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Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Reseller
Easy to configure and manage, supports link load balancing, and it has superior throughput
Pros and Cons
  • "The most important feature, normally for small business customers, is link load balancing."
  • "If they had better integration with security products, such as Cisco ISE or Rapid Threat Containment, then it would be an improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We are a system integrator and Fortigate is one of the firewalls that we implement for our clients. I am a solution architect.

Our primary use for this firewall is the IPS.

What is most valuable?

One of the things I like best is the ease of configuration.

Management-wise, it is very good.

The most important feature, normally for small business customers, is link load balancing.

The firewall throughput is very good. Most of the customers in this region use FortiGate for their data center firewalls, and the main reason is because of its high throughput.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet is good in terms of security and threat prevention, but they are not leading. For example, the signature database can be improved.

If they had better integration with security products, such as Cisco ISE or Rapid Threat Containment, then it would be an improvement. Customers that have ISE implemented are able to provide inputs based on malicious traffic, and then ISE will automatically block it.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for the past 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.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, they are good at the job of a data center firewall. For a perimeter firewall, it is for smaller customers, preferably.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability depends on the design and how it was done. You have to think about the next five years. We get lots of new updates on the older versions and if the product is still in support then the new features will be included.

How are customer service and support?

The responsiveness of the support depends on the level of support that you have. If you have premium support then you will get immediate access to them. Otherwise, you have to wait for some time, perhaps an hour, before they get back to you.

On the technical details, there are different levels of access. Once you have engineer access then most of the cases are going to get resolved, or otherwise, they will go to their development team.

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

In addition to FortiGate, we are using Cisco SFR.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We have field configuration guides that we follow and you don't need to have much in-depth knowledge to set it up initially. However, performing the fine-tuning requires that you have proper training on the device.

Deploying the firewall for a new customer will be completed within two to three days, or perhaps a week at the most.

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

Compared to vendors like Cisco and Palo Alto, FortiGate is the cheapest. However, they only have a small segment of the market. Fortinet is trying to appeal to small and medium-sized customers, and I think that their prices should be a little lower for this segment.

On the high-end devices, it is fine. However, the problem is that their subscription price is very high. If you purchase a one-year subscription with the hardware and then you want to renew for the second year, it is very costly. Your whole price ends up being very high.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

As a system integrator, we sell a lot of similar solutions from a variety of vendors. We have found that the Fortinet firewall has a much better throughput than that of the other vendors.

If a large customer is looking for a perimeter firewall then we suggest another vendor, such as Check Point or Palo Alto.

What other advice do I have?

FortiGate is a product that we recommend and we have migrated many customers from other vendors. FortiGate is a better option, although small customers don't care much about security. They only care about basic security. There are only a very few who are really concerned about it and most of them don't have a proper IT group in their company. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1255635 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of the Satellite Infrastructure and Operation System Department at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Supports many architectures, has a lot of features, and is useful for multi-tenant environments
Pros and Cons
  • "The multi-tenancy feature is most valuable. It integrates very well with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

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.

How has it helped my organization?

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.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

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. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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.

How are customer service and support?

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.

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

We also have a Cisco solution in operation.

How was the initial setup?

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

What about the implementation team?

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.

What was our ROI?

We have seen an ROI with this solution.

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

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

What other advice do I have?

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.

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
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.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Owner at Computech Associates
Real User
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
PeerSpot user
reviewer2129880 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of IT at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
Real User
Is easy to integrate and configure with our ERP and other applications
Pros and Cons
  • "The signature database and zero-day detection are Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features."
  • "Currently, without the additional reporting module, we only have access to basic reporting."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate to prevent intruder connections to our internal network.

How has it helped my organization?

Fortinet FortiGate's unified view around network operations and security operations is good.

The solution is easy to integrate and configure with our ERP and other applications. I am satisfied with the integrated application protection provided by Fortinet FortiGate.

The Fortinet FortiGate 60E Series resolved the bottleneck problem and CPU usage that was previously experienced with the 60D Series. Now, our employees can check their emails without encountering any bottleneck issues, and the CPU usage remains stable at around 50 percent.

We are satisfied with the ability to remediate threats more quickly.

We are pleased with the amount of time saved in detecting our mean time.

What is most valuable?

The signature database and zero-day detection are Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features.

What needs improvement?

The Fortinet FortiGate 60D Series poses a problem by causing a bottleneck when several users access their emails simultaneously, as the device consistently consumes 90 percent of the CPU resources.

The reporting could be improved. Currently, without the additional reporting module, we only have access to basic reporting. However, reporting is crucial for network security, and it should be included as a standard feature.

The price and technical support have room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for three years.

How are customer service and support?

The local vendor support needs improvement.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

Previously, I have utilized few other brands of NG Firewalls, which offer certain advantages. However, when comparing their price and performance to that of Fortinet FortiGate, Fortinet proves to be a strong competitor.

How was the initial setup?

The time required for a basic deployment is roughly three weeks, whereas a full deployment involving customizations and optimization of rules and policies may take up to two and a half months.

What was our ROI?

We experienced a return on our investment, however, when it comes to security, it is challenging to determine a precise value.

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

The price is high compared to some of the other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I give Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

We saw time to value within the first month of using Fortinet FortiGate.

We deployed Fortinet FortiGate in one location and the maintenance was mostly handled by internally and sometimes a third party.

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
Raphael Nwosu - PeerSpot reviewer
EVP, Product Line Management & Growth at Kropmann Communications Ltd
Real User
Top 20
Increases operation efficiency, offers integrated application protection, and has excellent support
Pros and Cons
  • "The security fabric is excellent."
  • "I haven't had a single issue since using Fortinet."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for security. I've deployed it for some customers for protection. It is used for firewalls. I have experience with the secure SD-WAN version.

How has it helped my organization?

Our customers are happy, and when they are happy, it means they are happy with us. It helps our organization. Many customers are migrating to this solution as it increases efficiency.

What is most valuable?

The security fabric is excellent. It's great on Fortinet, generally. 

It is easy to deploy.

Our impression of a unified view of NetOps and SecOps is positive. It has a single pane of glass. It's excellent and very effective. We've been quite impressed with the visibility on the devices. We've been happy with it.

The integrated application protection provided by the solution is good. It's worth the investment. However, it does depend on how you apply it. It can help save on costs, depending on the setup. If you have it in a bank environment, each individual bank would have its own devices, and you can optimize everything. You can have some of the connections go direct from one customer to another. You can save a lot of money with a specific setup.

It's helped out operational efficiency. It helps us waste less time. A typical scenario helps us save time. Having a good connection at the head office allows other offices to maintain a good connection as well. It also has normal security features and more to help keep us safe while staying connected. 

We can remediate threats more quickly. We have a single pane of glass that helps simplify the protection and visibility. We can monitor other components, even Macs or data centers. We can address items automatically, no matter where they are located. Visibility really helps. 

It is helped us to reduce the mean time to detect. It can reduce the time to locate and detect effectively. It is remarkably shorter when using Fortinet. It's also reduced the time it takes to resolve problems. 

The solution has helped us reduce Help Desk tickets. 

We have been able to future-proof businesses with branches. We don't have branches in our office. However, we have seen benefits ourselves in terms such as load balancing, et cetera. A fiber connection helps ensure backups are seamless. We can run a backup at less cost, and knowing that we have a backup help with peace of mind. Accessing a secure network ensures this. 

What needs improvement?

I haven't had a single issue since using Fortinet. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution since 2018.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is always top-notch. I always get good support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was pretty easy. It was not difficult. 

Everything I did was in one day. If I have to do some fine-tuning, that takes a little bit longer. Typically, one day is enough to deploy. 

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

The pricing is moderate. You get good value for money. Of course, any solution could be less expensive. For a company like ours, we'd always like to pay less. 

What other advice do I have?

We are partners with Fortinet. We also use the solution ourselves.

Assessing the secure SD-WAN with its interoperability with other systems is hard to say. I've not deployed it with other OEMS as of yet. We haven't consolidated any tools or applications as of yet.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten overall.

I'd recommend the solution to others.  

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: customer/partner
PeerSpot user
Costa Mitsios - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Technical Director at Space Hellas S.A.
Real User
Useful URL filtering, scalable, and quick installation
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is URL filtering."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate could improve the user interface. There should be more functionality and options through the GUI."

What is our primary use case?

I am using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall appliance.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is URL filtering.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate could improve the user interface. There should be more functionality and options through the GUI.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used Fortinet FortiGate within the last 12 months.

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. We have not had any problems.

We have approximately 150 people using Fortinet FortiGate in my organization. Everyone is using it.

How are customer service and support?

I rate the technical support from Fortinet FortiGate a three out of five.

There is room for improvement.

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

We have used many other solutions, such as Check Point and Cisco Firepower. I have found Fortinet FortiGate is much easier to configure. However, some others solutions have more functionality, such as Check Point and Cisco Firepower.

How was the initial setup?

I rate the initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.

If we properly designed the installation beforehand, the installation would take us 10 to 15 minutes.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation in-house.

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

We are on an annual license to use Fortinet FortiGate.

I rate the price of Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight 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: Partner
PeerSpot user
Girgis Hady - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Technical Lead/Manager at WadiDegla
Real User
Works very well as a perimeter firewall, comes with many useful features, and is easy to manage
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team. It is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box."
  • "There are some tiny bugs that sometimes affect the operations. In the past revision of it, there was a bug. Because of the bug, we had to downgrade the version. It happened only with the last revision."

What is our primary use case?

We are using FortiGate as a perimeter firewall.

What is most valuable?

It is our perimeter firewall. URL filtering, IPS, and antivirus features are most valuable.

It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team. It is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box.

What needs improvement?

Their support can be improved in terms of the response time and the quality of support.

There are some tiny bugs that sometimes affect the operations. In the past revision of it, there was a bug. Because of the bug, we had to downgrade the version. It happened only with the last revision.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It has been very stable over the past two years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have no problem with scalability. When I need to add any device, I just find and add it to the network. I have no issue with the count of devices. I can buy a license and add whatever devices I need to add. Currently, I have no issue with the scalability of this firewall, but if I reach the maximum limit, I need to exchange the box or just add licenses. We currently have about 1,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted them many times. My experience with them was good, but their support can be improved overall. I would rate them a three out of five. 

How was the initial setup?

It was very simple.

What about the implementation team?

There was a partner supporting us. Our experience with them was very good. I would rate its setup experience a four out of five.

For maintenance, we currently have a team of two people, but it may be extended to three or four.

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

It has been two years. I don't remember the actual price, but it was affordable.

We buy the boxes and then use the license for three years.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this product. It is a very good product to be used as a perimeter firewall.

I would rate it an eight out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior ICT Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Reseller
Competitively priced, user-friendly security solution with good technical support, but has issues with scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "User-friendly and affordable security solution that's recommended for SMB customers. This solution has good technical support."
  • "Scalability for Fortinet FortiGate needs to be improved. SD-WAN security for this solution also needs some improvement."

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly. When it comes to firewall enterprise security and email security, this solution is at the top. It's better and it's affordable. If you compare it with some other email security like Mimecast and similar solutions, those products are better than Fortinet, but here in the Fiji region, Fortinet FortiGate has better service. In some other regions, this solution may not be doing well, but in Fiji, it's working out well. Fortinet has so many customers in Fiji.

What needs improvement?

What I'd like to be improved in Fortinet FortiGate is for it to have advanced WAF functionality. Even in FortiADC, WAF functionality is not supported for advanced attacks, e.g. mobile bot attacks. Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve its WAF function.

SD-WAN is also good in this product, but it still needs improvement, particularly in security. We saw some attacks last year, so they need to improve on that.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with Fortinet FortiGate for eight years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are some issues with the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate. Certain products and models need to be scalable, but they're not. For example, if you go with 400F, they only have two SFP+ ports, while the F5 has four ports.

When you're expanding the number of users for this solution, they'll ask you to replace the model, and this can be a big cost to customers, which could affect scalability.

How are customer service and support?

We are happy with the technical support for this product, because the Fiji region is supported by New Zealand, where support for Fortinet FortiGate is better.

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

Fortinet FortiGate is an affordable solution, but when expanding the number of users, they'll ask you to replace the model, so that's an added cost.

Pricing for this product is comparatively lower than other products. If you compare it with Forcepoint, Cisco, and other products, Fortinet FortiGate pricing is reasonable, and that includes all the service and support we need. Whenever we need support as a partner, they're able to deliver that support to us, unlike with F5 where there's premium support and standard support, which means you'll have to pay F5 extra.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Cisco and Forcepoint solutions.

What other advice do I have?

We are an IT infrastructure company, and we are dealing with one of the banks here. They need a solution which they'll use for application delivery, load balancing, and as their web application firewall.

We are a reseller and partner of Fortinet, but only for their firewall product, e.g. FortiCloud WAF, not FortiADC. We've also been working with Fortinet FortiGate.

The solution we're looking for which will be implemented for our customer, e.g. a bank, is a solution with basic functionality, e.g. FortiGate. It will only be used for two or so web applications. If our customer needs a bigger functionality, then I would propose a different solution: F5. For the government, we always propose F5.

My advice to people who want to implement this solution is simple: It's an affordable product for the SMB customer, but for customers with bigger environments, I would recommend that they go for other products with premium support.

My rating for Fortinet FortiGate is seven out of ten, if you consider the Fiji market.

We saw that Fortinet is working towards the ZTNA model, e.g. SASE, and also working towards zero trust products, which is good. They're also improving slowly in privileged access management, e.g. they don't have one, but they're trying to introduce it by the end of the year.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
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.