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reviewer1458159 - PeerSpot reviewer
Officer / General Manager Software R&D Laboratory at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Easy to use with good GUI and an easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The usage in general is pretty good."
  • "The performance could be a bit better. Right now, I find it to be lacking. Having good performance is very important for our work."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the VPN.

What is most valuable?

The initial setup is pretty easy, at least if you are looking to take advantage of basic functionality.

The usage in general is pretty good.

The GUI is pretty good.

What needs improvement?

The support could be improved upon somewhat.

The performance could be a bit better. Right now, I find it to be lacking. Having good performance is very important for our work.

The command line operation is a bit out of our depth.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been dealing with the solution for about two years.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. We don't have issues with bugs or glitches. For us, we haven't had problems with crashing or freezing. It's been working well for the most part.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I can't speak to the scalability. I've never attempted to scale and therefore don't have a sense of how well the solution would take to it.

We have about 30 engineers that work with the solution currently. I'm not sure, however, if there are any plans to increase usage in the future.

How are customer service and support?

The support wasn't the best. We weren't too satisfied with the level of service we were given.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very easy and straightforward. It was not complex. We do, however, use the basic functionality and therefore we don't really get into much complexity during the implementation.

The deployment itself is rather quick and we were able to get everything sorted in about one day.

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

The pricing isn't too bad. Right now, we find the cost to be manageable.

What other advice do I have?

We're just a customer. We don't have a special business relationship with Fortinet.

We're a development company. We sometimes use the cloud, however, we're open to other deployment models as well.

I've found the solution to be very good. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Solutions Architect at Universal Access and Systems Solutions
Reseller
Optimizes security on the network and protects the company from attacks from outside
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is a security device. It can optimize security on the networks of a company. It actually protects the company from attacks from outside. With FortiGate, you can categorize the users. You can create a group of users that can access all of the websites for their work. You can limit other users' access."
  • "Scalability is one of the disadvantages. When it comes to scalability, you have to actually change the box. If you want to upgrade it, you need to actually change the existing box and probably you take the system off to other sites."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate as the firewall for our networks and as a security device. Fortinet FortiGate is used in our organization for:

  • making policies
  • security profiles
  • identity management
  • blocking applications on websites
  • making objects
  • future groups
  • user management
  • network reports
  • data analytics
  • other stuff

FortiGate is not just a security solution, but also a network solution, because it can do SD-WAN which provides innovation to security.

How has it helped my organization?

Originally, I used Fortinet FortiGate for SD-WAN. There is actually a feature for the SD-WAN. I could find a port and use it for SD-WAN. Then I also used FortiGate for security rules.

We implement solutions categorizing the insurers by Fortinet, i.e. what are the network users that are allowed in this particular instance or for these particular policies.

We program every port you can set the policies on with Fortinet FortiGate. You can actually see the users that access the particular website and govern the rules for web traffic.

What is most valuable?

First and foremost, Fortinet FortiGate is a security device. It can optimize security on the networks of a company. It actually protects the company from attacks from outside. 

With Fortinet FortiGate, you can categorize the users. You can create a group of users that can access all of the websites for their work. You can limit other users' access. 

It can also do detailed reporting and analytics that comprise information from recorded events on the network by traffic location, device, IP address, etc.

What needs improvement?

Flexibility is questionable when it comes to the hardware parts. If Fortinet can make FortiGate modular so that you can actually upgrade it without changing the parts, I would prefer it. 

If Fortinet FortiGate could actually integrate with the hybrid cloud architecture without changing the storage parts, i.e. the hardware, it would be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The Fortinet FortiGate solution is 81% stable. I would say it is very flexible. I would grade it an eight or nine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is one of the disadvantages. When it comes to scalability, you have to actually change the box. If you want to upgrade it, you need to actually change the existing box and probably you take the system off to other sites.

With FortiGate, if you want to upgrade, it is physical and you have to buy a bigger box. You have to replace it with a bigger one. The boxes of Fortinet are not modular, so you have to replace the entire box. That's one of the bad sides of Fortinet. 

When it comes to security, it's not really possible if the other solution is actually plausible. 

How was the initial setup?

The deployment of Fortinet FortiGate is complex. It depends on how long you are going to maintain the network of the client. For us, it would only take a day or two.

What about the implementation team?

We are resellers of Fortinet products.

What other advice do I have?

The Fortinet FortiGate solution has to have a system-wide update for improvements. First and foremost, you need to have a patch. You have to continually improve FortiGate by having continuously updated patches applied. 

Then always check for the admin reports from Fortinet that the patch was applied. When it comes to the features of this device, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AT4 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Reseller
Top 20
It is a user-friendly solution, but the after-sales service needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to configure and maintain remotely."
  • "Its customer service could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for network security.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution works quite well for us.

What is most valuable?

The solution is user-friendly in terms of configuration and implementation.

What needs improvement?

The solution's after-sales service needs improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's customer service is satisfactory but could be even better.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We used Sophos earlier. We switched to Fortinet for its price.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is easy to configure and maintain remotely.

What was our ROI?

The solution has generated ROI for our customers.

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

The solution's licenses cost the same for different subscription plans. But the additional costs vary from client to client.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution to others and rate it as a seven.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Sales Director at Visualize Technology (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Real User
Provides great firewall security and has good VPN features
Pros and Cons
  • "Provides good firewall security and has great VPN features."
  • "The solution lacks sufficient filtering."

What is our primary use case?

The case of FortiGate is for firewall and VPN connection. We are partners and resellers of Fortinet and I'm a director. Our company is based in Malaysia.

How has it helped my organization?

FortiGate has improved our operational efficiency. 

What is most valuable?

The solution provides good firewall security and has great VPN features. The product is generally very simple to deploy and is quite flexible. 

What needs improvement?

They need to improve features related to mobiles with more and more customers adopting that as their way to manage things. They need to look to the future with their features and meet filtering requirements which the solution cannot currently do. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for 10 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is not scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We are self-sufficient in terms of support. 

How was the initial setup?

Initial deployments can be complex depending on the customer's requirements. Implementation can take up to a couple of days. There aren't usually too many issues. The solution requires some maintenance, mainly monitoring. 

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

The licensing costs are reasonable. You get value for your money. 

What other advice do I have?

It's important to understand your customer's requirements. Once we work that out we then do a round of checks on the security vulnerabilities.

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Mohamed El-Sherbini - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Mada Insurance
Real User
Top 5
Easy to use UI, excellent support, and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the ease of use and the UI. It has always provided me with what I needed. I have no need for additional costs that other solutions have, such as Sophos."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate should improve the VPN tokens."

What is our primary use case?

I am using Fortinet FortiGate for security on all devices, VPN, and IPsec.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the ease of use and the UI. It has always provided me with what I needed. I have no need for additional costs that other solutions have, such as Sophos.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate should improve the VPN tokens. 

The upgrades should be reviewed more frequently, such as daily, to avoid any corruption or issues that can happen, without losing my VPN client. We should not need to downgrade the solution to fix the problems until the Fortinet FortiGate support solves it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately nine years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be scalable.

Fortinet FortiGate is good for medium to large-sized enterprises.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Fortinet FortiGate is amazing.

How was the initial setup?

The setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I am able to do the implementation myself. There is no need for assistance.

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

The license of Fortinet FortiGate should be reduced.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten 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
reviewer1285998 - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Affordable, reliable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "I'm pretty happy with its reliability. It is also very scalable."
  • "They have to just improve its performance when we enable all UTM features. When you enable all the features, the performance of FortiGate, as well as of Sophos and SonicWall, goes down."

What is our primary use case?

In my previous company, which was a silver partner, we installed 300 and 301 for a few use cases. The most selling product at that time was FortiGate 100E.

What is most valuable?

I'm pretty happy with its reliability. It is also very scalable.

What needs improvement?

They have to just improve its performance when we enable all UTM features. When you enable all the features, the performance of FortiGate, as well as of Sophos and SonicWall, goes down.

For how long have I used the solution?

I worked with this solution for four years in my previous company.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. When you compare it with Palo Alto, it is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable.

How are customer service and support?

They are very knowledgeable and helpful.

How was the initial setup?

Based on what my engineers told me, it is easy to install. It is straightforward.

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

It is affordable. Palo Alto is much more expensive than Fortinet.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a nine out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Hariom Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Technical Support at Rubik Infotech Pvt. Ltd
Real User
Easy to set up and configure with good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "It's very easy to configure."
  • "It would be ideal if they had some sort of GUI interface for troubleshooting and diagnostics."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily sell FortiGate to clients. We have customers such as pharmaceutical companies and hospitals that require the security on offer. It is a great firewall. 

What is most valuable?

With many companies dealing with users now working from home, definitely a great feature is the SSL VPN. With that, a user can control everything from their own devices and get connected to the servers even if they are off-site.

The initial setup is easy. It's not overly difficult. 

The solution offers very good security. 

It's a good firewall. It's very easy to configure.

What needs improvement?

We require troubleshooting and those kinds of things. We have to worry about debugging. It would be ideal if they had some sort of GUI interface for troubleshooting and diagnostics. That would be much better. FortiGate has only CLI-based diagnostic capabilities. Sometimes it's become very difficult to do all this troubleshooting.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been handling security solutions lie FortiGate for ten to 15 years at this point. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There are some bugs you have to deal with. There's some troubleshooting that needs to be done. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution isn't scalable per se as it is hardware. However, you can always buy more hardware to expand it if you need to. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good. You get very good support from this product overall. We're quite satisfied with their level of service. 

How was the initial setup?

The implementation process is not complex. It's an easy solution. It's not complex setting everything up.

What other advice do I have?

We are resellers of security products. 

New users should be aware that this solution offers very good security. The different level of security we have in Fortinet, in general, is good. They can use various security products to help protect their organizations.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Sr. Corporate Marketing Executive at Amity Infosoft Pvt. Ltd.
Reseller
Improved our organization through single pane of glass management
Pros and Cons
  • "Anti-Spam web content filterinG."

    What is our primary use case?

    VPN Over 3 Location Across India and We Get SD-Wan + UTM from Fortinet and Final got Solution SDWAN as well as UTM for Every Location 

    How has it helped my organization?

    • Single pane of glass management
    • Easy GUI for monitors
    • Logical Network Diagram from GUI
    • Physical Network Diagram from GUI
    •  

    What is most valuable?

    FortiGate is really strong in the following:

    • UTM
    • IPS
    • Antivirus
    • App control
    • AntiBotnet
    • Anti-Spam 
    • Web content filtering
    • IOC (indicator of Compromise)
    • Web Application Firewall
    • Vulnebarity Management 
    • FortiView
    • L3 routing

    What needs improvement?

    Need to Improvement in Reporting

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using it for the last nine years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Stability is fine. I rebooted after 755 Days from the date of installation.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability is Fine.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Customer Service:

    Partner support is very good.

    Technical Support:

    FortiGuard Service is also good with the push method update.

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

    We were previously using SOPHOS.

    How was the initial setup?

    Easy by WebGUI and also mobile app.

    What about the implementation team?

    We have implemented in-house.

    What was our ROI?

    Excellent ROI, due to virus spambot intrusion free network.

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

    It's a little bit higher than Cyberoam but the security is More higher compared to the other vendor.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Sophos, Check Point, and SonicWall.

    What other advice do I have?

    Buy FortiGate for a hassle free network management and excellent ROI.

    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
    reviewer690582 - PeerSpot reviewer
    reviewer690582COO/CTO at a pharma/biotech company with 11-50 employees
    Real User

    I have used Fortigates for 6 years. Like you, similar experiences augmented by an additional support subscription due to my early learning curves. What I did not realize was the speed compromises with all the security apps acivie - if I have a Verizon FiOS true Gig subscription, my speed was tapered down to 100 Mbps or less. That is a 90% reduction. With 6 users multiplied by cell phones accessing the same WiFi, you can imagine the data speeds we were actually working with.

    So, I picked WatchGuard, the T70 specifically. The data speeds with everything turned on remains near the subscription (1 Gig) and I have the same types of protections as the Fortigate. It is too early to report the reliability and other specs since this has changed only in the last week, but the specs tell me a lot that helped me to understand what I missed on my first go-around with Fortigate. Don't get me wrong, I had zero issues over the last 6 years to Fortigate's credit. However, that speed compromise doesn't work for me. Perhaps I missed something, but my support knows the product and there were no adjustments available, other than turning certain feature off. I couldn't afford that security risk, not these days.

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