This is a user friendly solution and offers comprehensive integrations.
Network Engineer at Pyramid IT Solutions Pvt Ltd
Security solution that is user friendly and offers comprehensive integrations
Pros and Cons
- "This is a user friendly solution and offers comprehensive integrations."
- "The reporting for this solution could be improved. It could also be more stable and offer better pricing."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
The reporting for this solution could be improved. It could also be more stable and offer better pricing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support for this solution is good and user-friendly.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiOS
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
839,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Installation takes two minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you are able to afford it, I would recommend Fortinet.
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:

Executive - Data & IP at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Very user friendly and easy to configure with a straightforward initial setup
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very user friendly."
- "Fortinet needs to make this solution even more robust. Sometimes when we get a DDoS attack, the cannot withstand it. We can run out of sessions very easily. That said, I suppose if you want more a robust system, then you could purchase higher-end solutions, which are more expensive. Still, I would like to see more protection from even in the low-end version."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution as a firewall. It's protecting customers from the internet to have access to servers behind the firewall.
We co-locate customers' servers at our company, and we also give them firewall protection. Mostly, people that co-locate a server don't have any firewall so they ask for the service through us.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very user friendly.
The product is very easy to configure, compared to other firewalls that I've worked with.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet needs to make this solution even more robust. Sometimes when we get a DDoS attack, the cannot withstand it. We can run out of sessions very easily. That said, I suppose if you want more a robust system, then you could purchase higher-end solutions, which are more expensive. Still, I would like to see more protection from even in the low-end version.
The pricing needs to be improved. It's quite pricey.
In terms of the CLI, if they could make it more intuitive, and more user friendly, it would make the solution better. I like to work on CLI instead of through the GUI. If you are used to it then you wouldn't mind the way it works right now. However, for those that don't, there's just a sizeable learning curve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been dealing with the solution for three and a half or four years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution doesn't really scale. If you want a bigger box, you need to scrap the box you have and trade up to get the larger capacity. You can't just "add" to it per se on existing solutions you've bought. It's hardware, so it doesn't scale well.
We're not looking to increase our usage right now. COVID-19 really slowed us down in a lot of ways.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have a local supplier that helps us a lot every time we need to open a ticket. So far we haven't had that many issues. The few ones that we have had, we didn't have any problems with opening up tickets and getting support.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is not complex at all. I'd say it's very easy. There's a learning curve, however, once you're used to the device, it's very easy to set up a firewall. It's fairly straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is too expensive. If they could push down their prices, that would be great. However, I'm not in charge of purchasing. I wouldn't know about the exact costs.
What other advice do I have?
We're just customers. We don't have a business relationship with Fortigate.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiOS
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
839,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Product Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Valuable inbuilt SD-WAN useful for firewalls and the efficient fulfillment of orders
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is straightforward, and it is very customer friendly."
- "Could be improved by supporting an allocation of quota base management regarding user data."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is for firewalls and the efficient fulfillment of orders. Additionally, with Fortinet FortiOS, you get other features like inbuilt SD-WAN, where the customers are ready to deploy once they move into the SD-WAN features. So there are several additional features within the OS and integration with third-party software, other vendors and third-party solutions. So the integrability, adaptability, and value addition of the OS play a significant role.
What is most valuable?
We have found the inbuilt SD-WAN most valuable. For example, with FortiGates, we refer to it as being SD-WAN-ready because the customer has to buy it in the box, and the OS supports it by building a connection between two units. Also, regarding the OS integrability with other third parties, for example, with Ciga Group, you can deploy a unit in Sri Lanka, and the customer may have another unit in a different geography. Within Fortinet FortiOS and other competitive products, it's integrative, so it's used for data flexibility.
What needs improvement?
The solution is good but could be improved by supporting an allocation of quota base management regarding user data.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for three years.
How are customer service and support?
I rate customer service and support a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward, and it is very customer friendly. Fortinet FortiOS quickly provides many complex solutions when we deploy a simple firewall. So it's named one of the most customer-friendly OSs in the industry in Sri Lanka and globally. Therefore, customizability allows you to deploy the boxes and register a serial number. Eight people on our technical team are involved in deployment. I rate the initial setup process as nine out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I cannot comment on licensing costs as a different department handles that.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
IT Infrastructure at 4 Seniors Brasil
Useful UTM features, good interface, and beneficial controls
Pros and Cons
- "The interface is good."
- "There are some features for FortiGate using FortiOS that can only be enabled via a command line. These aren't very advanced features they have been part of FortiOS for quite some time but they still aren't accessible from the graphical user interface. It makes it a little bit harder than it should be for us to manage the solution. That's my main concern with the user interface. Another concern we have is some elements for the user interface, if they're not properly configured, it could lead to hardware and performance degradation."
What is our primary use case?
Most of our customers that we implemented Fortinet FortiOS for we support and manage the FortiGate. Most of them use all the UTM features, such as web features, application control, intrusion prevention, and SSL inspection. We do have some customers who do not use these features. They mostly use IPsec, VPN concentrator, but no security features, we only have two specific cases. Most of our clients prefer to use FortiGate because of all the security features.
What is most valuable?
The interface is good.
What needs improvement?
There are some features for FortiGate using FortiOS that can only be enabled via a command line. These aren't very advanced features they have been part of FortiOS for quite some time but they still aren't accessible from the graphical user interface. It makes it a little bit harder than it should be for us to manage the solution. That's my main concern with the user interface. Another concern we have is some elements for the user interface, if they're not properly configured, it could lead to hardware and performance degradation.
We have had some cases where the entire hardware is at a lockout. This means the CPU is 100% consumed and requires a reboot because of a malfunction with the graphical user interface dashboard widget. This is something that we saw a few years ago. We haven't had any new experience with this same issue. However, I'm not sure if that's because Fortinet fixed them, or because we have mow avoid using those specific regions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Fortinet FortiOS within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiOS is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Fortinet FortiOS to be scalable.
We have approximately 200 users using this solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used work with many antivirus solutions, such as Trend Micro, CrowdStrike, and Kaspersky. The antivirus engine could use some improvement when comparing Fortinet with other vendors.
How was the initial setup?
I have been doing the installation of Fortinet FortiOS for five years and I am used to doing them. For someone who is new, I do see some difficulties for them to learn how to do it.
The process could be better.
What about the implementation team?
For approximately 200 employees we have at least two engineers and some junior analysts for the day-to-day operation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Fortinet solutions can be a bit expensive.
What other advice do I have?
The most advanced solution Fortinet has is intruder prevention.
My advice to those wanting to implement Fortinet FortiOS is they should do a site survey, but not exactly the site survey. They need to study and scale the environment for which they want to implement the FortiGate solution. FortiGate solutions aren't exactly cheap, but if they undersize the environment and they purchase or implement FortiGate solutions that are not good enough power-wise for the environment that's being used, it could lead to problems. Although it is a stable solution, it is prone to lockouts if it goes above the recommended use cases. Proper sizing of the environment is very important.
I rate Fortinet FortiOS an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Senior Network Administrator at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to use, straightforward deployment, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the ease of use, and the overall simplicity, everyone can use it with a small introduction."
- "The technical support is good. However, during the holidays they can get a little slow to respond."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiOS for our core network next-generation firewall.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the ease of use, and the overall simplicity, everyone can use it with a small introduction.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiOS is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
We have approximately five administrators that are using the solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good. However, during the holidays they can get a little slow to respond.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and simple to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
I can do the implementation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution could have a better licensing model. It's a bit more expensive than other solutions. The annual subscription is very pricy in Fortinet. The cost could be reduced.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiOS 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.
IT Manager at Cloudjet
Very stable and scalable with great technical support
Pros and Cons
- "What I like about this solution, is that it is the only solution that currently offers VPN for clients."
- "In the future I would like to see more user-friendly dashboards and a drop in the price."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiOS as a perimeter firewall. On top of that, we use another application as a web application firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
Great logging analsys with fortianalyzer
What is most valuable?
FortiVPN I think is the only one vpn that can be shared with customers and employees, however another features is FortiVM that allow us to have onne solution from Onpremise datacenter to cloud datacenters.
What needs improvement?
Docker Container to have a good integration with kubernetes and more throughput as Cisco FP
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Fortinet FortiOS for five, six years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My impression of the stability of the solution is good just one support case opened to fortinet, in next firewall update I will choose again fortinet
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We currently have 200 users, and we plan to increase them, so I believe in his scalability while users increase.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is great, good solutions and an excellent proactivity.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Palo Alto NG Firewalls before but I wasn't impressed by the features it offer and the price was also too high.
How was the initial setup?
I did the installation myself but I can't remember if the initial setup was easy. I remember the deployment took about five days. It was very long ago, so I can't remember well.
What about the implementation team?
I've implemented it by myself with another colleague, probably in next firewall update I will engage the vendor team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay an annual license fee. It is rather expensive so I would like to perhaps see a drop in price in the future.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I didn't evaluate other options because I like the experience I had with Fortinet, so I simply prefer Fortinet.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to other customers would be to have good knowledge about the traffic in their network. In the future, I would like to see more user-friendly dashboards and a drop in the price. My rating for this solution is therefore only eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Manager at a pharma/biotech company with 201-500 employees
Great application control and good customer support but I would like to see a drop in the price
Pros and Cons
- "The technical support is very good and the assistance they gave was very good."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this program is for application control and internet commitment.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see a drop in the license fees because it is a rather expensive program.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for two years as IT manager at my company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In my experience the program is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We currently have around 50 users in our company working on this program. We don't have any plans to increase our usage soon, but I believe the program is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is very good. The assistance they gave was very good and I learned a lot from them.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and it took us about two to three days to deploy the program.
What other advice do I have?
I will definitely recommend this program to others, and I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Solutions Consultant at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Useful monitoring, beneficial SSL inspection, and IDS/IPS functionality
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are the SD-WAN, SSL inspection, and IDS/IPS functions."
- "Fortinet FortiOS can improve the monitoring function, it could be more accurate, easy to use, and understandable."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are the SD-WAN, SSL inspection, and IDS/IPS functions.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiOS can improve the monitoring function, it could be more accurate, easy to use, and understandable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Fortinet FortiOS can improve.
I rate the stability of Fortinet FortiOS a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My colleagues like the FortiOS because it is simple, and the easiest to understand. We have approximately 300 users that are using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
I have used the support from Fortinet FortiOS. Some of the engineers who take our tickets are good but others take unnecessary steps for verification before addressing the problem.
I rate the support from Fortinet FortiOS a four out of five.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiOS is simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The best solution in the category including the price in Thailand is Fortinet FortiOS.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When comparing Fortinet, Forcepoint, and Sophos, Fortinet FortiOS is the best solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiOS an 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

Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiOS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
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Updated: March 2025
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