We use Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall. On some particular days, when our network traffic is very busy, we use a separate debit line. We need additional monitoring to know whether our production was cut by peak rates or not.
Manager systems at HOCL
Offers good threat protection and stability
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate is scalable for our users. Right now, we have almost 70 users. We do not have any plan to increase our usage of FortiGate. For maintaining the firewall solution, one staff member is enough."
- "One issue that I have had is that sometimes I need to monitor the traffic, so I need to filter it according to the user and which user is using it the most. I experience a bottleneck most of the time, particularly at the peak time when the number of contracts and users are at maximum."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
It satisfies all of our requirements.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the threat protection. With many users, I've found an issue where sometimes I need to monitor the traffic that I need to filter.
What needs improvement?
We have many users currently with this solution. One issue that I have had is that sometimes I need to monitor the traffic, so I need to filter it according to the user and which user is using it the most. I experience a bottleneck most of the time, particularly at peak time when the number of contracts and users are at maximum. We feel a kind of bottleneck.
When I first entered the log section, I could not find any results. I did not find any proof, i.e. reporting and analytics on the speed and network availability were not optimized. I could not find any such log from the server, maybe Fortinet could improve this service.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
April 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
847,646 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable for our users. Right now, we have almost 70 users. We do not have any plan to increase our usage of FortiGate. For maintaining the firewall solution, one staff member is enough.
How are customer service and support?
We are very well satisfied with the Fortinet technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had been using another solution for approximately ten years. The product was not up to date, so we were not getting any support for it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The total amount of deployment time required depends upon the number of users. Fortinet FortiGate automatically corrects any mistakes you make in the installation process.
What other advice do I have?
I cannot find anything lacking in Fortinet FortiGate. I would rate it a nine out of ten. We advise other users to go for Fortinet.
There is a back-up service that needs to be included with the firewall support.
I have the requirement to filter what information goes to the user to see which user require the most bandwidth and other resources. When there is a disconnection, that should be shown somewhere in the reports.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Auto-scans for viruses, worms, and malware
Pros and Cons
- "The features that prevent internet connections, the filtering are the most valuable because we did not have any internet protection before."
- "Fortinet could improve the windows opener or the virtual IP solutions for opening windows. The virtual IP settings need improvement as firewalls are trending in new development directions."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate out of fear for malware on the internet, to protect our users from malware. We also use FortiGate to prevent connections to the internet.
How has it helped my organization?
We mainly use Fortinet FortiGate to prevent infections of technology on our network devices. We use it to auto-scan for viruses, worms, and malware.
What is most valuable?
The feature that prevents internet connections, the filtering, is the most valuable feature because we did not have any internet protection before.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet could improve the windows opener or the virtual IP solutions for opening windows. The virtual IP settings need improvement as firewalls are trending in new development directions.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is very stable. We use it for 20 hours a day only. It is a firewall so it cannot be shut down.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable, but it is not a requirement for us. We only have 25 users. They are general users, not engineers. I am the only engineer needed to maintain FortiGate.
How are customer service and technical support?
We didn't need Fortinet customer support because FortiGate was already configured.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We started with Fortinet FortiGate. We weren't previously using another solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is not so difficult. We got the instructions for the installation from Fortinet online.
The majority of the work was implemented by our vendor. The deployment took about two days to complete.
What about the implementation team?
The installation of Fortinet FortiGate was implemented by our vendor. They are a third-party selling company, not the original manufacturer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet is reasonable in pricing and licensing. Overall, FortiGate is affordable. The licensing fee can be a little high, depending on the budget for your project.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Other products are not so popular in Taiwan, but the IBM IPM solution is a major competitor to Fortinet FortiGate for firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable and affordable product. I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an 8/10. So far, Fortinet FortiGate has been enough for our business requirements.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
April 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
847,646 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PTL Network Administrator at a non-profit with 1,001-5,000 employees
A cost-efficient product that is very user friendly
Pros and Cons
- "It's a firewall that secures our internal network. I have been using it since 2013, and I find that most of the features are advanced, and very user friendly."
- "The web-cache feature which was previously on the FortiGate device, but was deleted with the recent upgrade should be returned. It was a very valuable feature for us."
What is our primary use case?
It's a firewall that secures our internal network. I have been using it since 2013, and I find that most of the features are advanced, and very user-friendly.
What is most valuable?
It gives priority to certain applications compared to others as well because internally all our applications are web based. We use FortiGate to prioritize certain applications to be accessed much faster than the others. For end users, it enables access to the applications and web filtering, as well. That's where we block off most of the sites and we can do scheduling, as well as access to certain sites within certain periods of time.
What needs improvement?
The web-cache feature which was previously on the FortiGate device, but was deleted with the recent upgrade, should be returned. It was a very valuable feature for us.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is consistent with our needs.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of usage, I have a main branch and then we have smaller branches throughout the country. Connecting to each site through FortiGate is much easier.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is cost-effective, and provides a good value for your money. The pricing, and license renewal, is very reasonable for us. The bottom-line is that it all comes down to the pricing of the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I looked at Cisco, and I think that FortiGate is more reliable, consistent and stable.
What other advice do I have?
When choosing a new solution, I suggest seriously researching the pricing and the features. It must be a solution that fits your particular requirements and specifications.
I think FortiGate is more reliable, consistent, and easy to learn. It is robust and more secure than other solutions on the market.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Security Consultant with 501-1,000 employees
They added a valuable WAF feature to the latest version.
What is most valuable?
- Complete and cost-effective next-generation firewall features with app identification, and IPS and URL filtering with SSL inspection.
How has it helped my organization?
- Better manageability
- Straightforward deployments
- Streamlined and reliable upgrades
Customers have more time to focus on security because maintaining the firewalls is completely hassle-free.
What needs improvement?
Grouping/tabbing (not only by interface) in the policy table of the web GUI would be a great addition.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it for two years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We have not encountered any deployment issues.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not encountered any stability issues. Stability has dramatically improved over the previous main version branch of FortiOS; 5.2.x and 5.4.x are stable enough for critical environments.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not encountered any scalability issues; proven that you properly sized the FortiGate model that fits your environment.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Customer service is sufficient.
Technical Support:The tech support is not excellent; this is where Fortinet saves money compared to others... But plenty of free, clear and public documentation is available and this compensates for the most part the tech support shortcomings.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Cisco ASA. We switched because the old ASA has no next-generation features.
How was the initial setup?
IMHO It is the most straightforward enterprise-level next generation firewall.
What about the implementation team?
All implementations were done in-house.
What was our ROI?
ROI is very high, it has hands-down the best price/performance/features ratio in the market...
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing model is straightforward, easy to understand and purchase; prices are fairly low compared to other vendors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing this product, we also evaluated Check Point and Palo Alto Networks.
What other advice do I have?
In version 5.4, they added a WAF feature that is absolutely unique for this kind of product; no other NGFW product can also be a WAF and this is a great added value...
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Operations Manager at astron computers limited
Effective threat prevention speeds up response but maintenance can be challenging
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate brings numerous benefits to my company."
What is our primary use case?
My customers use Fortinet FortiGate for various purposes. The security services provided by Fortinet FortiGate are quite strong.
I have had use cases where FortiGate helped to protect the mission-critical data for my customers.
FortiGate is effective at protecting the data at the edge.
What is most valuable?
What I appreciate about Fortinet FortiGate is its effectiveness. The feature that I find the most effective is threat prevention.
The mean time to respond and the remediation process is sped up. FortiGate has also helped to consolidate tools and applications for my customers.
The firewall has indeed helped customers to consolidate tools and applications. Once everything is set and done, maintaining FortiGate can have its challenges.
Fortinet FortiGate brings numerous benefits to my company.
What needs improvement?
The good things aside, there are improvements needed in the Fortinet FortiGate. My customers requested specific features to be included in the Fortinet FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
My experience with the Fortinet FortiGate is recent, as I worked with it less than a year ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My impression of the stability of FortiGate is that it is quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
When it comes to scalability, I find it scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have escalated questions to Fortinet's tech support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We need to compare different firewalls, including Fortinet FortiGate and Hillstone, and then suggest the better one to our clients.
How was the initial setup?
The initial implementation part is straightforward, but it has some complexities. My implementation strategy involves several steps that I take when deploying it.
What about the implementation team?
I do have hands-on experience working with the products, and I do the POCs and implementation part.
What was our ROI?
When it comes to the ROI, the return on investment of FortiGate can be a bit hard to estimate, but based on my experience, I find it to be quite favorable. Overall, Fortinet FortiGate has indeed helped to reduce the total cost of ownership for my customers.
What other advice do I have?
My impression of the firewall's ability to provide network and security coverage is positive.
When it comes to sustainability, my impressions of the firewall are favorable.
The size of the environment with Fortinet FortiGate was significant, including many endpoints and users, and it involved enterprise-level business.
Based on my experience, I would say to someone considering purchasing Fortinet FortiGate's data center firewall is that it's a good choice. I would give Fortinet a solid score.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Last updated: Apr 13, 2025
Flag as inappropriateInfrastructure Engineer at a hospitality company with 51-200 employees
Simple to use, has less complications and is very straightforward
Pros and Cons
- "Their interface is very easy to use, it is without bugs."
- "Fortinet Fortigate could benefit by simplifying some of their processes."
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall that protects your assets and data. We have 15 people using this solution. I am an infrastructure engineer. We require 3 people to maintain the solution.
What is most valuable?
What I like about this solution is that it is simple to use, has less complications and is very straightforward. Their interface is very easy to use, it is without bugs.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet Fortigate could benefit by simplifying some of their processes. For example, if you are using Cisco, and you want to find a source and a destination, you type the IP of the source and then the IP of the destination. Cisco will find any denied packet by highlighting it in yellow. To access it with Cisco, all you need to do is right click. FortiGate is not that simple.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 4 months. I am taking a course regarding this solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had been using Cisco and Firepower prior to FortiGate. FortiGate is easier to use. We encountered a lot of problems when we integrated Firepower on Cisco devices.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is very straightforward. I would give it a 5 out 5 on ease of setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Currently, we have not added licenses for all the features we want. For example, we do not have intrusion prevention and detection.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Fortinet FortiGate, it is a good firewall, especially for beginners because of its ease of use.
I would rate the solution an 8 out 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Technical Support Engineer at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
I can manage all of my on-prem devices from the cloud
Pros and Cons
- "I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud."
- "I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate."
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate covers multiple schemes. I am using the firewall for basic protection. The work console and access console are powerful tools.
What is most valuable?
I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud.
What needs improvement?
I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using FortiGate for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is a highly stable system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate covers everything we need. Our company has looked into changing our firewall, but I recommended this solution because it meets all our requirements. Currently, we have between 150 to 200 users covered by the platform.
How are customer service and support?
Fortinet technical support is nice.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up FortiGate isn't complicated. I handled the installation myself, but we have two technicians responsible for maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a yearly subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I rate FortiGate eight out of 10. I'm from Egypt, and FortiGate has a vast share of the security market in this country. Fortinet isn't the leader in routing or switching, but they have a nice share in security.
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.
ICT Systems Administrator at a philanthropy with 11-50 employees
Stable security solution with easy integration, ease of use, and good product support
Pros and Cons
- "Security management tool that's easy to integrate and easy to work with. No issues found with its stability and scalability."
- "Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved for Fortinet FortiGate."
What is our primary use case?
Our use case for Fortinet FortiGate is that it's a firewall for managing our security.
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable in Fortinet FortiGate is its easy integration.
It's also able to individually manage users.
I also like the VPN aspect of this solution.
It's a product that's easy to work with, especially when you work from home, e.g. you're able to integrate it easily with the users.
What needs improvement?
Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved. There's an aspect in reporting that I'm trying, but what I noticed is if you logged into the VPN, there's an effect on the reporting in terms of bandwidth, that needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've dealt with Fortinet FortiGate for the last four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We didn't have any issues with the stability of Fortinet FortiGate.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We find Fortinet FortiGate scalable, because currently, we have 150 users of it, and it could handle up to 1,000 users. It's good for growth.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support for this solution is really good.
The first time we were using it, we called support and reported an issue, and saw that support was really good. There's nothing I can complain about regarding technical support for Fortinet FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
The setup for Fortinet FortiGate was easy, because we had it done by another company. It was a construction company that we had this set up for, but I can't remember their name.
What about the implementation team?
Another company implemented this solution for us, and they also took us through the training and it was okay.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you compare Fortinet FortiGate with Sophos and other firewall products available in the market, this solution is affordable. If you really want to use Fortinet FortiGate, you'll find that it's affordable.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate works well for me. I have not encountered any issues that required me to recommend an action or request if this solution could be improved. It suited the needs of the organization I'm using it in, so I didn't really find an area that needs to be improved, because this solution works very well for us.
My advice to others looking into implementing Fortinet FortiGate is that they need to do their research. They need to find out exactly why they need to use this product and for what purposes, because there are so many options for users. They really need to know what they want for their organization before they implement Fortinet FortiGate. They also need to think about the type of files they require, how many users will use this product, and what they intend to do with it.
If I could give Fortinet FortiGate a score of 11 out of 10, I would. It's very good. It's a ten out of ten for me. It's a really good solution.
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

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Updated: April 2025
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