Our primary use case of this solution is for the firewall and IPS; the security on behalf of our network, to support north and south traffic. We are customers of Fortinet and I'm a systems engineer.
Engineer at The Learning Network
A very stable firewall and numerous functions we use on the IPS; good interface
Pros and Cons
- "We use a lot of function on the IPS and it works well for us."
- "A lack of integration between our data centers."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The firewall is stable and that's important. There are a lot of functions we use on the IPS and it works well for us. It's stable, the interface works for me.
What needs improvement?
We currently have two on-premise data centers with several separate firewall units and unfortunately they don't connect with each other. We'll likely migrate to Azure in the next two years because of that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this product for about seven years.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
February 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,737 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For the traffic we have all five firewalls. The log is minimal with the traffic, which is going over the firewall and we don't require a lot of scalability.
How are customer service and support?
We have support in the Netherlands, direct contact with our partner but not with Fortinet. For big changes and difficult issues I can get extended support from a partner. I do the simple fixes myself.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used a heap of different products. I've worked with Palo Alto and also with Fortinet. From experience, I prefer Palo Alto, but for the business I'm working in now, Fortinet is okay.
What other advice do I have?
I've had great experience with Palo Alto but I think Fortinet FortiGate is also a great solution. Some time ago we upgraded to the Fortinet solution of our previous partner and there was a memory leak which created problems. Our firewalls crashed multiple times a day and we had a lot of issues. I think the issue was a systems error and it shouldn't have been deployed. It's all very stable now.
I would rate this product a nine out of 10.
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.
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Technical Services Manager at ProComm technologies
Helpful SD-WAN feature for uptime and privatizing applications, but needs better stability and integration
Pros and Cons
- "The SD-WAN feature is the most valuable. This feature evolved from link load balancing. It has helped us in terms of our uptime and privatizing applications whenever we experience an outage. The SD-WAN feature has been a plus for us. Two-factor authentication has allowed us to add more users in terms of remote working. We have two-factor authentication for remote workers to authenticate them before they get on the network."
- "It should be more stable. There should be full integration within Fortinet products themselves as well as with other third-party products. Especially when you're not dealing with SIEM and the correlation of the security box, we want Fortinet to be able to share that information with as many other products as it can."
What is our primary use case?
We're using it as an edge or a perimeter firewall. We have also used it to segment our LAN in terms of the endpoints and the servers, and we're also using it for remote access using SSL VPN. We have two other sites that we connect through FortiGate by using an IPSec, and we have integrated it with FortiAuthenticator for two-factor authentication and FortiAnalyzer to analyze logs and things like that. We are currently using the FortiGate 1200D series and running the latest software.
What is most valuable?
The SD-WAN feature is the most valuable. This feature evolved from link load balancing. It has helped us in terms of our uptime and privatizing applications whenever we experience an outage. The SD-WAN feature has been a plus for us.
Two-factor authentication has allowed us to add more users in terms of remote working. We have two-factor authentication for remote workers to authenticate them before they get on the network.
What needs improvement?
It should be more stable. There should be full integration within Fortinet products themselves as well as with other third-party products. Especially when you're not dealing with SIEM and the correlation of the security box, we want Fortinet to be able to share that information with as many other products as it can.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, I would rate it a seven out of ten. It should be more stable. Sometimes when you do firmware upgrades, a feature that was previously working is broken. There are things like that, but I guess that can be taken care of by reading the release notes and seeing what changed in the firmware upgrades.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is highly scalable. A customer had about 500 users.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed it ourselves. You just need one engineer for its deployment and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
We are skilled in Fortinet and Check Point. For customers who specifically want Fortinet, we will continue to provide this solution. Our first preference is Check Point, but if a customer insists on Fortinet, then we can do a lot of integration there and incorporate other products like FortiNAC, FortiWifi, and so on.
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
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: Integrator
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
February 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,737 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Information Security Analyst at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Protected us from several Zero-day attacks and includes data leak prevention
Pros and Cons
- "Valuable features include the Web Application Firewall, and it even has DLP (data leak prevention)."
- "The firewall engine is not so strong as of now, in my opinion... My second concern is that, while they have Zero-day vulnerability and anti-malware features, the threat engine needs to be strengthened, its efficiency can be increased."
- "I need user-behavior analytics, to find threat scenarios from inside the organization, insider attacks. That would be very helpful for us. In addition, I would like next-generation features for small and medium businesses. These businesses require UTM, all in one product. Fortinet must include it."
What is our primary use case?
It is performing fine, there is no problem from FortiGate. The firewall engine is very good, Very suitable for picking up Zero-day threats. It has protected us from two or three instances, thanks to this engine.
How has it helped my organization?
From 2014 when they started using it, I was not associated with the company. I have only been associated with the company for the last year.
What is most valuable?
Valuable features include the Web Application Firewall, and it even has DLP (data leak prevention).
What needs improvement?
After four years it has started to fail. The firewall engine is not so strong as of now, in my opinion. For that reason, we want to migrate to Check Point. This is one of the concerns that I have right now.
My second concern is that, while they have Zero-day vulnerability and anti-malware features, the threat engine needs to be strengthened, its efficiency can be increased.
I also need user-behavior analytics, to find threat scenarios from inside the organization, insider attacks. That would be very helpful for us. In addition, I would like next-generation features for small and medium businesses. These businesses require UTM, all in one product. Fortinet must include it.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is fine as of now. Compared to other firewall products, it's a little cheaper in terms of pricing. So scalability is good.
But right now, due to a greater focus on security, I think FortiGate needs to improve on the security features, and they need to do so for their small and medium business products, in order to compete.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is pretty good. We had to call FortiGate support once, and they really helped us. In one of the configuration files from FortiGate, during an upgrade of the hardware, something was changed. They were very helpful in resolving it for us. There is no problem with support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, in 2013, I believe we were using WatchGuard.
In the process of selecting a vendor, the most important criteria will be to go through threat assessment reports - the NSS testing reports that are published every year. Our decision will depend on that.
What other advice do I have?
If price is a constraint for you, you should go with Fortinet. But security is a very big factor right now. If you want to be compliant with GDPR and all the other things that are coming up, you should go with another good vendor. Even though Fortinet is a big competitor, in one to three years, when they include many new features in their products, they will be a good solution.
I would rate FortiGate at eight out of 10 because the support was very good. Considering the current scenario, I would not give it nine or 10 because they need to include many features in the smaller products, not only in enterprise-level products.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Systems & Network Administrator at Giampaolo Group Inc.
Straightforward policies, flexible, and high availability
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features are ease of use, flexibility, and most of the configuration we can be done using the GUI. When we compare Fortinet FortiGate with other solutions the firewall policy are very easy to understand."
- "When we cluster the two Fortinet FortiGate boxes together we have some issues."
What is our primary use case?
In my company, I'm using SSL VPN to connect external users who connect to our firewall to do some maintenance work. We have approximately 50 sites in our company and most of them are using Fortinet FortiGate.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features are ease of use, flexibility, and most of the configuration we can be done using the GUI. When we compare Fortinet FortiGate with other solutions the firewall policy are very easy to understand.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate has worked very well for what we are using it for. The stability is very good. It has very high availability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
When we cluster the two Fortinet FortiGate boxes together we have some issues.
When one of the boxes is active, we can't see the HA box in the same console.
How are customer service and support?
We have not used the support from Fortinet FortiGate. We do all the support of the solution internally.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was very simple and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate 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.
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.
Officer / General Manager Software R&D Laboratory at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
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.
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 technical 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.
Solutions Architect at Universal Access and Systems Solutions
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.
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
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Buyer's Guide
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Updated: February 2025
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