We primarily use the solution for security - for the firewall.
Project Manager at renaissance group
User-friendly with good integrations on offer and a variety of great features
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very user friendly. The user interface in particular is quite nice."
- "The solution has a variety of excellent features."
- "The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this. They need to work to be at least as good as they are."
- "The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution has a variety of excellent features.
The cloud base that they have on offer is great.
Overall, the solution is very good and we've been very happy with it.
The solution is very user friendly. The user interface in particular is quite nice.
The integration is great.
What needs improvement?
The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this. They need to work to be at least as good as they are.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for one year so far.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the stability has been very good. We haven't had any issues at all. I haven't had issues with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't run into any issues when it comes to scaling. If a company needs to scale it should be able to do so without much of a problem.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't really dealt directly with technical support. Once, when I ran into an issue, I spoke with my local partner. Other than that, you can find the answers you need via the help navigation.
Therefore, I can't speak to the helpfulness of technical support. I can't speak to whether or not they are responsive or knowledgable.
I have been satisfied with the help I've received from my local partner, however. They've been quite good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We do use other solutions as well, such as Cisco. We find this solution to be better in general, and more user-friendly. That said, Cisco does do customization better.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex. It's pretty straightforward. We found it to be quite simple.
When I bought it, I found that the user interface made everything pretty easy from the start. They also have very good help features that can assist you if you get stuck. It was pretty easy to configure the items I needed to.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is pretty much standard with the competition. It's not overly expensive.
That said, if you want to have a good security VPN or firewall, then you should invest more than money and pay interest in local devices. If you want a better network structure and better security, then you need more local devices.
What other advice do I have?
I use FortiGate quite a bit. I'm just a customer and end-user. I don't have a business relationship with the company.
On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate the solution at an eight. I've been pretty happy with it so far.
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.
CEO at Acme Technologies
Good application control, web filtering, and anti-spam features, affordable price, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "Customers are more inclined towards FortiGate because of application control, web filtering, and anti-spam features. The support from the FortiGate team is good, and price-wise, it is affordable."
- "We always support customers and recommend buying Fortinet; it is a better, more stable, and relatively cheaper product than Cisco."
- "They are doing good, but they can improve the distributor assignment. The availability of the product and the timeline of delivery are the main things. The distribution should be swift, and the distributor should not reach out to end customers directly. They should work as a distributor. There should also be one more local distributor. Currently, there is only one distributor in Pakistan, and the rest of them are in UAE. It is difficult to work with only one distributor. Sometimes, you don't get along with the same distributor, and that's why they should have one more distributor. Their licensing should also be improved. The activation or renewal of the product should be done from the date of renewal, not from the date on which the license expired."
- "Their licensing should also be improved. The activation or renewal of the product should be done from the date of renewal, not from the date on which the license expired."
What is our primary use case?
We are selling FortiGate 60E and 200E. I mostly look after imports and finance, and my sales team and my corporate manager look after the business. Currently, we are buying renewals for our customers from a local distributor.
What is most valuable?
Customers are more inclined towards FortiGate because of application control, web filtering, and anti-spam features. The support from the FortiGate team is good, and price-wise, it is affordable.
What needs improvement?
They are doing good, but they can improve the distributor assignment. The availability of the product and the timeline of delivery are the main things. The distribution should be swift, and the distributor should not reach out to end customers directly. They should work as a distributor. There should also be one more local distributor. Currently, there is only one distributor in Pakistan, and the rest of them are in UAE. It is difficult to work with only one distributor. Sometimes, you don't get along with the same distributor, and that's why they should have one more distributor.
Their licensing should also be improved. The activation or renewal of the product should be done from the date of renewal, not from the date on which the license expired.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for almost two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is 100% stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We have more than a thousand users.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support from the FortiGate team is good. My engineers never complained that they are facing any problem with Fortinet in terms of support.
How was the initial setup?
It is very easy to install. It is way easier than Cisco.
The deployment duration varies from customer to customer. It depends on what features they want to utilize, what is their scenario for IP addressing, and what security level they want to implement. It also depends on the policy and the planning of the technical teams. My engineers and the customer's engineers sit together, and they plan the activity and take care of everything. After that, they decide what to implement and how long it will take. Sometimes there are physical, logical, or IP addressing problems, so it all depends on the customer and our implementation planning. I have three guys for deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is affordable and lesser than Cisco. Cisco is expensive.
In terms of licensing, there is only one issue. If a customer's license has expired a month ago and they do the renewal after one month, Fortinet renews the license from the start of the previous month. The activation of the product is done from the previous month, not from the date of renewal. The customers usually shout and complain that because they are paying today, the renewal should start from today. The support contract renewals or licensing should be renewed from the date of renewal, but Fortinet starts from the day it had expired. It is a loss for customers. They might have had some problems because of which they did not take the license one month before. Fortinet should work on this. Cisco doesn't do this. Cisco always starts from the day they apply for the license.
What other advice do I have?
We plan to keep selling this solution. Fortinet has launched new partnership levels. They have removed the silver partnership. We were a silver partner previously, and we have now become a premier partner or something like that. So, we have to improve our partnership on new levels.
I would definitely recommend this solution. We always support customers and recommend buying Fortinet. It is a better, more stable, and relatively cheaper product than Cisco. We supply Cisco only when a customer forces us to go for Cisco.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate 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. Reseller
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Deputy Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Good stability and fair pricing with an easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
- "The customization potential is quite impressive."
- "The solution has a very good set of rules, the customization potential is quite impressive, it can be customized based on our licensing contracts, the initial setup was pretty simple, technical support is rather helpful, we find the stability to be pretty good, and we find the pricing to be fairly good."
- "The ease of use could be improved."
- "The ease of use could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the firewall for the most part. It's to help us with security on our network.
What is most valuable?
The solution has a very good set of rules.
The customization potential is quite impressive. It can be customized based on our licensing contracts.
The initial setup was pretty simple. We didn't find it to be overly difficult to execute on.
Technical support is rather helpful.
We find the stability to be pretty good.
We didn't have any trouble setting up the solution.
We find the pricing to be fairly good.
What needs improvement?
The ease of use could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for about five years. We have been continuously working with FortiGate itself throughout that time. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the stability has been pretty good for us. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. I'd describe the stability as reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I can't really speak to the scalability of the solution, as it isn't as aspect I handle. I've never tried to do it, so I'm not sure how it works.
We have about 50 users on the solution. About one third have access to it.
How are customer service and technical support?
We only really had one issue in the past where we had to deal with technical support. We needed some restoration of some data. It wasn't a bad experience. We were satisfied with their level of service. They seem to be knowledgeable and responsive.
How was the initial setup?
In terms of the initial setup, the process was not complex at all. We found it to be very straightforward and easy. We didn't run into any issues setting everything up.
We have one engineer that handles ongoing maintenance for us when we need it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is fair. I don't feel that it is too expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I've been good with using Fortinet. It's a fine tool.
Overall, I would recommend the solution to other organizations.
I would rate it a nine on a scale from one to 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.
IT Manager at KSB MIL Controls Limited
Easy to use with good customization and an easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very, very easy to use."
- "The solution is very, very easy to use, the user interface is very nice, the product offers pretty good customization, configuration has been straightforward and simple, the reporting is quite good, the initial setup is straightforward as well, and we've found the pricing to be pretty good."
- "The integration with third-party tools may be something that they should work on."
- "The integration with third-party tools may be something that they should work on."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for a firewall plus as an overall UTM. We do not, however, use it as an SD-WAN.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very, very easy to use.
The user interface is very nice.
The product seems to offer pretty good customization.
The configuration of the product has been very straightforward and simple.
The reporting on offer is quite good.
The initial setup is straightforward as well.
We've found the pricing to be pretty good.
Technical support from the partner has been very helpful.
What needs improvement?
The integration with third-party tools may be something that they should work on. We haven't actually tried to implement that, however.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the solution for close to ten years. It's been at least a decade at this point. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any issues with the solution's stability. It's very reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. I can't recall experiencing bugs or glitches at all over the time I've used it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution seems to be pretty good. We haven't had any issues in that respect.
Currently, our organization has about 125 users on the product.
How are customer service and technical support?
While I don't have a direct line to Fortigate, I have used our partner support. They have been excellent and we are quite satisfied with the level of service we receive from them. They are knowledgeable and responsive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex at all. I found it to be very straightforward. This was due to the fact that we had this solution procured along back in 2007 or 2008, as a smaller firewall, a FortiGate 60C.
We don't have anyone that handles maintenance full-time. It's an on-call situation. If we have issues or need maintenance, we raise a ticket and it is dealt with.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the solution is fair. We don't find it to be overly expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I've never looked at other products and therefore would not be able to really compare this solution to anything.
What other advice do I have?
We are just customers and end-users of the product. We don't have a business relationship with Fortinet.
I'd recommend the solution. It's very simple and easy to use. On top of that, it offers peace of mind.
Overall, I'd rate the solution 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.
IT Infrastructure managerInformation an Communication Services Manager at a agriculture with 5,001-10,000 employees
Great load balancing feature, secure and stable
Pros and Cons
- "Good load balancing feature."
- "FortiGate is the most effective solution for us and it's a cheaper option to Check Point or Palo Alto which we looked at."
- "We have an issue with hotel guest vouchers."
- "We had some issues with the local support, particularly with regard to purchasing the subscription."
What is our primary use case?
We've used this solution for the guest portal for our client and we also use it to secure the network of our firm. I am the IT infrastructure manager and we are customers of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
I like the fact that we don't have to use our IP address and that it roams. I also like the load balancing feature which allows you to attach several internet connections and load balance.
What needs improvement?
We have an issue with the license when it expires because we're unable to use the computers. We are in the hotel industry and there's an issue with vouchers when guests come in wanting to use them.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. We had some issues after we upgraded but on the whole it's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We don't have scalability requirements so I can't comment.
How are customer service and technical support?
We had some issues with the local support, particularly with regard to purchasing the subscription. It took a very long time and at one point the license had expired and it took a while to sort out.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple and doesn't take much time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an affordable solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
FortiGate is the most effective solution for us and it's a cheaper option to Check Point or Palo Alto which we looked at. They are both very expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Infrastructure Specialist at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
A resilient, secure, and scalable solution that provides a secure connection for remote work.
Pros and Cons
- "The web filtering feature and the intrusion protection system are the most valuable. It is a resilient appliance. I never had an issue with it in terms of any security breaches."
- "I am pleased with this solution and the features it offers right now."
- "Its reporting capabilities can be improved. It should have some out-of-the-box reporting capabilities and some degree of customization. The basic reporting that it currently has is not sufficient to create more usable reports. It needs some sort of out-of-the-box reporting. They try to make customers purchase FortiAnalyzer for this kind of reporting, which is an additional cost. Other firewall vendors, such as SonicWall and Sophos, provide this sort of reporting without any additional cost."
- "Its reporting capabilities can be improved. It should have some out-of-the-box reporting capabilities and some degree of customization."
What is our primary use case?
We utilize the services to ensure the stability of our network and clients protection from external treats. With the recent pandemic mobile working have increased in demand and Fortinet have easily bridge that gap to continue to support employee needs.
How has it helped my organization?
It has provided us the ability to work remotely during the pandemic. It opens a secure connection to the office for an employee working remotely from home.
What is most valuable?
The web filtering feature and the intrusion protection system are the most valuable.
It is a resilient appliance.
What needs improvement?
Its reporting capabilities can be improved. Some out-of-the-box reports needs to be able to provide usable data for example for web monitoring and reporting or browsing patterns and details. Some customers does not require any forensic type reporting and may not want to invest in all the features offered by the FortiAnalyzer.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the past seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. There are no issues. In terms of the number of users who use FortiGate, we have only about ten users for remote working. Only selected users utilize this remote capability.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good. If I have an inquiry or request, it is usually addressed within the same business day or within the 24 hours period as per the vendor's support agreement.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was on a Check Point platform, and then I migrated to FortiGate. Migrating from the Check Point environment to the FortiGate environment was new for me. We rely on a vendor for support. The vendor was kind of phasing out the support of the Check Point product. That's why we switched.
How was the initial setup?
We are currently on 80D, and it was a direct upgrade. The deployment didn't take that long because it was a direct replacement or upgrade from an older appliance 60D to 80D. It was easy for the vendor to deploy because they saved the policies and other things that were in use for the older appliance and had to be migrated over to the new appliance. It was done within maybe a day or two.
What about the implementation team?
We outsourced it to a local vendor, and it was deployed by the vendor. We do our own internal monitoring, and the vendor does the actual set up. So far, our experience with the vendor has been excellent in terms of response. Their technical staff is also very knowledgeable.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We just pay an affordable flat monthly fee to the vendor for the monitoring and support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I learned about different options and their benefits and listened to vendors' proposals for migration. We evaluated pfSense, which is open source. We were trying to determine whether to go for open source as opposed to an industry-standard and proprietary product. I also engaged other vendors who offered Sophos technology and SonicWall. I trusted the vendor-supported product and considered the cost associated with the migration. The current vendor could upgrade it with no implementation cost, and we just had to pay a monthly service fee or rental.
Based on the research, FortiGate seemed like a reasonable firewall, and it is also more or less recognized and trusted all over, so I trusted FortiGate. Overall, I was happy with the performance of the FortiGate, so I kind of stuck with that one.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend this product, but there are other products in the market, such as Sophos and SonicWall, that are just as effective.
We will be using this solution for at least the next three years. We renewed the license for three years in August of this year. We are thinking of upgrading to a newer appliance before that.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten. I am pleased with this solution and the features it offers right now. It just needs minor adjustments in terms of reporting and staying up to date with industry standards.
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.
Network Manager at a transportation company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Installation is super easy, stable operations, and has prompt and responsive customer service
Pros and Cons
- "The product is easy to use and is stable. The SV1 functionality is a benefit."
- "The installation was super easy, we were up and running in less than 50 minutes."
- "Some of the software stability could improve."
- "Some of the software stability could improve."
What is our primary use case?
We use it as a firewall for securing our HQ and branch.
What is most valuable?
The product is easy to use and is stable. The SV1 functionality is a benefit.
What needs improvement?
A feature for bandwidth monitoring and the ability to have more bandwidth testing would be useful to include in future releases.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for just about a year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 40,000 employees and the product is very scalable. The different hardware units are quite good and are an appropriate size for enterprise-sized businesses.
How are customer service and technical support?
They're very prompt and responsive, and very helpful. In our experience, they responded on the same day and the next day for fixes.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was super easy, we were up and running in less than 50 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We did it the implementation ourselves. We used an in house team of four to do the deployment.
What was our ROI?
Some of the software stability could improve.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend FortiGate to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an 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.
IT Infrastructure Engineer at Communication Progress
Scalable, Easy to implement, security fabric integration, wireless controller, low cost, stable
Pros and Cons
- "Web filtering and two-factor authentication are great features."
- "FortiGate is very easy to use, and to configure."
- "Vulnerability scanning could be improved."
- "I think some improvements could be made in vulnerability scanning."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution for our clients is for protecting internal networks with data center firewalls, internal segmentation and next generation firewalls.
We are a gold partner of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
SD-WAN, Security fabric integration, two-factor authentication, ADVPN, Dynamic routing, single pane of glas managements are great features. FortiGate is very easy to use, and to configure.
What needs improvement?
I think some improvements could be made in vulnerability scanning. I'd also like to see additional features in the authentication. They support RADIUS, LDAP but the solution doesn't have API integration with other solutions. They have API in FortiAuthenticator, but not in the firewall and not all customers want to buy another solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been providing this solution to clients for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable. They have now built hyperscale firewalls and it's very easy. Also VMs, for example, is very easy to scale, you just need to adjust the licensing.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is very, very good. They respond quickly and provide the solution to the problem.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Check Point and Cisco ASA. In terms of cost and security features, Fortinet has the advantage and it's also easy to implement. Cisco and Check Point are a little bit more difficult in that aspect.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple, as with all Fortinet technologies. Deployment time depends on the situation. For small customers it takes about one to two hours. For larger companies with different kinds of firewalls in their infrastructure, it may take a day or two, it depends on the complexity of the network, the infrastructure and the size of the business. The solution is suitable for any size company. Maintenance depends on the contract with our customers, but Fortinet includes support with every license. If a customer wants support from us, we provide it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet offers four types of licensing - Advanced Threat Protection, Unified Threat Protection and Enterprise Protection and 360 degree Protection. Licensing costs are dependent on the VM or Hardware model, not per features. For example if vm or Hardware model supports 200 IPsec tunnels you can setup 200 IPsec tunnels, it doesn't matter what kind of license you have.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend this solution.
I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.
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
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: March 2026
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