We use Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall. On some particular days, when our network traffic is very busy, we use a separate debit line. We need additional monitoring to know whether our production was cut by peak rates or not.
Manager systems at HOCL
Offers good threat protection and stability
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate is scalable for our users. Right now, we have almost 70 users. We do not have any plan to increase our usage of FortiGate. For maintaining the firewall solution, one staff member is enough."
- "One issue that I have had is that sometimes I need to monitor the traffic, so I need to filter it according to the user and which user is using it the most. I experience a bottleneck most of the time, particularly at the peak time when the number of contracts and users are at maximum."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
It satisfies all of our requirements.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the threat protection. With many users, I've found an issue where sometimes I need to monitor the traffic that I need to filter.
What needs improvement?
We have many users currently with this solution. One issue that I have had is that sometimes I need to monitor the traffic, so I need to filter it according to the user and which user is using it the most. I experience a bottleneck most of the time, particularly at peak time when the number of contracts and users are at maximum. We feel a kind of bottleneck.
When I first entered the log section, I could not find any results. I did not find any proof, i.e. reporting and analytics on the speed and network availability were not optimized. I could not find any such log from the server, maybe Fortinet could improve this service.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable for our users. Right now, we have almost 70 users. We do not have any plan to increase our usage of FortiGate. For maintaining the firewall solution, one staff member is enough.
How are customer service and support?
We are very well satisfied with the Fortinet technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had been using another solution for approximately ten years. The product was not up to date, so we were not getting any support for it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The total amount of deployment time required depends upon the number of users. Fortinet FortiGate automatically corrects any mistakes you make in the installation process.
What other advice do I have?
I cannot find anything lacking in Fortinet FortiGate. I would rate it a nine out of ten. We advise other users to go for Fortinet.
There is a back-up service that needs to be included with the firewall support.
I have the requirement to filter what information goes to the user to see which user require the most bandwidth and other resources. When there is a disconnection, that should be shown somewhere in the reports.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Security Analyst at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The UTM (application control) features have solved many issues that other firewall providers cannot, such as Google suite blocking and allowing.
What is most valuable?
The UTM (application control) features have been very important, because they have solved many issues that other firewall providers have not developed as Fortinet has.
A clear example of this feature advantages is blocking and allowing the Google suite. For example, without UTM, we would not have been able to execute some customer requirements like this one:
A customer asked us that some host on their LAN is going to be assigned to be a POS workstation. They needed that workstation to have permissions to some applications and some URLs, and they needed to block users from opening sites like YouTube, Google+, and Google Drive, but they needed to get in to some POS URLs hosted in the Google cloud. We were working with rules allowing some specified URLs, but it didn’t work because the subnetting IP address the customer needed to be allowed, sometimes matched the YouTube service. Google support engineers told us they rotate their IP addressing subnets to be more secure and they do not always attach an IP address to a domain name. So, sometimes the customer’s workstations were able to open YouTube sites too.
The way we could block YouTube and allow the customer POS URLs sites, was by configuring an application control sensor, where we were able to block some categories like this:
Another requirement was to allow some specified applications, so we configured the next sensor structure:
Another customer reported to us they had issues working with Gmail attachment files; they could not do it. Executing some packet captures and with the Fortinet TAC help, we found they were using the latest Chrome versions that use the QUIC Google protocol, which is not supported by Fortinet because it is not a valid protocol. We proceeded to block the QUIC protocol using an application control sensor.
After this blocking action, the customer was able to work without any issue.
How has it helped my organization?
It can block applications in level 7.
Even though other companies have latest-generation firewalls, FortiGate’s database is bigger.
What needs improvement?
They could improve performance with all the UTM features working.
Sometimes, we have seen that when you enable the antivirus sensor, customers report slow web browsing. We know this is normal, but we would like to know if it is possible to make feel the customer their web browsing is fast with not as much delay. The antivirus sensor analyzes all the protocols and packets we specified, and this is an important performance affectation. In my personal point of view, I don’t think it is a serious issue, but we receive many reports from users who browse the web with antivirus sensors applied to their firewall policies.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for seven years.
It is working in route mode, with all UTM licences active; it has FSSO configured to give permission to the users. It is configured to provide VPN SSL service.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have encountered stability issues only when we enable all the UTM features.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have not encountered any scalability issues.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is 9/10.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have been using FortiGate solutions for eight years. We have been upgrading when solutions in the family become unsupported.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy; no issues with doing it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
My company did not evaluate other options. They decided to purchase FortiGate directly.
What other advice do I have?
Work a lot with all of the UTM features because they can be very helpful right now with configuring firewall policies. The policies became very whole.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: My company is a Fortinet provider for Mexico.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Professional Services Manager at Insight Technology
Unique and very efficient product for a security firewall
Pros and Cons
- "From the firewall perspective, the rules and policies are very sufficient and easy to use."
- "The solution is very expensive."
What is our primary use case?
The major function of this solution is traffic shaping for end-users. You can use a specific appendix for the specific manager.
We are using the latest version of the solution: 100D.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
From the firewall perspective, the rules and policies are very sufficient and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution is very expensive.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The support is very good. They respond on time and are professional. From a technical perspective, they're good.
How was the initial setup?
It's easy to set up.
For maintenance, if you want to add a mesh configuration, you can restore your configuration from the backup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Most people prefer the functions and capabilities in FortiGate, but compared to other solutions, it's expensive.
The price depends on the size of the company. From the beginning, you just want to know the internet bandwidths, speed, and the number of users to be able to offer the right product and model. They have a lot of products in FortiGate according to the size of the company, like 200D and 300D.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 10 out of 10.
It's a very unique and efficient product for a security firewall. The only comment I have is that the price is expensive for small companies or startup companies.
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
Works at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
Good support, simple to manage, and comes with lots of functionalities
Pros and Cons
- "It is simple to manage, and there are a lot of functionalities in the same box."
- "We would like to have the ability to disable some of the security functionalities."
What is our primary use case?
It is mainly for the SD-WAN network.
What is most valuable?
It is simple to manage, and there are a lot of functionalities in the same box.
What needs improvement?
At the moment, we are having some problems with IP multicast.
We would like to have the ability to disable some of the security functionalities.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. We didn't have any performance issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good.
How was the initial setup?
Its setup is easy.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this product. We are very satisfied with this product.
I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Business Development Manager - Security at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
A good product with good security that's simple to use
Pros and Cons
- "The security on offer is very good."
- "The scalability could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security.
What is most valuable?
The security on offer is very good.
It's very simple to use.
They have a very good technical center.
It's, overall, a very good product.
The solution is stable.
The initial setup is straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The scalability could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. The reliability is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can be scalable. However, it could be better. You are limited by the hardware.
We have more than 100 clients using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
I've dealt with support in the past. I've also dealt with Palo Alto support. I find them to be very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also used Check Point and Palo Alto. Fortinet, however, scores very high against security threats, when you compare the three.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is great. It's not complex or difficult. It's pretty simple, pretty straightforward.
We installed it within a day with no issues. It doesn't take much time.
We have five to six technicians that can handle deployment and maintenance responsibilities. We are all engineers that are managed centrally.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You do need to purchase a license in order to use the product.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution to other companies that want to try it out.
I'd rate it at an eight out of ten. We don't have any real challenges with it at the moment.
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
Pre-sales Analyst at Algar Telecom
Simple configuration, intuitive graphical interface, and efficient
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is security. They are known for efficiency and are on the top of Gartner Quadrant reviews. Fortinet FortiGate has an easy-to-use platform with a good graphical interface. The configuration is simple and the solution provides an overall good layer of security."
- "Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having more storage in the hardware for log data."
What is our primary use case?
Depending on the final cost and any additional costs we deploy Fortinet FortiGate in the cloud or we can deploy on-premises in data centers.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is security. They are known for efficiency and are on the top of Gartner Quadrant reviews. Fortinet FortiGate has an easy-to-use platform with a good graphical interface. The configuration is simple and the solution provides an overall good layer of security.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having more storage in the hardware for log data.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately three years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Here in Brazil, we're going through difficult economic times and the tax on the dollar is high. All the solutions from minor competitors are growing in the market. The prices have come more competitive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager IT at Riphah
Good threat prevention with a straightforward setup and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "The threat prevention is the solution's most valuable aspect."
- "The logs need to be better. They need to be more visible and easier to access."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security, including threat prevention.
What is most valuable?
The threat prevention is the solution's most valuable aspect.
The solution's initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It's not hard to implement it.
The stability if the product is very good so far. We haven't had any issues.
The pricing of the product is reasonable.
What needs improvement?
The logs need to be better. They need to be more visible and easier to access.
The VPN features could use some improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about two years at this point. It hasn't been too long.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is excellent. We haven't had any issues in that sense. It's not buggy and there aren't glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. We find it reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I do not foresee the product being easy to scale. We find it so hard. It does not seem to be possible.
Currently, we have around 15 users and there are five to ten people handling the management aspect of the product.
How are customer service and technical support?
Over the past two years, we really haven't had any issues that would require us to reach out to technical support. The user experience has been good. If we run into little issues, we may reach out directly to the vendors, however, I can't say that I've spoken with technical support. I wouldn't be able to evaluate their services or speak to their level of knowledge or responsiveness for that reason.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used other solutions in the past, including, for example, Sophos. However, I have found Fortigate to be more reasonably priced and generally much better as a product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. It's straightforward. We didn't run into any complexities. We were able to set it up without any issues at all.
What about the implementation team?
The initial implementation was handled by the vendors. They were great at assisting us with the process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We've found that the cost of the product isn't too high. They are a bit higher than other options, such as Meraki, however, it's still not so bad.
You need to pay for the hardware and then you need to pay for the licensing as well.
What other advice do I have?
We are just a customer. We don't have a business relationship with Fortinet.
We are using the latest version of the solution at this point.
Overall, we've been pretty happy with the solution. I would rate it at 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.
Owner at Computech Associates
Good web filtering facility and application control, very stable and scalable, and easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "The web filtering facility and application control are the most valuable features from the point of view of our clients. The VPN feature is also quite popular amongst our clients. Two-factor authentication is one of the good features in Fortinet. These features are important for the current scenario of security. Security has become a necessity nowadays. With cyber-attacks becoming more common, protecting an organization's data is one of the major tasks. It is also very stable and scalable, and it is very straightforward to configure. Their technical support is also good."
- "Security is a continuous process. In every product, there is a requirement for improvement. Its pricing should also be improved according to Indian market requirements. They must also improve on the reporting part. Its reporting can be more precise. If we can get a real-time report in a specific format, it will be helpful for customers to know about the current status of their security."
What is our primary use case?
We are basically system integrators. We design and implement firewall solutions for our customers. We also provide after-sales services.
We have deployed this firewall for different types of clients. We are providing solutions starting with FG-30E, which is the lowest model in the FortiGate series, and up to 1000 series.
How has it helped my organization?
We understand a customer's requirement of current internet users. After that, we design a perfect solution through which they can not only protect their network but also have load balancing between multiple internet service providers. They can also have secure connectivity from a remote office by using a single box device.
What is most valuable?
The web filtering facility and application control are the most valuable features from the point of view of our clients. The VPN feature is also quite popular amongst our clients. Two-factor authentication is one of the good features in Fortinet. These features are important for the current scenario of security. Security has become a necessity nowadays. With cyber-attacks becoming more common, protecting an organization's data is one of the major tasks.
It is also very stable and scalable, and it is very straightforward to configure. Their technical support is also good.
What needs improvement?
Security is a continuous process. In every product, there is a requirement for improvement. Its pricing should also be improved according to Indian market requirements.
They must also improve on the reporting part. Its reporting can be more precise. If we can get a real-time report in a specific format, it will be helpful for customers to know about the current status of their security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for the last 12 to 13 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. We have been working with this solution for a long time, and we found it to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution, and you can also upgrade. They come up with a new feature every time. Whenever you're updating your firewall firmware, it is ready to mitigate threats available in the fiber scenario.
Our clients are small, medium, and large businesses. We have deployed it for small offices or retail stores as well as for big manufacturing units. We also have clients from Education and Healthcare. Some of the large companies have between 800 to 1,000-plus devices protected through this firewall.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have a little bit of experience with other firewalls such as Sophos and Check Point. There are some basic differences in the features and their functionality, but I cannot say that this one is the best, or this one is not good. I have more confidence in Fortinet FortiGate, so we are focusing only on this.
In terms of support, we had purchased a Check Point product for a customer, and we were trying to get support from the team, but it was very difficult. Sophos is okay in terms of support.
How was the initial setup?
Its initial setup is very straightforward. It is very easy if one knows the basic concepts. It has a graphical user interface, which makes it straightforward to configure. You can configure it step by step. The basic implementation of this firewall can be done in a very simple way. There could be some complexity at the Enterprise level, but at a basic level, it is very straightforward.
The deployment duration depends on the complexity level. A simple deployment can be completed in a few hours. A complex deployment can take one to two days depending upon the requirements. This is because, in addition to implementation, we also have to test the solution as per a customer's requirements to see whether it is fulfilling the given task or not.
What about the implementation team?
We are a very small company with seven to eight people. We have a total of three people working with firewalls. They're network and support engineers.
What was our ROI?
Our clients definitely get a return on investment. It is a really good product, and the stability of the product is a very important factor for our clients.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing and licensing is a little bit complicated in FortiGate. They are always on the higher side. This is one issue that we always raise with the company that they should reduce the price according to Indian market requirements. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
It is a good product, but I would always recommend selecting an implementer partner carefully. The implementor should be able to implement all the features so that you get the best benefits of the firewall. An implementation partner is very important. If you don't have a proper partner, you will probably end up with a mashup, and you won't be able to use all the features. Your performance might also not get optimized.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Channel Partner
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Updated: November 2024
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Hamza, I think you may find our product comparison between Checkpoint and Fortigate interesting:
www.itcentralstation.com