WatchGuard has a two-tier distribution system. This means that WatchGuard, as the vendor, sells its products in to distributors, who then sell the products through partners or resellers to customers.
You can purchase WatchGuard devices and services through a term or a subscription license. After you purchase a device or service, you must activate the license at WatchGuard.com. For more information, go to Activate a Device or Service at WatchGuard.com.
After you activate the license, you can then manage the license in the WatchGuard website or WatchGuard Cloud.
You can manage licenses for these devices and services in the WatchGuard website:
- Fireboxes
- Access Points
- WatchGuard System Manager Software
- WatchGuard AuthPoint
- WatchGuard DNSWatchGO
- WatchGuard Endpoint Security products
- Panda products and services
For more information, go to Manage Devices and Licenses at WatchGuard.com.
You can also manage licenses for these devices and services in WatchGuard Cloud:
- Fireboxes
- Access Points
- WatchGuard AuthPoint
- WatchGuard Endpoint Security products
- Data Retention
For more information, go to Manage Licenses in WatchGuard Cloud.
License Types
Products such as AuthPoint and WatchGuard Endpoint Security are licensed for each user or endpoint. In WatchGuard Cloud, there are three types of licenses:
Term Licenses
A term license has a set number of users or endpoints and a set duration, or term (one year or three years). For example, you might purchase a license for 100 users that expires after three years. Term licenses are available to partners and customers.
Subscription Licenses
A subscription license enables partners to add unlimited users or endpoints to their account and any accounts they manage. They can set a limit on the number of licenses each managed account can use. Partners only pay for what is consumed each month. With a subscription license, WatchGuard bills the partner monthly based on the number of users or endpoints they have allocated. There is zero commitment monthly billing available for all products, and three-year commitment monthly billing for devices.
NFR Licenses (Service Providers only)
An NFR (Not for Resale) license includes a set number of users or endpoints and typically has a three-year term. NFR licenses are available to Service Providers only. Endpoints and users from an NFR license are automatically allocated to the Service Providers account. NFR licenses for devices can be allocated to any tenant account.
Trial Licenses
At WatchGuard.com, you can activate free 30-day trials for some products and services. When you activate a WatchGuard Firebox or Access Point, the device is eligible for free 30-day trials of security services. For more information on available trials, go to About Free Trials on the Product Details Page.
In WatchGuard Cloud, trial licenses for these products and modules are available on the Administration > Trials page:
- AuthPoint Multi-Factor Authentication
- AuthPoint Total Identity Security
- WatchGuard Advanced EPDR
- WatchGuard EPDR
- WatchGuard EDR
- WatchGuard EPP
- WatchGuard Endpoint Security modules (Patch Management, Full Encryption, Data Control, and Advanced Reporting Tool)
Service Providers can start trials for their account and accounts they manage. All trial licenses are valid for 30 days, and you can renew them for another 30 days to a maximum of 60 days. You can only extend the trial once within 60 days of the start date. For more information, go to Start a Trial – Service Providers.
Allocation Types
In WatchGuard Cloud, Tier-1 Service Providers and partners can allocate AuthPoint users and Endpoint Security endpoints as a term, subscription, or mixed allocation.
Term
Term allocations enable you to add a specific number of users, devices, or endpoints to an account for a set duration from a term license.
Subscription
Subscription allocations enable you and your managed accounts to add unlimited users or endpoints from a subscription license. WatchGuard bills you monthly based on the number of active users or endpoints you have.
Mixed
To facilitate clear usage reporting down to tenant accounts, we no longer allow Partner accounts or Tier-1 Service Provider accounts to allocate endpoints or users as mixed. You can select a Term or Subscription allocation type only. Existing mixed allocations can still be used, but cannot be edited. Endpoints or users that were allocated as mixed show as subscription allocations in the managed account. With the mixed allocation type, endpoints or users from the term license are used first, then when no endpoints or users remain in the term license, endpoints or users from the subscription license are used.
For more information on Passport licenses, go to About Passport Licenses.
Co-termination
Co-termination is when term licenses are merged to synchronize renewal dates. This makes it easier to manage and renew your licenses. Each time you activate a license key and choose to add users or endpoints, or extend a license, your new license is merged with the selected license and the two licenses are co-termed. A new expiration date is calculated based on your updated user or endpoint count and the term length of the license you activated.
Service Providers
When Service Providers activate a license, they have the option to co-term the new license with another active license for the same product or to activate it as a separate license. This allows Service Providers to keep their customer's licenses separate. We recommend that Service Providers co-term their licenses to make renewals easier and to get a better price for each user or endpoint at renewal.
Subscribers
Because Subscriber accounts can only have one license, when a Subscriber activates a new license key it is automatically co-termed with the current active license and either extends the expiration date or increases the user or endpoint count based on the option chosen when the license is activated.
For more information, go to Co-Term AuthPoint Licenses, Co-Term DNSWatchGO Licenses, or Co-Term Endpoint Security Licenses.