

Fortinet FortiGate and Cisco IOS Security are network security solutions. Fortinet FortiGate stands out in pricing and support, while Cisco IOS Security excels in advanced features, validating its cost for complex networks.
Features: Fortinet FortiGate provides robust threat intelligence, an intuitive interface, and strong security capabilities like intrusion prevention. Cisco IOS Security integrates seamlessly with Cisco's ecosystem, offering comprehensive VPN and firewall solutions with advanced options appealing for complex networks.
Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiGate could enhance its advanced integration capabilities and feature depth for complex environments. Cisco IOS Security may improve user interface simplicity and pricing competitiveness for smaller implementations while maintaining its extensive feature set and robust performance for larger enterprises.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate offers straightforward deployment with detailed guidance and effective customer support, beneficial for a faster rollout. Cisco IOS Security presents a more complex deployment process due to its vast feature set but compensates with extensive documentation and a broad support network aiding in challenging implementations.
Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate is known for its competitive setup cost, offering significant ROI through cost-effective scaling and updates, making it a smart choice for budget-conscious implementations. Cisco IOS Security requires a higher initial investment, justified by its extensive features and long-term value, especially in larger, complex organizations.
The return on investment is satisfactory with Cisco products as they have long lifespans, and our customers are satisfied with them.
Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.
The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.
It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.
My impression is that the support quality has deteriorated over time.
The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.
I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.
They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.
We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.
We find Cisco products stable and thoroughly tested before new software or firmware versions are released.
I find Cisco IOS Security to be a very stable product.
We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.
Cisco changes their licensing policy quite frequently, which is becoming confusing and complicated.
When considering Sophos XG, which we also use, the logging and reporting functionality is notably more efficient.
These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.
The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.
The cost of Cisco IOS Security for customers is on the higher end of pricing compared to the competition, depending on the targeted customers.
Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.
It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.
It is about 20% cheaper.
This solution, called Network Access Controller, handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for devices accessing the network.
The best features of Cisco IOS Security are its integration with software management tools such as Cisco DNA Center and Cisco ICE, which provide centralized policy and network access control.
These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.
The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.
We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiGate | 18.7% |
| Cisco IOS Security | 0.4% |
| Other | 80.9% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 20 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 14 |
| Large Enterprise | 18 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 357 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 132 |
| Large Enterprise | 188 |
Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.
Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.
What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.
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