Fortinet FortiGate Cloud Reviews

I use it as a partner, not as an end user. We sell all the elements for Fortinet. We sell FortiGate and FortiGate Cloud.

Sometimes, we need to support our customers with FortiGate Cloud. I know the technology well, but I don't use it daily.

The centralized management for organizations with three or more FortiGates makes a lot of sense.

It's easy to integrate with other products and with segmentation. There are no problems with integrating with any other vendors.

The main feature of FortiGate Cloud is that you don't need open ports for remote administration or management of FortiGate. 

FortiGate has been the target of many vulnerabilities in the past few years, and to have an open port for management is a door for hackers.

So remote management access is the biggest advantage of FortiGate Cloud.

The performance can be a little slow sometimes. When you make changes to the configuration, the browser isn't refreshed for two or three minutes.

I have been working with this product for three to four years now. 

In the three or four years that I've been using the platform, I've had three issues accessing the platform. I wasn't able to log in, but the platform was up again after a few minutes.

I'm not sure if it was the login page for FortiGate Cloud, or something else. I don't know what was happening at that moment. But in three or four years, I only had problems logging in three times.

The scalability of this solution is pretty good.

Sometimes you have to escalate the priority of the ticket by making a phone call, and sometimes you have to wait a long time. But once they answer, it's easy,

Positive

The initial setup is easy. It does not take more than five minutes. 

There's nothing we can do from the outside for maintenance. So it's done by Fortinet.

The return on investment is fast because you don't need more than one or two people to manage the system.

It's not cheap, but security has a cost. You shouldn't prioritize cheapness over security or other poor technology. The cost doesn't matter as much as the security.

I always recommend FortiGate Cloud to my customers because it's the easier way to manage the systems. The general simplicity is the key.

Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten. Because of some problems with the performance that I've observed and the three times I had trouble logging in. But in general, nine is a good rating.

We use Fortinet FortiGate Cloud for log retention and reporting. 

The solution's most valuable feature is log reporting. It has a wide range of products for small, medium, and enterprise customers. The tool is very user-friendly and straightforward, which sets them apart from other vendors. It also has good integration with other solutions. 

Fortinet FortiGate Cloud's customization is very limited. 

I have been working with the product for more than five years. 

I rate the solution's scalability an eight out of ten. 

Fortinet FortiGate Cloud is scalable and can offer log retention for up to one year. I rate its scalability a ten out of ten. My company has 1000 firewalls, of which 50 percent use Fortinet FortiGate Cloud. 

The tool's response time is slow. 

Neutral

I worked with SonicWall and Sophos. 

Fortinet FortiGate Cloud is easy to deploy. You need to log in to set it up. It can be completed in a few minutes. We have around 20 engineers involved in its deployment. 

The tool offers cost savings. Normally, a separate solution for these requirements would require a big budget. However, the solution is very affordable and achievable for most companies.

Fortinet FortiGate Cloud is a cost-effective solution. I rate its pricing a six out of ten. Pricing depends on the firewall model. If the firewall model's pricing is high, the solution's pricing also increases. 

Since it's a cloud service, analyzing logs and reporting through the cloud is very efficient. There's also the option to view logs from the firewall itself. If the internet bandwidth is slow, there might be difficulties because the logs are retrieved from the cloud and displayed on the firewall. In such scenarios, there can be some issues.

I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten. 

We use the solution to manage FortiGate firewalls, access points, and other devices. This tenant allows configurations to be pushed to all devices and provides cybersecurity to monitor security activity.

The solution responds more quickly to attacks or issues in the field.

The solution allows you to see and manage all the devices from one place. You could connect all the switches and access points. From a security point of view, it protects end devices from vulnerabilities.

There could be more network-related information like interpretation response. All the flows are limited and related to devices, certificates, and switches.

An additional feature also provides more possibilities for integrating third-party solutions. If you use integration with FortiGate for cybersecurity, you will have visibility for all devices, endpoints, employee computers, and laptops.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate Cloud as a partner for four to five years.

There haven't been any problems. 

I rate the solution's stability a nine out of ten.

The solution is very scalable. It's very easy to add new devices and push the configuration templates, and it is very easy to manage.

600 users are using this solution.

I rate the solution's scalability an eight out of ten.

Customer support is very helpful. We have a separate support team.

Positive

The product is affordable.

We have two administrators for the maintenance.

I recommended the solution to small and medium businesses. It depends on the services and the devices the company has. When you buy the FortiGate switches, adding them to the cloud service is very easy. You don't need any agents, but if you have FortiClient, you need to deploy agent installations on employees' computers to conduct this cybersecurity review.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

The solution is primarily used for firewalls, border protection, and network gateway protection.

It's a UTM solution. It covers layer four to layer seven in terms of firewall functionality. It doesn't only cover the network. It also covers application cases. 

It also has an IPS module. It has an anti-malware module. Usually, customers can extend the license, and they can have Fortinet agents which will help them enforce the policies also when they are outside the network. 

It's a comprehensive solution compared to other solutions.

The initial setup is relatively easy.

Maybe the upgrades could be a little bit easier, especially when customers don't upgrade in a long time. When there is a gap like that, you have to follow a strict path of upgrading, which does not always run smoothly. 

In the email security modules they have in their UTM, maybe they can include more extended or expanded features for the email security where users can have their own portal login to release blocked emails, as an example. Currently, the UTM will only have basic email security.

We've used the solution for seven years, as a partner, as a reseller, not as an end user.

The solution is stable. It's reliable, and the performance is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

It's scalable up to a limit. You have to do sizing correctly. If the sizing is correct, then there are no issues; however, if not, then in some cases, you need to replace all the hardware in order to scale to the next level.

Some environments have only 20 users, and other environments where there are 5,000 users. The number of users varies from client to client.

We have had interaction with technical support.

They're good if you have the correct support package. They have two support packages. They have eight by five and they have 24 by seven. As long as you have the right support package, then you'll find the support process very easy and helpful. Otherwise, you have to match your time with their time and sometimes they will not go the extra mile if the package or the service you bought is limited.

The solution is very easy to implement. It's not complex at all. 

The implementation strategy usually depends on the customer. It varies from customer to customer, depending on the requirements. That said, usually, it shouldn't take more than a couple of days.

Usually, first, we have to collect feedback or collect requirements from customers in terms of the different networks that they have, the policies, the allowed protocols, the disallowed protocols, the allowed content, the blocked content, et cetera. We will get, from the customer, a unique account for Active Directory, which is required for the user's onboarding. After we do the physical implementation, we start by implementing the policy and building out the policies. First, we will test them out during off-business hours. Then, if everything is working as expected, we move it to production, and customers can start using it.

One person is all you need to handle deployment and maintenance. 

Our clients have seen an ROI from using this solution. 

It's moderately priced. It's in the middle of the market. It was not very expensive. However, it is also not the cheapest option.

There are extra costs if you need extended things added to the license. For example, if you need some cloud logging or premium support, for example. All these come at an extra charge.

We are the partner for Fortinet, and we sell their products. 

We are not using it for our own network.

We tend to deal with the latest version of the solution. 

In most cases, we deploy on-prem. We have one or two cases only in the cloud. However, most cases are on-prem.

My advice would be mainly to first have proper data gathering from customers before implementing. As part of the data gathering, a company needs to include some facts regarding the utilization network and the sizing. You need to get sizing correct from the outset and should plan to have room for an extra 30% increase in the future.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten. 

We utilize FortiGate Cloud for our cloud protection and extend its usage for our on-premises protection needs.

The product's Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS) feature is helpful. It provides valuable visibility into any improvements needed regarding message origins and types, ensuring a secure environment, especially concerning our billing address.

Improving the platform's intuitiveness and consolidating functionalities, such as reporting and firewall features, could enhance user experience and reduce the need for multiple product purchases.

I've been using FortiGate Cloud for almost a year.

I have experience with other products, including Barracuda, but found Fortinet's offerings advantageous.

The initial setup has been relatively straightforward. Deployment takes a reasonable amount of time, approximately around four months.

I rate the process an eight out of ten. 

We partnered with our implementation partner, who helped with the setup and configurations based on our requirements, ensuring effective protection and traffic management.

As for incident response times, while there have been delays due to previous project commitments, the support to expand our capabilities has been valuable.

The product cost varies based on company budgets, but for us, it's reasonably priced considering the value it provides.

Partnering with managed services provides insights into traffic spikes and allows proactive measures. FortiGate Cloud analyzes this data to determine the necessity of action, ensuring data reliability.

While our use of AI implementation has been limited, we aim to explore its capabilities further to enhance our cybersecurity measures.

It is a solid solution for business environments. Investing in this technology can yield significant cost and security enhancements.

FortiGate Cloud is nine out of ten.

We use the solution for network security. 

The tool is a mature product, ahead of brands like Sophos, though not quite at the Palo Alto or Checkpoint level. I'd rate it nine out of ten for being cost-effective and offering features similar to high-end options.

The most valuable feature is its user-friendly interface - even those unfamiliar with firewalls can easily manage it. Policy control and configuration are straightforward. Its main benefits are easy deployment, user satisfaction, clear security, and intuitive policy configuration without referencing external documents.

For improvement, I'd like to see basic endpoint security management integrated into the firewall with just a license addition.

I have been using the product for six to seven years. 

The tool's stability depends on proper configuration. Vulnerabilities often stem from improper setup rather than the product itself. 

The product is scalable and works well even for customers with more than defined users.

The support level isn't as strong as some other brands. 

Setup is quick, taking only about half an hour for basic configurations. The deployment process involves consoling the firewall, accessing the GUI through a port, and configuring policies based on user needs. More complex setups take longer.

I advise new users to keep using it, get trained, explore best practices, and stay in touch with technical experts. Like other brands, Fortinet FortiGate follows the SASE solution. I rate it a nine out of ten. 

We use FortiGate Cloud to protect from ransomware, malware, and viruses. We also use it for identity management and controlling bandwidth allocation to solutions. 

FortiGate Cloud boosts productivity and security because one solution covers all the requirements, features, and management functions. Staff can operate it with less security knowledge, so it decreases the workload of security specialists. Anyone with training on the console can manage access to users and devices based on standardized structural services. 

FortiGate can efficiently manage firewall functionality because it is flexible enough to use with customers who have different types of IT infrastructure and businesses. For example, we have purely production-oriented companies, but some mix production, management, logistics, etc.

It reduces complexity and gives valuable control over any communication paths.

FortiGate helps us reduce operational workloads and standardize security management processes. It streamlines everything, which is helpful for management. 

It provides you visibility into distributed sites. For example, some massive customers have multiple businesses with different requirements. The Fortinet infrastructure is also excellent for integrating on-premise and cloud environments. 

It works for any type of customer. 

Fortinet should simplify the licensing model. It's too complex for decision-makers to choose from the range of options. Handling the pricing models is a nightmare, so it's difficult to sell the solution. 

I have used FortiGate Cloud for eighteen months.

I rate FortiGate Cloud 10 out of 10 for stability. 

I rate FortiGate Cloud 10 out of 10 for scalability. 

Setting up FortiGate Cloud is straightforward and simple if you have experience withcloud environments. The time needed to deploy varies depending on the size of the customer or project, and it takes some preparation. 

FortiGate Cloud is affordable for large enterprises, and smaller companies to e.g. in fields like health care and education. The pricing is transparent once you select the licensing model you want to use, but picking a plan is the issue. 

If your organization is dynamic, you need scalable licensing based on your needs, where you can pay based on usage. Many of the smaller customers require more flexibility. Fortinet could have a more significant market share if its licensing were more flexible. 

I rate Fortinet FortiGate Cloud a nine out of ten. 

I recommend using a trusted infrastructure provider. We recommend United Internet/IONOS in Germany, but other major operators, such as AWS, Azure, etc. It's a cloud security product, so you need a good available infrastructure. Other implementation options are available.

FortiGate Cloud is used for web application firewall, DDoS protection, intrusion prevention, and indicator of compromise in conjunction with the FortiAnalyzer. There are much more functions, including an IP firewall.

FortiGate Cloud has many features that we like. For example, we're using it for security incident management, threat intelligence, and vulnerabilities check. It's integrated with several Fortinet tools like FortiAnalyzer and FortiSandbox controlled through FortiManager. 

We also find Fortinet's hub-and-spoke setup useful because I can manage security from where I am, while the IT engineers in branch offices can handle it on their end.

When we're upgrading, it's sometimes quite challenging, especially firmware. We usually don't upgrade unless we have a bug, and we still feel it's not safe to react instead of being proactive. We often have some delays when updating FortiGuard, too. Nevertheless, I believe that it's okay most of the time with proper management.

We also run into some problems using FortiGate as a UTM solution. I feel like maybe they're not giving me a full view of the other components that they have in that box. Their box has some DDoS defense, but I need complete DDoS protection. I must not have light DDoS protection on other UTM boxes because if I'm uncertain about the security posture, it will compromise me. We like having everything in one box because running multiple boxes eats up more resources on the computing level. We need a total solution, not half-half.

I've been using FortiGate Cloud for two years.

FortiGate is highly stable. It's one of the most powerful tools I've ever used. For example, it quickly synchronizes with our ATP. No security will ever be 100 percent, but I can say that we have a baseline when using FortiGate. You have at least 80 percent of the security you need.

FortiGate is scalable and robust. I'm working at a huge company. So I'm able to take over the traffic from all over Africa. We have around 45,000 users, including about 20,000 in South Africa, where I'm based. We also have users in Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Fortinet support has capable engineers who will be patient with you. If you want to learn something, they will explain it to you and refer you to links where you can read more on your own after they have solved the problem. 

Maybe the service is good because we pay for managed security services. I've never had an issue with them. I rate Fortinet support 9 out of 10 because nothing is 100 percent.

Positive

I worked with Cisco firewalls in the past. All of them are powerful, but I prefer Fortinet because it's more user-friendly. Cisco is quite challenging and requires more skills, practice, and study. 

On the other hand, I like that Cisco is a managed service, and their services are quite good. They're willing to go the extra mile, but I can say that FortiGate's support is even better than Cisco's.

FortiGate is straightforward to implement and configure. It doesn't require any special qualifications. You just need to practice it a bit, but it's not hard to understand. You can use a GUI or a command line if you prefer that. The command line isn't user-friendly, but the GUI is excellent. I would give the GUI a perfect 10, but I would only rate the command line interface six out of 10. 

The solution does require some staff to deploy and maintain, but it's not that many. African countries don't have a lot of people with cybersecurity skills, so it's challenging when we get an issue from that side. That's why we end up deploying a mobile hub strategy. We are supplying the skills that they may not have the branch offices. Four people are enough to manage the whole empire.

We have a yearly license because we have a huge environment, so we need to upgrade regularly. We do it annually because quarterly updates would overwhelm the staff. Cisco was doing it at half-year intervals. 

I rate FortiGate Cloud eight out of 10. FortiGate is a good solution. It's powerful and has almost everything you need from a security perspective. The issue with Cisco FirePOWER is that you must buy the FirePOWER box. When you need DDoS, you have to buy a separate box. With Fortinet, everything is in one box. You just buy the license and let it run.