Fortinet FortiGate Reviews

Our customers use these devices as security devices, and we sell these devices to our customers. We also use it ourselves. We have the entire lab, and we use some of the functions in our local network.

It protects our customers' networks from viruses and threats.

The firewall, IPS, and VPN functions are the most valuable features. The antivirus functions are also good.

It works very well. It has a lot of different functionalities. Its cost is also fine for our customers.

In some cases, its initial setup could be hard for customers.

I have 10 to 12 years of experience with these devices.

Their devices are quite stable. We have not had any problems with the operating systems or maintenance of subscriptions. It is a robust device.

In most cases, they work very fast. It also depends on the device they are supporting. In the case of FortiGate, we do not have any complaints, but when we had to buy the FortiADC solution for one of our customers, we faced quite a few difficulties with technical support. I do not know why, but it could be that some devices are supported by different teams in Fortinet. We had difficulties with FortiADC, but we have not had any problems with FortiGate. I would rate their support for FortiGate a nine out of ten.

Positive

We worked with Cisco and Check Point firewalls. We worked with Cisco ASA for a long time. We worked with it for about five years, and we were happy with it, but it was old-fashioned. We went to Fortinet and started working with this company. 

FortiGate has good security functions and high-level technical documentation. Their documentation is very easy to understand. 

FortiGate's performance is also better than Cisco ASA. It has 10 VDOMs. It is a great function because you can add virtual functions for different groups in your network. It is quite useful.

It is deployed on-premises. Our customers prefer to deploy not only Fortinet devices but all security devices on-premises. They rarely use cloud licenses. Some customers only buy it from us, and for some customers, we also set it up.

Its setup is easy for us, but not every company wants to use our service for setting it up because of the cost. They prefer to install it themselves. In some cases, it could be hard for them.

In terms of the implementation strategy, we first try to understand what problem a customer wants to solve by using FortiGate. We collect a lot of information about a customer's network, such as protocols and devices being used. We try to prepare this device in our local lab. We preload the device and send it to the customer, and then we finalize the installation in the customer's building.

We have very technical staff, and we do not have difficulties with installations. We have had situations where customers do not have much experience with it, and then we recommend them to go for certain features such as IPS, antivirus, etc. 

The deployment duration depends on the size of the environment, but generally, it does not take more than one or two months. 

Generally, two to three people are required for the deployment.

For maintenance, our customers have technical staff. They regularly check and ensure that all the functions are working. We are glad to help them if they need any help.

We have seen an ROI. We have bought a lot of these devices, and we have had a good experience with them. It has saved us a lot of money.

It is quite affordable for our customers. There is a separate cost for IPS, antivirus, web filtering, and other features. They have a great choice of licenses. You can go for the license that you want, which is quite useful.

You have to buy a support license for FortiCare. In most cases, people buy the UTM bundle that comes with IPS, web filtering, and FortiCare. 

They are on the right path. They have improved a lot over the past 10 years. Fortinet is one of the leaders in security devices along with Cisco, Palo Alto, and Check Point.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten. It is stable. It has quite a lot of features, such as IPS, VPN, etc. It is affordable for our customers. It is a good choice.

Our clients' main use case for Fortinet FortiGate is for the firewall on the outside perimeter to the internet. Some of them have started using it for SD-WAN.

We are software integrators. 

Our clients like the packaging because it's an appliance. It has specific chip sets to accelerate different features in the product.

Additionally, it's inexpensive compared to some of the other technology out there.

In terms of what can be improved, they do have certain features that you can only configure through a CLI and there's no GUI interface for it. That's a pain. But it's nice that the user can do everything one way or the other.

They sometimes hide some features and if you want to enable them, you have to go in the CLI, enable the feature and configure it through the CLI. Customers, typically, like everything to be done by the GUI.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for at least the last 12 months.

Fortinet FortiGate is pretty stable.

It is hard to judge this year because of everybody working from home. Everybody is using up a lot of bandwidth so I'm not sure if that is a cause for some of the instability with the Forti client. The only place we've seen instability would be updating Forti client with their software called EMS.

So pushing out the client with EMS, like a client update to remote users, has proven a pain in the butt. But that could be because the end users' VPNs are maybe a little bit unstable just because of the high bandwidth demands. It is hard to determine. Maybe it is because some of these users are in remote areas, or non-urban or smaller towns, as opposed to being in an urban area where bandwidth is a little better.

We never jump ahead and say, "Oh, yes. 6.5 just came up. Let's jump on that." We'll probably just wait six months and see what goes on first. And I guess that's probably what a lot of people do because it's protecting your intellectual property and everything which that company owns.

I'm not saying that there's no instability. People will generally just wait and not jump out unless they're testing in the lab. They're not going to jump out and put the first revision that comes out on their firewalls.

In terms of scalability, it scales very well.

They have different models for different sizes. Obviously, if you buy too small and you have to upgrade, then it's a box swap. Some other vendors can just add another unit and you cluster them together. In their case it's more of just switching the box out for more performance boxes if you go too low.

Their technical support is very good.

Every time we've had to open up a case or get their help, if we surpass that person's ability, it gets escalated right away. So it's very good. It usually gets resolved within a day or two.

The initial setup is fairly straightforward.

In terms of ROI, they're inexpensive. Because they're inexpensive, they're just everywhere, in the Federal Government, schools, everywhere where budgets are fairly tight. And it is a very good product. It's a product that's built that if you need to you can add a different box and remove that feature from your main FortiGate and just run it on a different box.

So if you need to expand, you can always do it that way too.

They have good integration if you have multiple firewalls and it allows you to be able to push out policies to all of them at the same time.

Fortinet FortiGate's pricing is pretty hard to beat.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a 10 out of 10.

I'm managing security rules, bandwidth for the internet, switches, and fifty access points. Everything, including the network in Afghanistan, is managed from there, and it's something critical for us.

FortiGate's ability to perform as expected and fulfil our needs has been the most compelling feature for network security. FortiGate has proven to be secure and effective in terms of threat intelligence, as it alerts us about external login attempts and suspicious scripts, contributing to our system's overall security.

FortiGate can improve its token system, as it requires a purchase before use. Additionally, the VPN system could be more efficient, especially regarding VLAN passing through, which is currently a limitation. Another suggestion for improvement would be better timezone coordination for customer support. Currently, there are issues with calls coming at inconvenient times due to timezone differences. Another area for enhancement could be the response time for support tickets, as there is a delay of at least twelve hours, even for urgent tickets, which can be frustrating.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for the past three years.

It is scalable as we expand our usage of FortiGate as our company grows. We're currently using one, but we plan to use two as our network expands.

I open a ticket and communicate with the engineers when I encounter issues. Although it may take some time, they always get back to me with a resolution. There are mainly due to these issues with time zone coordination and response time.

Neutral

The setup process for FortiGate depends on the complexity of your network. For simpler setups, a user-friendly interface is easy to use. However, for more advanced configurations, it may require expertise. Integration into the ecosystem is neither too easy nor too complex.

The maintenance process is relatively easy.

Regarding return on investment, I believe FortiGate is worth the money. It has helped us stay safe, and considering what we are paying for such a system and service aligns well with our expectations and financial goals.

The price of FortiGate is reasonable as I plan to buy new switches. The initial gadgets are already booted, and the pricing seems normal on the market. As for additional costs, I haven't subscribed to many extra features, so I'm only using what I need. Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We use it for a multi-tenant virtualized environment for public cloud services. We provide cloud services for the public sector.

We have two clusters with the latest version, and we also have two clusters that I would like to replace with the latest version. We have support from the vendor, and we're going to buy two new clusters.

We have all the solutions from Fortinet, and it integrates very well with all of them. I'm very satisfied with its integration with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer.

The multi-tenancy feature is most valuable. It integrates very well with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer.

They are flexible in terms of installation. They support many architectures. They can operate with most major public cloud providers. It is a trend now to use hybrid solutions.

It has a lot of features, and it is reliable.

Their software support needs improvement. I would prefer to have better support for bug fixes. Sometimes, we open a ticket, and it is very difficult to get a solution. Specifically, we are not at all happy with their support for load balancing. 

I have been using this solution since 2015.

We're happy with its performance. I would rate it a 10 out of 10 in terms of performance.

We are happy with its scalability. Its users are administrators. Our administrator team has about six people. The environment is set up as a multi-tenant, so each tenant has its own administrator for configuration.

It has been used every day since 2015. It is a core appliance for us.

Their support needs to be improved. We're not at all happy with their support. It sometimes becomes very difficult to get a solution. We are not satisfied with their support for load balancing. The support we have for Cisco firewalls is much better. I would rate them a seven out of 10.

We also have a Cisco solution in operation.

Its initial setup is normal. It is not too complex.

The deployment takes place with the help of an integrator. We have an integrator to help us deploy and install all the solutions. They analyze all the features that we need to use, and then we discuss and finalize the solution before starting with the installation.

We have five to six people in the network team.

We have seen an ROI with this solution.

The licensing scheme of Fortinet is better than Cisco. It is more logical.

Before buying, I would advise thinking about the exact features that you need to avoid expenses. You must understand very well what you need for your daily operations and then decide on the features to buy.

Overall, we're very happy with their firewalls, but when we have issues or bugs, there are some difficulties in finding the resolution. In terms of features, we haven't found any problems. It has many features, but when we use a feature and it has some bugs, I expect better support.

I would rate it a nine out of 10.

I used it as an IT provider, and our main firewall was the Fortinet series FortiGate. Currently, I am just a user on the end user side of the fence.

The Fortinet gear is really easy to use, intuitive, and pretty powerful. It has been great because we haven't had to change it out very much. The operational return on investment has been great as we don't have to keep replacing it.

I really liked the interface because it was extremely user-friendly. Unlike Cisco, where you didn't need to be certified to use the interface effectively. The consistency across all models has also been beneficial as it simplifies learning and usage. They put in a thing called the FortiCookbook, which is very easy to read with real-life scenarios that make networking tasks like joining networks very straightforward.

I just don't like giving products ten out of ten. There's always something new that can be added or fixed.

I have been working with the Fortinet FortiGate overall since 2006, which is quite a few years now.

We haven't had to change it out very much. It has been stable and reliable for us.

I would rate its scalability as a nine out of ten. They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Customer support is quite good. We purchased the 24/7 support, and they usually respond within an hour, even in the middle of the night.

I haven't switched from FortiGate. We still use the Fortinet solution as our firewall.

The initial setup is very straightforward and easy, with wizards helping to configure the device efficiently.

The ROI has been very good because it's operationally efficient, and we haven't needed to replace the equipment frequently.

I would definitely recommend it to other businesses with similar security needs. For smaller businesses with just a couple of computers, the standard ISP-supplied modems are fine.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Fortinet FortiGate offers a new official solution for SASE. This solution is more cost-effective for my organisation than the hardware. It doesn’t require renewals every year or every three years. With FortiGate, you get a firewall as a cloud service and optimal protection.

Fortinet FortiGate meets all the security demands of my industry. It covers endpoint security, including web interface, DNS security, and ELP. I'm currently using the latest version. The features that have most improved our network security are Web Control, filtering, application control, IDS, IPS policies, and Deep SSL inspection.

The intrusion prevention system (IPS) in FortiGate is highly effective. It detects and prevents intrusions, maintaining security efficiently. It works seamlessly with my environment and Google Analytics, providing robust protection.

The firmware updates are sometimes not stable. The stability issues can vary, sometimes happening once a month or quarterly. New firmware updates can occasionally introduce bugs, causing some policies to fail. We then have to raise a ticket, and Fortinet usually provides a fix within a few days.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for the past three to five years.

For overall stability, I'd rate FortiGate an eight. It is stable, but there are sometimes issues with the software, so there's room for improvement.

There are no scalability issues with Fortinet FortiGate. I haven't needed to scale it yet, but I have a relationship with the vendor, and they have a program to scale their hardware if required.

They also offer many solutions free of cost with the hardware, including advanced solutions. We have four branches of our organization, and they use these effectively.

The support team is very effective.

Positive

I previously used Cisco for my environment, specifically Cisco ISE for access control, but I have shifted to Fortinet products due to their cost-effectiveness.

The deployment process of Fortinet FortiGate was very straightforward. The installation took about twenty minutes, and fully configuring it with security features took about an hour. It was pretty fast, so I didn't need to spend days preparing and configuring.

I am involved in the maintenance of FortiGate, and I have five engineers with me. Three are on-site, handling different boxes, and two are remote.

I've noticed benefits in terms of performance and timing with Fortinet FortiGate. Its implementation and deployment are quick, and migration from other vendors to Fortinet is smooth and easy. Typically, we only have about fifteen minutes of downtime during the transition and gradually implement the policies.

For the price, I'd rate it a ten because it's very cost-effective.

I chose Fortinet FortiGate because it is effortless to use compared to other vendors. Their customer support is excellent, with quick responses and qualified attack engineers. They provide relevant documentation and immediate engineer assistance if needed.

Regarding AI capabilities, the product promises threat intelligence based on AI and machine learning, which I plan to explore. FortiGate integrates smoothly with other solutions.

I'd rate FortiGate a nine out of ten.

The use case varies depending on the customer, but we use all of FortiGate's features, including policies, web filtering, routing, etc. 

FortiGate firewalls are easy to manage through a user-friendly web interface. They also have advanced features like DDoS and DLP. However, I wouldn't recommend enabling all these features on one device because it can cause performance issues. 

We sometimes have issues with FortiGate's routing table in the latest firmware update. We had to downgrade the device because our customers complained about bugs. 

I have been working with Fortinet for nearly ten years.

I rate FortiGate an eight out of ten for stability. It is less stable than Palo Alto Networks and Check Point firewalls because there are lots of bugs in the latest firmware. 

FortiGate is scalable. 

I rate Fortinet's support a seven out of ten. We had to open several tickets due to the firmware bugs. We don't have an issue with the support team. It's more of a problem with the testers and developers. 

Neutral

I have also used Palo Alto and Check Point firewalls. Fortinet firewalls are cheaper and easier to manage. Palo Alto is more complex and harder to use, but it's more stable than FortiGate. Palo Alto doesn't didn't have as many models for small and medium-sized enterprises.

FortiGate is easy to deploy. The deployment time varies depending on the customer's network topology. How many policies does the customer require, and what kind of license do they have? FortiGate is easier than Palo Alto Networks and Check Point and takes less time.

We typically start by analyzing the customer's topology and understanding their requirements, including policies, routines, etc. We implement the device once we know what the customer needs. One engineer is usually enough to deploy FortiGate in a small or medium-sized environment. 

An enterprise project requires a more detailed analysis of the network requirements before implementation. That can take two or three days. Once we understand the network, it may take another two or three days to configure the device and one or two days to implement it. 

Fortinet has more device options that are affordable for small businesses than Palo Alto, and its enterprise-level models are also cheaper. Palo Alto also has a separate license for VPN connections and SD-WAN, but FortiGate offers these standard features. 

I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven and a half out of ten. I deducted a few points because of the device's capacity, stability, support, and routing table issues. I strongly recommend FortiGate if a customer wants to use SD-WAN. Before implementing, you should understand the network's topology to minimize unwanted issues. 

We primarily use the solution for security purposes and for UTM web profile applications.

There are a variety of features on offer. 

It helps protect endpoints. 

The wireless control is helpful.

It is scalable and extends well.

The solution is stable and reliable.

Technical support is helpful and responsive.

The pricing could always be better. It is very expensive. 

We'd like to see Fortgate include WAF services.

The maintenance of the product can be a bit difficult. 

I've been working with the solution for ten years. 

The solution is pretty stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

This is a scalable product. 

Technical support is very good. They are easy to work with. We've been satisfied with the level of support.

Positive

I've also used Sophos and CyberArk. Sophos has a few more services, such as WAF services.

The initial setup is moderate. It depends on the client's requirements.

We typically can deploy the solution within two or three days. We have a security engineer that handles the initial setup.

It does require some maintenance, and that can be a bit difficult. 

We implement the solution for our clients. 

We have witnessed a bit of an ROI, even though it is an expensive solution. 

The solution is quite pricey.

I am an end-user and work in configuration and support for a partner.

I'm working with the latest version of the solution.

Overall, I would rate the solution ten out of ten. I am very satisfied with the product as a whole. I'd recommend the solution to others. It's easy to start working with it.