We use Fortinet FortiGate for a UPP solution. For example, DNS filtering, IPS, and VPN access.
Secure, beneficial load balancing, and useful management UI
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is load balancing. It can provide central management and VPNA. Additionally, it has enhanced our security environment."
- "Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding FortiAnalyzer to its solution, we should not have to use another solution. FortiAnalyzer can provide more detailed information."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is load balancing. It can provide central management and VPNA. Additionally, it has enhanced our security environment.
The management UI is more user-friendly than Cisco's solution.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding FortiAnalyzer to its solution, we should not have to use another solution. FortiAnalyzer can provide more detailed information.
I hope that Fortinet FortiGate provides a software define network(SDN) solution. and provide the interface for the user. If we have the SDN interface we can develop our system to manage Fortinet devices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately one year.
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Fortinet FortiGate
January 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be scalable.
Our company is across many locations. For example, Europe, South America, America, China, Taiwan, and Asia. At this moment all of the sites are using Fortinet FortiGate. There are approximately 10,000 users that are using Fortinet FortiGate.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Juniper. I did prefer the Juniper OS but not anymore because the Junos firewall seems not to be very stable. Since Juniper had stability issues is why we went with Fortinet FortiGate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license to use Fortinet FortiGate.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions, such as Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
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.
Executive at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Easy to use with a nice console but needs to offer container security
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very user-friendly."
- "I'm not sure if it's something that they already have or are developing something, however, we need some dedicated features for container security."
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use the solution as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very user-friendly.
The collection of the integration of multiple nodes makes everything very easy. The fact that you can push, directly, one element, and you can leverage the distribution of the policy very well has been great.
Honestly, the console is done very well. It's easy to use.
From a strategic point of view, I've seen, in recent years, a big challenge from Fortinet to recover some kinds of space with respect to the other two biggest players, Check Point and Palo Alto. That has happened much more since the beginning of the next generation file. I found Fortinet recovered much market space in the last year.
What needs improvement?
I'm not sure if it's something that they already have or are developing something, however, we need some dedicated features for container security. Other vendors have developed some kind of specific product to protection. Containers now are very common, especially in the cloud. It's an area that needs to be addressed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've worked with the product for three or four years, more or less.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been great. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have more than 10,000 people o the solution. The scalability capabilities are enough. We haven't had a problem at all.
How are customer service and support?
It would be hard to rate technical support due to the fact that, up until now, we've never had to deal with them.
That said, from talking with colleagues, my understanding is that they are good, and they offer standard levels of support in line with other competitors.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've also used Palo Alto and Check Point.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward, however, we have knowledgeable teams. We also use Fortinet to check the configurations and make sure everything is supported during implementation.
It's pretty standard to deploy. We're also familiar with Palo Alto and Check Point and there is not much of a difference between the three.
What about the implementation team?
We managed, with my team, the setup. We also engaged with Fortinet in terms of professional services in order to check the installation and offer some support.
That said, we have many people on our team certified with the biggest firewalls and security infrastructure vendors.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's very difficult to discuss pricing as we have generally, in terms of pricing, at the end of the day, we have leveraged deals the existing contracts the client had in place. The client uses various technology vendors. I can't say that one is cheaper than the other. It's all in the same ballpark when you are speaking about comparable products.
What other advice do I have?
We are partners with many vendors, including Fortinet.
Likely our engineers would know what version of the solution we are on. I don't follow those details.
I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. It's stable, easy to set up, and easy to use. However, I have yet to see all of the features in play.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Managing Director with 51-200 employees
Secure, reliable, and support included
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate is stable. It's used across all the countries, this is the way most multinationals run their system."
- "Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall solution and once it's deployed, you can rest assured that your system is secure."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate to filter information, to ensure that we secure our network. Additionally, it's for overall security and to ensure that no information is leaking out.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall solution and once it's deployed, you can rest assured that your system is secure.
Since we have been using Fortinet FortiGate, we've not had anyone breaking into our network. We've used some penetration tests, and the system is very secure. However, the security of the network is dependent on the personnel itself.
For example, if you have a phishing email, you click on it, it takes you to the wrong server, and you put your credentials there, they can use those credentials to attack your system. In terms of somebody trying to break into your network without having the necessary credentials, Fortinet FortiGate is very good.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by being more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable. It's used across all the countries, this is the way most multinationals run their system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
If the business expands into other geographical zones, we will need to expand the network and secure it. This is when we will expand the use of Fortinet FortiGate. However, because of this pandemic, businesses are slowly getting back to normal.
I don't think that expansion will come up in the next one or two years. Maybe in the next three years once they start to pick up their business, then there might be such an expansion or increase in hardware needed.
How are customer service and support?
Each of the devices is licensed every year and in case you have a serious critical issue we can contact the support from FortiGate directly. We contact them every once and a while but not often. We have to purchase a license that allows us the support to use them.
The support could be faster to come out with a solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using Cisco previously.
How was the initial setup?
The Fortinet FortiGate deployment is not difficult. It's not simple, but it's easy for someone to learn. The whole process took approximately three hours. Cisco solutions are more difficult to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We have experts in-house with experience and we did the deployment in-house. They used the deployment resources internally to deploy it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution requires a license annually, it is not a user license, you can have as many users as your want. I must renew the license regularly per device.
The support is included in the license.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
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.
Senior Director Information Technology at a hospitality company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable perimeter firewall with reasonable total cost of ownership over five years
Pros and Cons
- "We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well."
- "The logging details need to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet as a perimeter firewall. The solution is deployed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
The best feature is the ease of use. I think it's pretty much a well-rounded product. It has more features than we use, but a lot of products are like that. We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well.
What needs improvement?
The logging details need to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Fortinet for about 18 months. We are running the current version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't had a need to scale it, so it provides directly what we need it for.
There are approximately 2,800 users in my organization. The solution doesn't require a lot of staff for maintenance.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good. On a scale of one to five, I would give them a four.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Check Point. We switched because the devices became in the end of support and then we got pricing on the replacement models, and the pricing was a little bit ridiculous for what we needed so we looked into Fortinet.
Fortinet said that they could migrate from Check Point for us or help build an easy migration from Check Point to Fortinet. It wasn't that easy at the end of the day, but it all got done.
The switch was really down to pricing and the functionality that we required, so the decision was made to go with Fortinet because of that and ongoing maintenance costs.
How was the initial setup?
It wasn't complex. It was time-consuming because there were so many rules that had to be set up. We were migrating away from Check Point and going to Fortinet.
Deployment took six weeks.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was completed with a consultant.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is yearly.
We pay for the top end. It's called 360. We get signatures for blacklist. We get signatures for a whole host of different bad actors that search the internet.
It covers the hardwares, software, and it covers the subscriptions to the signatures because the box uses three or four different types of signatures for interrogating inbound and outbound traffic.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.
It does everything we need it to do. We're quite happy with it. It's very reliable. We haven't had any problems with it. We had a few teething problems that everybody has when you first use something new. Everything works, and the majority of time we don't even know it's there, which is the best power for an IT appliance that you can buy.
My advice is that if you haven't tried it, you should try it and see if you like it.
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.
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?
My use case for Fortinet FortiGate involves different plans and consulting in the retail area, and I utilize it in various press scenarios.
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.
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.
How would you rate customer service and support?
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
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
Strategic Projects - Information Security at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Simplifies the deployment of next-generation firewalls with integrated IPS and VPN capabilities
How has it helped my organization?
I work with multiple customers. Most are comfortable running IPS within their firewalls rather than deploying it. The standard deployment requires finding a service owner and training them on the platform. However, if I deploy a next-generation firewall with integrated IPS and VPN capabilities, it simplifies things. It's straightforward for someone to manage. Consolidating a VPN server, IPS, and standalone firewall into one appliance can be challenging for many customers. Fortinet's servers are increasingly popular.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet has serious vulnerabilities. Some of their interfaces are exposed to attacks. Since they are more prevalent, they may attract more attacks and have more vulnerabilities discovered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
If I'm incorporating FortiGate IPS, FortiGate firewall, Forti VPN server, or any other component into an existing Fortinet fabric, I already have a Fortinet analyzer and FortiManager. With this integrated Fortinet ecosystem, stability issues are significantly reduced. Additionally, inserting a standalone Fortinet device is much easier and much more accessible.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is fine and fairly responsive.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Cisco products and operated within a Cisco ecosystem. Currently, Cisco is too expensive, but FortiGate IPS does not position itself as premium like Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be completed within a month with some IT security architecture by replacing IPS.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is expensive but comparable to Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
There are limitations to consider, such as the sandbox capacity. Increasing the sandbox limit is essential for better integration with the firewall IPS, facilitating traffic offloading. Since my customers deal with heavy content, we often need to upload content for analysis by the IPS and sandbox. Thus, the system effectively fulfils its intended purpose. However, we do not need to assess features beyond what the customer requires. As long as we meet their specific needs and use case, it's satisfactory.
We're building a network of partners, you know, offering competitive pricing to engage in significant projects. Firewalls are pretty standard. The ecosystem issues may revolve around business support and pricing.
You need more considerable internal resources to manage it. For clients with a robust security solutions team, architects, and skilled developers who handle data and generate similar content, I would recommend Fortinet FortiGate IPS. These individuals should be capable of upgrading their packages and downloading them. If they are comfortable with Docker, they can deploy it as an appliance on a server.
Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
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Updated: January 2026
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