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Fortinet FortiGate-VM pros and cons

Vendor: Fortinet
4.2 out of 5

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Fortinet FortiGate-VM excels in providing high network security with features like IPS, IDS, AV scanner, and spam filter, offering comprehensive protection against threats.
It offers remarkable scalability, allowing users to deploy VM on high-end servers for increased capacity, surpassing hardware limitations.
Fortinet FortiGate-VM facilitates quick and easy setup, ensuring users can deploy it efficiently and begin operations swiftly.
The integration capabilities of Fortinet FortiGate-VM, including VPN and SD-WAN features, enhance network organization and connectivity.
The cost-effectiveness of Fortinet FortiGate-VM provides users with a competitive price point while delivering high-performance network security technology.

CONS

There are challenges with scalability, especially in the IPSec Module, which sometimes freezes.
Pricing and licensing are complicated and often expensive.
Technical support needs improvement, often being slow and lacking in-depth knowledge.
Integration with other solutions and platforms can be problematic, requiring better interoperability.
Initial setup can be complex, particularly without prior experience with Fortinet FortiGate-VM.
 

Fortinet FortiGate-VM Pros review quotes

it_user680427 - PeerSpot reviewer
BETHEL SCIENCE AND MATH CONTENT COACH with 51-200 employees
Dec 24, 2017
Use of this product does not require daily interactions.
LB
Responsable de Ingenieria at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Dec 26, 2017
The IPS module is my favorite because of the security advantage reached with a few clicks and its automatic updates.
it_user378003 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology
Dec 26, 2017
​Initial setup was quite straightforward, as we can simply head to the required sections to apply the planned network.​
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,899 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user796206 - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Partner
Jan 3, 2018
There is an interesting possibility of building a tunnel to a firewall from access points. We use this feature for small branch offices with one to two employees with access to central RDP servers.
it_user798288 - PeerSpot reviewer
Account Manager at a tech services company
Jan 17, 2018
It is very useful to make lists for rules and prepare firewall rules.
it_user790008 - PeerSpot reviewer
System/Network Administrator with 11-50 employees
Jan 17, 2018
High network throughput while providing leading edge network security technology for a competitive price.​
it_user795627 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Business Development
Jan 21, 2018
We use it to ensure that our network is properly protected from viruses and malware.
it_user188481 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Admin at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Jan 23, 2018
Initial setup is very straightforward with a wizard, if needed.
it_user592125 - PeerSpot reviewer
Platforms and Products Manager at a media company with 501-1,000 employees
Oct 21, 2018
It handles our current load with ease, and I think it can handle a bit more. It definitely can handle a lot more capacity than we currently use.
reviewer1224273 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Information Technology at a media company with 51-200 employees
Jan 29, 2020
FortiGate is a nice and very good product.
 

Fortinet FortiGate-VM Cons review quotes

it_user680427 - PeerSpot reviewer
BETHEL SCIENCE AND MATH CONTENT COACH with 51-200 employees
Dec 24, 2017
There were challenges during setup, and many of them were self-inflicted.
LB
Responsable de Ingenieria at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Dec 26, 2017
We have experience stability issues, when the product sizing is wrong or on configuration errors.
it_user378003 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology
Dec 26, 2017
Improvements are needed for the responsive UI and JIT traffic reporting.
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,899 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user796206 - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Partner
Jan 3, 2018
In the first two releases of FortiOS 5.6, we had some trouble with the SSL VPN service. Sometimes it stopped working, and the IPS daemon too.
it_user798288 - PeerSpot reviewer
Account Manager at a tech services company
Jan 17, 2018
The price is sometimes very expensive.​
it_user790008 - PeerSpot reviewer
System/Network Administrator with 11-50 employees
Jan 17, 2018
The user interface (UI) and the performance of interface both need improvement.
it_user795627 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Business Development
Jan 21, 2018
The management tools should be more user-friendly.
it_user188481 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Admin at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Jan 23, 2018
​The tech support calls were not the best and could be improved. ​There have been times when we felt as if we knew more about the device than the support person on the phone.​
it_user592125 - PeerSpot reviewer
Platforms and Products Manager at a media company with 501-1,000 employees
Oct 21, 2018
The GUI could be improved.
reviewer1224273 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Information Technology at a media company with 51-200 employees
Jan 29, 2020
FortiGate should be more customer friendly and budgeted better.