We have both on-premises as well as virtual firewall servers. We have quite a few FortiGate firewalls as part of our infrastructure. We are using Check Point more from the perimeter perspective. It is only there on the perimeter.
Lead Program Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
A stable and easy-to-use virtual firewall solution
Pros and Cons
- "The virtual firewall feature is the most valuable. We have around 1,500 firewalls. We did not buy individual hardware, and the virtual firewalls made sense because we don't have to keep on buying the hardware. FortiGate is easier to use as compared to Checkpoint devices. It is user friendly and has a good UI. You don't need much expertise to work on this firewall. You don't need to worry much about DCLA, commands, and things like that."
- "FortiGate is really good. We have been using it for quite some time. Initially, when we started off, we had around 70 plus devices of FortiGate, but then Check Point and Palo Alto took over the place. From the product perspective, there are no issues, but from the account perspective, we have had issues. Fortinet's presence in our company is very less. I don't see any Fortinet account managers talking to us, and that presence has diluted in the last two and a half or three years. We have close to 1,500 firewalls. Out of these, 60% of firewalls are from Palo Alto, and a few firewalls are from Check Point. FortiGate firewalls are very less now. It is not because of the product; it is because of the relationship. I don't think they had a good relationship with us, and there was some kind of disconnect for a very long time. The relationship between their accounts team and my leadership team seems to be the reason for phasing out FortiGate."
- "We were not getting proper support from Fortinet. That's the reason we had to phase out FortiGate."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The virtual firewall feature is the most valuable. We have around 1,500 firewalls. We did not buy individual hardware, and the virtual firewalls made sense because we don't have to keep on buying the hardware.
FortiGate is easier to use as compared to Checkpoint devices. It is user friendly and has a good UI. You don't need much expertise to work on this firewall. You don't need to worry much about DCLA, commands, and things like that.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate is really good. We have been using it for quite some time. Initially, when we started off, we had around 70 plus devices of FortiGate, but then Check Point and Palo Alto took over the place. From the product perspective, there are no issues, but from the account perspective, we have had issues.
Fortinet's presence in our company is very less. I don't see any Fortinet account managers talking to us, and their presence has diluted in the last two and a half or three years. We have close to 1,500 firewalls. Out of these, 60% of firewalls are from Palo Alto, and a few firewalls are from Check Point. FortiGate firewalls are very less now. It is not because of the product; it is because of the relationship. I don't think they had a good relationship with us, and there was some kind of disconnect for a very long time. The relationship between their accounts team and my leadership team seems to be the reason for phasing out FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate for the last four to five years.
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Fortinet FortiGate
September 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I currently have about 36 to 40 devices that are being used. We use a certain number of devices from business to business.
How are customer service and support?
We were not getting proper support from Fortinet. That's the reason we had to phase out FortiGate.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it on our own. It took around one hour. We have one or two engineers for its deployment and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
We installed FortiGate four or five years ago. We are just phasing out FortiGate and not doing new installations of FortiGate. Whichever model is getting end of life, we're just replacing it with a Palo Alto device. We can use it in the future, but I don't see any presence of Fortinet in my company at this time. I see a lot of push from Palo Alto, Check Point, and other vendors, but I don't see Fortinet around at all.
With the current COVID situation, I don't know how FortiGate behaves when working from home, which is an entirely different concept. In other firewalls, we create HIP profiles and similar stuff, but I am not sure how FortiGate works in such an environment.
I would definitely recommend this solution, but I think Fortinet has to first create a presence. That is more important. Nobody says anything bad about the product. The product is still widely being used.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Administrator at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Affordable, simple, effective, and has good support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are that it is very simple to configure and to manage."
- "The way the rules are created and set up on our firewall is very quick, very simple, and does not take a lot of time, allowing us to spend more time in other areas."
- "In the next release, maybe the documentation on how to use this solution could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
The way the rules are created and set up on our firewall is very quick, very simple, and does not take a lot of time. It allows us to spend more time in other areas.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are that it is very simple to configure and to manage.
What needs improvement?
For me, this solution has nothing to improve and it meets the needs that I have. I don't see any way to improve, at least from my point of view on regular use.
In the next release, maybe the documentation on how to use this solution could be improved.
What I have noticed is that when we have done some configurations directly from the command line, there is not a lot of information regarding splitting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is very scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We are satisfied with technical support. We have not had any issues.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We used a reseller to help us with the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is very competitive. It's cheap for what it offers and for what it does.
It's very affordable.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
Fortinet FortiGate is simple and effective.
I would 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.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
914,109 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technology Consultant at NetWiser
A user-friendly and reliable solution offering good performance at a reasonable cost
Pros and Cons
- "You can integrate certain other services with FortiGate and use additional threat intelligence services because they allow you to combine various solutions, enhancing your overall security."
- "FortiGate may include AI capabilities and integrate external threat intelligence. However, version management and backup/restore operations could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate is a popular firewall in Turkey due to its widespread use and strong performance. Technical experts can easily be found for FortiGate, which is very important. Almost every company uses FortiGate internally. FortiGate is user-friendly and reliable, offering good performance at a reasonable cost.
What is most valuable?
You can integrate certain other services with FortiGate and use additional threat intelligence services because they allow you to combine various solutions, enhancing your overall security.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate may include AI capabilities and integrate external threat intelligence. However, version management and backup/restore operations could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall as a reseller for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
With high availability, this FortiGate allows one device to take over for another seamlessly in case of failure.
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable because it supports various models that can accommodate different dimensions. It is suitable for all types of businesses.
I rate the solution’s scalability a nine out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. The firewall setup involves more than just physical installation and basic configurations. It includes customizing specific policies and configurations tailored to the customer's needs, which can take up to two or three days for a single firewall. This process is resource-intensive both in terms of cost and time.
I rate the initial setup a nine out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is cheap.
What other advice do I have?
FortiGate Firewall offers advanced threat intelligence capabilities. It allows integration with various threat services, such as Cisco Talos. If you are a customer of both FortiGate and Cisco for threat intelligence, you can integrate Cisco Talos with FortiGate, which enhances security effectiveness through Intelligence.
I recommend FortiGate for every company. It's a highly effective solution that can significantly enhance firewall security. You can easily find technical guides to help you understand its capabilities. FortiGate is known for its reliability and robust features.
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.
Pre sale engineer at Harnssen Group Limited
A very strong security solution, with an excellent range of unique features
Pros and Cons
- "This solution has a unique range of features that are not available with any other product."
- "We would like to see an improvement in the consistency of the product's performance levels."
What is our primary use case?
We use this product to provide network security functions to our customers.
What is most valuable?
This solution has a unique range of features that are not available with any other product.
We also appreciate that this solution is easy to maintain and manage.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see an improvement in the consistency of the product's performance levels.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of this solution has been good, in our experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found this solution to be easily scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support for this product is very good; they always respond to us quickly when we raise issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We switched to this solution because it offered the best range of features in its category.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is very straightforward, and deployment only takes between 30 minutes to an hour.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this product a 10 out of 10, and I would recommend it to any business that is in the market for a security solution.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Network Engineer at Masterfox
A tool with an easy initial setup phase
Pros and Cons
- "My company never had any complaints about the tool in terms of performance or stability."
- "The tool is expensive for small businesses, making it an area where the tool can improve the product by making it available at a cheaper rate."
What is our primary use case?
Our company's technical team handles the reselling part of the tool. I haven't heard of any problems related to the product.
My company's clients use the solution. The tool is not majorly used to monitor the network traffic or intrusion, so it is purely for protecting the network.
What needs improvement?
The tool is expensive for small businesses, making it an area where the tool can improve the product by making it available at a cheaper rate.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience with Fortinet FortiGate IPS. My company operates as a reseller. Sometimes, we purchase products to help our company's clients who need to renew the licenses of certain solutions.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My company never had any complaints about the tool in terms of performance or stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company's clients are usually small businesses, so they don't spend too much time on security and protection, meaning they use the tool to meet their bare minimum needs.
How are customer service and support?
Though I have never contacted the solution's technical support, I feel that the tool offers good support since I have never heard any complaints about the product's technical team from my company's team members.
I rate the technical support an 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 think that my company has been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS for at least four to five years. My company has not been using the rest of the products in the market, so it is not possible for me to compare Fortinet FortiGate IPS with other solutions. So far, my company has been happy with Fortinet FortiGate IPS.
How was the initial setup?
The product's initial setup phase was pretty easy because my company is familiar with the product.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
The solution can be deployed in an hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool is a bit pricey for small businesses, but it is still bearable in terms of cost.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate IPS is used alone, so there is no need for any integrations.
The tool is not majorly used to monitor traffic or intrusions, so it doesn't provide much visibility in such areas. I am not sure whether Fortinet FortiGate IPS can be used easily for monitoring, considering that our company has many firewall tools over different networks. I am not sure whether it is possible to use the tool to log in or sign in individually.
I rate the overall tool 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
IT Manager at PTECH
Filled with excellent content and is a very competitive option
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate SWG's content is its most valuable feature."
- "Fortinet FortiGate SWG can be expensive for some customers."
What is our primary use case?
We use it as a security solution.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG's content is its most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet's licensing is high compared to other products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable, and I rate the solution's stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
A few private and government companies use Fortinet FortiGate SWGs. It is popular among enterprise customers.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service team is helpful. They have good technicians.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG can be expensive for some customers. We recently had a project for a customer where we could not protect the cost, so we had to look elsewhere.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution. Fortinet FortiGate SWG is better than the market alternatives. It's easy to install and manage, and I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Management Board Member And Network Engineer at NewLogics
A highly scalable solution that can be used for network security
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's application control is very powerful."
- "The solution's stability should be improved because it is extremely unstable."
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate Next Generation Firewall mainly for network security.
What is most valuable?
The solution's application control is very powerful. Another valuable feature is the integration between the firewall and the switches we have. The FortiSwitch extended security fabric is one of the things that we like about the solution.
What needs improvement?
The solution's stability should be improved because it is extremely unstable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for eight years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a very scalable solution. Approximately 32 customers are working with the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support team needs more improvement. The technical support team has a slow response and needs more experienced support agents to interact with the customers.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is easy and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
Since it's a security solution, it needs considerable time to deploy. We need to analyze the network, the customer requirements, and the policies we need to add, which can take a couple of days.
For any security solution, there is no straightforward deployment process. It depends on the survey on the customer side and what we are doing for the customer. One security engineer is required for the deployment and maintenance of the solution.
What was our ROI?
Since FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a slightly expensive solution, the use case determines the ROI. However, since it's quite expensive for general usage, it has a lower ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is an expensive solution with a yearly subscription. There are no extra costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
The solution has a lot of features that we like. We don't need additional features because they compromise the solution's stability when they add more features. As a security gateway, we need to be much more stable than adding more features.
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall comes in two versions, namely, the hardware version and the cloud version. For the on-premises version, hardware is to be implemented on-site; for the cloud, it's a cloud security solution. So it depends on which version your customer is using. The licensing is very different for the on-prem and the cloud solution.
When it comes to complex solutions, I highly recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall.
Customers looking for SD-WAN and good application control should go for FortiGate Next Generation Firewall. Customers looking for high stability should avoid the solution.
Overall, I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Network Security Engineer at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
A simple firewall solution that helps to protect networks
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate NGF is simple compared to other firewalls. It is easy to use and you don't need any training. Any person with basic firewall knowledge can use it."
- "The solution needs to integrate VPN features."
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate NGF is used to protect customer networks.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate NGF is simple compared to other firewalls. It is easy to use and you don't need any training. Any person with basic firewall knowledge can use it.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs to integrate VPN features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate NGF is scalable. The number of users depends on the project and can be around three users.
How are customer service and support?
FortiGate NGF's support responds fast.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I use Palo Alto and Check Point as well.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's setup is easy. We used one resource to handle the deployment. The tool's deployment can take around one to two days to complete and depends on customer requirements.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product 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.
Technical Officer at Leads Innovation
An easy-to-deploy solution with a seamless user interface and a helpful support team
Pros and Cons
- "The usability of the solution is its best feature."
- "Being a great product, some changes in the pricing would make it a great choice for even more organizations."
What is most valuable?
The usability of the solution is its best feature. The product has a great UI. The UI is seamless and easier to navigate compared to other firewalls. The reporting and logging are good too. Additionally, Fortinet Security Fabric is another great feature.
What needs improvement?
Being a great product, some changes in the pricing would make it a great choice for even more organizations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Currently, we have around ten customers. Our customers are mostly medium-sized businesses. We also have small and enterprise-level customers.
I rate the tool’s scalability a nine out of ten. FortiGate's VDOM is a great feature for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Support is good. A local organization provides us with first-level support. I have raised a few cases with them.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I rate the ease of setup a nine out of ten. Most organizations like to have everything deployed within the premises. The initial setup can be done within a few hours if the planning is done beforehand. The policies and other requirements are added gradually.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In our country, pricing is very important. The product is not cheap. Although companies do invest in one-time setup, retaining license renewal is not the same for every organization. I rate the pricing a five out of ten. Support should be purchased as per various levels and other licenses for security features, like Application Control and Web Filtering, should also be purchased.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, it is a great technology to use. It is imperative to train employees to get the best out of the product and robust implementation. FortiGate has a great learning platform and commendable documentation for that which should be utilized. 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. Partner
Owner at VM7 TECHFABER
A solution with seamless integration and excellent security features
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate is a great solution, although initially, it faced challenges in the Brazilian market due to lower brand recognition than Cisco. However, explaining and demonstrating its product format and offerings has proven easy. The cost-effectiveness and better features of FortiGate have made some clients skeptical. We set up a trial period, and they eventually opted for it. Many clients were convinced it was great after experiencing the solution's capabilities firsthand."
- "One area of improvement I've noticed is the lack of built-in monitoring capabilities in the firewall. Currently, we rely on third-party solutions for monitoring purposes. However, I believe the firewall itself has the potential to do a better job in this aspect. Another aspect of Fortinet that concerns me is related to redundancy. We have a setup with two firewalls working in parallel, which requires a highly adaptable configuration. However, it feels unfair that clients need to purchase two licenses, especially when one of the firewalls serves as a backup. We have noticed that other manufacturers have different policies on this matter."
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate is a great solution, although initially, it faced challenges in the Brazilian market due to lower brand recognition than Cisco. However, explaining and demonstrating its product format and offerings has proven easy. The cost-effectiveness and better features of FortiGate have made some clients skeptical. We set up a trial period, and they eventually opted for it. Many clients were convinced it was great after experiencing the solution's capabilities firsthand.
What is most valuable?
I believe the package offered by FortiGate provides great value for the solution. It integrates well, allowing us to use Wi-Fi solutions, switches, and firewalls with a centralized management portal. The security it provides is great and one of the best in the market.
What needs improvement?
One area of improvement I've noticed is the lack of built-in monitoring capabilities in the firewall. Currently, we rely on third-party solutions for monitoring purposes. However, I believe the firewall itself has the potential to do a better job in this aspect.
Another aspect of Fortinet that concerns me is related to redundancy. We have a setup with two firewalls working in parallel, which requires a highly adaptable configuration. However, it feels unfair that clients need to purchase two licenses, especially when one of the firewalls serves as a backup. We have noticed that other manufacturers have different policies on this matter.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for the past 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of the solution as a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the scalability of the solution as a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
We have encountered some issues with the support. Although it is included in the solution, the support could be faster.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What was our ROI?
There has been a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When comparing this solution to others, I would rate it a ten out of ten in terms of pricing. However, the issue of requiring a separate license for redundancy is a drawback, and I would rate it a nine out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
The advice I can offer is to compare the entire solution with its competitors. While certain narrow aspects might show some glitches and areas for improvement, when viewed completely, it becomes evident that Fortinet is a great solution. Overall, I would rate the solution as 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.
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Updated: September 2026
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