Fortinet FortiGate Reviews

We use FortiGate for security. Some clients use the whole Fortinet solution, including FortiSwitch, FortiAP, and FortiExtender, but FortiGate is my bread and butter.

We have a hybrid deployment. A lot of it is onsite, and we have data center collocations. Some customers do collocations with us, but others request connectivity to Azure or another cloud services provider. Fortinet has plugins for Azure, AWS, or Google that make it easy to configure VPNs out of the data center or off-site. 

Typically, we stick with Azure because their support is better, but we do have a handful of customers that choose AWS. We have the solution deployed across Canada. One of our biggest customers is a retail company with many little stores under their umbrella. We cover everything from British Columbia to a couple of sites in Newfoundland. I estimate that we have around 1,200 users.

We need to allow a set of websites or block another set. FortiGate gives us the ability to do it based on URL domain. It's so much easier because you input the domain microsoft.com instead of adding the specific URL. Other firewalls can't do that the way FortiGate does. It helps us with compliance and security.

FortiGate's web and URL filtering are unlike any other firewall I've used. The functionality of URL filtering in those solutions is problematic because everything is encrypted, and firewalls can't break that encryption protocol. 

Fortinet has an SSL proxy, so the encryption is done before the packet ever leaves the FortiGate. The URL filter is definitely one of the most helpful features.

My only complaint about FortiGate is a lack of QinQ VLAN tunneling. I haven't found this feature in any Fortinet product. You can do this on all Cisco routers, including the smaller models. However, QinQ isn't available on the biggest, most expensive Fortinet units. They still don't have that. I think now we're on software version 6.0, and they still haven't found a solution for QinQ. It isn't a dealbreaker, but that's my main complaint.

I've been using Fortinet solutions for about four or five years now.

I think FortiGate is going to be around forever. If I don't see their stock price double in the next two years, I'm going to be surprised. I think it's a very underrated solution. 

Scaling up only requires adding a router. Once you have your network in place and a basic template, you buy another router and add it to the mix. It's incredibly easy to add and configure devices. 

I rate Fortinet support 10 out of 10. The support gets better as you get more certifications. I'm trying to get my certification to see how much better it can be. With an NSE 7 certification, you can contact Tier 3 support directly. I'm already getting my cases resolved in 24 to 48 hours using Tier 1 and 2 support.

We used Juniper firewalls in the past. The two solutions are similar in terms of features, but Fortinet blew it out of the water with regards to pricing and user-friendliness.

The main difference is CLI versus GUI. You have to know what you're doing on a Juniper because it's all command-line based, but Fortinet is 99 percent GUI-based. You log in to Fortinet and check off what you want to allow or block. 

Our biggest Fortinet solution was 500 plus retail sites. This customer chose the whole nine yards, including FortiGate, FortiSwitch, FortiAPs, and the FortiExtender, which is the LTE router. 

I made the templates for the configuration for our bottom tiers because they were the ones rolling them out. I made a standard template config and wrote notes specifying necessary changes for each site. 

The primary difficulty was trying to understand our customer's requirements and concerns because they were with an old provider. The provider had a lot of things on-site that weren't necessary. Deploying the Fortinet solution itself wasn't hard. 

Getting there was hard because we had to sit down with the customer and their tech team to determine what was needed because they had old Cisco routers. That took about three weeks and required a lot of on-site visits, but it wasn't hard to deploy the solution once we got an understanding of the requirements was not hard.

We trained the customers to manage and maintain the solution themselves. The only maintenance we do is emailing them monthly when we get notifications from Fortinet about router upgrades. You can configure it and then forget it. 

We are the integrator/consultant for the solution. We are the one in between the client and the internet service provider.

FortiGate firewalls pay for themselves. We bought our first FortiGate when they came out with the 50Fs and thought we would never see the return on investment. However, they paid for themselves because we rent them out, and customers loved them so much that we just retired our Juniper and Cisco solutions.

Fortinet's pricing is more straightforward than other solutions. If Fortinet doesn't stick out when you're searching for a solution, you are a glutton for punishment. You only need to know two things when purchasing a Fortinet solution: your total bandwidth and bandwidth at the site. You need to estimate the future bandwidth with other solutions if your customer plans to upgrade.

You have to consider whether you'll need to resell your licenses or wait until they expire and get new ones. You need to worry about out-of-pocket costs with other solutions, but you could pay for a higher-tier Fortinet license. You don't need to worry about it for 10 years and still be under budget.

Fortinet encourages people to buy their base product and then add what they need. That mentality goes a lot farther in the game because it affords people security. That's how they got into the market and became so competitive.

We evaluated Meraki, Dell's old SD-WAN, and Cisco's Viptela. Price and flexibility were the main factors. Viptela, Juniper, and others make it so hard to pick a solution. You have to be highly specific about what you want, including the amount of bandwidth and encryption level at every site. You have to pick a different router per site, depending on your functionality and requirements.

I rate FortiGate 10 out of 10. It's a tremendous little firewall. It takes care of all your security concerns.  When people say, "I need to make my organization more secure," the first thing that comes to mind is Fortinet. Everyone is talking about Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, and Check Point but overlooking Fortinet, which is a relatively new player in the game. 

Fortinet's next-generation firewall is more affordable and user-friendly. They also have an extensive knowledge base online. Good luck finding that community support on a Palo Alto, Cisco, or Juniper website without paying.

It does a lot for you for intrusion protection and as an antivirus. The threat management bundle is worth the money. You don't need another company to monitor your web traffic for you. You can do everything yourself on the firewall. You restrict your own black list for people on the firewall. You don't need to pay some other company for another product to do that for you. The firewall can do that for you. So, it's an easy-to-use product for people to be independent. They don't need to rely on other vendors to do what the firewall can do. They can do everything.

The GUI is good. I'm really happy with the ease of use of the firewall. Fortinet's support is also great.  

I don't really have anything negative to say as far as Fortinet firewalls are concerned. If anything, they can support a user a little bit better. They can stop being so time-sensitive about how much time the support call has taken, and they can help you do it yourself.

I've had different models of Fortinet since 2009. They all are physical appliances. I had 300As, and now I'm on 300Ds. I've got a remote site with a different model, which probably is 60F. They are great little firewalls, and for bigger size places, they have 300 models.

I don't have virtual appliances. I don't have a virtual infrastructure. I have an older virtual environment with Hyper-V, and the servers are not up-to-date. It was a money thing. So, it was better to go with the appliance itself.

I'm happy with what they got. It is a great product. Sometimes, you're going to get a lemon—the way it initially happened with FortiAuthenticator 300F—but that doesn't happen very often.

If there is a problem, the next business day, they send it and get the replacement, and they help me configure it.

In terms of its users, everybody uses the firewall because they're going out. That's our egress point. So, there are about 20 users for that. We have a dozen IPsec tunnels with which we connect to different companies. So, security is a big part of it. I also have a remote location with about 10 users who use a different firewall.

We probably won't be increasing its usage. Now that I got Authenticator, it nicely compliments the Fortinet firewall. The size of the company isn't going to grow any more than what it is. So, we're good.

Their support is great, but it also depends on who you get for support. From the support perspective, they can help you do it yourself, which is always more beneficial to both parties. They can stop being so time-sensitive about the call duration and let a user help himself a little bit more.

It takes time to study this stuff, and I don't always have time to do it. So, I'm looking for a quick answer because I get interrupted all the time during work. I don't always have the time to study something and figure it out. So, I have to call them, but I don't always get somebody who really knows what they are doing. They don't know deep enough to help you. They're troubleshooting with you, and that's the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 support.

When I first got here in this job in 2007, they had Cisco ASA Firewall, but it was too cryptic. You had to enter all these CLI commands for a configuration. It also didn't do everything that Fortinet could do. It was very limited, and it wasn't easy to use. I know what I want to do, and I don't have to learn a special language in order to do it. I just want to be able to use some basic programming code that they have put into the firewall and use the GUI interface with it to actually visualize what I am looking at. Some of the Cisco products are not visual enough. That was one of the reasons I stayed away from it. Cisco is also very high-priced. They price themselves out of business a lot of times for equipment, but Fortinet is just great.

I've also used SonicWall before. It was okay, but it is better for bigger places. I was looking for a midrange-size firewall for a couple of hundred users, and I felt Fortinet was the right fit.

Its deployment and maintenance are easy. 

I pretty much used the support from Fortinet to do it. They're good about their support. I did it myself by being a nuisance to Fortinet. I kept calling them to ask questions. They had to remote on to it and see you do something you don't know how to do.

It was probably about $2,500 per firewall. It was all included. It included support, services, threat management software, and 24/7 FortiCare on it. Cisco products are more expensive.

Fortinet has got great firewalls. They do everything. They do FortiTokens for two-factor. They do the IPsec VPNs, SSL VPNs. They have a great GUI for you to know, but you still got to know the CLI commands. 

I would rate it a 10 out of 10. It does its job, and it is easy to use. The support is great.

It is easy to use and update the software version. It is also useful for integration with other Fortinet products, because my office and company use Fortinet solutions. We are also using Fortinet FortiManager and FortiMail.

Fortinet FortiGate is considered the best in the European market for security reasons. I wouldn’t want to change to any other firewall.

At the moment, the main concern is the pricing and the type of licensing. Fortinet offers different types of licensing, and my idea is that the best approach is to have only one, two, or a maximum of three types of licensing.

It is very easy to use, and I don't have any issues at the moment. I also don't anticipate having any issues in the future.

There has not been any impact on my network performance by implementing SD-WAN. 

I have only used Fortinet FortiGate.

I have evaluated some options that could be tested in the future, but at this moment, I only use Fortinet FortiGate.

Fortinet is currently one of the five top players for security firewalls.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

We are using the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall, and we are also providing this solution to our customers.

Customer is investing in this solution. We have observed a reduction in order value costs, approximately one lakh rupees per order, which contributes to reducing overall security costs.

In our territory, the most usable features include WAP content filtering, which is more utilized than IDS, sandbox license, and multiple internet connectivity. These are the primary features we are offering as a solution. 

FortiGate's threat detection capability is excellent. Compared to other solutions, FortiGuard Lab has a very high capacity to detect malware and malicious content.

I would like to see improvements in some of the hard drive features on FortiGate so that we can generate reporting within a single box.

We have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for the last ten years.

It's reliable and works well within our needs.

FortiGate is scalable. That said, you must change the hardware to scale in capacity.

Technical support has improved over the last two or three years, as Fortinet now operates 24/7 support.

Positive

We have also worked with SonicWall. Compared to SonicWall, FortiGate allows us to make a DNS server, which SonicWall cannot do. SonicWall offers the advantage of providing a free reporting solution.

The price is very aggressive in India as India is a rapidly growing market, the original equipment manufacturer offers competitive pricing.

We have evaluated other solutions like SonicWall and Sophos.

For very small companies, with five to ten users and where cost is a concern, I would not recommend going with FortiGate. 

If only cost is a concern, then it would not be recommended. It is a little bit expensive - the entry-level model is the FZ FortiGate. At the same time, Sophos XZ 86 is an entry-level model, which is more suitable for very small networks.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

We use the solution for internet restrictions, application control, and enterprise protection.

Zero trust could be added. Nowadays, solutions like Zscaler, Netskope, and even SecureWorks combine multiple features into a single product.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for ten years.

We have not encountered any breaches or incidents using the FortiGate Firewalls. The integrated prevention services are effective.

This solution is used by two thousand to three thousand users. I rate its scalability a six to seven out of ten.

Support takes time to respond.

Neutral

The initial setup is easy. We need to validate the difference between the existing and the new version. Some new categories may be added when we upgrade the versions; we have to recouple that whether it's like it or not.

It takes seven days to deploy because some products require a long installation and configuration. We perform during non-production hours and validate data releases using a different process that will continue when we are updating.

We have six members to handle the deployment.

FortiGate is a software solution that encompasses firewall capabilities with multiple built-in, readily usable features at one monthly pricing point. 

The product pricing is moderate and competitive to Palo Alto.

I rate the product’s pricing a six out of ten, where one is expensive, and ten is cheap.

Issues with integration and other features that don't function as expected could occur. We aren't aware of these changes until we encounter problems and submit a ticket. This process is incomplete for configuring upgrades correctly.

FortiGate handles high traffic loads and maintains performance, but we need to size it based on our business, Internet bandwidth load, or connectivity requirements when deploying multiple Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. The firewall size should match the bandwidth needs; for example, a small firewall with 300-400 Mbps central bandwidth won't suffice for 48 panels.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

We use the solution on the perimeter. We are a government entity. We have other organizations monitoring our network. We also have our own firewall to separate the DMZ and different things on our external servers.

The solution provides good threat intelligence feeds.

The advanced models are expensive.

I have been using the solution for five to six years.

The tool’s stability is good. I rate the stability a seven or eight out of ten. The stability could be improved.

The tool is very scalable. It connects to its own wireless access points. The firewall is supported by other technologies. We can add more products and extend the features and the network.

Fortinet has a tool that migrates all the policies from the previous firewall to the new one.

The vendor helped us with the setup. It was quick. We connected the new firewall first. Then, we exported the policies from the live firewall to the new one. On a weekend, we deployed the new firewall.

If we buy licenses for a longer duration, we get discounts.

Fortinet has better models, but we are using the one within our budget. It's a good product. Besides Fortinet, we're using Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Defender, as well as the safety features that come with these products. There are many products in the market. The monitoring team is using Palo Alto. Palo Alto is better than Fortinet, but it's more expensive.

We use Fortinet for VPN, too. We have not faced any major issues with the tool. It has a lot of capabilities that enable us to customize tunnels and allow traffic from certain countries or regions. The vendor provides cloud-based models, but we do not use them because they are subscription-based models that are not within our budget.

The vendor has a lot of free and paid training courses. It is the best way to learn about the product. It is similar to Palo Alto. All the good companies have a lot of training materials and training courses to understand the product. The initial versions are free of cost. The certifications will help people understand the process and make administration easier. The cloud version has AI features.

Overall, I rate the product a seven or eight out of ten.

We use the solution for desk security.

The integration primarily occurs within the ONDAP server. We focus on integration with the log server, mainly the logs. There's integration with third-party software for log collection. Integration with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer within the FortiGate family shouldn't pose any issues.

Many protocols are not proprietary, except for H.A. It's easy to integrate.

Fortinet also supports different types of VPNs, with SSL VPN being one of the most commonly utilized options.

The solution's pricing could be improved.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for 5 years.

You'll likely get the correct answer if you reach out to the right person or ask the right question. Sometimes, the engineer doesn't articulate their question correctly, and the answer received may not be relevant.

Positive

The initial setup is easy. It depends on the project. Complex projects are typically based on the implementation, which takes less than a week. The high-level and the low-level are correctly designed, and the stakeholders agree upon the features. FortiGate is a security and VPN device, so the implementation is pretty straightforward. The SD-WAN is pretty easy, and the routing features are solid because the firewall that we are using also acts as a router facing the Internet. You also use an IP site for that. If it's appropriately configured, the customer is pretty happy there.

The renewable is lower because the market doesn’t accept it publicly.

It's easy to use. The interface and other reports are all user-friendly. The software is a bit expensive to renew.

The FortiGate product range is diverse and suitable for different types of enterprises. It is more geared towards meeting the needs of larger enterprises. In the financial services industry in Malaysia, it's often paired with Palo Alto. Most of the projects follow a similar pattern. It's all in one box. You can use it for switching, routing, firewall, VPN - everything you need can be integrated into the FortiGate. Essentially, it's only one device for smaller setups. FortiGate has a very good range, from small businesses to even larger ones.

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

We use the product for our customers. We use it for security.

We can use the URL filtering and antivirus features. We can also configure rules and protocols from source to destination.

The technical support is good.

The solution is expensive.

I have used the solution in the past twelve months.

The stability is not the same as WatchGuard. If we have a power problem, we can lose configurations, VPN, SSL, and other things. Other products do not have these issues. The tool is stable when there are no power outages. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

I rate the tool’s scalability a nine out of ten. It has high scalability. We integrate the solution for our customers. Some customers have 15 to 50 users, while others have 300 to 1000 users. Our customers are small and medium enterprises.

The initial setup is easy. It was not complex.

I rate the pricing an eight out of ten on a scale where one is cheap and ten is expensive. We need to pay for additional features.

The product could provide SD-WAN and VPN features. People can use the tool. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We use the solution at the Internet edge to provide a security boundary between the public network and the private network.

The most useful features are application control, web filtering, and SD-WAN.

Support could be improved like Sophos. Some clients don't have the expertise to manage their environment. If they have a problem with Fortinet, they should have easy access to support. Secondly, the process of evaluation as a partner with Cisco should give you the ability to deploy access as a partner. You can do team labs and a lot of things.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for five years.

We never had any problem with stability. I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.

The scalability depends on the client's size. We have clients with as few as 500 users, as many as 800 users, and clients with just 100 users. We cater to small and medium businesses. I rate the solution’s scalability a seven out of ten.

The initial setup is straightforward. Deployment time depends on the client's requirements. Some clients may agree to a monthly deployment, while others may require a different team. If you sell a new environment, the deployment time may increase. The basic setup takes one to two hours. Deployment is a continuous process, as you will need to refine the policies and settings to meet the client's specific business needs. I rate the initial setup a nine out of ten.

The solution is cheap. Fortinet FortiGate SWG licenses are based on features, so you can choose the license that best meets your needs. This is especially beneficial for enterprise environments with different use cases. However, it can be costly for other segments, such as small businesses. I rate the solution’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a good solution that meets your security requirements and is an excellent alternative to more expensive security products like Cisco and Palo Alto. If budget is a concern, Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a good choice for a security product. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

FortiGate has a lot of things that you can do. You have VPN, VRRP, and VDOM tools. FortiGate also makes GRE tunneling possible. Those are a few things that I like the most about FortiGate.

We are in an era of cloud-based things, so most need a simpler pay-as-you-go model. That might be effective for SMBs, where small organizations can afford features. FortiGate needs to be elastic to the market's trends. It should be easy for SMBs to get the solution. A cloud or SaaS model would be effective. FortiGate should bring a solution that allows smaller companies to use firewalls. Very small or medium companies do not focus on security, but it is the major concern of every organization. To tap that market, FortiGate must bring an innovative product everyone can adopt.

I've used the solution for six to seven years and currently use the latest version.

I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

Scalability is not an issue, but it's difficult for small organizations. The devices that have FortiGate are the issue. I rate FortiGate a seven out of ten.

FortiGate is deployed in a centralized way. The way it is deployed in our organization, all the employees benefit from the security features.

FortiGate's technical support depends on the region. FortiGate's support in my region is very helpful.

Positive

I rate the initial setup a seven out of ten. Deployment takes a few months, but no more.

I rate FortiGate's pricing a five out of ten.

FortiGate, as per my usage, is good. It's a very nice, sophisticated, and realistic firewall. I don't have any issues with FortiGate. It's a good UTM and has very simple dashboards. I rate FortiGate a seven out of ten.

We use FortiGate on-prem, but now we are trying to adopt it on the cloud. I'm not sure how it is because I have not seen a cloud-based FortiGate.