My use case for Fortinet FortiGate involves different plans and consulting in the retail area, and I utilize it in various press scenarios.
Chief of Technical Department at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Enables efficient and fast task configuration with extensive options for problem-solving
Pros and Cons
- "The configuration possibilities that Fortinet FortiGate provides are extensive, and the task configuration activity is fast and efficient for me."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The configuration possibilities that Fortinet FortiGate provides are extensive, and the task configuration activity is fast and efficient for me. My group in the office has ten years of experience with Fortinet FortiGate, and we utilize AI services that help with problem-solving. EER represents a ten-year experience, and we have certified five people in Fortinet FortiGate.
What needs improvement?
I don't know how Fortinet FortiGate can be improved; I find it comfortable and appreciate it as it is.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the Fortinet FortiGate solution for three years and a different firewall for more than ten years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is important, and I can be contacted via email for further details.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My experience with the SD WAN capabilities includes working with more than one company, including a small company and a big company with users ranging from twenty to nine hundred. The users can see the tracking.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the support of Fortinet as internal departmental support, which helps me, although I have no other experience.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for Fortinet FortiGate is good; it's a competitive price.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I find Fortinet FortiGate preferable over Cisco for firewall solutions. Fortinet FortiGate works well for me, while Cisco does not work for me anymore.
What other advice do I have?
I am the chief of the technical department and provide support. I rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Last updated: Aug 27, 2025
Flag as inappropriateCorporate Marketing Executive at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reliable with enhanced threat detection with effective content filtering
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate's threat detection capability is excellent."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
We are using the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall, and we are also providing this solution to our customers.
How has it helped my organization?
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.
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for the last ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's reliable and works well within our needs.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable. That said, you must change the hardware to scale in capacity.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has improved over the last two or three years, as Fortinet now operates 24/7 support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
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.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is very aggressive in India as India is a rapidly growing market, the original equipment manufacturer offers competitive pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated other solutions like SonicWall and Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
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.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Fortinet FortiGate
May 2026
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Graduate Teaching Assistant at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy to use and checks the access control as a firewall
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use and checks the access control as a firewall."
- "Fortinet FortiGate SWG can't be used on its own, and you have to get FortiAnalyzer."
What is our primary use case?
We used the solution for the client environment.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use and checks the access control as a firewall. We did not face any challenges while integrating the solution into our infrastructure. Fortinet FortiGate SWG is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG can't be used on its own, and you have to get FortiAnalyzer.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a scalable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is simple once you get a hang of it. All the documentation is available to help with the setup.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Senior Consultant at a tech consulting company with 10,001+ employees
Enables organizations to prevent access to classified IP addresses and protects environments from attacks
Pros and Cons
- "The solution protects the environment from internal and external threats."
- "Two-way inspections are not possible in FortiGate."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for a large government customer. We helped them migrate from Check Point to Fortinet FortiGate. The customer had a lot of applications that are accessed by HTTPS. It was necessary to put some protection in place to prevent certain internet access. They have a reverse proxy published behind FortiGate. The reverse proxy balances the servers.
FortiGate uses IPS profiles for the reverse proxy. The operation system is Linux, and the server is Apache with HTTPS of medium, high, and critical severity. FortiGate is used to inspect the connections between the servers and the customers. It is used to protect the environment.
What is most valuable?
We use .NET services to block IPs. We use the tool’s features to prevent access to classified IP addresses. We use ISDB to prevent network access to malware, botnet, BitTorrent networks, and mining for cryptocurrencies.
We prevent access to certain classified addresses to stop attackers from understanding our environment. Attackers try to study the environment to explore its vulnerabilities and attack us. The solution protects the environment from internal and external threats.
What needs improvement?
Our customers have a specific application for two-way inspection. Two-way inspections are not possible in FortiGate. It is usually available in load-balancing solutions like F5. It would be a good improvement if the product provides two-way inspection features in the next release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for five years.
How are customer service and support?
The support is good. We need to raise specific tickets for specific problems. If we have any issues, the team helps us solve them.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to deploy the solution. The configuration of the firewall is simple.
What was our ROI?
The protection of the customers’ networks is our return on investment. The integration with FortiAnalyzer allows us to see the traffic and perform troubleshooting. Creating a profile with IPS does not require many steps. The level of protection provided by the tool is better than other vendors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Fortinet FortiGate is better compared to Check Point.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Technical Director at Infosyte Sdn Bhd
A security solution with VPN and SSL supported
Pros and Cons
- "The interface and other reports are all user-friendly."
- "The software is a bit expensive to renew."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for desk security.
How has it helped my organization?
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.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet also supports different types of VPNs, with SSL VPN being one of the most commonly utilized options.
What needs improvement?
The solution's pricing could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for 5 years.
How are customer service and support?
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.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
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.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The renewable is lower because the market doesn’t accept it publicly.
What other advice do I have?
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.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Associate Director at NVIT
A highly scalable security solution that is easy to deploy and provides good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The technical support is good."
- "The solution is expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product for our customers. We use it for security.
How has it helped my organization?
We can use the URL filtering and antivirus features. We can also configure rules and protocols from source to destination.
What is most valuable?
The technical support is good.
What needs improvement?
The solution is expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the solution in the past twelve months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
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.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
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.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. It was not complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
What other advice do I have?
The product could provide SD-WAN and VPN features. People can use the tool. Overall, I rate the solution 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
Chief Executive Officer at Spokes network
A cost-effective solution for security with application control, web filtering and SD-WAN
Pros and Cons
- "The most useful features are application control, web filtering, and SD-WAN."
- "Support could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution at the Internet edge to provide a security boundary between the public network and the private network.
What is most valuable?
The most useful features are application control, web filtering, and SD-WAN.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We never had any problem with stability. I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
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.
How was the initial setup?
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.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
What other advice do I have?
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.
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. Reseller
Consultant at Zepto
A comprehensive and easy to use solution that needs to improve offerings for SMBs
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate also makes GRE tunneling possible."
- "FortiGate needs to be elastic to the market's trends. It should be easy for SMBs to get the solution."
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for six to seven years and currently use the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
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.
How are customer service and support?
FortiGate's technical support depends on the region. FortiGate's support in my region is very helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I rate the initial setup a seven out of ten. Deployment takes a few months, but no more.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate FortiGate's pricing a five out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
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.
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.
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