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reviewer1784964 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Of Technology at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Secure, good integration, and responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiGate has a very strong unified threat management system."
  • "If they could extend their fabric towards other vendor environments for integration, that would be great."

What is our primary use case?

We are a system integrator and Fortinet FortiGate is one of the products that we have implemented for our clients.

It is primarily used for VPN and remote access. More recently, we have been using it for SD-WAN.

How has it helped my organization?

This is a versatile solution and with it, we can offer our customers multiple functionalities. The Fortinet fabric goes across the entire enterprise.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the security and the integration with the entire Fortinet product line, from access points to switching.

FortiGate has a very strong unified threat management system.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see integration into other systems. That would be really great for me. The fabric works well only if you're using other Fortinet devices, but they're not exactly the best in terms of switching or access points. If they could extend their fabric towards other vendor environments for integration, that would be great.

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.
847,625 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for the past few years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is very scalable.

We have implemented it for 13 or 14 customers.

How are customer service and support?

I am familiar with technical support and they're very responsible. I haven't had any issues with them so far.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. The length of time required for deployment depends on the customer's environment and use cases.

What about the implementation team?

We handle the deployment and maintenance of this product for our customers. We use the Fortinet tools, such as FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer to maintain it.

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

Licensing is usually on a three-year period.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, this is a very good solution and in fact, a good starting point for a broader cyber security approach for the business.

I would rate this 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: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1368420 - PeerSpot reviewer
Telecommunications Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good network protection and configuration that is easy to set up and quick to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the policies, filtering, and configuration."
  • "Technical support is good but the response time could be faster."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution to protect our network on every site. We are using it as a Network Firewall.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the policies, filtering, and configuration.

What needs improvement?

Technical support is good but the response time could be faster.

When it's overloaded, it works slower and overheats.

The data analysis could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for 15 years.

We are using the 100 models.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution. I would rate it a seven out of ten.

We have 2,500 users in our organization.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good. I would rate them an eight out of ten.

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

We have also used Huawei.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. It's pretty easy.

At the very most, it takes a day to deploy.

What other advice do I have?

Before deciding to install this solution, be sure to conduct an analysis of your environment. You may need a larger one or this may be too big for their needs.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

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.
PeerSpot user
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.
847,625 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director/Owner at Miodesk
Real User
Easy to use, well-priced, and scales to our requirements
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
  • "In the future, I would like to see improvements made to cloud-based management."

What is our primary use case?

We use this firewall as part of our security solution.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the ease of use. It's very simple and this is one of its advantages.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see the product updated more frequently.

In the future, I would like to see improvements made to cloud-based management. They already have some features for this, but it's very basic.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, this is a good solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good, we have about 5,000 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have never used technical support from the vendor.

What about the implementation team?

We have an internal team for deployment, maintenance, and support.

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

The price of FortiGate is good.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is implementing FortiGate that it is a great product and easy to use, but be careful which firmware you use.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Specialist 3 at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
Enables us to to set up remote systems and has good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to set up remote systems is the most valuable feature."
  • "They should improve the interface to make it more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution as our firewall. 

How has it helped my organization?

We have branches that we use for the net clients to VPN back into our network.

What is most valuable?

The ability to set up remote systems is the most valuable feature. 

What needs improvement?

They should improve the interface to make it more user-friendly. 

I would like to see some sort of reporting if there was an issue with the connecting network sources or connections.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's definitely stable. We haven't had any issues with it. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. We have just over 100 users using this solution.  

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was complex. The user interface was a little bit difficult so it made actually setting it up a little bit complicated. The deployment took a week to roll out four branches.

What about the implementation team?

We used an integrator for the deployment and had a good experience with them. They made it easier to get everything set up.

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

There are no additional costs aside for the standard licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

FortiGate is very good if you're thinking of expanding where you have remote offices, then it's a good solution.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer978405 - PeerSpot reviewer
CTO at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Valuable option for security although unstable at times
Pros and Cons
  • "It has improved our security capabilities."
  • "There were quite a few problems with the stability of the system."

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved our security capabilities. 

What is most valuable?

We find the most valuable aspect of this solution is the price. It is affordable and cheaper than other firewalls.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There were quite a few problems with the stability of the system but now it's working fine. I think it had to do with the complex environment, not because of the product itself.

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

It is an inexpensive solution.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Tech Manager at Global tec
Reseller
It is a reasonably priced solution for this type of product. It enables productivity of our organization to go smoothly.
Pros and Cons
  • "It enables our organization to become more productive. Also, it protects our NEtWare from viruses and malware."
  • "I think the only issue that needs improvement is the interface."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use this for the Security Fabric feature. It works together with other Fortinet products like FortiWeb and FortiMail, as well as with Amazon products. There is a lot of integration. 

How has it helped my organization?

It enables our organization to become more productive. Also, it protects our NEtWare from viruses and malware.

What needs improvement?

I think the only issue that needs improvement is the interface.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sometimes the solution is not scalable.

How is customer service and technical support?

Our experience with technical support has been very positive. 

How was the initial setup?

It was very straightforward an easy for us to initially install.

What about the implementation team?

We always consider:

  • Price
  • Product success

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

The price, in comparison to other products is very cheap.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Other products considered were Sophos and CiscoMaraki.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: I am a reseller.
PeerSpot user
it_user245154 - PeerSpot reviewer
Customer Support engineer at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
Vendor
It helps to come up with the requirements of proxy servers, but it does not have that much troubleshooting & network testing features.

What is most valuable?

The key features of this product are:

  • Network security
  • UTM Features
  • Configuration and ease of deployment.
  • IP/User/Device Mac ID/Device Type based policy configuration
  • Traffic shaping
  • Load balancing
  • Ease of VPN configurations
  • Explicit proxy
  • Link segregation
  • Application signatures
  • Network object based HTTPS/SSL inspection etc.

How has it helped my organization?

In many organizations it helps to come up with the requirements of proxy servers, defining network traffic and the amount of bandwidth for any network object or specified user(s). It has also provided us with security compatibility with other network devices such as IP cameras, the video conferencing system, VOIP phones. It also logs & reports on individual users network activities.

What needs improvement?

The FortiGate series does not have that much troubleshooting & network testing features in its GUI, hence we’ll definitely be looking for some add-on features in near future.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for the past year.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues yet.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues yet.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For massive logs & reports (over a month) we have to go for a separate logging & reporting device i.e. FortiAnalyzer/FortiCloud, as this is not available in Fortigate itself.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

7/10.

Technical Support:

8/10.

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

We started with FortiGate itself.

How was the initial setup?

This product has a setup wizard (FortiExplorer) for the initial configuration, while the physical connectivity is done via a USB cable which is very easy to use.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution ourselves.

What was our ROI?

It is value for money product as we’ve purchased it with Fortinet's three-year warranty package.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated Dell’s Sonicwall & Cyberoam.

What other advice do I have?

Analyze your needs first before implementing this product.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Dono at a tech consulting company
Consultant
The projects' initial costs were high but right now we can do most things, and the only costs now are the annual license fees.

What is most valuable?

  • Active Directory integration
  • QOS
  • Balance/Fail-over
  • Web filtering and protection with AV engine
  • WiFi network for visitors isolated from our corporate WiFi network using only one unit

How has it helped my organization?

After the implementation we stopped internet disruptions and abuse by users.

What needs improvement?

Everything needs to be improved, but they have improvements with each new version.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Fortinet products since 2009. Alongside FortiGate. we also use FortiAnalyzer 10C and FortiWiFi 40C & 50B.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Yes, a misunderstanding of the environment and misconfiguration of the unit. After reviewing it all, everything has been working fine for years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It works as defined and expected.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have the ability to expand our units and there have been no issues so far.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

It's the best I have experienced.

Technical Support:

It's the best I have experienced.

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

Previously, we used Linux distributions, and we changed due to its limitations and our company expansion.

How was the initial setup?

It's straightforward. You just need to understand the concept, and how to apply it.

What about the implementation team?

We used an external company and they had a good amount of knowledge.

What was our ROI?

We have never stopped to calculate it, but we cannot describe how good we feel since we no longer face issues with the internet.

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

The projects' initial costs were high but right now we can do most things, and the only costs now are the annual license fees.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also looked at BlueCoat.

What other advice do I have?

Feel free to ask me questions about Fortinet.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.