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Phakedi Mphela - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Project Manager at Brilliant telecommunications
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Jun 28, 2025
Provides extensive integration and policy insights, but GUI configuration could be comprehensive
Pros and Cons
  • "The firewall is pretty good if you understand how to use it. It performs at a very high level, and we are loving it."
  • "The issue lies with features available in GUI versus CLI during configuration. When using GUI, I want to accomplish everything there, but sometimes it requires using CLI to ensure proper configuration."

What is our primary use case?

I am using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall and for IDS. We also use FortiSIEM.

What is most valuable?

The firewall is pretty good if you understand how to use it. It performs at a very high level, and we are loving it. The SASE and ZTNA features are quite good as well. 

It does extensive work for our organization. It provided additional policies we were not aware of and gave us an overview and knowledge about those policies. I have had a good experience. It's not difficult to manage. The software is good.

It is particularly effective when it comes to integration, as it can be integrated with many other vendors.

What needs improvement?

Since everyone is talking about AI, they should consider having AI embedded or working with developers in terms of AI to improve Fortinet FortiGate

The issue lies with features available in GUI versus CLI during configuration. When using GUI, I want to accomplish everything there, but sometimes it requires using CLI to ensure proper configuration.

For how long have I used the solution?

It has been almost two to three years.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It has its ups and downs but they are minor things. One can work around them with proper knowledge of the system. We never had many incidents with it. I have had a good experience.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is quite good.

How are customer service and support?

I am very satisfied with their technical support. They are very supportive, though sometimes they can be a bit busy.

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

I have not used any other solutions. The deciding factors were the price, technology, effectiveness of the solution, and the skill that we had for it.

How was the initial setup?

It was easy to deploy. It took us a week to deploy it.

What was our ROI?

It is very effective and provides value for money. After a month, we could see from our reporting when the system was up and running that it was very effective.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven 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.
PeerSpot user
Srinivasan Arumugam - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Mar 11, 2026
Security has improved with deep inspection and vpn access, but reporting and upgrades need work
Pros and Cons
  • "By using Fortinet FortiGate, I significantly reduced major attacks that could exploit my network."
  • "The security features could have been more similar to those in the Palo Alto firewall with major data protections and WildFire, and deeper inspection capabilities, which Fortinet FortiGate lacks."

What is our primary use case?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for the past six years.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate to provide security for network and perimeter networks and gateways, and I rely on Fortinet FortiGate to protect my applications from various Layer 4 and Layer 7 attacks and traffic from malicious IPs while blocking traffic from unwanted IPs.

Fortinet FortiGate is also mainly used to establish IPsec tunnel connectivity with other networks, and users from outside the office network can connect to resources via IPsec VPN as well as site-to-site and client-to-site VPN, which leverages access and resource availability across various networks and simplifies resource accessibility worldwide.

One of the main features that I use in real time with Fortinet FortiGate is web filtering and App IDs based on application control. Previously, I allowed application access policies based on ports, but it could not prevent traffic based on the same application port with different use cases. For example, port 443 can be used for various purposes, but it could not restrict access for some specific applications. The App ID based control is useful for me to restrict traffic based on application usage and user access, which is the primary purpose of Fortinet FortiGate in real time.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate offers next-generation firewall features and security features that restrict access for malicious traffic, URLs, and IPs, which is a major feature that Fortinet FortiGate offers.

The next-generation firewall capabilities including deep packet inspection and application controls via App IDs, Intrusion Prevention Systems, web filtering, URL filtering, and anti-malware protections are essential features that are present in Fortinet FortiGate to prevent various cyber attacks and threats in the network.

Fortinet FortiGate is also mainly used to establish IPsec tunnel connectivity with other networks, and users from outside the office network can connect to resources via IPsec VPN as well as site-to-site and client-to-site VPN, which leverages access and resource availability across various networks and simplifies resource accessibility worldwide.

What needs improvement?

The security features could have been more similar to those in the Palo Alto firewall with major data protections and WildFire, and deeper inspection capabilities, which Fortinet FortiGate lacks. Additionally, I notice that Fortinet FortiGate often experiences resource utilization problems where memory is heavily occupied regularly, necessitating cleanup tasks.

During firmware upgrades, the process is not smooth; one of the VMs often goes out of sync and exits the HA cluster. Therefore, I separate the HA between the firewalls and perform upgrade activities one by one manually. The graphical dashboard representation of the data is frequently inaccurate, leading me to rely on syslogs for more dependable information. The log retention period on the device seems too short despite having ample memory and disk capacity, which is a major issue.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working in my current field for the past seven years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability experience indicates that if I need additional features or security capabilities, such as sandbox features, I can add them by opting for separate licenses, making it convenient for me.

How are customer service and support?

Fortinet FortiGate customer support appears somewhat good, but for complex cases or major incidents, I often do not receive prompt support from the OEM, resulting in multiple follow-ups to get the necessary assistance.

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

Previously, I used to have a Cisco ASA firewall, which had fewer security features for protecting the network from day-to-day attacks and threats. Fortinet FortiGate firewall has next-generation capabilities with various security features including deep inspections, filters, URL filters, URL categories, and IPS protections while controlling application access based on application IDs, along with anti-malware protections to safeguard applications from malicious threats and attacks. By using Fortinet FortiGate, I significantly reduced major attacks that could exploit my network.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others considering Fortinet FortiGate, particularly those concerned about budget and pricing with decent performance and support, to proceed with Fortinet FortiGate, as compared to other next-generation firewall products, Fortinet FortiGate has lower license support costs, which is a significant advantage. Moreover, from my experience, it performs its job effectively with no major issues related to performance or functionalities including policy control, VPN, and security features. I would rate this product a 7 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Last updated: Mar 11, 2026
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Timothy Sweeney - PeerSpot reviewer
Timothy SweeneyNetwork and Telecom Specialist at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
User

Agree Fortinet in general has a good product suite and configuration and ongoing support is generally not too complex. I agree it seems hit and miss with firmware updates, sometimes the HA pair upgrades and returns in a stable state with primary still as primary. Other firmware upgrades - same hardware similar config, require multiple reboots of each chassis to stabilize.  While I find Fortigate firewalls fairly easy to work  with, some of their management tools and configuration wizards are fine if you are starting from scratch, but I've had fortimanager, IPAM, ISL, overwrite customized configs causing serious outages.  My only other problem with Fortinet in general is their chassis builds are either too heavy with one kind of interface while  too light on one kind of interface ( SFP+ vrs 1000Base T for example.  I think their product line could use some "field study".

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Manager, Technical Support at Logix Infosec Pvt. ltd.
Real User
Top 20
Jun 21, 2025
A user-friendly solution with good UTM, web filtering, and IPS capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The best features of Fortinet FortiGate are UTM, web filtering, and IPS."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is a very light product. It's easy to understand."
  • "Fortinet should improve its software, as we are seeing lots of firmware versions generated for each vulnerability issue. It becomes difficult for us to keep updating the firmware frequently due to bugs."

What is our primary use case?

The main use cases for Fortinet FortiGate are in the data centers, mainly for web filtering, IPS, and IDS.

What is most valuable?

The best features of Fortinet FortiGate are UTM, web filtering, and IPS. We have Palo Alto firewalls in place. The ease of integrating SD-WAN capabilities depends on the requirements of the customer.

Fortinet FortiGate is a very light product. It's easy to understand.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet should improve its software, as we are seeing lots of firmware versions generated for each vulnerability issue. It becomes difficult for us to keep updating the firmware frequently due to bugs. 

We would like to see the SSL VPN feature included again in Fortinet FortiGate since it was removed from version 7.6.3 onwards. 

For DDoS protection, there can be more features in Fortinet FortiGate.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for about 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

As implementers, we find it easy to scale up.

We have about 100 people, and we are using Fortinet FortiGate 60.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate Fortinet tech support a nine out of ten based on my experience.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We also work with Palo Alto firewalls. The main difference is in the software. Palo Alto's database is also updated for threat analysis. If you are installing a Palo Alto firewall for the first time, it is a bit complex, but with Fortinet FortiGate, the implementation is easiest, as the tabs are easy to understand.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it. It is user-friendly.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate as 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. Implementer
PeerSpot user
reviewer2703354 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer/ Security at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
May 31, 2025
Ease of deployment and cost-effective but has occasional support challenges
Pros and Cons
  • "It's very similar to a Cisco firewall, yet less expensive."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate helps improve my organization since it's quick and easy to install, and we don't have to call support frequently."
  • "From a support perspective, I had more issues that I didn't think the person on my case handled the way I was expecting. We called them for a geolocation issue and we didn't get any proper assistance."

What is our primary use case?

I use Fortinet FortiGate for security as a firewall.

How has it helped my organization?

Fortinet FortiGate helps improve my organization since it's quick and easy to install, and we don't have to call support frequently.

What is most valuable?

It's very similar to a Cisco firewall, yet they are less expensive. It has all the features the competitors have, including VPN.

Fortinet FortiGate is easy to install and deploy quickly. There's a user-friendly GUI or if you like, CLI, for those who prefer it over CLI you can use that. 

What needs improvement?

From a support perspective, I had more issues that I didn't think the person on my case handled the way I was expecting. We called them for a geolocation issue and we didn't get any proper assistance.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for about seven years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty stable. We once had an issue and we had a workaround from Fortinet FortiGate before they deployed a patch.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable. On a scale of one to ten for scalability, I would rate it as seven out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I don't call them frequently, which is a good sign. However, we called them for a geolocation issue and we didn't get any proper assistance. If I had to rate them on a scale, I would rate them eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I used Checkpoint and used to love them. However, they are expensive and can be complex. I love Palo Alto. That said, they are not that flexible for me. I also used Cisco.

How was the initial setup?

It was easy to set it up, for the most part. The deployment of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward. On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate ease of deployment at an eight.

We did switch from a competitor and were able to set it up very quickly.

It takes only two people to deploy.

What was our ROI?

The price is very interesting and it ends up being a very cost-effective solution. 

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

The price is the first main difference compared to others. Its prices are very interesting. At the company I work for, people tend to go with Fortinet FortiGate, and it's used especially in my country, as it's a cost-effective solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated and compared Palo Alto and Cisco with Fortinet FortiGate after Checkpoint.

What other advice do I have?

I will recommend Fortinet FortiGate to others, depending on the organization's requirements, needs, and budget. 

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate as a seven out of ten simply due to the fact that I'm more of a Cisco person. I prefer Cisco since I've been working with it for a long time.

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.
PeerSpot user
Timothy Sweeney - PeerSpot reviewer
Timothy SweeneyNetwork and Telecom Specialist at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
User

I agree Fortinet's support can be hit and miss depending on the specific engineer and how long it takes to get a response, other than that we have been very happy with Fortigate as a security solution, we recently replaced  our Aruba wireless system with FortiAp for about half the proposed  Aruba cost, and are expanding to use Fortiswitch as our edge solution. I think Fortinet could improve wireless monitoring and management as they have no product similar to Airwave which really helped with wireless real time monitoring and analysis.  The only other small complaint is they make you pay the return shipping on RMA APs.

Jorge Martínez - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Engineer at Sencinet
Reseller
Top 5
May 31, 2025
Offers good SD-WAN capabilities and integrates easily with Fortinet devices
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are its SD-WAN capabilities, such as dynamic routing, and other features, including security options such as antivirus, IPS, and IDS—all integrated into one device."
  • "I find Fortinet FortiGate to be quite stable, as I have never heard of any issues where they broke or malfunctioned; they are always working."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is a very good device overall, though it can be improved in certain areas regarding the licenses, particularly the big one called unified threat management, which has many capabilities."
  • "The big license options have web filtering, IDS, and a lot of other things, but it's not like they are all good."

What is our primary use case?

I use Fortinet FortiGate for SD-WAN, specifically for branches, and for firewall purposes. 

Fortinet FortiGate is sold to everyone, including banks, mining companies, and oil companies, as it's one of the most popular SD-WAN products that we sell. These are mainly medium-sized businesses or enterprise businesses because we only sell business-to-business, B2B, and we don't sell to normal clients, only businesses.

How has it helped my organization?

We usually do not have any problems. It's a very easy-to-use product. We also have a SOC or service operations center. They are certified in Fortinet FortiGate.

From the point of view of a reseller, Fortinet FortiGate improves our business because it is one of the products that we sell the most. We also use it on our backend because the devices have many slots and support substantial bandwidth.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are its SD-WAN capabilities, such as dynamic routing, and other features, including security options such as antivirus, IPS, and IDS—all integrated into one device. 

Another beneficial aspect of using Fortinet FortiGate is that if you have a LAN network, you can integrate it with FortiSwitch. You can manage everything from Fortinet FortiGate. It is easy to manage and integrate with other Fortinet devices.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate is a very good device overall, though it can be improved in certain areas regarding the licenses, particularly the big one called unified threat management, which has many capabilities. The big license options have web filtering, IDS, and a lot of other things, but it's not like they are all good. That's the only thing I would change because the rest is very good.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have about 4 or 5 years of experience with Fortinet FortiGate.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I find Fortinet FortiGate to be quite stable, as I have never heard of any issues where they broke or malfunctioned; they are always working. I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability for Fortinet FortiGate as an eight out of ten

How are customer service and support?

We don't usually use that service. We only engage with Fortinet support when a device is broken and needs RMA, so I am not familiar with their operational teams.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We used to use Cisco firewalls and devices, which are also quite good. However, Cisco is more expensive, approximately twice their prices, but they are similar in functionality. With Fortinet, we are partner experts, which is a big advantage, whereas with Cisco, we are premium partners, which is not the biggest status, so if we are going to resell to our clients, we don't have the best discount or prices.

How was the initial setup?

I am not part of the initial setup or deployment process since I work in presales. The setup or deployment is quite easy, as you can do a one-touch deployment that automatically connects to the FortiManager cloud when you connect it to a broadband or dynamic IP, allowing you to start the configuration from that point.

We usually sell it for on-premises setups.  It's on the cloud only when the client has virtual machines or their own service. Sometimes they have a service on the cloud like AWS, but it's more difficult to sell now because AWS has an e-commerce option where you can buy FortiGate directly. The only thing you need is someone to manage and configure.

What about the implementation team?

For deployments at one site, it usually requires only one person, and if we are talking about 1 to 50 sites, it still only takes one person because the same template is used for all sites.

In Argentina, we service about 100 locations. There are about 200 companies in Colombia and Brazil. 

What was our ROI?

We service about 100 locations with Fortinet FortiGate in Argentina, but if we account for all the company's clients, it can be around 2,000 across Colombia and Brazil, since we have clients in all of these countries.

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

Fortinet prices are around $600 for the small 40F model, and for licenses, the simplest option is about $300 for a year. They sell licenses that can last for 1, 2, 3, or 5 years.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before using Fortinet, we evaluated other options such as Versa and Meraki, but Meraki is also from Cisco. Fortinet is better than Versa. One of the main differences between them is that we don't have many partners or distributors for Versa here in Argentina, making it difficult to sell something that you cannot pay for locally. It has been easier in the past to handle payments, but Versa doesn't have many providers or distributors in Latin America, making it a less viable option. Fortinet offers more products that are easier to integrate into our clients' networks, such as firewalls and access points, so that was one of the main reasons we didn't use Versa.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to other businesses or people considering using Fortinet FortiGate is that it is the starting product from Fortinet, and when you start using Fortinet FortiGate, you can then move on to the next products they offer, which are numerous. 

We sell the 40F, 60F, 80F, 100F, and 200F models. There are the ones we sell readily from the bottom to the top. Sometimes, we sell bigger ones such as the 300 model.

Overall, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate around 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
Jesutofunmi Ajekola - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Support Analyst at COMERCIO PARTNERS
Real User
Top 20
Dec 8, 2025
Unified security has improved perimeter protection and optimized multi-link WAN performance for cloud workloads
Pros and Cons
  • "The impact of SD-WAN on my network performance is clear, and if we speak about Fortinet Unified SASE, it is effective for me."
  • "In terms of pricing, the solution is a bit expensive, but I think it was a better option than Checkpoint, which is why I replaced it."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate serves as our perimeter network firewall for our internal needs, and we also use SD-WAN to combine several internet service providers. I have experience with integration of SD-WAN capabilities, and I can explain my feedback on this.

What is most valuable?

The impact of SD-WAN on my network performance is clear, and if we speak about Fortinet Unified SASE, it is effective for me. My experience with this unified agent brings some examples to mind.

What needs improvement?

There are some areas for improvement in Fortinet FortiGate, including some small challenges I have faced.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I do not work with Fortinet FortiGate Data Center solution, and in general, Fortinet FortiGate is stable. I never see any crashes or downtime; it performs fine overall, but I wonder if it is also scalable or if there may be some limitations, possibly regarding cost to scale.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I never see any crashes or downtime; it performs fine overall, but I wonder if it is also scalable or if there may be some limitations, possibly regarding cost to scale.

How are customer service and support?

I would give technical support from Fortinet nine points as well, noting that only the licensing model could be a bit improved, and all the rest is fine.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

In terms of pricing, the solution is a bit expensive, but I think it was a better option than Checkpoint, which is why I replaced it.

How was the initial setup?

Since implementing Fortinet FortiGate, I have not seen significant changes in ROI, but what I can share about deployment is that Fortinet FortiGate is easy to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

I deploy the solution on the cloud.

What was our ROI?

Since implementing Fortinet FortiGate, I have not seen significant changes in ROI.

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

In terms of pricing, the solution is a bit expensive, but I think it was a better option than Checkpoint, which is why I replaced it.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

In terms of pricing, the solution is a bit expensive, but I think it was a better option than Checkpoint, which is why I replaced it.

What other advice do I have?

I am working with Fortinet FortiGate as a customer. I purchased the product from Fortinet directly, and if we speak about integration of SD-WAN with Fortinet FortiSASE, it has a positive impact on application performance in my case. For SD-WAN, I am not using it, so I would rate my overall experience with Fortinet FortiGate as nine out of ten points. I don't want to see new features included or new integrations for now.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Dec 8, 2025
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GirgisHady - PeerSpot reviewer
IT director at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Sep 4, 2025
An affordable firewall for security and good network performance
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate has many functions, and it is one of the best next-generation firewalls with an affordable cost than other vendors."
  • "They can add automation for monitoring and policy optimization on the firewall. I think using AI to do some optimization on the policies would be beneficial, such as providing alerts about policies that haven't been used for a long time or identifying overlapping policies."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Fortinet FortiGate for the SD-WAN solution between our branches. We also started using Fortinet's access points, wireless solution, and full fabric with switching. We are using many products from Fortinet.

We don't use Fortinet FortiGate for data center solutions; we just use Fortinet FortiGate for perimeter firewalls and wireless and switching.

How has it helped my organization?

The main benefits that Fortinet FortiGate provides is the security of the network.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate has many functions, and it is one of the best next-generation firewalls with an affordable cost than other vendors. 

Fortinet FortiGate is useful for network performance, and it helps to optimize the links between branches and the applications that are used from the data center to other branches. 

The integration between SD-WAN and FortiGate is easy. It accommodates our needs.

What needs improvement?

They can add automation for monitoring and policy optimization on the firewall. I think using AI to do some optimization on the policies would be beneficial, such as providing alerts about policies that haven't been used for a long time or identifying overlapping policies.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for at least six to seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate as eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate as eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate technical support from Fortinet as seven out of ten. While there are no issues, there is improvement needed for fast response and clear response from Fortinet's technical support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Fortinet FortiGate is very simple.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Palo Alto is the main competitor in the market. Fortinet FortiGate provides a simple solution. It is less expensive than Palo Alto and meets our requirements. 

We do the exercise from designing and planning with Fortinet FortiGate, and then we purchase through a partner.

What other advice do I have?

My overall rating for Fortinet FortiGate is eight 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.
PeerSpot user
Bernard Samontanes - PeerSpot reviewer
Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems
Real User
Top 5
Jun 14, 2025
Cost-effective and flexible with good integration capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The best feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the IPS or IDS implementation. I appreciate most the agility or the flexibility to create hashes to block incoming threats, and I can integrate with third-party threat intelligence with our FortiGate."
  • "The best feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the IPS or IDS implementation."
  • "They have recently acquired a CNAP solution which should be integrated into FortiGate boxes natively for protection at any application layer. Since Fortinet FortiGate has Layer 7 protection, they should integrate that as soon as they can for threat detection and network detection."
  • "At the moment, if you don't integrate any third-party solution with a simple Fortinet FortiGate box, the box would not function as expected for superb protection."

What is our primary use case?

We have configured it in our data center.

What is most valuable?

The best feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the IPS or IDS implementation. I appreciate most the agility or the flexibility to create hashes to block incoming threats, and I can integrate with third-party threat intelligence with our FortiGate.

SD-WAN is another beneficial feature of Fortinet FortiGate. It offers flexibility in terms of adding multiple network connectivity and building your own network. It's the replacement for traditional VPN solutions. With SD-WAN, I can connect my remote office quickly and add additional or multiple network connectivity to provide redundancy on my network. This is the simple part of that.

The effectiveness of Fortinet unified SASE in providing consistent security policies across multiple locations is very good. In FortiSASE, they have integration with FortiGate. As a network security individual in a company, you can provide a single view of policy, monitor them, audit them, or in one screen, you can see the activity of your users, the behavior of your users, and in contrast, you can see the possibility of tracing the users whenever they have some threats.

What needs improvement?

Whenever I perform a firmware upgrade or any upgrade on a VM, there are instances where the routing gets lost in the configuration itself on the running VM. 

They have recently acquired a CNAP solution which should be integrated into FortiGate boxes natively for protection at any application layer. Since Fortinet FortiGate has Layer 7 protection, they should integrate that as soon as they can for threat detection and network detection. At the moment, if you don't integrate any third-party solution with a simple Fortinet FortiGate box, the box would not function as expected for superb protection. Compared to others, Palo Alto has more integration. 

I'm waiting for Fortinet FortiGate to be more mature in terms of integrating AI. They already have AI automation in the configuration, but that's just the configuration. They need to address AI in threat intelligence and how they integrate with threat intelligence sources to protect customers using their Fortinet FortiGate boxes or Fortinet FortiGate VM instances.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for more than six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Whenever I perform a firmware upgrade or any upgrade on a VM FortiGate, there are instances where the routing gets lost in the configuration itself on the running VM. Whenever we do any upgrade or patch, we ensure we have a latest backup, and then validate every single configuration whenever we finish the upgrade or deploy the patch. This ensures there are no concerns in terms of connectivity or services that get impacted after the upgrade.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is not a criticism of FortiGate; it reflects my experience deploying several FortiGate instances across different public clouds such as AWS, OCI, Azure, and GCP. My main concern with FortiGate in OCI is its lack of support for features like auto-scaling. When you need additional CPU or bandwidth, it doesn't automatically provision those resources. Currently, in OCI, if you want to scale your FortiGate deployment, you have to shut down the instance and rebuild the virtual machine to accommodate increased capacity. For instance, when you purchase a VM instance, it may come with only four CPUs and a limited bandwidth of four Mbps. In scenarios where you need to scale up quickly, this can be a significant drawback compared to what can be achieved with Azure, AWS, and GCP.

However, I've deployed FortiGate on physical appliances in data centers in the past without any issues, as long as proper planning is done regarding the capacity of your firewall requirements. For example, if you need ten gigabits per second throughput, you should change the module and connect a ten-gig interface to the switch. The key lies in anticipating your design from the ground up, taking into account the growth in the number of users and the increase in the services you provide to your customers. This is my primary concern.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is very good. They respond quickly through their hotline number with an active subscription.

I would rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate as a nine out of ten. Sometimes if I don't escalate to our account manager, it will take the next business day for the interaction.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I previously used Cisco ASA firewall but didn't find it to be as straightforward as Fortinet FortiGate. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Fortinet FortiGate is very straightforward. As long as you have the foundation of networking and understand the east-west and north-south firewall terminology, it's quick and easy. 

The deployment would take a maximum of 30 minutes for edge layer protection and end-user protection. After that, you can enrich or enhance the policy, IPS, IDS tweaking, the built-in DDoS or UDP flooding integration.

What about the implementation team?

I performed the deployment of Fortinet FortiGate myself, and it was very easy.

What was our ROI?

I appreciate how Fortinet FortiGate, particularly in Saudi Arabia, is not as expensive compared to other competitors. The investment value is good, and technically, the value invested is worthwhile. It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise. I cannot speak to the financial analysis as I'm not involved in finance.

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

It is cheaper and more competitive compared to other options. For example, when comparing Palo Alto products to others, Palo Alto tends to be more expensive. If you compare Cisco's platform, including Cisco Meraki, with Fortinet products, you'll notice that Cisco's offerings are generally higher priced than Fortinet's firewall solutions.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before working with Fortinet FortiGate, I evaluated other firewalls such as the open-source firewall pfSense. pfSense is suitable only for small startup companies that need more financial consideration. However, in the long run, it's difficult to maintain and support without a subscription. 

I also evaluated Sophos UTM, which was acquired by Sophos from Vyatta Networks, which began as open source but was later locked down for commercial purposes.

The biggest benefit of Fortinet FortiGate among other firewalls is the community. Many adopters and companies globally are already using FortiGates. Everyone in the community is sharing, and their support is very good.

What other advice do I have?

I can recommend Fortinet FortiGate. It's a very stable next-generation firewall where the majority of the firewall features and services are in one box.

My total rating for Fortinet FortiGate is nine out of ten because there are still some missing pieces that need to be integrated with the box itself.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
President at River Mill Data Management, LLC
Real User
Top 20
Aug 4, 2025
Unified security policies improve efficiency and save administrative time
Pros and Cons
  • "I appreciate the ease of use, ease of setup, and the different abilities it has; I have been very pleased with it over SonicWall, the interface of Fortinet FortiGate is a lot easier to use and more robust, plus their VPN option is much better."
  • "They could continuously focus their improvements on network perimeter security, as that's what they're best at."

What is our primary use case?

My main use case for this product is a firewall.

What is most valuable?

I appreciate the ease of use, ease of setup, and the different abilities it has. I have been very pleased with it over SonicWall. The interface of Fortinet FortiGate is a lot easier to use and more robust, plus their VPN option is much better; SonicWall is ridiculously slow. I have been very happy with the effectiveness of the unified SASE for providing consistent security policies across multiple locations. It has positively impacted my organization by freeing me up regarding administration; I spend a lot less time on administration. It probably saves me about 30 to 45 minutes a week.

What needs improvement?

They could continuously focus their improvements on network perimeter security, as that's what they're best at.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have had four years of experience with Fortinet FortiGate, going on four, possibly five. I cannot remember if we switched over to them in 2020 or 2021, but I think it was 2020.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is very stable. I don't have any issues with Fortinet FortiGate freezing up or needing frequent restarts. The firmware updates are automatic, and I have just been really happy.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

While we're a single office with a single server, I can say that it can definitely be scaled up.

How are customer service and support?

I had a little help from Fortinet FortiGate support, but other than that, it was just me deploying it. I would rate their support a 10; they're fantastic. Their knowledge makes them fantastic; if they had to research something and get back to me, it was very quick, and usually I get an answer right away.

How would you rate customer service and support?

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

The unit itself is probably comparable in price, maybe a little more expensive than SonicWall; however, the yearly maintenance is quite a bit more, but it is more robust and worth it.

How was the initial setup?

For a firewall, the initial setup was pretty straightforward for us.

What about the implementation team?

I had a little help from Fortinet FortiGate support, but other than that, it was just me deploying it.

What other advice do I have?

I believe all use cases could work for this solution. For us, Fortinet FortiGate is deployed on-premises. We purchased Fortinet FortiGate through a Fortinet reseller. Their knowledge makes them fantastic; if they had to research something and get back to me, it was very quick, and usually I get an answer right away.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an 8 or a 9 overall; everything always has room for improvement, but I'm pretty pleased with it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2745927 - PeerSpot reviewer
Works at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jul 30, 2025
Optimal firewall management enhances ease of operation and integration
Pros and Cons
  • "I find that Fortinet FortiGate is pretty easy to use and integrated, offering many features in one box at a decent price compared to other enterprise vendors."

    What is our primary use case?

    My use cases for Fortinet FortiGate mostly involve perimeter-based security and fire-walling.

    What is most valuable?

    I find that Fortinet FortiGate is pretty easy to use and integrated, offering many features in one box at a decent price compared to other enterprise vendors. When I first used it as a one-for-one replacement, the functionality was basically the same, but the ease of use compared to the old solution increased, so I definitely saw benefits immediately.

    What needs improvement?

    Fortinet FortiGate could improve by enhancing FortiManager, which is the centralized management system. It has many inconsistencies and errors with respect to pushing policies, especially when we have a large network team that needs to push different rules. Improving the consistency and allowing proper stability with many users managing hundreds of firewalls would be beneficial. Regarding cloud deployment in public cloud, it is less flexible and scalable, and customers need to provide and take care of resiliency, scalability, and redundancy. This could be a future improvement for Fortinet FortiGate to better adhere to cloud philosophies.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability and performance of Fortinet FortiGate have been good, as it has been running at the company for quite a few years since we first implemented it.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Regarding scalability, we have hundreds of physical appliances deployed, which are running adequately. However, in cloud deployment such as public cloud, it is less flexible and scalable. Customers need to provide and take care of resiliency, scalability, and redundancy, which could be a future improvement for Fortinet FortiGate to better adhere to cloud philosophies.

    How are customer service and support?

    I have contacted technical support regarding FortiSwitch integration issues with Fortinet FortiGate. They are good at responding, though I don't need to call support often. For myself, the experience has been good. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would give Fortinet FortiGate's support an eight. I did have some minor issues with the person I talked to, but overall, they were able to resolve the issue.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    I have used alternatives to Fortinet FortiGate.

    How was the initial setup?

    For someone with a network background deploying Fortinet FortiGate for the first time, the switch is very easy and the UI is easy to navigate. However, their CLI is very difficult to learn, though changes and configurations in the UI are very understandable.

    What about the implementation team?

    For the deployment of Fortinet FortiGate, it depends on the project, but for smaller or even bigger deployments, one person can easily handle it, excluding data center rack installation.

    What was our ROI?

    Fortinet FortiGate requires maintenance, including updates and firmware updates to fix bugs and security vulnerabilities. Overall, it runs fine, but it has security vulnerabilities with respect to some features that may have affected its reputation. Keeping up to date is a normal part of having any product vendor, and their upgrade process has been smooth.

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

    I don't necessarily know directly about their pricing, but Fortinet tends to be lower than Cisco based on the separate projects I've been involved with. In general, Fortinet FortiGate has very competitive pricing.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Cisco Firepower is one alternative to Fortinet FortiGate. Comparing both, ease of use is a major difference. Cisco Firepower's ease of use is very poor, with many bugs and issues that made it non-functional - some things break and pushing policies is very slow.

    What other advice do I have?

    Previously, I was a customer of Fortinet, but now I am also a reseller partner. I rate Fortinet FortiGate 8 out of 10.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: June 2026
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.