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reviewer1277835 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
Real User
Useful web proxy and gateway functionality
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the web proxy for protection and web gateway for deployment."
  • "In the next release, I would like to see integration capability with SIEM tools, such as QRadar, and LogRhythm."

What is our primary use case?

I am a design engineer and we are designing a security operation center for data censoring in Turkey.

We are using FortiGate to protect more than 3000 end users.

More than one gigabyte per second bandwidth is necessary. FortiGate was quite useful for this scenario, but we are just in the planning and analyzing phase. The tender should be in the near future.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the web proxy for protection and web gateway for deployment.

What needs improvement?

Pricing should be more competitive, it's expensive.

In the next release, I would like to see integration capability with SIEM tools, such as QRadar, and LogRhythm.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for more than five years.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
March 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

From the datasheets that I have read, I can see from its specifications that it is scalable.

In this project, we have more than 3000 end users. Most of the users are security admins and security engineers.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted technical support.

How was the initial setup?

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

The price is similar to Symantec Endpoint, but it's more expensive than Forcepoint solutions. Fortinet is better than Forcepoint.

I don't see that it's a problem concerning the pricing, but it is expensive for Turkey.

We do not pay any additional costs for technical support or additional features.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend using Fortinet, especially its web security proxy and web security gate because it is quite useful for them.

I would suggest this solution.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

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
reviewer997284 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a maritime company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Good UTM to provide secure site-to-site connections, but new versions should be tested more thoroughly before release
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are site-to-site connections and UTM."
  • "When new versions are deployed they tend to be a little buggy, so they should be more fully tested before release."

What is our primary use case?

FortiGate-VM is installed in our data centers and is used for site-to-site connections between offices. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are site-to-site connections and UTM.

What needs improvement?

When new versions are deployed they tend to be a little buggy, so they should be more fully tested before release.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have had no issues with respect to stability, except that when new versions are released we do notice problems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability has not been a problem.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have contacted technical support at times when the appliance was not working well and they were ok. We have no issues with support.

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

I also use Cisco equipment and the main difference is that Cisco is more expensive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not very complex and involved only a few settings.

The deployment took us a couple of days.

What about the implementation team?

We had assistance during our implementation and we were satisfied with the service.

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

The price of this product is great compared to others.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, this is a good product with good features and priced well compared to others. It is GUI-based and I am happy with the interface. I would recommend it and cannot think of any changes that I would make. The only problem is that new releases tend to be a little buggy.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

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-VM
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user795627 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Business Development
Real User
Ensures our network is properly protected from viruses and malware
Pros and Cons
  • "We use it to ensure that our network is properly protected from viruses and malware."
  • "The initial setup was quite straightforward."
  • "The management tools should be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use it our network, not in the cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

It is a firewall. We use it to ensure that our network is properly protected from viruses and malware.

What is most valuable?

The best part of Fortinet is the license is bundled together, so it is easy to use and apply.

What needs improvement?

The management tools should be more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would rate technical support as a seven out of 10.

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

We previously used Fortinet 620B.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was quite straightforward. 

You The initial setup was quite straightforward. 

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

The price is expensive compared with other vendors, like Cisco and Huawei. However, the performance is good.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Cisco, Huawei, and Palo Alto. 

What other advice do I have?

If you have enough budget and care about performance, Fortinet is a good choice.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1385283 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Enginner at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Has a good interface, stability, and scalability but its competitors are better
Pros and Cons
  • "The user interface, stability, and scalability are the most valuable features."
  • "Not a ten because I think that Cisco is better."

What is our primary use case?

I use FortiGate-VM for testing.

What is most valuable?

The user interface, stability, and scalability are the most valuable features. It's also simple to deploy. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for one year. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Stability and scalability are okay. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't used technical support.

What other advice do I have?

I like FortiGate-VM for constructing VPNs. It's easy to deploy. I would recommend it. It's quite easy.

I would rate FortiGate-VM a seven out of ten. Not a ten because I think that Cisco is better.

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
reviewer1377483 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Cybersecurity Analyst at a consultancy with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Very stable, great user interface, and can scale well
Pros and Cons
  • "The user interface is the most valuable aspect of the solution."
  • "The solution is fairly complex."

What is our primary use case?

The client wants to use the solution for a mix of things, however, I can't recall exactly what they are at this time.

What is most valuable?

The user interface is the most valuable aspect of the solution.

What needs improvement?

It's important that, over time, the solution just keeps up with additional features. There's nothing specific that comes to mind, however, it's important for Fortinet to stay as much on the edge as possible, as far as keeping up with what's out there.

The solution is fairly complex.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've probably been using the solution for three or four years at this point, although I'm not exactly sure.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't really need to worry about stability. Most of the time, what we were running into is just trying of get the client familiar enough with the solution, so that way they can deal with it going forward on their own. There's a little bit of training going on at the outset.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

That's primarily why we steer clients in the direction of Fortinet. With this solution, clients have the potential to grow in the near future. It's just one of those items that we wanted to make sure they had. It's something that is robust enough to be able to handle growing. It's somewhat robust without breaking the bank, initially. 

Our organization doesn't use the solution ourselves, so we don't have a large number of users on the solution. Out of 160 people, maybe a third use it here. It's different, of course, with clients, who use it more extensively.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've never had any technical issues on the solution and have never had to reach out to technical support. However, I've heard that they are quite helpful. I just can't personally speak to the quality or responsiveness of their services.

For those trying to troubleshoot on their own, the solution doesn't really need or have tutorials, however, you can find so much information online, it's not necessary. It would be nice it newly released features had a bit more information. It doesn't happen often, so it's not too big of an issue.

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

We previously worked with a lot of open source products.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial set up was pretty complex. There were a lot of on-site VPN connections to set up, so we went through a lot of additional setup for the clients.

The deployment was pretty quicksand was probably completed in just a couple of days.

What about the implementation team?

We didn't need a consultant or integrator. We handled the implementation ourselves.

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

Since we don't primarily work with the solution, I'm not sure what the licensing costs are.

What other advice do I have?

We aren't really a customer or reseller, however, we do occasionally recommend the solution to clients from time to time.

The entity I was recently researching for was looking basically to replace some existing solutions. That was the reason why they were asking me to help them do some research. I, on a normal basis, don't do that much with it anymore. However, because I have access, I've been helping them.

I'm not using the latest version. I may be using the one before that, although I don't know the exact version number.

I would warn other organizations that there are some places where some people run into some roadblocks, and they're not sure what to do. My experience in the past has always been that, at least, the support is actually really good. Therefore, if they're running into a situation that they're not sure about, it's probably better to call and seek professional help, as opposed to trying to force it, because it can get confusing really quick.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

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
PeerSpot user
Full support analyst at Gruppen
Real User
A very friendly and easy solution with an easy to use configuration, graphical interface and command line
Pros and Cons
  • "The configuration, graphical interface and command line are easy to use."
  • "The price is problematic."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a public cloud for Microsoft Azure. 

What is most valuable?

My experience with the solution has been very positive and Fortinet provides a great layer of security when it comes to SD-WAN and other security capabilities. There are many models available to suit a host of environments. 

The solution is extremely easy and friendly. The configuration, graphical interface and command line are easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The price is problematic. 

An interesting feature of the vendor license involves SD-WAN orchestrator and this should be addressed in the part which deals with feature licensing. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with FortiGate products for the past five years and with Fortinet FortiGate-VM for the past year. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support varies with the product in question. The support for FortiGate appliances is relatively good compared with the more complicated support afforded other products. 

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

I like the comparative use of the SD-WAN feature of the solution. 

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

The solution could be better priced. 

What other advice do I have?

My sole experience with the solution is in the Azure environments. 

As a Fortinet partner, I make use of many of its products. 

As I feel Fortinet FortiGate-VM to be a good solution, I rate it as a ten out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1602627 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Engineer at a tech company with 201-500 employees
Real User
A simple solution with very fast response time
Pros and Cons
  • "I find the simplicity to be most valuable."
  • "The graphical user interface should be enhanced."

What is our primary use case?

The majority of the government sector prefers using the solution as an external firewall and most of the customers prefer that it be one layer. It's good for use as a preemptive firewall.

What is most valuable?

I find the simplicity to be most valuable. The solution is very simple to manage and to use effectively. It has a very fast response time. There is no need to make improvements to it whatsoever. 

What needs improvement?

The graphical user interface should be enhanced. While the antivirus profile can be implemented very easily with the graphic user interface, there are many important features that cannot be undertaken without the CLI command like signature, such as extending a  database. One cannot do a graphical user interface for this and CLI command must be employed instead. 

All hidden features related to CLI should appear as a graphical user interface.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been an integrator for Fortinet FortiGate-VM for a couple of years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is really stable and the connection with FortiGate is very good, as is the solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Fortigate has its own systems and provides the services that are related to the priority of the ticket. They provide the tickets for groups, say... one through four and have their own metrics for how they manage these tickets. As such, I consider Palo Alto to be faster and more professional. 

How was the initial setup?

Template or marketplace on Azure can be employed. The credentials one will select while doing the deployment can be used in respect of VM with Fortigate. 

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

Similar to Palo Alto, we have our own license and we're working on this. The customer must buy his own license. 

What other advice do I have?

Just like with Palo Alto, all products are deployed on the cloud.

We have a large number of customers who are making use of the solution, south of 30. Those in Qatar opt for the solution because of its comparative cost effectiveness. It is not only cheaper but also good.

I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM as an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
reviewer1140930 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Lead at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Responsive support, useful analyzer, and effective protection
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate-VM are the servers, analyzer, and track protection."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as a network firewall.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate-VM are the servers, analyzer, and track protection.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM for approximately seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is highly stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is not scalable.

    We have approximately 7,000 users using this solution in my organization.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support has been responsive in my experience.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is easy and took approximately six months.

    What about the implementation team?

    We did the implementation with an integrator called Dimension Data and from Fortinet support.

    We have a six-person technical team that does the maintenance of the solution.

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

    The price of the solution could be less expensive. There are some features that have to be purchased separately that have their own license.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM a nine out of ten.

    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
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    Updated: March 2025
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