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.
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?
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.
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August 2026
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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 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.
Presales Manager at a computer retailer with 11-50 employees
A reasonably priced product that can be used by small, medium, and enterprise-sized businesses
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate Next Generation Firewall can be described as the most complete solution."
- "When considering the policy of the vendors, they do not offer much of a discount policy, making the licensing model an area that needs improvement."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall can be described as the most complete solution.
What needs improvement?
When considering the policy of the vendors, they do not offer much of a discount policy, making the licensing model an area that needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for many years. My company is a reseller of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for small, medium, and enterprise-sized companies.
It is a scalable solution since Fortinet offers many other products.
How are customer service and support?
My customers are satisfied with the technical support provided by Fortinet.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In my opinion, the pricing of the product is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a good product.
I rate the overall product between eight to ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
August 2026
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908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.
VP Sales/Pre Sales at Comstar - Information Systems Associates Ltd.
A high performing Solution with a valuable GUI configuration feature
Pros and Cons
- "The GUI configuration is its most valuable feature"
- "The licensing model and pricing need improvement."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is being used as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The GUI configuration is its most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
The licensing model and pricing need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for the last four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a stable solution. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Fifty users are using the solution. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is good, but we haven't reached out to them on our own.
How was the initial setup?
FortiGate's initial setup is easy. The solution's deployment depends on the projects and the way clients use it. It takes approximately five days to deploy the solution. I rate the setup an eight out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is an expensive solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
Deputy manager at Oculin Tech
Has good stability but its technical support services could be better
Pros and Cons
- "It is a scalable solution."
- "Its technical support could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution as an internal gateway to protect some of our data center solutions.
What is most valuable?
The solution has the best group filtering features.
What needs improvement?
The solution's technical support could be better. Also, its hardware features need improvement as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We have medium and small businesses as our clients.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support team's response could be faster.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup process is easy. A new environment takes two to three days, while an existing one takes more time to implement. Also, it requires ten executives to deploy it and three to six executives to maintain it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution's price is average. We have its yearly license. There are additional costs for support and license renewal.
What other advice do I have?
It is a good solution. I rate it a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
Scalable and easy-to-manage solution
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable solution compared to other vendors."
- "Its load balancing feature could be easy to configure."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to protect our services published on the internet.
What is most valuable?
The solution is more reliable and easy to manage than Cisco Firewall Solutions. It provides a flexible interface for configuration.
What needs improvement?
The solution's load balancing feature could be easy to configure in terms of interface.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable compared to other vendors.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable for our medium enterprise.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is easy to access and configure in terms of GUI.
What about the implementation team?
The reseller for the solution helped us implement it.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Founding Partner at Innovadvice
Helps secure the network and connect remote sites but vulnerability management could be enhanced
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has helped our organization secure our network and connect remote sites."
- "There is an area for improvement in vulnerability management."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is branch network security.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has helped our organization to secure a network and connect remote sites.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the technical support by FortiGate.
What needs improvement?
There is an area of improvement in the pricing model and vulnerability management.
In future releases, I would like to see partnering with cloud suppliers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for less than a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of this solution a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service and support are good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex.
What was our ROI?
I have not seen an ROI yet. We do have plans to increase the usage in near future.
What other advice do I have?
I would suggest not to look for a single solution for all your security requirements and compare the pricing.
Overall, I would rate the solution 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.
Management at Aptransco
Highly scalable, user-friendly interface and ease of operation
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is user-friendly and easy to operate."
- "There are some issues with security features and aspects like logs not being up to the mark."
What is our primary use case?
It is a firewall solution, so we utilize it regarding policies and security.
What is most valuable?
The solution is user-friendly and easy to operate.
What needs improvement?
The solution should have more security features and come with VPN authentication and multi-virus authentication.
For how long have I used the solution?
We used the previous model, FortiGate 600D. So, I worked with that. I have been using the solution for three years. We just procured the new solution, but we need to install it right away.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. I would rate the stability of the solution an eight out of ten because there are some issues with security features and aspects like logs not being up to the mark, as well as some challenges with VPN and multiple functionalities.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution. I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. There are around 600 users in our organization using this solution. We have plans to increase the usage up to 2000 users.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support team is good. Their response time was great.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It has been in use for three years. It may take around four days to make it functional.
Typically, it can be up and running in just one day. However, due to a lack of expertise, it took a bit longer.
What about the implementation team?
I got a consultant to help with the deployment process. One person is enough for the solution; it can be an admin.
What was our ROI?
I have definitely seen an ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't want to get the full license as the technology is changing day by day. So, I have I prefer to procure a five-year license, and that's it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have used Microsoft Office and Cisco Switches. We have been using the FortiGate firewall.
What other advice do I have?
I advise the users to compare the solution with existing versions before using it.
Overall I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. I would like add more security features to the solution.
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.
Core Network Team Lead at Green Enterprise Solutions (Pty) Ltd
A user-friendly and easy-to-install product that has a seamless performance
Pros and Cons
- "The product is user-friendly and not complex."
- "The solution must improve the support provided for customers around the globe, considering the time differences in different places."
What is our primary use case?
Our clients use the solution to ensure their environment is secured on all the layers. The application layer all the way to the networking. That's one of the main reasons they use the product in their environment.
What is most valuable?
It's a seamless product, and it's not buggy. The updates we receive from FortiGate are one of the most important features. The product is user-friendly and not complex.
What needs improvement?
The solution must improve the support provided for customers around the globe, considering the time differences in different places. The product could add some functionalities and features provided by its competitors to stay ahead in the market.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable. We haven't had issues so far. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable in most cases. It all depends on the customer's requirements. We haven't yet come across a situation whereby scaling is not possible. Our clients are small, medium, and enterprise businesses. Currently, one of our customers is not able to reach the specific level of scalability that they require so far. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The support is great. However, support needs to improve constantly. Even though they are good, they should try to stay ahead of the competitors.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The solution is easy to install. The ease of setup depends upon the customer’s requirements. I rate the ease of setup a ten out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
The time to deploy the product depends on the clients’ requirements because we have to work hand in hand with the service provider. If we have to terminate a link on the firewall and everything from the networking perspective is all in place, it might just take a couple of minutes to deploy.
We need just need one to three engineers to deploy the solution. It depends on the magnitude of the client. The solution requires maintenance. More than three people are needed to maintain the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is a little bit expensive. The certifications cost $400. Other vendors provide it for an average of $200 to $300. The product has an annual licensing fee. Additional costs depend on the user's requirements.
What other advice do I have?
People looking to use the product must ensure they have enough engineers who know how to work with it. Overall, I rate the solution a ten 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
Jefe de Infraestructura y Servicios de TI at Grupo ASD
Highly stable, quick setup, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is its stability."
- "We are providing VoIP and the IP licensing could improve in Fortinet FortiGate SWG."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiGate SWG as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has helped our organization because it is connected to the internet and has provided us with stable VPNs and networking solutions.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is its stability.
What needs improvement?
We are providing VoIP and the IP licensing could improve in Fortinet FortiGate SWG.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the support of Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is simple and quick.
What was our ROI?
We have received a return on investment.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten 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.
ICT/Presales Manager at Balton Uganda
A reliable and practical solution that assists us in our day-to-day operations
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate's reliability is valuable."
- "I would like some automated custom reporting."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for basic network security and people accessing through VPN.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate is a reliable and practical solution that assists us in our day-to-day operations.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate's reliability is valuable.
What needs improvement?
I would like some automated custom reporting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has met our requirements. We have around 40 users.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used DrayTek before switching to Fortinet FortiGate which has more features.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Palo Alto Networks, but the cost of the solution and support were higher than Fortinet FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
The maintenance requires one person.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: August 2026
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