We publish books and use Forcepoint Firewall as the first line of defense on VPN access.
Assistant Manager, Information Security at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
The first line of defense
Pros and Cons
- "Forcepoint is a good, stable solution."
- "The solution needs to add an antivirus profile and anti-spyware profile, not just policies and VPN."
What is our primary use case?
What needs improvement?
Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall could improve with applying policies. Also, improvement with publishing websites and VPN agent.
The solution needs to add an antivirus profile and anti-spyware profile, not just policies and VPN.
For how long have I used the solution?
Our company has been using Forcepoint Firewall for 5 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Forcepoint is a good, stable solution.
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Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall
May 2025

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support for Forcepoint is fine. They are polite and available twenty-four hours and usually resolve problems the same day.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is easy. We only set up some of the policies.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is reasonable, it is priced the same as other firewalls.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Palo Alto, their main advantage over Forcepoint is that they have an antivirus profile and anti-spyware profile.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Forcepoint a 7 out of 10. I would recommend that anyone considering this solution to upgrade their software to have more advantages.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner

PS & Technical Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
An easy-to-manage security solution but could be cheaper
Pros and Cons
- "The solution offers sandboxing, which can be integrated at any time."
- "Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall could change its interface, allowing standard or direct connect modes to be configured."
What is most valuable?
The solution offers sandboxing, which can be integrated at any time.
What needs improvement?
Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall could change its interface, allowing standard or direct connect modes to be configured. While group design and configuration generally function well, there are issues related to OSSL. These issues may necessitate troubleshooting that involves accessing hidden features by adjusting product routes. This level of troubleshooting is currently restricted to technical personnel, not partners or customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall for a few years.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good outside Egypt.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have tried FortiGate, Palo Alto, and Symantec. We switched to Forcepoint because it is easy to manage and troubleshoot.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is expensive but cheaper than Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,823 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior IT Operations Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Characterization features captures a lot of threats and they have great support
Pros and Cons
- "The support is great. They also have very good categorization. It's very good. It captures a lot of threats."
What is our primary use case?
We just use this firewall for security in terms of network access.
What is most valuable?
The support is great. They also have very good categorization. It's very good. It captures a lot of threats.
What needs improvement?
The first point to improve is just a matter of updates. We are moving to the cloud, so we want to use virtual licenses on the cloud. We need to move from on-premises to the cloud.
We would love to take another solution from Forcepoint, but unfortunately, the price is too high. That's why we are not considering using Forcepoing for our proxy and DLB. They have a very good DLB, but the matter, in the end, is the cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for over five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable, especially the front end.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Yes, this solution is scalable.
What other advice do I have?
I recommended Forcepoint to be implemented.
I would rate this solution as nine out of ten. It would be a full ten if it had integration with endpoints.
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.
Senior Solutions Architect at Infort
A next-generation firewall solution with a useful IPS feature
Pros and Cons
- "I like the IPS. IPS is the master feature. I depend on the firewall and sandbox."
- "Management could be better. They can improve the management. I think all our customers can't accept firewalls that have standalone management. So, they prefer Fortinet or Palo Alto. But overall, inspection and other features are working fine."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for SD-WAN, IPS, VPN, and subscription keys on the cloud or have an MDM on-premises.
What is most valuable?
I like the IPS. IPS is the master feature. I depend on the firewall and sandbox.
What needs improvement?
Management could be better. They can improve the management. I think all our customers can't accept firewalls that have standalone management. So, they prefer Fortinet or Palo Alto. But overall, inspection and other features are working fine.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
With Forcepoint, we can cluster as a team firewall, and we can do great without downtime. Our sales team can sell Forcepoint because of this feature.
How are customer service and technical support?
I would give technical support an eight out of ten. We had an issue with them because we had only support level one for each case we opened. We want them to improve their technical support because I still have three cases open from this year. From January until now, technical support didn't solve it. I feel like it's an easy case like the client's VPN and user ID, and it shouldn't take around five months.
How was the initial setup?
The initial configuration is straightforward, and we can use it with the cloud. But sometimes, there are network issues we can't see when we're using the ethernet cable. I think you need an engineer with some experience before implementing the first implementation by yourself.
The time it takes to deploy this solution depends on the features I have to implement or configure. Normally, it takes five or six working days, but it might take another week if I have issues with the VPN or user IDs.
What about the implementation team?
We are an integrator.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have just a subscription for the cloud, and this license is great. The license is so good.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Senior Manager - ICT Technical at CNS Engineering
Excellent customer service, good reporting and user management and easy to use overall
Pros and Cons
- "When comparing this solution to others this one has better reporting, user management, and is easy to use."
- "They need to work on stability, it has not been the best in our experience."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution in a data center for security.
What is most valuable?
When comparing this solution to others this one has better reporting, user management, and is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
No firewall is perfect but they could improve on the detections of threats.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They need to work on stability, it has not been the best in our experience.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been very satisfied with the customer service.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used other solutions in the past.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was not easy at first but then after a while of doing installations, it became easy.
What about the implementation team?
We do the implementation of the solutions, we have a team that does it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have found the price could be reduced. It is a little expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution, we are going to continue using it.
I rate Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Enhances security, facilitates file sharing, and has good SD-WAN capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is SD-WAN."
- "Forcepoint would be improved if there were more training available."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary uses for Forcepoint are internet access, filtering, and intruder detection. We also use it for file sharing.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is SD-WAN.
What needs improvement?
There is no support available in Fiji, and it would make it easier to have local support and somebody that we can speak with.
The pricing for this solution should be more competitive.
Forcepoint would be improved if there were more training available.
The vendor should make loaner units available for test and evaluation in test environments.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for three to four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
With the SD-WAN capabilities, it is very scalable. We have about 6,000 users.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were previously using a combination of Fortinet and Cisco, but have now upgraded entirely to Forcepoint. Fortinet did not have the same package available as Forcepoint that includes end-point security.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is really easy. It is user-friendly and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We had assistance from consultants when we deployed Forcepoint.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Forcepoint is very expensive but it's really secure.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to anybody who is researching this solution is to consider the company's budget. Forcepoint is a very expensive solution but it is also very secure. For smaller companies, I would recommend Fortinet and Cisco, but if you have the money then you can look at Forcepoint.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Security Pre-Sales Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Has good performance and security and offers everything in one package
Pros and Cons
- "When our customer needs some optimization, along with performance and security. If they want everything in one package, I recommend Forcepoint because they have everything."
- "The optimization is not really ready. If you want very good optimization, you have to add it to the network."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers use Forcepoint like a cluster, which is standby active and passive. They also use it for the perimeter firewall, so it's on-premises.
The primary use case for this solution is when a customer asks for something that does automatic optimization, as well as security at the same time. It also has high performance capabilities, including enabling the SSL decryption feature. I recommend Forcepoint for these customers. If the customer has another solution for deep packet inspection of SSL encrypted traffic, I recommend Palo Alto, because they already have a solution for deep packet inspection for the kind of traffic in the network. From my point of view, at this point they do not need Forcepoint, so I would recommend Palo Alto.
What needs improvement?
They are great in every single area except for the optimization feature. The optimization is not really ready. If you want very good optimization, you have to add it to the network. I think if they make some enhancements in that area, they will replace every other product in no time.
We also need more IPS detection rules.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using this solution for about one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have a very good impression of this stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
After three or five years, if you want to change the model with a bigger model because of the network expansion, I think they support that. Our clients are huge enterprise businesses.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've never actually contact technical support because I'm not the person who is responsible for that. I heard that they are okay.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The installation is very easy. With full functions, it takes about five days to deploy.
We have a technical team that does deployment for Forcepoint, Palo Alto, etc. We do the implementations of every security product that we provide. We use two people to deploy Forecpoint NGF: a senior engineer and junior engineer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I believe the licensing fee is for one year, three years, and five years, or something like that. If you want to increase the support level from a simpler level to platinum, I think that there's a cost. There are differences between every kind of support, but I don't know the numbers.
What other advice do I have?
They just need to make sure that their environment is ready for implementing the firewall. They have to prepare for about two hours of downtime because we need some downtime to do the initial configuration. They need to be prepared for the deployment plan. That's all.
The biggest lesson I learned is that you cannot provide everything in one box. You can provide everything in one box, but you cannot provide everything deeply with the same quality all in one box. You need to give up on something to gain another. I'm always telling the customer, what's your biggest issue? Is it security or performance? Is it task optimization? What is your biggest concern? Based on their answer, I recommend one of the vendors that we work with.
If he said that he does not have any problems with anything, he just wants to get everything, then I provide them with Forcepoint and tell them that they will have some issues in a certain area. If he is okay with that, we go with the product. If he isn't okay and cannot accept that risk or that point, then we go with another vendor.
What I learned from them is that you can provide everything in one box, but you cannot provide everything with the same quality in that box.
They have really good capabilities if you want to use it. So I do recommend them in some cases, when the customer needs some optimization, along with performance and security. If they want everything in one package, I recommend Forcepoint because they have everything. That's why I recommend Forcepoint in that situation.
I would rate the solution as eight out of ten. If they solve the problem of optimization and added those IPS rules, I believe that they would deserve nine of ten. Nothing is perfect, though.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
Security Specialist at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
Centralized security management eases configuration to help prevent attacks
Pros and Cons
- "The central security management center and the content management center are very good."
- "This solution would be improved with the inclusion of custom reporting."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is as a perimeter between our internal and external networks. It is a critical security firewall.
We have an on-premises deployment.
What is most valuable?
The Security management console is fantastic.
The central security management center and the content management center are very good.
What needs improvement?
This solution would be improved with the inclusion of custom reporting. The pre-prepared reports are ok, but sometimes, perhaps once a month, I would like to create some custom reports.
In the next release of this solution, I would like to have an application proxy. In our previous solution, Sidewinder, we had this capability. For example, if you want to allow SSH traffic then you can set or restrict some features of this protocol, and you can look into the traffic using SSH Insight. Some examples of applications that I would like to see are Oracle and RDP.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution since 2015.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of this solution is absolutely fantastic. There have been no problems since we implemented this solution in 2015. It acts as the edge between our internal and external networks, and we see many attacks from the outside. They have all been blocked. There is no problem with this solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is fantastic. We are using an active-active cluster and there is no problem with adding another node. Currently, we have a two-node cluster, but there is no problem in adding a third node.
This solution protects approximately three hundred users.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support for this solution is great. We have a support contract and we can create a ticket when required. They have solved our problems.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to this solution, we used Sidewinder. That solution was discontinued and we were at the end of support for our hardware.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is not easy. It is an enterprise solution that is very complex and not easy to set up.
When we replaced our previous solution, the process took approximately two days. However, there was a period of analysis after this that took about one month. The analysis involved our current system, our network infrastructure, and our data center.
We have three administrators who maintain this solution. One of them is on-premises and two of them administer remotely. It is not possible to manage the security system using only one person because it is too complicated. It requires a team to discuss problems when they arise, including how they should be solved, or how attacks should be blocked. Cooperation on these matters is necessary.
What about the implementation team?
We involved our security partner for the implementation of this solution because it is very complex. Three people were required for the deployment, including a network specialist, our partner, and myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is not a very expensive solution. The big advantage of this solution is that we can select the right model for our requirements, which is not too expensive. There are many hardware models and different appliances.
We have a license for an unlimited number of users because it is necessary for our solution. If it were not unlimited then we would have a problem. This is probably dependent on the appliance model.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing this solution we evaluated Check Point.
What other advice do I have?
Forcepoint is my favorite enterprise firewall.
The security management center is the best part of this solution. It is always very simple to see the state of the firewall and to configure it to look for faults. The quality of this component is very high. Previous solutions were not very good with respect to the management center, but now, in this solution, it is very good. This is the main reason that I recommend this solution to others. This feature is absolutely necessary if you want to configure devices to prevent attacks.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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Updated: May 2025
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Buyer's Guide
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