Fortinet FortiGate SWG Reviews

We use the solution to secure our entire data, limiting user traffic from within the system, which needs to be assessed to be secure. That is the main motive behind choosing the solution.

Suppose I don't want to pay for the users. We would have done some whitelisting and content filtering on the FortiGate web gate. Based on the policies, any user traffic is filtered through the secure gateway.

It's a flexible solution.

What happens in FortiGate is that a lot of bugs come on a system-by-system basis, like when Fortinet launches new firmware in FortiGate. Most software launches with known or unknown bugs. When we go for upgradation, even after running a bug scoping exam, we don't know whether the BIOS for which we are upgrading would affect the end user. We don't know how the FortiGate firmware will behave in your environment. Whatever the known bug, FortiGate lists it in their documents, but you never know how the problem will impact your environment. That's a major disadvantage of FortiGate because, somewhere, it's very unstable.

Another issue is how deduplication services don't work reliably after enabling deduplication on Fortinet. When they launch any new firmware in the future, they have to ensure firmware functions.

I've worked with Fortinet FortiGate SWG for more than ten years now.

I rate the solution's stability a seven out of ten.

I rate the solution's scalability a seven out of ten. We have around 700 users on the platform.

If any issues arise, we have to log a ticket with Fortinet. By default, they log all the tickets in P3 or P4 priorities. For P1 or P2, they ask to call us on their phone numbers and lines. Whenever we try to call on the phone for any P1 or P2 issues, the next time, the number gets busy, or the email is unavailable. That's why

I feel the support is not up to the mark, and they must work on it.

Neutral

I rate the solution's initial setup a seven out of ten. The deployment time depends on the scenario, such as your infrastructure size. To deploy the solution on a cloud, you have to buy it from the marketplace and deploy it on the cloud. But after that, you have to do a lot of configurations. That depends on the size of the operation.

One person is more than enough to implement the smaller version of the solution. But if the organization is bigger, with more than 500 or 600 users, we would need three to four people.

Fortinet is priced low.

We are exploring Netskope and evaluating it for the future.

I recommend Fortinet FortiGate SWG because it is flexible and cost-effective. I rate it an eight out of ten.

In my company, we use the product for the help it provides us in terms of SD-WAN, site-to-site VPN, RADIUS authentication, web filtering, application control, SSL inspection, and remote access.

The most valuable features of the solution are SD-WAN and site-to-site VPN.

In version 7.2.0, the product offers built-in automation to its users. Earlier, there was no automation offered for the product. Nowadays, the product sends automatic emails to users as a part of its offering to let the users know whenever there is a need for automatic backup when the ISP goes down and the interface status. The automation can be further improved.

Fortinet's support team consists of a huge networking team, because of which there is a delay in response at times. Fortinet's support team needs to improve their time management skills.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for five years and six months. My company has a partnership with Fortinet.

It is a scalable solution since the product offers a FortiGuard server that detects vulnerabilities and ensures such detection of vulnerabilities also involves FortiGate.

My company currently works with basic and mid-level sized businesses.

Whenever our company's customers face any issue with the product, we offer our own support team. Fortinet also has its own support team. If required, our company lodges complaints and the issues faced by our customers with Fortinet. Fortinet's support team initiates the replacement if there is a hardware issue with the product. The solution's technical support is good. I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

Positive

The product is easy to install since we only need to follow the user manual, documents, and articles provided by Fortinet to install the product.

The solution is deployed on-premises.

Just getting the product up and running can take up to forty-five minutes to an hour. The full setup process is carried out based on the requirements of our company's customers, and it can be done in half an hour to forty-five minutes if it is only for basic internet.

In our company, we need around ten engineers for the maintenance and deployment of the solution. The maintenance of the solution is easy since we keep getting constant updates which we can easily use to update the product.

I am unaware of pricing since I am a part of the networking team. My company's sales team manages pricing.

My company basically provides Fortinet FortiGate SWG to our customers. If our company's customers are looking at Palo Alto products, we have another team in our company to provide them with the same. I am an engineer for Fortinet products and can provide support only for Fortinet. There are different sets of engineers managing Palo Alto products.

In Fortinet, you only need one license for all the products. In Palo Alto, for Palo Alto Secure Remote Access, you need to buy a separate license, while there is a need to buy a separate license for Palo Alto SD-WAN. I feel Fortinet products are better since they come in a bundle. With Fortinet, customers don't need to buy different licenses. One can get all the features by installing a single bundled license offered by Fortinet, allowing one to use SD-WAN, site-to-site VPN, remote access web filtering, SSL inspection, and application control.

I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.

We use the solution for internet restrictions, application control, and enterprise protection.

Zero trust could be added. Nowadays, solutions like Zscaler, Netskope, and even SecureWorks combine multiple features into a single product.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for ten years.

We have not encountered any breaches or incidents using the FortiGate Firewalls. The integrated prevention services are effective.

This solution is used by two thousand to three thousand users. I rate its scalability a six to seven out of ten.

Support takes time to respond.

Neutral

The initial setup is easy. We need to validate the difference between the existing and the new version. Some new categories may be added when we upgrade the versions; we have to recouple that whether it's like it or not.

It takes seven days to deploy because some products require a long installation and configuration. We perform during non-production hours and validate data releases using a different process that will continue when we are updating.

We have six members to handle the deployment.

FortiGate is a software solution that encompasses firewall capabilities with multiple built-in, readily usable features at one monthly pricing point. 

The product pricing is moderate and competitive to Palo Alto.

I rate the product’s pricing a six out of ten, where one is expensive, and ten is cheap.

Issues with integration and other features that don't function as expected could occur. We aren't aware of these changes until we encounter problems and submit a ticket. This process is incomplete for configuring upgrades correctly.

FortiGate handles high traffic loads and maintains performance, but we need to size it based on our business, Internet bandwidth load, or connectivity requirements when deploying multiple Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. The firewall size should match the bandwidth needs; for example, a small firewall with 300-400 Mbps central bandwidth won't suffice for 48 panels.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

This is a Secure Web Gateway that protects you against various web attacks. It's used mainly for security purposes. 

The solution is stable. It's reliable. 

It can scale. 

The pricing on offer is excellent.

It takes a long time to install the solution.

It could always be more secure. 

I've been using the solution for three or four years. I've used it for a while at this point. 

The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. Its performance has been good. 

The scalability is okay. It can expand well. 

We have 200 people using the solution. We do have plans to continue to increase usage. 

I've never reached out to techncial support. I can't speak to their abilities. 

I also have experience with Cisco and Palo Alto. About five years ago, we were using Cisco. We changed due to the better pricing. 

I don't directly deal with the deployment. Someone else handles that process. 

My understanding is the implementation takes a long time. 

The price is pretty reasonable. It's not like Cisco or Palo Alto, which are more expensive. 

I'd rate the cost, in terms of affordability, a five out of five. 

I'm using the latest version of the solution.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. I'd likely recommend the solution to others. 

The product provides a good user experience.

Fortinet FortiGate SWG's costs need improvement. Also, there could be an efficient feature for solution consulting to answer queries related to architecture design.

The product is highly stable.

The product is suitable for enterprise customers. The solution architecture takes a bit of time to scale as it is a new product in the market. The customers need more experience working with it. I rate its scalability a five out of ten.

FortiGate provides the technical support services. However, customers have an SLA agreement with us, and we have an SLA agreement with FortiGate. Thus, it takes longer to establish efficient communication between them.

Neutral

The platform requires a few months to design the architecture.

The product is expensive compared to Cisco.

I recommend Fortinet FortiGate SWG and rate it an eight out of ten.

We are primarily using the solution as a hosted gateway.

The solution is stable and reliable. The performance has been good.

We have found the product to be scalable. 

The manageability has been excellent so far. 

The initial setup is pretty simple and straightforward. 

The product needs to drastically improve its reporting capability. Right now, that is what is lacking. They need to offer monitoring dashboards.

The product should be more user-friendly and attractive. The interface doesn't look as nice as it could. 

I've just used the solution for a few months. 

The performance has been great. it's stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable. 

The scalability is good. If a company needs to expand, it can do so.

We have 80 to 100 people on the solution currently. 

Technical support is great. It's already pretty fast. 

We did not use a different solution previously.

The implementation process is easy. It's not overly difficult. 

The last time we set it up, it took a maximum of 45 minutes to one hour to deploy - apart from the racking. When it is on-prem and I install it in the rack, it’s powered on, then the configuration takes a maximum of 45 minutes.

We only needed one technical person to manage the deployment. 

We have a consultant that helps us with setting up the solution. Actually, we have the managed service with them as well.

We have a three-year licensing agreement with FortiGate. 

I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.

I'd advise potential new users that, if they want to use it, they need to plan and design their business case, including what things they want to use and how to publish their application securely. If they can plan ahead, then they will be successful during deployment.

We use Fortinet FortiGate SWG to secure both Internet-facing and internal applications.

The web solutions are the most important features.

The solution could add API protection.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for a year.

The product is stable.

The solution is scalable.

Support is good.

Positive

The deployment depends on the requirements. It takes a minimum of one day to complete.

The initial setup is managed by a partner.

Three to four people are enough for setup, depending on the tools. You need a network engineer, a partner, and a firewall engineer to install.

The product is expensive. It comes with a yearly subscription, which includes support and everything.

Maintenance is easy. One person is enough to do the regular maintenance, but two are suitable for feasibility.

The product is good. It does the job of what is said. It is very stable and reliable. One should consider based on the POC and their requirement, but for our requirement, FortiGate was the one to go for.

We use it for Internet-facing applications and web-based applications. We use it more as a web solution. There might be other use cases or other requirements for other companies.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Our standard practice involves tailoring deployments to meet specific customer needs. Typically implemented at the network edge, FortiGate SWG addresses diverse security requirements. Use cases include securing online services, protecting internal servers in a DMZ for LAN user access, and employing a segmented approach where different firewalls safeguard distinct zones, collaborating to manage and pass traffic for unique security needs. One of the firewalls also serves as the primary filter for internet traffic.

Web filters, particularly web application controls, grant us the ability to regulate user access effectively. Among the various features, I find web application control and IPS to be the most valuable.

There's room for improvement in the interface, especially following their upgrade to version nineteen. The issue arises from the increased complexity, where tasks like defining the NAS require navigating a separate window, and regular policy configurations are done in a different window.

I have been using it for seven years.

I would rate its stability capabilities nine out of ten.

Regarding scalability, I would rate Fortinet highly, giving them eight out of ten due to the effectiveness of their new hardware, which greatly enhances scalability. We've carried out installations for a variety of setups, spanning from small to medium-sized deployments.

I would rate its technical support services seven out of ten.

Neutral

WatchGuard deserves credit for offering multiple options, including a client base and a comprehensive reporting feature, all within a unified license and toolset.

I would rate the initial setup six out of ten in terms of complexity.

The deployment can take up to a week but typically can be done in a couple of days.

We essentially customize implementations based on the customer's chosen appliance. The cost varies depending on the specific appliance they purchase. We provide coverage for whatever they acquire, and throughout the year, we pay different amounts to various vendors. The cost has increased since the update so I would rate it eight out of ten.

In terms of reliability and security, FortiGate stands out. WatchGuard excels in additional features, offering the best reporting and various configuration options. While Sophos is also strong in security, I would rate it slightly lower than FortiGate. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.