- IPS
- Web filtering
IP Core & Security Supervisor at a comms service provider
Web filtering is good but I can't allow traffic from outside to inside using a NAT pool.
What is most valuable?
How has it helped my organization?
We are making use of the VDOM feature to segregate the traffic, and apply policy to control that traffic.
What needs improvement?
This product can't show the NAT status or NAT logs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using ForitGate for over two years alongside FortiManager 300D.
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.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
I have an issue with NAT only, in that I can't allow traffic from outside to inside using a NAT pool.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There was a bug related to device stability with HA configuration. We face many attacks on the network which causes the CPU usage to become high and, with the older device, we started losing the heartbeat and control messages, causing HA split-brain and lag flapping.This issue has been fixed in the new release.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and support?
Customer Service:
They're good.
Technical Support:They're very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No previous solution used.
How was the initial setup?
It was complex to setup.
What about the implementation team?
We used a vendor, ALU to help implement it.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Networking and Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
User-friendly security solution that is very stable
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate has a strong security topic which allows all of the Fortinet devices to communicate and share information which makes their security more powerful."
- "I would like reporting to be improved and should offer a lot more tools to monitor the products."
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate for controlling traffic and policies for web caching, user profiles, IPS, antivirus, etc.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate has a strong security topic which allows all of the Fortinet devices to communicate and share information which makes their security more powerful.
What needs improvement?
I would like reporting to be improved and should offer a lot more tools to monitor the products.
For how long have I used the solution?
My company has been using FortiGate for about four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Support is very responsive and their staff is well trained.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was so easy! FortiGate has everything facilitated for deployment and we are able to do everything from their web interface.
What other advice do I have?
This solution has a very user-friendly interface.
I would rate this a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
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.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Easy to use with a lot of security features right out of the box
Pros and Cons
- "The SD-WAN is the most valuable feature."
- "I think that the infrastructure for the VPN could be improved. The way that it is bundled also made it difficult to use and sell as it is too expensive."
What is our primary use case?
I am a reseller of the FortiGate solution and we use it as a firewall to protect the parameter of the network.
What is most valuable?
The SD-WAN is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
I think that the infrastructure for the VPN could be improved. The way that it is bundled also made it difficult to use and sell as it is too expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate for three years.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. It is easy to use, and there are a lot of security features right out of the box. For those who do not need the enterprise VPN, it is an excellent product.
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.
Network Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
A next-generation firewall solution that's easy to setup and use
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use."
- "The sniffing packets or packet captures, can be simplified and improved because it's a little confusing."
What is our primary use case?
I use Fortinet FortiGate mostly for security purposes.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The sniffing packets or packet captures can be simplified and improved because it's a little confusing. The automation feature has some limitations and could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Fortinet FortiGate for over four 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?
Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support was quite good.
What about the implementation team?
I think it's very easy to implement this solution because one person can do it. There aren't too many fancy things to do. I think you can implement FortiGate in less than an hour. We implement it by ourselves. Three administrators can do it because our clients aren't big enterprises, just SMEs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Setup costs and pricing depends on many variables, but it's mostly affordable.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Fortinet FortiGate to potential users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Architect at Finastra
The option of using the GUI and CLI interchangeably is invaluable
What is our primary use case?
Needed to get off of EOL Cisco ASA platform and we evaluated Checkpoint, Palo Alto, and FortiGate 1500 and 3000D. We chose FortiGate, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiManager as our solution.
How has it helped my organization?
- Better visibility into traffic patterns
- Lightening fast troubleshooting and reduced management complexity overall.
What is most valuable?
- Live traffic viewer
- Packet capture, and
- The option of using GUI and CLI interchangeably.
FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer helps us manage multiply firewalls.
What needs improvement?
The speed of synchronization between FortiManager and FortiGate could be improved, but that could be because we host them in Azure.
For how long have I used the solution?
Still implementing.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
CEO with 51-200 employees
I've been using it for 6 years. I like the security profiles and vulnerability assessment.
Valuable Features
- Load Sharing
- VDOM
- Security Profiles
- Vulnerability Assessment
Use of Solution
6 Years
Deployment Issues
Yes, bugs.
Stability Issues
No.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Poor.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Senior Scientist at Ats, iNC.
Good SSL-VPN, anti-virus, and anti-malware protection
Pros and Cons
- "SSL-VPN is very useful for us and has been very reliable."
- "The user interface could be improved to make it less confusing and easier to set up."
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate is used as the primary firewall and malware detection device for the company.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution allows solid VPN service for access from the field, and the anti-virus/anti-malware detection works well.
What is most valuable?
SSL-VPN is very useful for us and has been very reliable.
What needs improvement?
The user interface could be improved to make it less confusing and easier to set up. There are too many pull-down menus.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate for five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
President at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
A solution that impresses our customers and saves them money in the long run
Pros and Cons
- "This is a quality product with ok support, and it is better than the competition we've tried."
- "FortiOS is not simple."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use for this solution is as an SMB boundary firewall, and we now use their Security Fabric.
How has it helped my organization?
This is a quality product with ok support, and it is better than the competition we've tried.
What is most valuable?
Security Fabric makes VLANs a breeze. It impresses customers, as well as saves them money over the long run when comparing apples to apples.
What needs improvement?
FortiOS is not simple. Too many people think it should be simple to use, but the complexity of the product makes that impossible.
For how long have I used the solution?
Seventeen years.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support for this solution is ok.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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