We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as a firewall, for intrusion detection and prevention to protect our Azure data center, principal operation sites, and our mobile users.
CISO at a religious institution with 501-1,000 employees
A scalable solution that protects our mobile users
Pros and Cons
- "The thing that I like the most is that they're very willing to work with us to resolve issues that they haven't taken care of before in their product."
- "There should be integration with an active directory — with Microsoft."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Together with the FortiAnalizer we have a better grasp of our security position and understand the type of adversary attacks our installations.
What is most valuable?
The thing that I like the most is that they're very willing to work with us to resolve issues that they haven't taken care of before in their product.
The end-user protection suite is very good, including the log analysis feature that they now have.
What needs improvement?
The Fortinet solution has resolved the issues with Microsoft Azure active directory. This integration allows us to build rules based on Grupo membership for access to data center assets on individual bases.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used the Fortigate and Forticlient solutions for three years and they have proven to be very stable solutions.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution has proven to be scalable to all our requirements. In the years using Fortinet, we have had no cases of scalability due to Fortinet. We have had to increase the firewall resources to deal with a large increase in Forticlient connections.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Check Point. Though it is a good solution, the license costs became too high for our organization and obliged us to look for another option.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was a little complicated due to our engineers working on knowledge of Checkpoint and trying to replicate the same configurations. Hindsight finds it may have been less complicated to build the rules from the ground up rather than importing them.
What about the implementation team?
Mostly through a vendor team at first, however, the process was plagued by miscommunications and inadequate scope definitions.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Be very clear with your security consultant who is proposing Fortinet as a solution regarding all the features and integrations you expect to achieve with the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We reviewed Palo Alto, Barracuda, and Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Systems Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Straightforward and easy to manage
Pros and Cons
- "I've found the UTM features and the SD-WAN to be most valuable."
- "The operating system isn't stable, so it goes to memory counters every night."
What is our primary use case?
The majority of my use cases are firewalls and SD-WAN.
How has it helped my organization?
Most customers are moving to SD-WAN, so with FortiGate-VM, when solutions are traditional WAN, limitations have been addressed by the SD-WAN.
What is most valuable?
I've found the UTM features and the SD-WAN to be most valuable.
What needs improvement?
The operating system isn't stable, so it goes to memory counters every night.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for around ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution isn't very stable with the new operating systems compared to the old ones.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've previously used Sophos, Palo Alto, and Check Point. We switched to FortiGate because it's straightforward and easy to manage and also has co-costing for customers.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward, and I'd rate my experience as four out of five. Depending on the environment, deployment takes between two to three months.
What was our ROI?
I would rate the ROI as four out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing is usually on an annual, two-year, or three-year basis. I would rate the product's pricing as four out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I'd give this solution a rating of nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A flexible solution
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate integrates well."
- "New versions are complicated with a big configuration."
What is our primary use case?
We are a reseller of FortiGate, but also a customer. I have configured it in my office. Our primary case use includes equipment installed with customers.
What is most valuable?
We have Fabric Security that integrates with other FortiGate family products like firewalls and switches. This means that we don't need to buy other licenses and it's easy to configure.
What needs improvement?
With every new version, there are issues and new parts due to the improvements. But the improvements are not always easy for the customer, especially when making a big configuration. Rather than being an improvement, it becomes more complicated.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using FortiGate for almost 12 years.
How are customer service and support?
The support is fine now, however, our last purchase was not as good. They have changed their situation and improved support again.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I had used Sophos UTM, the Endpoints, Access Points, and XG for two years in my office. We switched because of FortiGate's service and because it is a more flexible solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Installation does not require another license so it is inexpensive and easy to configure.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Sophos has a nice interface and is easy to configure. The XG products are good and so are the endpoints. Sophos access points and on-premise are not good. Sophos also doesn't have enough support to get into the console. Sophos has a Linux box, which is easy to try to resolve most issues, but Sophos support is not good.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Technical Lead at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Analyst at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A complete solution with great features and good firewall capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "The product can scale."
- "The log settings and filters could use some improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for firewall purposes.
What is most valuable?
The firewall capabilities are great.
We like the EPS antivirus.
It's quite a complete solution. The features on offer are good.
We find the solution to be stable.
The product can scale.
What needs improvement?
We occasionally have issues when we are doing firmware updates.
The log settings and filters could use some improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for ten years. It's been about a decade.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good. There are no bugs. It's not glitchy. I can't recall it crashing or freezing. It offers pretty good performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found the scalability to be very good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.
We have about 500 users on the solution right now.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been fine. We have no complaints. They are pretty helpful and responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We only use Fortigate. We don't use any other solution.
How was the initial setup?
We only have one person for deployment and maintenance.
It took us only two days to deploy it with our desired configurations.
What about the implementation team?
I am able to set up the solution myself. We did have a reseller who assisted us as well.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We currently have a three-year licensing agreement. There are standard features and you do not have to pay extra fees for extra add-ons.
What other advice do I have?
We are customers and end-users. We don't have a business relationship with Fortigate.
I would advise potential new users to check the compatibility of the UTM firewall, of the rules of your organization. It's not magic. It's hard work implementing that.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been pretty happy with its capabilities.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Network Engineer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Easy to learn and use
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the SD-WAN and the web filtering applications control."
- "Areas for improvement would be application control and web filtering."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use of this solution is to provide information about SD-WAN and how Fortigate helps to reduce costs.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the SD-WAN and the web filtering applications control.
What needs improvement?
Areas for improvement would be application control and web filtering.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't seen any problems with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of this solution is limited.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very straightforward, and deployment did not take a long time.
What other advice do I have?
This is a very easy appliance, and they make it easy to learn. I would rate it as eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of systems and technology at a non-profit with 201-500 employees
Simple VPN creation, good technical support, and integrates well
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very easy to create the user of VPN, allowing them to use it quickly. Additionally, the integration and interface are good."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as a firewall for our internet.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very easy to create the user of VPN, allowing them to use it quickly. Additionally, the integration and interface are good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been Fortinet FortiGate-VM for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate-VM is scalable.
We have 110 systems for users that we can connect and we have 12 users using the VPN.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support in my experience has been good.
What about the implementation team?
We require ten people for the deployment of Fortinet FortiGate-VM.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have been waiting a long time for the vendor to give us licenses, it has been five months and we are still waiting. However, the price is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Full support analyst at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: February 2026
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