using it since 2010. I have used both the free version (5/10) and as a gold member (9/10).

    What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

    No issues encountered.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    When they make an update available, the problem is that pfSense service packages are not updated, it's just the OS. The pfSense OS is stable, but if the service packages are not updated to their new version when the OS is updated, we can't use those features.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No issues encountered.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Customer Service:

    5/10.

    Technical Support:

    5/10.

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

    We used -

    • Debian IPtables
    • Squid
    • I7 Patch
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

    PeerSpot user
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      it_user267969 - PeerSpot reviewer
      it_user267969Sr. Sys Admin at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
      Consultant

      Hi,

      SG-4860 pfSense® Security Gateway Appliance which we bought.

      Also could u please tell me how will contact pfsense support?

      Is there any on call facility to pfsense?

      How many times they will support if we device buy?

      Regards,
      Giridharreddy Daida.

      See all 3 comments
      Buyer's Guide
      Netgate pfSense
      March 2025
      Learn what your peers think about Netgate pfSense. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
      842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.
      PeerSpot user
      Manager IT at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
      Vendor
      The proxy filtering is valuable except for blocking HTTPS which it can't do.

      What is most valuable?

      • MAC Filtered DHCP and DNS
      • Captive Portal
      • VPN
      • Proxy Server
      • Proxy Filter

      How has it helped my organization?

      It has provided us with secure internet browsing and a strong monitoring ability.

      What needs improvement?

      Proxy filters are not supported for the blocking of HTTPS sites.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I've used it for two to three years.

      What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

      No issues encountered yet.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      No issues encountered yet.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      No issues encountered yet.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      Customer Service:

      I have not gotten any support from the customer service center because I can get all the solutions on their web blogs.

      Technical Support:

      I think it is perfect.

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

      I was using another product, but it didn't have a bandwidth controller and monitoring tool like this product does. I switched because I can find everything in one window.

      How was the initial setup?

      Its installation setup & procedure is so simple that a layman could install it.

      What about the implementation team?

      I installed it by myself and used Google for assistance.

      What was our ROI?

      It's positive.

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

      I just downloaded the program from the website free of chard. The best thing is, this product can be installed on any machine.

      Which other solutions did I evaluate?

      No other options were evaluated.

      What other advice do I have?

      It is recommended, as it is a stable product.

      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

      PeerSpot user
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        it_user221874 - PeerSpot reviewer
        it_user221874Manager IT at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
        Vendor

        Can any one have experienced to deploy Pfsense on Hyper-V ... I am planning to deploy this scenario.

        See all 2 comments
        System Administrator at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
        Real User
        Affordable and scalable but some features are difficult to configure and enable
        Pros and Cons
        • "Sophos Intercept X is scalable. Currently, we have almost 30 people using it in our company."
        • "It would be great to add more to security."

        What is our primary use case?

        Our primary use case for this solution is Endpoint Advanced. I have set it up for the firewall and the open VPN connections.

        What needs improvement?

        It would be great to add more to security.

        I know that pfSense has a lot of features, but I don't know how to configure and enable them. That is why I am looking into my support options. I am looking for better security and performance.

        For how long have I used the solution?

        I have been using this solution for almost two years.

        What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

        pfSense is scalable. Currently, we have almost 30 people using it in our company.

        How are customer service and support?

        I'm currently struggling with deploying pfSense more extensively. Right now, we are not getting much support on their end. 

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

        My opinion about pfSense's pricing is good. They are open source. 

        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
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          it_user284163 - PeerSpot reviewer
          System Administrator at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
          Vendor
          It's stable and features load balancing, although we've rebooted once in six months.

          What is most valuable?

          • Snort
          • CARP
          • Load balancing
          • VPN

          How has it helped my organization?

          • Reduced the cost of our firewall solution
          • Enhanced throughput compared with similar priced devices
          • Stability
          • Reliability

          What needs improvement?

          I'm no expert on this subject, and the OS performs all that is required.

          For how long have I used the solution?

          I've used it for over one year.

          What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

          No issues encountered.

          What do I think about the stability of the solution?

          We've only had to do one reboot in six months.

          What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

          None as yet, because the solution hasn't reached capacity yet.

          How are customer service and technical support?

          I'm yet to use the official tech support as the community provides all that I have required.

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

          • Sonicwall
          • Cisco ASA

          We switched due to licensing costs and scalability.

          How was the initial setup?

          It's relatively simple and straightforward, with enough documentation avalable online for the average user to install and setup.

          What was our ROI?

          £2000+

          Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

          PeerSpot user
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            it_user280953 - PeerSpot reviewer
            Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
            Consultant
            It supports multiple ISP's, making it good for implementation, but it doesn't allow FTP.

            Valuable Features

            This product supports multiple ISP's, so it's good for implementation.

            Improvements to My Organization

            It's made us more productive.

            Room for Improvement

            FTP was not allowed, and it didn't indicate during set up whether FTP was to be allowed or disabled.

            Use of Solution

            I've used it for about one year.

            Stability Issues

            The stability is good.

            Scalability Issues

            The stability is good.

            Customer Service and Technical Support

            The technical support is good.

            Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing

            It's free.

            Other Advice

            All the other features are good, and with it being free, it is very attractive to the users.

            Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

            PeerSpot user
            Rich text editor
              Senior Systems Engineer at KeyTrust
              User
              Perform packet captures on the command line and via the GUI which is useful for diagnosing problems
              Pros and Cons
              • "The ability to perform packet captures on the command line and via the GUI is useful for diagnosing problems."
              • "I would like to see multiple DNS servers running on individual interfaces."

              What is our primary use case?

              • We only use our pfSense as a stateful packet inspection firewall. 
              • We have around 10 VLAN interfaces with many allow/block policies, VIPs, and NATs. 
              • Running on VMware as a virtual machine.

              How has it helped my organization?

              The main improvement was we were able to replace our old hardware-based firewall with a virtual machine having HA.

              What is most valuable?

              The ability to perform packet captures on the command line and via the GUI is useful for diagnosing problems.

              What needs improvement?

              • I would like to see multiple DNS servers running on individual interfaces. 
              • It would be useful to manage firewall policies on a source interface and destination interface basis.

              For how long have I used the solution?

              One to three years.
              Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

              PeerSpot user
              Rich text editor
                it_user1136043 - PeerSpot reviewer
                IT Manager at alfascan
                Real User
                Provides more control and a deeper insight into network traffic
                Pros and Cons
                • "This solution has increased the level of security, given us more control, provided a deep insight into network traffic, and is a great VPN solution."
                • "We would like to see ready-made profiles to cover most users' needs."

                What is our primary use case?

                We use this solution as our firewall, proxy, IDS, IPS, and VPN.

                How has it helped my organization?

                This solution has increased the level of security, given us more control, provided a deep insight into network traffic, and is a great VPN solution.

                What is most valuable?

                The most valuable features are the Proxy IPS and VPN.

                What needs improvement?

                We would like to see ready-made profiles to cover most users' needs. 

                For how long have I used the solution?

                Three years.
                Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

                PeerSpot user
                Rich text editor
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