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reviewer1238931 - PeerSpot reviewer
Junior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Good technical support with an easy implementation process and good flexibility
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support is very helpful."
  • "We have had some stability issues."

What is most valuable?

The product is quite flexible.

There seems to be a lot of very useful feature sets.

Technical support is very helpful.

We found the initial setup to be pretty straightforward for the most part.

What needs improvement?

We've had issues with integration. It hasn't gone well.

We have had some stability issues.

There are some instances where configurations can get complex.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've only really been dealing with the solution for the last six months. It hasn't been too long.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've had some stability issues. The product could be more stable.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are not in production just yet, and therefore it would be hard to comment on scalability.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has two tiers. Typically, if we need help, we have to reach out to Fortigate, who will direct us to help in Bangladesh. If we still need assistance, then it goes directly to Fortigate and they have engineers who can assist us.

We're largely pleased with the amount of assistance we receive. 

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

I've only really used Cisco solutions in the past. I've only recently been introduced to Fortinet.

How was the initial setup?

The installation process is very easy with FortiGate VM. We can easily deploy it. That said, we did run into issues with some customer requirements and our engineers were forced to get involved. Occasionally, it takes too much time to configure certain aspects. However, a basic configuration is pretty easy.

What about the implementation team?

I didn't require any outside help in order to deploy and configure the solution. I didn't need the help of outside consultants, integrators, or Fortinet techs.

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

Our clients tend to deal with the licensing aspects of the solution.

What other advice do I have?

We're partners of Fortinet.

We're using the latest version of the solution.

We have been using the solution while we have been waiting for the hard drive version of the solution, which has been delayed.

I would recommend the solution to other organizations. I'd rate the product 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
it_user769731 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Management - Specialist with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
The pricing and licensing are not as expensive as its competitors
Pros and Cons
    • "We encountered scalability issues in IPSec Module. The tunnels freeze sometimes."

    How has it helped my organization?

    There have been no improvements. We would just use another device if this one did not exist.

    What is most valuable?

    None of them. It is a classic firewall, but better than the free versions.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    Less than one year.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Yes, we encountered stability issues in IPSec Module. The tunnels freeze sometimes.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Yes, we encountered scalability issues in IPSec Module. The tunnels freeze sometimes.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I would give technical support a rating of a nine out of 10. 

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

    I used SonicWall, before they were sold to Dell. After Dell bought them, some issues came out.

    I used Check Point, which was terrible for me. You can do almost nothing without software. The web interface does nothing. I do not like solutions with many components. In Check Point, you need to use over three interface to dig up anything.

    I used Palo Alto 3020. It is a marvellous solution, but a bit expensive against its competitors. You can do everything in the web interface. There is no need for any installation (does not exist) and to manage it. It works quickly changing configuration and applying configuration. (Comparatively, FortiGate is fast in applying configuration.) You can easily rollback the previous configuration and backup configuration in Palo Alto. The firmware upgrade is like a baby's toy in Palo Alto.

    İt is not fast to rollback config in SonicWall.

    I used Untangle, pfSense, etc. However, there is no need to talk about them.

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

    The pricing and licensing are not as expensive as its competitors. This applies to SonicWall, too.

    Check Point and Palo Alto are very expensive solutions, because of the ownership and renewal costs.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I evaluated different options before choosing FortiGate. It has four separate modules which give fast reactions when it is analysing. It has an app ID and user ID option, which are the most important.

    What other advice do I have?

    Be aware of your own requirements.

    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
    December 2024
    Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
    824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    it_user680427 - PeerSpot reviewer
    BETHEL SCIENCE AND MATH CONTENT COACH with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Technical support has been super responsive and dedicated to getting any challenges resolved
    Pros and Cons
    • "Use of this product does not require daily interactions."
    • "Operations have been flawless."
    • "Technical support has been super responsive and dedicated to getting any challenges resolved."
    • "There were challenges during setup, and many of them were self-inflicted."

    How has it helped my organization?

    Use of this product does not require daily interactions, like our previous firewall service option.

    What is most valuable?

    Simplicity of daily operations would be my favorite facet of this gem.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    Less than one year.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    No issues. Operations have been flawless, so far.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No issues noted.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Technical support has been super responsive and dedicated to getting any challenges resolved.

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

    We had a previous solution and switched due to a corporate decision to eliminate some subscription fees.

    How was the initial setup?

    This product was nearly plug and play. There are some tables and rules to make custom decisions based on our daily workloads and philosophy as an educational setting.

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

    I was not involved in that aspect. Therefore, I cannot provide information along these lines.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I was not involved in the corporate decision-making.

    What other advice do I have?

    Draw out a plan of what traffic to unconditionally allow (whitelist) and what traffic to restrict under what conditions, before you even unwrap the box.

    It has taken me a little while to gain confidence in this product, but I am there now. There were challenges during setup, and many of them were self-inflicted.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    IT Analyst at Comdados
    Real User
    Easy to deploy and the support is good
    Pros and Cons
    • "The support is good. We don't have any issues with the technical support."
    • "It is difficult to size the VM in terms of machine resources, and for this reason, clients prefer the appliance."

    What is our primary use case?

    We work with the government and the customers do not want the VM solution, they prefer appliance solutions.

    What is most valuable?

    Compared to other appliances, the features are the same. 

    The machine resources are the main difference.

    What needs improvement?

    It is difficult to size the VM in terms of machine resources, and for this reason, clients prefer the appliance.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    The support is good. We don't have any issues with the technical support. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The deployment is easy, there are no issues with the deployment of this solution.

    We deploy on-premises and sometimes on a private cloud.

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

    The price could be lower. It's expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

    We like this solution.

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

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1752144 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Cyber Security Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    The firewall is excellent, but the load balancing is behind other competitors
    Pros and Cons
    • "FortiGate-VM's firewall is excellent."
    • "FortiGate's application load balancing has to be improved. They need to improve a lot on the load balancing and RAF side. They are far behind Citrix in that regard."

    What is most valuable?

    FortiGate-VM's firewall is excellent. 

    What needs improvement?

    FortiGate's application load balancing has to be improved. They need to improve a lot on the load balancing and RAF side. They are far behind Citrix in that regard.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using FortiGate-VM for around three years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Yeah. It is stable. I don't say it's not a stable product.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    In terms of scalability, I'd rate it six out of 10.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate FortiGate-VM six 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
    it_user790008 - PeerSpot reviewer
    System/Network Administrator with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    High network throughput while providing leading edge network security technology
    Pros and Cons
    • "High network throughput while providing leading edge network security technology for a competitive price.​"
    • "The user interface (UI) and the performance of interface both need improvement."

    How has it helped my organization?

    High network throughput while providing leading edge network security technology for a competitive price.

    What is most valuable?

    Real-time sandboxing with the FortiGate UTM network.

    What needs improvement?

    The user interface (UI) and the performance of interface both need improvement.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    More than five years.

    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 with a 10 out of 10 (perfect score).

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

    Our previous solution simply did not live up to expectations.

    How was the initial setup?

    Setup is straightforward. I am certified in the Fortinet line of solutions. Even without this knowledge, it is easy to adjust the product to your requirements.

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

    It is on par with what you receive. It can be expensive upfront. 

    It would be nice to have the ability to extend FortiGuard subscriptions at a reasonable yearly cost versus a bulk three year pricing.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We evaluated Cisco, Meraki, SonicWall, and Juniper.

    What other advice do I have?

    Having support from your vendor is nice. Calling Fortinet directly with a support contract, they will help you take care of all your requirements. 

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
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    Updated: December 2024
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    Download our free Fortinet FortiGate-VM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.