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Finis Ross - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Technician at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
Practically perfect in every way with superior marks for the VPN services
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is straightforward."
  • "We have not had to reach out to FortiGate support yet and that is a pretty good track record."
  • "The VPN used with the product is secure and reliable without lag."
  • "Integration with the antivirus companion Webroot is not seamless on Mac computers."

What is our primary use case?

We just use it for intrusion detection and prevention.  

What is most valuable?

I think that the VPN software used through FortiGate is what our clients appreciate the most. They get secure reliable connections without lag.  

What needs improvement?

I have been pretty satisfied with the application as it is. I am pleased with the layout and how everything is integrated. Sometimes we will have a client who has a firewall that is not FortiGate, and often times we are able to convince them to switch over to using FortiGate as their solution because of our recommendations.  

On a little different subject, the software for antivirus that we usually use with FortiGate is called Webroot. I know that some of our Apple / Mac clients experience some issues with the integration of that product. The integration, in that case, is not seamless. That is an issue that could be addressed.  

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS (Intrusion Prevention Service) since February of 2020. So that is about seven or eight months.  

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate IPS
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate IPS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The FortiGate product is very stable.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not scaled the use of the product much during the time that we have used it. Because we have small business clients and we usually are involved in offering other lower-end firewalls, I am not familiar with scaling FortiGate up because our clients are generally not poised for short-term growth. Our clientele is always 500 or fewer employees and so it is a pretty straightforward implementation and common, smaller user group size.  

How are customer service and support?

I have not had to reach out to technical support. That is actually one of the reasons why I think we are pretty satisfied with the software and hardware: we have not had to reach out. I am the senior technician here and if I have not had to reach out to FortiGate support yet, that is a pretty good track record.  

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Just click a button and it is there in a short amount of time. Nothing complicated about the setup.  

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

The pricing for FortiGate IPS is competitive with other products in the category.  

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten (where one is the worst and ten is the best), I would rate FortiGate IPS as a ten-out-of-ten. It is just that good.  

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
Finis Ross - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Technician at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
Provides great security with a user friendly UI
Pros and Cons
  • "The GUI is the most valuable feature."
  • "The initial deployment could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for our small clients, companies with less than 30 employees, and we use it to protect the security of their internal networks. I'm a senior technician and we're third-party resellers. 

What is most valuable?

I would say the GUI is the most valuable feature, it's a good interface.

What needs improvement?

The initial deployment could be minimally improved. It's fairly good right now but it could be better. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We have two people who deal with maintenance. I deal with insulation at the customer site and we have someone who can configure remotely.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate IPS
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate IPS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2100363 - PeerSpot reviewer
Support Engineer at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5
Good web interface, great functionality, and has helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "You have access to CLI in case you have no web access."
  • "The learning curve is a bit higher."

What is our primary use case?

This is an appliance. It is hardware. It's for intrusion detection mainly. It can do routing and switching yet focuses mainly on detection and prevention. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the fact that one device can do multiple tasks, such as both routing and firewalling.

It had a good web interface.

You have access to CLI in case you have no web access. 

Technical support has been helpful overall, even though we haven't used them much. 

What needs improvement?

It's a bit more complex to configure in comparison to Cisco.

The learning curve is a bit higher. 

It's not the least expensive solution on the market. 

How are customer service and support?

We've only had a few issues and everything was solved very fast. We are satisfied with the level of support on offer. 

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

I've also used Cisco. These solutions are not quite the same. 

I've also used MicroTik, which is slightly less expensive. 

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

The pricing is okay. In comparison, MicroTik offers better pricing yet has the same functionality. Therefore, it is a bit more of an expensive option.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer. We have the drives in our server room.

I'd rate the product eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
GuillermoRoman - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Manager at Tech Mahindra Limited
Real User
Expandable and reliable with good local support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution can scale."
  • "The interface could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for security reasons. It's our wall between the inside to outside. That's why we are using it. We use it for VPNs also. People who work outside of the office use the VPN through the firewall, for example.

What is most valuable?

The solution is quite stable.

The solution can scale.

We have good local support.

What needs improvement?

The interface could be better.

We would like the initial setup to be a bit easier.

It isn’t missing any features. We’re pretty happy with it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve been using the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It’s very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

While the solution is scalable, we don’t need to scale it for our operations.

We have about 80 people on the solution right now.

How are customer service and support?

We have a local company that assists us with support when we need it. They are pretty good.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is pretty easy to set up. However, you do need some previous knowledge. It helps if you understand the environment. It’s not hard per se, however, it can be a bit tricky. We’d like it if it was a bit easier.

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

I can’t speak of how much the cost of the license it. I don’t have any details in relation to the pricing.

What other advice do I have?

I am a customer and end-user.

I’m not sure which version of the solution we’re using.

It is a good solution. I’d recommend it to others.

Overall, it’s a good solution, and I would recommend it to others.

I would rate the solution nine 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
Mostafa  Nawar - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network & Security Engineer at TransIT
Real User
Intuitive to use, easy to set up, and simple to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use."
  • "Overall, the integration could be better."

What is our primary use case?

I use the Fortinet as a perimeter firewall. All of the servers are on this Fortinet firewall. All traffic comes from the perimeters and email accounts and we also use it for this purpose.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easy to use.

It is a scalable product.

The solution is stable. 

Its GUI is very intuitive.

I found the solution very easy to set up.

The IPS's correct application control is perfect.

What needs improvement?

Overall, the integration could be better. The FortiManager is likely not good. I can't use it as it is unstable most of the time. We'd like to have an SD-WAN for a sandbox, for the Fortinet perimeter. We'd like to be able to manage different boxes.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is great. There are no issues with crashing or freezing. There are no bugs or glitches. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable and easy to expand. 

We have ten users on the solution. It is mostly the network team that deals with the product for the most part. We have 200 or so end-users as well that indirectly use it regularly.

We do plan to increase usage and would like to upgrade to a Fortinet perimeter firewall (a 501 model), however, on the financial side, it's difficult right now. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is great. I called them twice in the last month and they were very helpful and responsive. 

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

We also have experience with Palo Alto products.

We had ASAs and other legacy firewalls that we used in the past.

How was the initial setup?

The product is very straightforward and simple to set up. It's not a complex process at all. 

We have around 10 engineers that handle the operation, maintenance, and follow-up.

What about the implementation team?

We used partners as the integrator to facilitate anything with the vendor. It didn't take long and we were able to have different timelines for different deployment areas. 

What was our ROI?

I have not witnessed an ROI.

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

The cost of the product is reasonable. It's not overly expensive. 

We pay a yearly license that renews every three years. 

It's been two years since we set up the license. I can't recall how much we agreed to pay.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at Fortinet and Palo Alto. Fortinet is well known in the industry, which is why we focused on it. It was reasonably priced and offered good efficiency. 

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten. We're pretty happy with the product in general.

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
Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at Eureka Forbes Ltd
Real User
Effective logging method, easy to understand, implement, and maintain.
Pros and Cons
  • "It's simple to operate and use."
  • "The most important feature to have is zero trust, which is lacking in Fortinet FortiGate IPS."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS utilizes the main firewalls.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS is a very good firewall. We don't have any complaints, it is doing its job correctly.

The functionality is good.

It's simple to operate and use.

There are various firewalls on the market, but we found Fortinet to be the most appropriate for the structures we have in place for our company. It is simple to comprehend, run, and maintain. The logging method is effective; it provides us with a clear picture of how threats are deflected or avoided.

What needs improvement?

When everything is taken into account, the migration is quite painless. I believe that improvements will continue to come from the fact that as threat vectors get more complex around the world, advanced threat protection and deep packet inspection will become increasingly vital. That is where technology needs to advance much more quickly.

The most important feature to have is zero trust, which is lacking in Fortinet FortiGate IPS.

Zero trust is something that has to be embedded and I would still like to see how Fortinet approaches it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate IPS for a couple of years.

This solution is updated on a regular basis.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The Fortinet FortiGate IPS is an extremely stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I can't speak to scalability because we are getting started with virtual machine-based firewalls. We are transitioning to FortiGate VM.

In our organization, we have 3,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. They are made up of experienced professionals.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward.

This solution is maintained by one person. We are using AMC services, which includes multiple people, but we have only chosen one.

What about the implementation team?

During the deployment phase, we always utilize the assistance of an integrator. Working with them was a good experience for us.

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

The licensing costs are very competitive.

There are no fees in addition to the licensing costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When evaluating the solution, we wanted to make sure that it was simple to use, operate, and simple to maintain.

We have done a lot of research because we're bringing in the cloud version. We considered other vendors, but because we already had an on-premises Fortinet with a robust backend monitoring system, we decided that extending Fortinet into the Cloud was the best solution.

Gaining a good understanding of the simplicity of cloud migration will take about two months. It's not so much the implementation as it is the services that support it.

Before proposing a solution, it was critical that they have a progressive awareness of what we have and that they comprehend our requirements.

Because Fortinet was involved, we were reassured that they were acting in our best interests.

We also utilize the VPN with Fortinet, but we intend to go to zero trust in the future, eliminating the need for this dependency.

What other advice do I have?

We are expanding our Fortinet for our cloud security. The VM will be implemented in our public cloud, which is where we operate.

I wouldn't say it's specific to FortiGate; it applies to all firewalls. You should consider the simplicity of the task at hand, as well as the convenience of deployment, maintenance, and, most crucially, the availability of qualified personnel to carry it out. These are the reasons we chose Fortinet.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate IPS an eight 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
TiagoSilva - PeerSpot reviewer
Security coordinator at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5
Enables organizations to prevent access to classified IP addresses and protects environments from attacks
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution protects the environment from internal and external threats."
  • "Two-way inspections are not possible in FortiGate."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for a large government customer. We helped them migrate from Check Point to Fortinet FortiGate. The customer had a lot of applications that are accessed by HTTPS. It was necessary to put some protection in place to prevent certain internet access. They have a reverse proxy published behind FortiGate. The reverse proxy balances the servers.

FortiGate uses IPS profiles for the reverse proxy. The operation system is Linux, and the server is Apache with HTTPS of medium, high, and critical severity. FortiGate is used to inspect the connections between the servers and the customers. It is used to protect the environment.

What is most valuable?

We use .NET services to block IPs. We use the tool’s features to prevent access to classified IP addresses. We use ISDB to prevent network access to malware, botnet, BitTorrent networks, and mining for cryptocurrencies.

We prevent access to certain classified addresses to stop attackers from understanding our environment. Attackers try to study the environment to explore its vulnerabilities and attack us. The solution protects the environment from internal and external threats.

What needs improvement?

Our customers have a specific application for two-way inspection. Two-way inspections are not possible in FortiGate. It is usually available in load-balancing solutions like F5. It would be a good improvement if the product provides two-way inspection features in the next release.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for five years.

How are customer service and support?

The support is good. We need to raise specific tickets for specific problems. If we have any issues, the team helps us solve them.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to deploy the solution. The configuration of the firewall is simple.

What was our ROI?

The protection of the customers’ networks is our return on investment. The integration with FortiAnalyzer allows us to see the traffic and perform troubleshooting. Creating a profile with IPS does not require many steps. The level of protection provided by the tool is better than other vendors.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Fortinet FortiGate is better compared to Check Point.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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PeerSpot user
Infrastructure manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Excellent protection for websites, servers and more
Pros and Cons
  • "The feature that I find most valuable is its protection of the websites."
  • "I would like to be able to generate reports about the protections that we have. I would like a report feature."

What is our primary use case?

We have FortiGate with all the licenses - antivirus, IPS, and advanced threat protection. It's a combination of protection in the perimeter. We have configured some rules for IPS protection in the FortiGate perimeter.

We use it as part of a combination of protections because we have the DMT virus, the IPS, and WOFF option. We protect our services like Apache, our website and the internet.

We configure the rules for the Windows server, the Linux server, and Apache and AIS.

What is most valuable?

The feature that I find most valuable is its protection of the websites.

What needs improvement?

I would like to be able to generate reports about the protections that we have. I would like a report feature.

For example, I would like to see that in VPN and FortiGate, that the equipment that connects to the network is evaluated. Right now, FortiGate validates the users in the active directory and the users have the right permissions to connect. I would also add the user and the computers that are allowed in the active directory. It evaluates the actual active directory, and some computers are allowed but not all. Only the computers that are in the active directory. Right now, when you connect to the VPN, FortiGate checks the active directory. They have the check feature but it should be improved.

This solution has records but I would like to see that in IPS you could define your rules - we have almost 10 or 15 rules, and see if these rules provided protections over the month. For example, to track a specific rule across the IPS solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS for five years and Cisco for about eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes, it is stable. The solution protects us from attack. We have heard that other companies are being attacked, but we are not since we installed FortiGate.

The way the configuration was supplied was correct and we don't have any events. But we heard about other, similar companies, that do have events, but we don't.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS is scalable.

In our case, we are a company of 100 employees and we selected a solution for 250, so we didn't have the need to scale because we designed it from the beginning for more people. We are still using it after five years. We have to change the equipment because they don't allow us to migrate to a new version. In the renewable licenses, they offered me a trade-in and I returned the last FortiGate and they gave me the new FortiGate. I have the FortiGate 600D model. After five years we had to change the equipment. With Cisco, for example, you can keep going. I have the same model with Cisco for eight years and I didn't have to change it. But in FortiGate, after five years, I had to trade it in.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is excellent. I prefer to open a case directly to FortiGate because I can have a session with a technical contact, and we can review the case directly with the support. We also have some protocols, like BGP in the perimeter, and in two cases, I needed the support person to connect me to another person for technical support to help me with our special protocol.

The support is 24 hours.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup us is easy and friendly.

It took almost a month. In a month, we deployed all the FortiGate with the features and the rules.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to anyone considering Fortinet FortiGate IPS is that it is important to set the right rules and set all the configurations to make them preferred for a partner. The partner makes all the rules that the company needs because if you stay the course, although it's easy and friendly in the beginning, some configurations need a common line and require you to design how it works right around the network. So it is important that you take a partner who has experience with designs and can implement the correct solution for your company.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate IPS a nine

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
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate IPS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate IPS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.