Fortinet FortiGate Reviews

I use Fortinet FortiGate to secure our infrastructure, user data, data encryption, and to prevent DDoS attacks. 

I also have experience with FortiManager and FortiCloud. I have experience in integrating SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate because I am using SD-WAN with multiple ISP lines, using it as a load balancer and for specific route traffic.

Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted our organization by preventing hackers from accessing our network.

The performance of hardware-assisted DDoS protection in Fortinet FortiGate when managing data center traffic is very good.

One of the best features of Fortinet FortiGate is VLAN. Dynamic Segmentation and SD-WAN are also very good. 

It is stable and easy to use. There are a lot of good resources available on the web.

Fortinet FortiGate could be improved in terms of user friendliness at the policy level and assigning URL based and keyword based features.

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for around three years.

Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution and the best solution.

The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate is good.

I would rate technical support from Fortinet a ten out of ten.

Positive

Before choosing Fortinet FortiGate, I was using Sophos Cyberoam, which is outdated. I switched from Sophos to Fortinet FortiGate because the Sophos device was outdated, not providing the same SD-WAN features at the same cost and central level.

We got our ROI in the second year due to its stability.

The licensing cost is at the intermediate level.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten. 

On-premises

I was involved in deciding on Fortinet FortiGate, but I am not the one who's using it on a day-to-day basis.

We want to make sure that our on-prem servers are protected. We basically use VPN to configure that on Fortinet FortiGate, so that is the major purpose, and that part is working well.

We have not had any incidents where our servers got compromised. It's all good.

For security, it has all the required features, such as the web filter and DNS filter. Also, for accessing the network, we have various rules.

Our IT staff says that some of the security features are better than Sophos's.

Its usability is good. We can easily navigate the system, and we have a very good user experience. It's easier to understand the software compared to Sophos, which I feel is a little more technical and could be difficult for a first-time user.

I want some additional features. For example, I want something to ensure that when we are using Google email or Microsoft email, or Google Workspace, emails can only be accessed on designated machines given to our employees. I would like them to access data from designated machines, not from any machine. It should work for designated mobiles and laptops. I don't know if Fortinet provides something like that out of the box.

We have just installed Fortinet FortiGate, and it has been two months since our installation.

Fortinet FortiGate is stable.

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable.

We are going through the vendor for technical support. If we have any issues, we raise a ticket, and they respond immediately.

Positive

Previously, we were using another firewall device, Sophos. Compared to that, Fortinet FortiGate provides more features and better security. Fortinet FortiGate supports WAN migration. Fortinet FortiGate is also better in terms of speed. In the dashboard, we can get all the stats reports and logs.

Deployment is not very difficult because they have their migration tool.

We are facing some challenges. We are working with a third-party vendor, not FortiGate directly, for the installation and other things. The problem is that their knowledge is very limited. We are facing some challenges. With Sophos, we could enable multi-factor authentication for VPN users. FortiGate also allows that, as per our initial analysis. The people we are working with are not able to configure MFA. They are having some technical issues. Fortinet needs to ensure that its partners are well-trained.

Only two people were involved in the deployment process. The vendor side had their own technician, and we had one person here.

Cost-wise, there is not much difference from Sophos, but feature-wise, we get more features.

We did some comparisons between Fortinet FortiGate and Sophos. We went with Fortinet FortiGate because of the security features and easy-to-understand console.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

On-premises

We usually use Fortinet FortiGate for a perimeter firewall, but also for our outbound traffic as well as for the tunnels, with around 40 to 50 tunnels on our firewall.

We are using it in our data center; we have the 2,000 series HA firewalls.

Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted my organization by allowing us to replace all the firewalls in other locations, as around 90% of our company operates on Fortinet.

We enable the SD-WAN zone to handle multiple ISPs, allowing it to automatically switch over the WAN link if any latency hits the threshold value, eliminating the need for manual failover. The impact of SD-WAN on our network performance provides great stability with zero downtime; it immediately switches over without any delay, not even a fraction of a second.

Fortinet addresses many vulnerabilities with respect to SSL VPN on their devices; quarterly patch upgrades are released, and the Fortinet team is retiring remote VPN services in favor of whole encrypted IPsec remote VPN to enhance security against hackers.

I have found Fortinet FortiGate's user-friendly design to be the most valuable feature so far. Anyone can easily understand how exactly it works, unlike Palo Alto and Check Point which are complex to understand. 

I believe one area that could be improved in Fortinet FortiGate is posturing, specifically for remote VPN users, as there are OS-based limitations I encountered with only Windows; adding domain restrictions for VPN access would make it more competitive and useful.

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for almost five years.

Overall, my impression of the stability of Fortinet FortiGate is very good, as I haven't seen any issues in the five years I've been using it, and there is no degradation of services on the firewall. However, I have observed some issues with FortiAPs, which is a different platform.

Based on my experience, Fortinet FortiGate is very scalable. Earlier it was suitable for mid-infra, but now we can use the firewalls for enterprise-level needs.

Whenever I am stuck or need help, Fortinet support is available 24/7, regardless of the time zone I'm in, and they immediately jump in to assist, provided it is licensed.

Positive

Before implementing Fortinet FortiGate, we were using SonicWall and ASA firewalls, which have now been replaced. The reason the previous firewalls were not suitable for our company anymore is that they were not competitive; they lacked UTM features, had limited VPN capabilities, and were outdated, which led us to select Fortinet over Cisco FTD for future needs.

It's not so complex. It's user friendly. I have implemented more than hundred devices from scratch.

As partners with Fortinet, we are end-users of this tool for our customers.

I am not exactly aware of the pricing of Fortinet FortiGate, but I would say it is considerably cheaper compared to other firewalls.

I evaluated other options, particularly Palo Alto. Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly and as competitive as Palo Alto, Check Point, and FTD. It has the same features as other vendors but at a lower cost.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

On-premises

We have a Fortinet FortiGate 900 series that is a big UTM. We also have 10 Gig switches, all fiber, for distribution of the service provider's connections.

The key features include SD-WAN, firewall use, intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, and application control. 

I have tested 90% of the features that Fortinet FortiGate offers. This type of solution helps us integrate all communications of our company. They guarantee operational continuity of our company and reduce risks by eliminating and detecting threats. This solution gives us agility.

The area that Fortinet may improve is customer support. When you have an incident, situation, or open a case, the support is not as good as Cisco or other platforms I have tested. There are many opportunities for improvement.

I've been using the solution for eight years.

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

The area that Fortinet may improve is customer support. When you have an incident, situation, or open a case, the support is not as good as Cisco or other platforms I have tested.

Before Fortinet FortiGate, we had Cisco.

It was not easy. While it might be easier now than eight years ago, you have to be careful and ensure you use a great partner that helps you implement this solution as easily as possible.

The experience is good when you use a quality partner or integrator. We use an integrator, located in the Dominican Republic. They have great support here and extensive knowledge.

The return on investment is great. Previously, we were using a dedicated point-to-point connection from the service provider that cost approximately $3,000 a month. When we implemented Fortinet FortiGate, we changed to two internet high-speed dedicated connections, costing approximately $2,000 in total, resulting in significant cost savings.

The cost efficiency is notable because it is an overall product with a mid-range price point, and you receive more value for the price.

Before Fortinet FortiGate, we had Cisco.

The only product that I have not integrated yet is the Unified SASE. This gives my team agility because as the Chief Information Security Officer, I do not have frequent contact with the platform, but my team has this interaction. 

On a scale of one to ten, I rate this solution a nine.

On-premises

Other

I am reselling FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) or handling the administration of this product for various customers such as universities and those in the hospitality industry.

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is more realistic in application, allowing for more specific, customized security policies without the extensive work involved with static rules. This feature is what I desire from the next-generation product. Its segmentation capabilities allow me to apply rules based on team needs or social networks, automatically updating for new networks. This removes worry about what happens when a new social network appears.

It would be better if there was more transparency regarding what the automatic rules do. When a site is blocked, it is necessary for me to consult the logs to understand what the Next Generation Firewall policy has blocked. There is usually no information about what is included or not included in these automatic rules.

I have had about five years of experience with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW).

The support is not good because I generally search for solutions online. When I open a case, they usually identify it as a bug they are working on. I must study the best version to install to avoid previously found bugs.

Neutral

The initial setup of FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is pretty straightforward and easy.

For one implementation, only one person is needed for configuration. However, for tasks like interconnecting, putting the device in a rack, and other physical requirements, more people are required.

The licenses are expensive, and whenever a customer needs to renew the license, it becomes a significant expense. However, the hardware itself is relatively inexpensive compared to the license costs.

Netgate pfSense and FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) differ significantly in terms of pricing and features, with FortiGate offering many more features.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) a seven.

The SD-WAN feature of Fortinet FortiGate has been most impactful in maintaining our network's integrity.

Fortinet FortiGate's threat detection capabilities are good for our use because it's an internal firewall; however, we haven't enabled some of the features that are there. We've enabled IPS and antivirus generally.

They could improve the response time and quality of support.

I'm not sure what additional features they need to have in the future to make it better. For the purpose that we use it, it is doing the job, but I haven't explored some of the features.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for seven years.

I haven't had any issues with the stability or performance of the actual firewall. It has been fine with no bugs.

We didn't have to think about upgrading or anything; it does what we bought it for. If it wasn't for the end of support and the end of sale, we would not think about changing it. We are considering similar products for upgrading, maybe newer or bigger hardware.

The product is scalable. Currently, 120 people are using Fortinet FortiGate in my company.

I would rate their technical support about six out of ten; I'm not fully satisfied. They could improve the response time and quality of support.

Neutral

Fortinet FortiGate has delivered financial and operational ROI to my organization. It took about two to three years to realize ROI with Fortinet FortiGate.

At the time we bought them, I was satisfied with their pricing; I don't know how the new pricing will be.

We have to pay additionally for maintenance or support; it is not all included.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.

On-premises

We use FortiGate as the edge firewall. We integrate it with our APIs over Microsoft Azure. We work in the VOIP industry, and our services are prone to latency. Security is a major concern for us as a U.S. research company, where we frequently test attacks. FortiGate handles these attacks well.

FortiGate has led to a reduction in our security budget. Our management decided to switch to FortiGate because it offers all the necessary features and even improved features within our budget.

I'm looking forward to FortiGate's dashboard features, insights, application oversight, and monitoring, which could help us significantly.

As of now, I haven't identified areas for improvement. However, once the firewall is in production and all traffic is shifted, I might be able to provide more feedback. The configuration part was challenging, especially converting configurations from another OEM to FortiGate.

I have been working on FortiGate devices for around four years. In my previous role, we used FortiGate based on the requirements and budget constraints. Currently, my organization is transitioning to FortiGate in the Azure environment as part of the migration phase.

I rate FortiGate's stability as a nine out of ten, reflecting that there have been no major issues with stability so far.

FortiGate's scalability is rated eight out of ten. We expect network expansion both over the cloud and on-premises, and we believe FortiGate will perform well in this scenario.

We had a single instance requiring FortiGate's technical support, which was effective in solving the problem. I rate their support as eight out of ten.

Positive

We used other vendors, like Cisco. FortiGate was chosen due to its cost-effectiveness and its ability to offer improved features within our budget.

The installation process does not take much time, but the migration phase from Cisco to FortiGate is expected to take about ten days.

We have a separate team responsible for deployments over the cloud, while our networks and security team manages migrations and operations of the devices.

There has been a cost reduction in our security budget after implementing FortiGate, attributed to its offering of essential features at a reduced cost compared to previous vendors.

We pay for additional services like perpetual licenses. Despite this, FortiGate is considered a cost-effective solution. I rate the pricing as a five out of ten, reflecting a balance between cost and benefit.

We also use other vendors like Cisco, Netgate, Ubiquiti, and others in our environment.

I recommend this product. In future updates, it would be beneficial to see automation features, such as real-time alerts via phone, which we currently get from other OEMs.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Private Cloud

Microsoft Azure

My customer's main use cases for Fortinet FortiGate are mainly for threat blocking, compliance requirements, firewall functionality, and basic security.

It's focused on defending against advanced threats and providing better throughput. Additionally, it can accommodate both enterprise companies and independent users. Bandwidth is one of the issues, but there are many benefits. Overall, it's a solid solution that is scalable in terms of throughput.

The best features of this tool include threat protection, email filtering, and web filtering. FortiAnalyzer's integration with the firewall and FortiSASE is beneficial. The integration helps detect the most advanced threats, such as APTs. 

Fortinet FortiGate stable solution has made systems more compliant in the cyber industry for several customers.

They can improve the backend functionality of Fortinet FortiGate, particularly how the policies work in a real-time environment. Improving this aspect can ensure that policies work effectively.

I have been working with this solution for around one year.

The stability can be rated as eight out of ten.

Fortinet FortiGate has very good scalability in terms of bandwidth, throughput, and everything else. It's scalable without any problems.

I would rate Fortinet support a six out of ten. The immediate response is not that good, particularly when raising a critical or P1 ticket; they lag in the immediate response. They can improve on that front, especially in their support service.

Positive

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.

My customers have seen ROI with Fortinet FortiGate. The investment they made has provided returns.

I'm not sure about the exact license cost, but generally, it's a reasonable price. If the hardware or the machine is advanced, it will be expensive. However, for medium-sized machines or hardware, it maintains a reasonable price.

I recommend that those who want to use Fortinet FortiGate need to plan ahead. If they are upgrading or expanding their user base in their company, they should purchase a one-level higher version. It would provide good throughput and withstand the number of users in their company.

Fortinet FortiGate can be a bit expensive, but the price is reasonable. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.