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IT Manager at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Aug 27, 2025
Reports are easy to read and understand while offering reliable application filtration
Pros and Cons
  • "For application filtration, I really appreciate many features of Fortinet FortiGate because it is more reliable, easy to use, and the reports are easy to read and understand."
  • "To improve Fortinet FortiGate, I think they need to improve the software and make updates more quickly, rather than taking a long time to update the software or firmware."

What is our primary use case?

I use Fortinet FortiGate just for the data center to connect to it. I put Sophos on the internet and FortiGate on the data center.

What is most valuable?

For application filtration, I really appreciate many features of Fortinet FortiGate because it is more reliable, easy to use, and the reports are easy to read and understand. I have integrated Fortinet FortiGate with the database for reading the reports. I can recommend Fortinet FortiGate for enterprise-level because it has many features and solutions, though I would not recommend it for small companies or individual companies.

What needs improvement?

To improve Fortinet FortiGate, I think they need to improve the software and make updates more quickly, rather than taking a long time to update the software or firmware.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for approximately four to five years.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
November 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten, with ten being the best.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten, as I think it is reliable and very dependable.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate the technical support from Fortinet between eight and nine; it is a very good vendor, but sometimes there is a delay in getting information from us or maybe a delay for us to contact them.

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

I am using Fortinet FortiGate and Sophos.

How was the initial setup?

In the beginning of my work with Fortinet FortiGate, the setup was difficult, but after many attempts, I became an expert on how to install and modify every command. For a regular user, I think it is very easy to understand and read the product documentation.

What about the implementation team?

I use Sophos for firewall and Fortinet FortiGate for data center.

What other advice do I have?

I really recommend Fortinet FortiGate. My overall rating for Fortinet FortiGate is 9 out of 10.

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?

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
UC Solutions Architect at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Reseller
Top 5
Aug 16, 2025
A security-centric solution with excellent customer service
Pros and Cons
  • "The main reason customers prefer Fortinet FortiGate is that it's security-centric, allowing them to implement security features such as a next-generation firewall and translate this to the WAN or SD-WAN architectures, or as a base if they want to grow in more security features or other verticals such as ZTNA and SASE."
  • "My experience integrating SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate is in the middle ground."

What is our primary use case?

I am working as a presales engineer or system engineer, designing solutions for other clients.

The clients use this solution for their data centers and perimeter security.

What is most valuable?

The main reason customers prefer Fortinet FortiGate is that it's security-centric, allowing them to implement security features such as a next-generation firewall and translate this to the WAN or SD-WAN architectures, or as a base if they want to grow in more security features or other verticals such as ZTNA and SASE. It's a little baseline for the rest of the verticals or features that can be exploited.

Fortinet FortiGate compares favorably to others in terms of the technology. Second, it's about the relationship they build with their customers. I'm in Colombia, and I can say they have an excellent sales and engineering team that provides a great experience for their clients. They are very attentive and engaged. This company has a rich history; they grow alongside their clients. They take the time to show clients all the benefits and features of the technology they offer. It’s a much more personal experience for everyone involved.

Fortinet Unified SASE is strong for providing consistent security policies across multiple locations. Working with Fortinet in the SASE aspect has been easy. Customers appreciate the features we can offer with Fortinet SASE and ZTNA solutions. They particularly appreciate how they can integrate everything with the baseline of Fortinet FortiGate, and how they can easily apply all the features they need to secure access to different applications from a single console. Some clients use the Fortinet FortiGate data center solution for their data centers as a hub and the perimeter security service.

What needs improvement?

My experience integrating SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate is in the middle ground. Fortinet FortiGate, as a security-centric fabric, can implement an SD-WAN solution. It can be somewhat manual in some cases, but using other tools that Fortinet has, such as FortiManager, makes implementing an SD-WAN network easier with less effort.

The implementation depends more on the engineer's skill when integrating SD-WAN with Fortinet FortiGate. If you don't have extensive skills in implementing Fortinet FortiGate, it can be difficult, but with more experience, it becomes easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

In the presales team, I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for about five years, and as a customer, I worked with it for about two years between 2016 and 2018.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is very stable and secure for customers.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's easy with Fortinet FortiGate as they have a very good solution for scalability. If we need to grow in branches or licenses, we can easily do it. The most important aspect of growing this solution is their strong enterprise-level account managers, who always help customers find the best solution and an easy path to grow their architecture with Fortinet.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate their customer service around eight because not everything is perfect, but they have very good customer experience and relationship management.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

It depends on the size of the company or the solution they want to implement with Fortinet FortiGate. Most companies could have another vendor or baseline products, so we need to depend on the scenario.

How was the initial setup?

It is very straightforward to set up initially. The duration depends on the size of the company and the solution they want to implement. They might already have another vendor or a different baseline of products, which makes things more complex.

As for deployment models, we typically offer both on-premises and cloud options. We have been working with AWS, and it has been a very positive experience. They provide readily available machines, and everything is easy to find in the marketplace.

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

I believe it's a fair price for the kind of technology they offer their customers. Sometimes, I think they could apply more discounts to engage customers further. This approach would be beneficial, as it helps us expand the solutions available to clients. As for discounts, they do engage clients with them, particularly in strategic business situations, such as with large accounts in sectors like banking and big retail.

When comparing Fortinet to other vendors, Fortinet generally tends to offer better discounts. However, this does not imply that their solutions are of lower quality; rather, they demonstrate expertise in meeting customer needs.

What other advice do I have?

Some users utilize AI and machine learning enhanced features, such as the FortiGuard services, though not all do as the AI features are relatively new. However, we have successfully positioned some features, particularly in areas such as AI. For example, the threat detection capabilities and the AI assistant available in the FortiAnalyzer service are noteworthy. Fortinet offers a license that can be utilized for AI features, especially in FortiManager. Users appreciate this feature because it helps them achieve better network configuration. If they encounter any issues within the network, they can easily leverage AI to find solutions to those problems.

Overall, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten because while not everything is perfect, they're really doing their best and demonstrating it through their technology.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
November 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.
GOUTHAM KRISHNA P S - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Information Security Analyst at channelnext
Reseller
Top 5
Jul 2, 2025
Provides advanced threat protection and helps ensure compliance
Pros and Cons
  • "The best features of this tool include threat protection, email filtering, and web filtering, and FortiAnalyzer's integration with the firewall and FortiSASE is beneficial."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

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

How has it helped my organization?

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.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability can be rated as eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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

How are customer service and support?

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.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.

What was our ROI?

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

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

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.

What other advice do I have?

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.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
PeerSpot user
Suraska Sanjaya - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Lead at Adapt Information Technologies (Pvt) Ltd
Real User
Top 5
Jun 20, 2025
Straightforward implementation and good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is quite popular in my region, so we are implementing Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. Fortinet FortiGate is the best option on the market when it comes to firewalls. It's straightforward to deploy and has good stability and performance."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is the best option on the market when it comes to firewalls."
  • "In an incident, after a restart, Fortinet FortiGate did not connect to FortiGuard servers. Due to that reason, on the customer end, all websites got blocked. I don't know why this happened. The firewall of a bank in Sri Lanka rebooted yesterday, and after that, FortiGuard servers did not connect properly, blocking all customer environment websites."

What is our primary use case?

I am a network engineer implementing Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. We have implemented this firewall for various government departments, small organizations, and hotels.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate is quite popular in my region, so we are implementing Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. Fortinet FortiGate is the best option on the market when it comes to firewalls. It's straightforward to deploy and has good stability and performance.

What needs improvement?

In an incident, after a restart, Fortinet FortiGate did not connect to FortiGuard servers. Due to that reason, on the customer end, all websites got blocked. I don't know why this happened. The firewall of a bank in Sri Lanka rebooted yesterday, and after that, FortiGuard servers did not connect properly, blocking all customer environment websites.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not faced any other issues with Fortinet FortiGate. The performance for Fortinet FortiGate is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate is good.

How are customer service and support?

We are able to resolve most issues on our own. We raise a case through a partner portal. If the local distributor cannot resolve it, it's routed to another country. The response time for their technical support is not always good. It also depends on the license that the customer has.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We are partners with both Sophos and SonicWall. I have implemented Sophos firewall myself, but not SonicWall. Our other engineers handle SonicWall implementations. I implemented Sophos SG and recently migrated from SG to SGS, all the firewalls.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation process for Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward. We don't get much error with FortiGate because it's straightforward. We can implement it easily. Sometimes, when we implement through the portal, there are some errors, but we can manage it.

I have implemented 900D firewall and 400D firewall clusters, and many Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. I have also implemented FortiADC once, following step-by-step guides.

What about the implementation team?

We are a partner of Fortinet.

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

Some of our customers are using Sophos and SonicWall due to price concerns, as they can't manage the pricing of Fortinet FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

I mostly recommend Fortinet FortiGate when it fits the customer's budget. I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Fabricio Nonato - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5
Nov 14, 2024
Robust user management and bandwidth control with an easy setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The common valuable feature for FortiGate is its UTM functionality, which includes various features under a license that is commonly implemented."
  • "Improvements could be made when companies expand and need better equipment and more licenses."

What is our primary use case?

The company uses FortiGate to offer protection for clients transitioning from MPLS to Internet, ensuring security for this new type of connection. In Brazil, clients typically seek protection, and FortiGate is used to offer such solutions. We start with this new kind of connection, explaining and training clients about the product.

How has it helped my organization?

With the FortiGate solutions, I see a benefit in controlling the bandwidth and managing users' access. It's important for leading the market and helping IT managers use the solution.

What is most valuable?

The common valuable feature for FortiGate is its UTM functionality, which includes various features under a license that is commonly implemented. FortiGate is widely used across fifty percent of the solutions in Brazil, making it a prevalent choice for many clients. It's beneficial because it allows the orchestration of networks with multiple vendors like Huawei, Cisco, and Juniper.

What needs improvement?

Improvements could be made when companies expand and need better equipment and more licenses. Additionally, a way to upgrade equipment when increasing Internet bandwidth is necessary. Companies often have to quickly close negotiations due to exchange rate changes affecting budgets.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have had about five years of experience with FortiGate.

How are customer service and support?

FortiGate offers good support, especially for telcos that have engineers inside the SOC to provide solutions to problems.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Previously, I worked with FortiGate. Now, I am studying to use Huawei. My current company has various solutions, though their firewall is not as developed. FortiGate is known for its firewall solutions, however, with Huawei, it’s a hard work to establish the offering.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for FortiGate is straightforward and easy. The company frequently conducts meetings to present their solutions in Brazil, helping to streamline the process.

What was our ROI?

Using FortiGate has enabled us to increase security, control user access, manage bandwidth, and enhance the ability to provide a variety of operations solutions to clients.

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

We work with a price list that changes every three or six months, however, we purchase in dollars. The exchange rate between the local currency and dollars affects the budget of our clients, so we need to quickly close negotiations.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The clients in Brazil often use Fortinet, given its familiarity and integration with existing networks comprising vendors such as Huawei, Cisco, and sometimes Juniper.

What other advice do I have?

It’s crucial to understand the client’s necessity first and implement only the solutions needed initially, expanding later with more solutions as required.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
PeerSpot user
Chief Technology Officer at Micro solution pvt ltd
Real User
Top 20
Aug 7, 2025
Cost-effective and simple to configure and manage
Pros and Cons
  • "The main value comes from the simplicity of the product in terms of configuring and managing."
  • "However, apart from this, I don’t see a significant differentiator between FortiGate and other firewalls."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate is mainly used for next-generation firewall features.

How has it helped my organization?

Most of our customers primarily use FortiGate as a general-purpose firewall and for remote work. During COVID, they needed to enable the SSL VPN licenses, which was a straightforward process, and they benefited greatly from that. However, apart from this, I don’t see a significant differentiator between FortiGate and other firewalls.

Most of our implementations are standalone. We have a few integrations as well with Active Directory and other things. It is pretty straightforward, and we have not had any issues.

What is most valuable?

The main value comes from the simplicity of the product in terms of configuring and managing. 

What needs improvement?

Their user interface could be improved from a configuration perspective.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have personally used it for about five years, but the organization has been using Fortinet FortiGate for the organization and customers for about 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is excellent. We have not had issues from the product itself.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have deployed Fortinet FortiGate from 50 user locations to 100-200 user locations. We have not had any issues with any of those models.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate their support an eight out of ten. There's always room for improvement. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We are a small system integrator and an authorized partner for Fortinet FortiGate, Cisco, Cisco Meraki, Palo Alto, Sophos, and Check Point. We cater to the SMB and upper SMB market and some enterprise customers. Most customers do not require fully fledged integrated solutions.

In Sri Lanka, there is about 40% market penetration for Fortinet. They have partnerships with two telcos, so most corporates with MPLS links who wanted to move out with the operator are offered managed SD-WAN solutions using Fortinet FortiGate.

We have Cisco customers as well, including local customers and global customers whom we support using Cisco firewalls. Comparing Cisco and Fortinet firewalls is challenging. You cannot compare a Ferrari with a normal Nissan sedan from a product and feature perspective. The SMB market segment and the upper SMB market segment are very price-conscious. Cisco does not offer firewalls that are competitively priced for this market segment, especially compared to Fortinet's offerings. They only recently released the 200 series, which can compete with the FortiGate 50 models that we sell.

How was the initial setup?

Fortinet FortiGate is pretty straightforward compared to Cisco.

It is mostly on-prem. One or two clients are using it on the cloud.

What was our ROI?

Our customers get their ROIs on the price points that we sell in this market.

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

For the market and the segment that we cater to, the FortiGate pricing structure is sufficient.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine 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. Integrator
PeerSpot user
Cyber Security Lead Engineer at GAVS
MSP
Top 5
May 31, 2025
Extensive web controls enhance our security posture
Pros and Cons
  • "The web controls are what I appreciate about Fortinet FortiGate. We have extensive controls over areas where we could block external-facing IPs, external URLs. We can do geo-fencing with the firewalls, which is a good feature."
  • "It has upscaled our security posture, especially regarding external connectivity, because any access or connection from the company has to go through the Fortinet FortiGate firewall."
  • "There are too many updates coming for VPN, and the VPN keeps disconnecting frequently, which I find problematic. It does what it's supposed to do, but I practically face reconnection issues with the VPN."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate for the firewall as well as for the VPN. Any of the users outside the organization use the VPN. Any staff members working outside the office headquarters or our office location use the VPN.

The main aspect that I deal with is URL blocking and web access. I don't work with other aspects of this firewall.

How has it helped my organization?

It has upscaled our security posture, especially regarding external connectivity, because any access or connection from the company has to go through the Fortinet FortiGate firewall. It's doing a pretty good job. We do not have any complaints there.

Anything that we don't want to allow is not coming in. Anything we want to allow is not being blocked. We always have the granular control where we can block malicious IPs or subnets if needed.

Geofencing allows us to limit the countries from which we allow IP connections. There are many features that I may not even know or haven't explored, but in general, Fortinet FortiGate is doing a pretty good job for us. 

What is most valuable?

The web controls are what I appreciate about Fortinet FortiGate. We have extensive controls over areas where we could block external-facing IPs, external URLs. We can do geo-fencing with the firewalls, which is a good feature. 

What needs improvement?

There are too many updates coming for VPN, and the VPN keeps disconnecting frequently, which I find problematic. It does what it's supposed to do, but I practically face reconnection issues with the VPN. 

Regarding the Fortinet FortiGate firewall, I don't have any input. My scope is limited.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for around three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is stable. We haven't seen any latency issues related to it, though we do experience latency from ISPs.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability as eight out of ten based purely on my exposure to security controls relating to URL blocking and website access. 

How are customer service and support?

I haven't had a chance to work with Fortinet FortiGate technical support, but from my colleagues' experience, they say the Fortinet FortiGate people are easy to reach but hard to schedule time with. It's not as easy as having the Fortinet FortiGate engineer on the call and getting other teams involved; it requires careful arrangements to join in with the Fortinet team. I would give their support a neutral score of maybe five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

I don't know why we switched to Fortinet FortiGate from Juniper; it's a management decision.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the deployment. I think it's not that difficult; there's no complexity involved as long as we are clear on what we want to do.

We have it on both cloud and on-premises.

What was our ROI?

I was not part of the team that implemented it. I don't know how much they invested, but it would be worth the investment.

What other advice do I have?

My overall experience with Fortinet FortiGate rates as eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at Church of Scientology International
Real User
Top 10
Nov 26, 2024
Powerful bandwidth control and seamless connectivity management
Pros and Cons
  • "I appreciate FortiGate for its reliable, powerful, and flexible setups."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate could improve their documentation on forward error correction and failover technologies."

What is our primary use case?

I use Fortinet FortiGate IPS for firewall applications, VPNs, dial-up VPNs, and different types of connectivity, specifically on-site to site VPNs and for securing networks. 

It's not just regular firewall applications; I use it on a ship to manage bandwidth by controlling website access and blocking high bandwidth-demanding applications like gaming.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS allows me to block certain applications, which is valuable in managing bandwidth on a ship. The IPS enables controlling and securing networks. I appreciate FortiGate for its reliable, powerful, and flexible setups. Even smaller boxes perform with great power, which is crucial for my operations. FortiGate's chips make it very fast and integrate virtual firewalls, simplifying complex setups.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate could improve their documentation on forward error correction and failover technologies. 

Additionally, better documentation and applications for SD WAN setups, especially for satellite-based internet like Starlink, would be beneficial. This area is vital, and they have not capitalized on it compared to competitors like Peplink.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS for about five to six years. Before that, I was using WatchGuard.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability as a nine out of ten. There was only one instance where I had to restart FortiGate due to it running out of memory.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiGate is easily scalable and I would rate it a nine out of ten. It works well with additional endpoints and global networks.

How are customer service and support?

I have minimal direct experience with Fortinet customer support as I usually find solutions online. However, in my encounters, documentation available is rated an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Previously, I used WatchGuard. I switched to Fortinet since WatchGuard was more complicated. Fortinet offered powerful applications and built-in features that made my life easier.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. Fortinet has thought well of the user experience, making it user-friendly to implement.

What about the implementation team?

I have a few other sites working with me, involving IT technicians to establish connections. It's a collaboration with some remote sites and a handful of people.

What was our ROI?

FortiGate's ease of implementation relative to WatchGuard saves time and ultimately provides a higher return on investment.

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

Fortinet is competitively priced. It is neither particularly cheap nor expensive compared to other products like WatchGuard. The pricing and performance are better, making it a viable choice.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Peplink for SD WAN solutions that offer more high-tech features than FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate FortiGate a nine out of ten overall. To avoid losing market share, Fortinet must focus on satellite-based internet solutions such as Starlink.

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.
PeerSpot user
Viraj Fernandopulle - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.
Real User
Mar 7, 2024
Includes built-in APIs, is easy to deploy, and provides good insight into our network
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring."
  • "Due to its higher cost, Fortinet FortiGate can lead to increased operational expenses."

What is our primary use case?

For IPS, IDS, traffic management, SDWAN, high availability, we leverage Fortinet FortiGate as a virtual appliance to secure our data center, internal office infrastructure, and site-to-site VPNS Site to client VPNS for our internal lab controls, rather than using physical Fortinet FortiGate hardware.

We implemented Fortinet FortiGate as part of our compliance requirements to address the high volume of intrusion attempts we were experiencing. This solution provides us with a insight on Intrusion to block these attacks and gain insights into who is trying to access our network. Essentially, we aim to understand the nature of incoming and outgoing network traffic.

How has it helped my organization?

FortiGate offers visibility into the types, brands, versions, and users of connected devices. This visibility is crucial for our industrial devices, as their reliable operation is essential to our business.

Fortinet Security Fabric empowers us to comply with regulations, governance, and compliance requirements across regions like the US and Europe, ensuring smooth operations for our global business.

FortiGate's built-in APIs enable us to integrate with the vendors of our choice.

Fortinet's FortiGate is easy to deploy in our environment thanks to its well-written and easy-to-follow documentation.

FortiGate is a highly benchmarked product that improves efficiency and adds value to our organization.

Although we don't see a benefit overnight, we gradually see the benefits of FortiGate over the years. It has provided a lot of insight into our organization's activities.

FortiGate significantly helped reduce the risk of cyberattacks that could disrupt our production. This has protected us against financial losses.

Fortinet has its management suite so it helps to centralize the management of network and security operations in our company. This helps us easily manage the issues and solutions that are required.

Fortinet FortiGate provides us with actionable data to inform our decisions about the most appropriate course of action. It delivers insights into resource consumption and compromised hosts, helping us identify the source of unauthorized login attempts. This comprehensive view allows us to understand what's entering our network.

Fortinet Security Fabric improved security across our industrial control systems.

Fortinet FortiGate helped reduce our mean time to remediate.

Fortinet FortiGate helped to mature our approach to cybersecurity for protecting our industrial equipment. The level of detail we can see regarding incoming traffic and ongoing activities is quite high. This detailed visibility extends to host configuration and other such aspects, providing us with valuable insights. As a result, Fortinet can provide a clear understanding of how to manage our network and quickly mitigate any issues that may arise.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring. 

What needs improvement?

Ideally, I'd like to see most CLI configuration options exposed in the GUI to avoid manual command typing. However, there should be a more user-friendly approach than simply replicating everything in the GUI. Alternatively, some users might prefer scheduling tasks through commands for automation.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for over 12 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate ten out of ten. As long as we configure FortiGate properly.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support has improved over the years.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We previously used an open-source firewall, but we were looking for a solution that was more proactive, easier to manage, and continuously improved. FortiGate was a major competitor at the time and has since become one of the market leaders.

How was the initial setup?

Initially, there was a learning curve during the deployment. We did have the help of local vendors.

If our policies are already in place, we can have the solution up and running in less than a day using a script. However, if we need to determine our policies while implementing the solution, it can take over a month to complete.

What was our ROI?

Fortinet FortiGate mitigates an excessive amount of manpower requirements because it is easy to manage and this helps contribute to a return on investment.

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

The price varies yearly and there could be additional costs to help manage the infrastructure. 

In certain markets, if an organization subscribes to their internet service they get a Fortinet firewall included in the cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated some of the leading brands. At the time we found FortiGate easier to administrate and handle. The interface was intuitive and the solution was affordable.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate nine out of ten.

Fortinet FortiGate is one of the most user-friendly security appliances I've encountered. It has a gentle learning curve, and even beginners can configure it effectively. However, for a successful deployment, it's crucial to have a well-defined network layout, documented initial requirements, and a clear configuration strategy. While physical documentation isn't mandatory, a well-organized approach is essential. This includes using clear and consistent naming conventions for commands and rules, along with detailed descriptions within the configuration itself. This makes it easy for anyone to understand the overall logic and navigate the configuration from start to finish. It's important to note that my approach to policy management might involve unique syntax. This includes how I structure policy sets and identify which ones consume the most resources. Understanding how policies interact with other aspects, like implementation and rule execution, is also crucial. Ultimately, a well-defined naming standard is the foundation for a clear and maintainable configuration.

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.
PeerSpot user
MOHAN SUKUMAR - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of computer systems at Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology(IIST)
Real User
Top 5
Dec 4, 2023
Helped reduced our cybersecurity risks, is user-friendly, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "In terms of security, we have not experienced any security flaws or loopholes, and it has proven to be quite stable."
  • "I would prefer to have more detailed logs within the FortiGate products themselves rather than relying on a separate tool."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate to safeguard our online users, who are primarily students, around the clock.

Over the past seven years, we've utilized Fortinet FortiGate to address a wide range of security challenges. Initially, we implemented a firewall to secure our network perimeter. Subsequently, we sought to protect internal network segments. Next, we implemented application-level security measures. And most recently, we've implemented selective service controls to manage access to applications like Google services, WhatsApp, and video conferencing platforms. These measures have addressed evolving security needs over time. Currently, we're focused on enhancing authentication and remote access security. To achieve this, we're implementing security tokens to verify user identities and ensure authorized access.

How has it helped my organization?

Fortinet FortiGate enables us to comply with regulatory governance and compliance requirements.

FortiGate is one of the security solutions we have implemented to enhance and protect our network infrastructure, including devices, across the campus for all users. Specifically, FortiGate has shielded us from Internet security threats, application threats, and unwanted websites or access to unauthorized web services. For instance, access to classified websites is restricted based on user permissions. This has resulted in a cleaner network environment, not just from a security standpoint but also in terms of overall network performance. Secondly, FortiGate has significantly alleviated the burden on network administrators and server managers. The product has proven to be highly reliable.

It has effectively reduced our risk of cyberattacks. We have experienced a very small number of incidents, primarily due to configuration loopholes. However, FortiGate has been successful in preventing intrusions from the Internet. It has effectively thwarted hacking attempts, making it a valuable tool for our computer and network security.

We operate in an educational setting and do not rely solely on online connectivity. Therefore, an internet outage would only impact academic activities. While some internet services are utilized within our campus primarily for business purposes, they are not entirely internet-dependent. Consequently, the impact of equipment failure is minimal. In the event of equipment malfunction, we have established contingency plans and alternative facilitating services in place. Additionally, our devices are designed for high availability, with two devices functioning as a backup in case one fails. We have not experienced any device failures to date.

It has streamlined the management of our network and security operations. While the machine itself doesn't provide an out-of-the-box solution, its effectiveness hinges on the expertise and security knowledge of its users. Therefore, engineering and security proficiency are paramount to maximizing the benefits of FortiGate.

FortiGate offers a lot of reporting logs and reports. By continuously monitoring these resources, we can gather sufficient information to take immediate action and implement necessary changes. However, the effectiveness of this approach hinges on having dedicated personnel to review and respond to the provided insights. The device itself cannot act autonomously without human intervention and analysis.

FortiGate has helped us reduce our mean time to remediation by 60 percent. Its user-friendly interface facilitates rapid issue resolution.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate is an extremely user-friendly product. In terms of security, we have not experienced any security flaws or loopholes, and it has proven to be quite stable. Additionally, we have not experienced any downtime, which is of utmost importance.

What needs improvement?

The log analyzer, for instance, is a product being developed as a common solution for multiple FortiGate devices. Consequently, the log analyzer's functionalities are not fully integrated into the individual FortiGate products. I would prefer to have more detailed logs within the FortiGate products themselves rather than relying on a separate tool.

While Fortinet claims to offer a comprehensive network solution, it falls short in addressing computer application issues, particularly server security. Fortinet's capabilities are primarily focused on network security.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for over seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is a fixed configuration that depends on the number of nodes and devices.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Fortinet and its vendors is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment can be completed in a few days. Two to three people are involved in the deployment.

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

In the Asian economy in which we operate, FortiGate is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate eight out of ten.

I'm not involved in the operation of industrial devices. We do, however, have devices that are part of laboratories, and they may be flagged during searches because we belong to the education sector. In any case, FortiGate provides protection, and I wouldn't know the extent of visibility there because it's primarily concerned with providing security for those devices. If they are connected to the network, alright.

We have around 1,500 users and over 3,000 devices that utilize FortiGate.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.