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Abdi-Hamid Hassan - PeerSpot reviewer
Innovation & Development Support at BROOKSIDE DAIRY LTD
Real User
Top 5
Aug 27, 2025
Helps manage network threats effectively in real-time and offers good customization features
Pros and Cons
  • "The main benefit I have seen from using Fortinet FortiGate is the protection it offers because I can see threats that come through in real-time, and if they are blocked, I can see that."
  • "I would like to see the licensing aspect improved because there is a feature we were yearning to use, the bandwidth monitoring feature, but it's licensed separately."

What is our primary use case?

We mainly use the Fortinet FortiGate for perimeter wall protection and internet usage, protecting our network from internet threats and our endpoints, so we've set it at a perimeter level.

How has it helped my organization?

The main benefit I have seen from using Fortinet FortiGate is the protection it offers because I can see threats that come through in real-time, and if they are blocked, I can see that. We are able to customize those features, and it's so customizable that I can tweak it to fit our environment; it has really been helpful.

The hardware-assisted DDoS protection in FortiGate has helped us. We are able to monitor traffic in real-time and block it as needed. We have enabled this feature in every policy we created, so it consistently checks for any threats.

What is most valuable?

What I appreciate about the Fortinet FortiGate is the throughput and the management aspect; it's easy to manage. Unlike what we used before, initially, we had Microsoft Forefront, so moving from that application-based to a firewall which is appliance-based was really helpful. 

What needs improvement?

I would like to see the licensing aspect improved because there is a feature we were yearning to use, the bandwidth monitoring feature, but it's licensed separately. It's not bundled with the enterprise bundle, and since we normally buy the advanced hardware support annually, we found out that the license is licensed separately. If they could bundle it together, it could really be helpful to us.

We've been using it for the last seven years, and it has been helpful. We are looking forward to upgrading as the one we are having is at the end of life already. We are planning to upgrade to the latest one, and we are looking forward to the features it will offer.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
August 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't faced any downtimes, crashes, or issues with it; it's very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

My experience with technical support for Fortinet FortiGate has been excellent. I would rate them nine out of ten; they've been really good.

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

I decided to move from Microsoft to Fortinet FortiGate. Fortinet and Cisco were rated highly worldwide. We compared those two and settled for FortiGate because of its manageability. The Microsoft firewall used to fail frequently, so we didn't want to go to another Microsoft product.

How was the initial setup?

The experience with the initial setup and deployment process of the Fortinet FortiGate was complex, especially in terms of linking users. In our environment, we normally use the feature for Active Directory, and we don't give everyone internet access. We've enabled this feature called SSO linked to our Active Directory, and we create groups there. Setting that up initially was really tricky, so we had to engage the support team to sort us out. However, moving forward, it has been very good.

There are no challenges with updates and upgrades. They are straightforward. We have support from Fortinet and the local partner. 

What about the implementation team?

We had a local partner here helping us with the initial setup.

What was our ROI?

It has worked and surpassed our expectations. We've really benefited from that.

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

It's pretty average compared to our environment.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for other users looking into Fortinet FortiGate for their environment is to choose one that will serve them based on their needs, whether that's throughput or the number of users. That's really important to ensure they don't do an overkill, as we initially thought we went for a big firewall, only to realize later that it was the right choice. For our upgrade, we'll just go for a bit higher, but generally, it really serves us. 

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Network engineer at JOYALUKKAS
Real User
Top 5
Jul 31, 2025
Implemented secure connectivity across branches with reliable network performance
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration of SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted application performance."
  • "The firmware in Fortinet FortiGate needs improvement. Some firmwares have many bugs, such as filter issues and VPN connectivity problems."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Fortinet FortiGate for branch-to-branch connectivity. It handles internet outages, internet breaks to the cloud, and internet connectivity to the internal systems in the branches.

What is most valuable?

The SD-WAN and VPN tunnels are the best features of Fortinet FortiGate in my opinion. My major workload runs on Fortinet FortiGate, as it serves as the main backbone of the network.

What needs improvement?

The firmware in Fortinet FortiGate needs improvement. Some firmwares have many bugs, such as filter issues and VPN connectivity problems. Last month, with version 7.4.6, we experienced web filter issues. They need to fix the bugs before releasing firmware.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for up to 15 years, and it performs well.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In my opinion, Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate's scalability is flexible and scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and technical support of Fortinet FortiGate rates seven out of ten. The technical support and RMA process are acceptable. We don't raise many tickets, but when we do, we receive late responses for technical tickets, which is why I rate it seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

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

We used Palo Alto and Cisco Meraki before choosing Fortinet FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is very easy.

What about the implementation team?

We used in-house resources for our setup instead of an integrator, reseller, or consultant.

What was our ROI?

We currently have approximately 110 Fortinet FortiGates and 40 managers. Each year we increase by almost 10 to 20 FortiGates. We are also considering FortiSASE and have discussed this with Fortinet FortiGate. We are planning changes in return on investment from this solution this quarter.

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

The pricing depends on market competition, which is high because Cisco Meraki and Palo Alto offer similar costs for pricing, setup, and licensing of Fortinet FortiGate. They need to compete with lower margins as prices are getting high for Fortinet FortiGate.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are currently using Palo Alto and Cisco due to some issues with the Fortinet FortiGate sales people. We have installed equipment in almost four locations, and we are using these three solutions simultaneously.

What other advice do I have?

We are planning to implement SASE and have already discussed this with Fortinet FortiGate. We are currently only discussing the possibility of using SASE.

The integration of SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted application performance. The implementation is straightforward for new users. My experience in integrating SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate has been excellent, rating it 10 out of 10.

Overall, I rate Fortinet FortiGate 9 out of 10.

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
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
August 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.
DevOps Manager at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jul 17, 2025
Effective centralized management and tech support increase operational efficiency
Pros and Cons
  • "The centralized management allowed us to manage 50 devices effectively, which I found better than Cisco."
  • "During a recent upgrade from old devices to the latest ones, corporate IT faced challenges as there was no straightforward migration process, requiring many manual steps."

What is our primary use case?

I currently work in the automotive industry, providing software for automotive dealers, and we only use Fortinet FortiGate for corporate purposes.

What is most valuable?

One of the best features of Fortinet FortiGate is how effectively the software is written; the virtual network interfaces significantly outperform Cisco in my project. I didn't need separate switches or load balancers because I was able to resolve internal FQDNs of the load balancers, which was impressive. The centralized management allowed us to manage 50 devices effectively, which I found better than Cisco.

What needs improvement?

During a recent upgrade from old devices to the latest ones, corporate IT faced challenges as there was no straightforward migration process, requiring many manual steps. I've completed upgrades with Cisco before where the process was simple, but this time it wasn't the case for corporate IT. I also heard that SSL-based VPN will be discontinued, which could be concerning.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Fortinet FortiGate for several years; initially, I brought FortiGate to my previous company during a project.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Integrating SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward, with minimal complexity involved.

How are customer service and support?

My experience with Fortinet FortiGate support has been excellent, as I was fortunate to have an office in Vancouver where Fortinet had staff. We worked closely with tech personnel through the project. While I usually don't give perfect scores, the support was great. However, one area for improvement is that many functions can only be accessed via CLI, which has discrepancies between the web interface and direct connection.

How would you rate customer service and support?

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

I pushed corporate IT to replace SonicWall with Fortinet FortiGate, and now in my current company, we have FortiGate that we recently upgraded to the latest models.

What other advice do I have?

Managing Fortinet FortiGate involves three corporate IT personnel, and although it initially took them quite a while to handle some tasks, I provided scripts that allowed them to work much quicker. What took them a day or two is now a job of just 10 to 15 minutes. Scripting and utilizing Git repositories would make things smoother, and I intended to publish modules for Terraform but haven't had the time yet.

Overall, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate around an eight, as there is always room for improvement.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Brian M. - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
May 29, 2025
A solid firewall with straightforward management and robust capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "It is pretty straightforward to manage and has robust capabilities. I appreciate that Fortinet FortiGate can be a central controller for other Fortinet products, such as switches and access points."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate has very good support."
  • "It's one of the more expensive brands."
  • "FortiManager has not been my favorite. I don't use it and cannot say I really care for FortiManager for managing the firewalls."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Fortinet FortiGate as endpoint firewalls for our campuses. Nothing too extravagant, just providing access out and limiting access to certain applications and restricting unauthorized access from external sources. I have recently been using it also as the controller for the wireless access points.

What is most valuable?

It is pretty straightforward to manage and has robust capabilities. I appreciate that Fortinet FortiGate can be a central controller for other Fortinet products, such as switches and access points. I have used its VPN abilities a little bit, but not a great deal. I appreciate that it has some SD-WAN capabilities, though I've only used that to a limited degree. It is a solid, usable, reliable solution. 

What needs improvement?

It's one of the more expensive brands.

FortiManager has not been my favorite. I don't use it and cannot say I really care for FortiManager for managing the firewalls. I primarily just access and manage the firewalls individually. Nothing else particularly comes to mind, as it has been a pretty good experience.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have about four and a half years of experience with Fortinet FortiGate.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been very good. I have had very few issues. I had one unit that required some reboots and eventually needed a factory reset. But outside of one issue, I've never had stability issues or problems with them going down or disconnecting or having other issues. They have been very stable and reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have experienced no scalability problems thus far. We expand out with other campuses as needed. If there are any scalability problems, I think that would probably be with making FortiManager a little bit better. Otherwise, scalability is fine. 

We are a medium-sized business with 17 campuses. We plan to increase its usage. We'll probably continue with FortiGate for any other campuses that we extend out to, as well as keeping them when we do our hardware refresh.

How are customer service and support?

Fortinet FortiGate has very good support. I've been able to contact them on a couple of things for FortiGate and other products, and I've never had an issue. They've always been polite and helpful and worked to get me to solutions. I've had a good experience with Fortinet support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We've always had Fortinet FortiGate in place, so I don't have a previous firewall here to compare it to, but it has basically done its job. It's manageable, and it has not created a lot of problems. Only once, I had to call their support to apply a patch update across a couple of them. One of the best features is that it does not require a lot of extra attention for me to fix problems. It's not a problem generator, so that's probably the best quality.

How was the initial setup?

I've set up several Fortinet FortiGate firewalls, and it's a pretty straightforward setup. I haven't ever really had any particular issue with getting them in place.

It's deployed physically at the locations for our campuses. To deploy one, it takes approximately an hour to program and then another hour or so to install. It can get deployed within three hours.

Just one person can manage Fortinet FortiGate; I'm able to manage everything by myself.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was done by me, one person. Sometimes I need to walk through someone else to physically install it because it might be at a site remote from me. If I'm not physically there, it requires a second person. However, if that was not the case, I could do it as a single person.

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

It's one of the more expensive brands.

The 100 series costs around $4,000. They are similar in pricing to what you might get from Cisco solutions and probably other similar ones. They're not more expensive than other similar solutions, but they're certainly not cheaper either.

What other advice do I have?

The advice is to go ahead and try it out and see how it works. The product speaks for itself. 

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten, as I always prefer to leave a little bit of room for improvement.

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
reviewer1929939 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager IT at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
Mar 4, 2026
Reliable security has improved internet routing and optimized multi-site traffic performance
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is one of the best firewalls in the market currently, with a lot of next generation firewall features embedded into it, including SD WAN, which is one of the best services for traffic steering, managing packet log jitter and latency for any applications, making it unbeatable in terms of pricing compared to other firewalls."
  • "The one concern I have with Fortinet FortiGate is the firmware versions, which often have many bugs when upgraded, leading us to revert back to older versions multiple times in my lifecycle."

What is our primary use case?

As a customer, we work with Fortinet FortiGate. Our major use case for Fortinet FortiGate is our Internet, serving as the main device for routing, firewall features, and everything.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate is one of the best firewalls in the market currently, with a lot of next generation firewall features embedded into it, including SD WAN, which is one of the best services for traffic steering, managing packet log jitter and latency for any applications, making it unbeatable in terms of pricing compared to other firewalls.

It has a significant impact on our network performance as we are a health care company where users access health care business website URLs, and any latency is managed by SD WAN without manual intervention, benefiting the operation as we have more than a thousand users across different locations.

Fortinet FortiGate Unified SASE is effective in providing security policies across multiple locations, incorporating zero touch provisioning that is very impactful and beneficial in managing network problems.

In terms of hardware-assisted DDoS protection with Fortinet FortiGate, it is performance-based, depending on the number of concurrent sessions, users, and the specifications of the hardware product.

What needs improvement?

The one concern I have with Fortinet FortiGate is the firmware versions, which often have many bugs when upgraded, leading us to revert back to older versions multiple times in my lifecycle.

For example, when upgrading the firmware version, we noticed that one of the services was not working, resulting in no packet flow for a VLAN until we reverted back.

The main area for improvement in Fortinet FortiGate is the firmware versions, as we face uncertainties regarding upgrades and frequent bugs that require self-fixing of problems.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate since two thousand three.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is very much scalable, with all models from Fortinet being impactful.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support from Fortinet is generally good, though there are times when it could be better.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We have used other firewalls, including Palo Alto, which we find to be very pricey compared to Fortinet FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment process for Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We conducted the deployment ourselves without the help of an integrator or consultant.

What was our ROI?

The return on investment with Fortinet FortiGate is very good, as it is one of the best products available in the market.

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

In terms of price for Fortinet FortiGate, it is not considered that expensive when compared to other products; it is medium priced for SMB businesses.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Palo Alto is a premier product, but both solutions have their unique advantages, making it difficult to declare one superior to the other.

What other advice do I have?

We have Fortinet FortiGate in different locations, where every location serves as a data center using hub and spoke technology, connecting all spokes to a primary hub and a secondary hub for reliability.

We use segmentation in core switches; however, the segmentation features are primarily managed by Cisco switches and not by Fortinet FortiGate firewall.

The effects of SD WAN integration on remote users and application performance are very positive, as we integrate all traffic through Fortinet FortiGate SD WAN and aim for configurations that enhance efficiency across locations.

We have been using SD WAN with Fortinet FortiGate for more than five or six years.

Fortinet FortiGate Unified SASE is effective in providing security policies across multiple locations, incorporating zero touch provisioning that is very impactful and beneficial in managing network problems.

The effects of SD WAN integration on remote users and application performance are very positive, as we integrate all traffic through Fortinet FortiGate SD WAN and aim for configurations that enhance efficiency across locations.

With Fortinet FortiGate, the SD WAN feature is included with no additional costs, which stands in contrast to other products like Cisco and Palo Alto, which charge extra for similar features.

I would rate this review 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.
Last updated: Mar 4, 2026
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PeerSpot user
Officer in Charge of IT Department at Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer(ACTREC)
Real User
Top 20
Sep 4, 2025
Ensures network security with reliable policy management and smooth deployment
Pros and Cons
  • "We have received a very good ROI; it has provided significant time savings of almost 20-25%."
  • "A disadvantage exists when we are collecting the logs, as it sometimes becomes very difficult to interpret the logs that are generated from the firewall."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate is a perimeter firewall which we are using for protecting our network and for defining policies so that only restricted access is given from outside to serve this purpose.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate serves as our perimeter firewall which we utilize for protecting our network and defining policies to ensure only restricted access is given from outside.

What needs improvement?

A disadvantage exists when we are collecting the logs, as it sometimes becomes very difficult to interpret the logs that are generated from the firewall. The main challenge is finding out which IP is generating what kind of traffic.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for more than 10 years. We started with FGT 60, then moved on to 100, then 300, and currently we are using 501E.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It went smoothly and we have found it very useful because we have a redundant internet lease line. It takes care of all our requirements.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have been informed by Fortinet FortiGate that it has already reached the end of service. It will be supported until next year, so we might procure a new solution. It cannot be scaled, so we will have to replace the box itself.

How are customer service and support?

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for quite a long time. As mentioned, we have used the last four series, and we found the product to be very stable. We regularly update it when updates are available, and the support has been good so far.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We are not using any previous solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The system integrator performed the installation and it went smoothly. My team mentioned it is very easy to do the setup. Since it is software-based rather than hardware-based, and our people are very familiar with the software, the implementation proceeded smoothly.

What about the implementation team?

The system integrator performed the installation.

What was our ROI?

We have received a very good ROI. It has provided significant time savings of almost 20-25%.

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

The solution is affordable.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

My team has indicated that Fortinet FortiGate is more simple and secure compared to alternatives.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.

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
CIO/ CTO at etgcyber
Real User
Top 20
Jul 11, 2025
Ensures consistent security and reliable connectivity across multiple locations
Pros and Cons
  • "We have a redundant setup for failover, however, it has not had to fail over ever and we have not had a capacity issue."
  • "The licensing could be improved as it is a little confusing and too granular for Fortinet FortiGate."

What is our primary use case?

We have a couple of use cases for Fortinet FortiGate. We are using it for SASE, the Secure Access Security Edge, to provide VPN services and firewall functionality. We are also using their access points as well as their firewalls and switches.

How has it helped my organization?

It is providing consistent security policies across multiple locations.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet Unified SASE is fantastic in my opinion. We rely heavily on it. It also provides remote access.

The solution provides consistent security policies across multiple locations.

What needs improvement?

The licensing is a little confusing and a bit too granular for Fortinet FortiGate. I would like to see a more streamlined set of options. 

The hardware is not terribly expensive, but the software license and support can be quite expensive. Some improvements could be made regarding cost considerations and complexity around their licensing.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have had experience with Fortinet FortiGate for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is completely stable and rock solid. From a stability perspective, Fortinet FortiGate just works; you get it set up and it does not fall over. We have had no security-related incidents related to anything with the FortiGates. The advanced features are really good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are not that big, however, we have had no scalability issues whatsoever with Fortinet FortiGate. We have a redundant setup for failover, however, it has not had to fail over ever and we have not had a capacity issue. It is highly scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is outstanding for Fortinet FortiGate. You get through to a person. They are very quick to respond and they are extremely knowledgeable and very helpful.

How would you rate customer service and support?

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

We previously used Palo Alto, and the reason we switched to Fortinet FortiGate for firewalls or SD-WAN edge solutions was reputation. We felt that the product set just fit better and was more flexible.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was pretty straightforward. It gets a little complex with routing rules and ACLs and VLANs and things of that nature. However, the interface is pretty straightforward. It has a good CLI interface as well. Whenever it was a bit too complicated, we would pick up the phone and get an expert to help us through it.

What was our ROI?

Return on investment since having this product is hard to quantify as it is a sunk cost and the cost of doing business. Having this functionality in place has shown no negatives, and this solution works effectively. 

We do not have significant cost overhead to maintain it. Once you get it set up, it just works. It is a little expensive, however, you get what you pay for. Whenever we need support to bring on something that we do not understand, they help us. From a net cost overhead, it is cost avoidance from additional headache related to instability or things not working properly. 

The return on investment is more about cost avoidance and stability, resulting in lack of downtime and incidents.

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

The licensing could be improved as it is a little confusing and too granular for Fortinet FortiGate. I would like to see a more streamlined set of options.

What other advice do I have?

We operate in the Insurtech industry. We have not integrated it with the SD-WAN features yet. 

We do not utilize Fortinet FortiGate's data center solution as we are not big enough for that. 

On a scale of one to ten, I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Telephony Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jul 9, 2025
Enables comprehensive security and routing for SMB and mid-market
Pros and Cons
  • "Scaling-wise, there have been no problems with Fortinet FortiGate."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate has started implementing AI, however, it hasn't reached full maturity."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate is strong in SMB and mid-market, approaching SD-WAN from a security perspective. Customers have requirements for internet as many are moving away from private connectivity and migrating to Teams, making security a top priority. They've chosen Fortinet FortiGate as it offers both a comprehensive security portfolio, including intrusion detection, deep packet inspection, and VPNs. It provides robust SD-WAN capability, eliminating the need for two vendors. Additionally, they offer a SASE solution for smaller sites where a virtual Fortinet FortiGate can be used instead of a physical one, saving space for retail locations.

How has it helped my organization?

These features resonate with small to medium-sized organizations, attracting more people to the Fortinet FortiGate solution since it's security-first while also providing SD-WAN capability. Unlike competitors such as Meraki that limit connections to two, Fortinet FortiGate allows up to 100 connections as their focus is on security rather than SD-WAN.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate SD-WAN capabilities typically require redundancy depending on the carrier. There are two types of redundancy: network redundancy with different carriers, such as Bell and Telus, or Verizon and AT&T, both connecting to the same Fortinet FortiGate box. In traditional setups, when there were two connections, one would be active and the second passive, activating only during failover. This wasn't cost-effective as customers paid for both connections while one remained passive.

In the SD-WAN environment, both connections become active, allowing application-specific routing. For instance, voice traffic can be directed to one connection while data traffic uses the other. Rules can be created specifying alternative routes if the primary connection is unavailable.

The impact on service availability and overall network performance is significant. It provides customers with assurance against single points of failure. However, capacity management remains crucial. If both networks operate at 80% capacity and one fails, the secondary connection would face a 160% load, causing blockages. Ideally, connections should operate at 50-60% capacity to handle full load during failures.

Fortinet FortiGate has been successful and ranks high on the Magic Quadrant since they're innovators with appropriate pricing. They offer a best-in-breed solution for their target market. While they're not focused on large enterprises they excel in the mid-market SMB segment, offering comprehensive solutions from endpoint protection to VPNs and deep packet inspection.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate has started implementing AI, however, it hasn't reached full maturity. Their AI solution doesn't compare to solutions such as Microsoft Copilot and SharePoint, primarily since AI relies on data, and Fortinet FortiGate focuses on perimeter defense and security rather than internal network data.

One notable limitation is the absence of honeypot capabilities, which competitors such as Palo Alto offer. These capabilities entice and trap attackers, allowing analysis of attack vectors. Fortinet FortiGate focuses purely on defense mechanisms without actively gathering intelligence about potential threats. This approach aligns with their mid-market focus, where such advanced threat intelligence features might be less critical than in enterprise environments.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have architected Fortinet FortiGate over the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate performs at 100% effectiveness when customers have the right skill sets and policies in place, making it a very reliable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scaling-wise, there have been no problems with Fortinet FortiGate. In the mid-market, which typically handles up to 50 to 100 sites and campus environments, there haven't been any scaling issues.

How are customer service and support?

From an implementation and partner support perspective, Fortinet FortiGate's support deserves a rating of seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The setup requires understanding of security and is not plug-and-play, but it isn't complex when implemented by certified Fortinet engineers.

What about the implementation team?

We provide professional services to install Fortinet FortiGate through our Fortinet-certified engineers, who handle installation services for companies.

What was our ROI?

The return on investment is 100% guaranteed. Similar to car insurance, security investment proves valuable when incidents occur. For small businesses, average losses can reach $300,000 per week, while mid-market companies face potential losses of $500,000 to a million. This makes the annual security investment of approximately $100,000 worthwhile. Furthermore, cyber insurance requirements often necessitate solutions such as Fortinet FortiGate rather than simpler alternatives.

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

Fortinet FortiGate pricing varies based on hardware specifications, size, and quantity purchased. Many companies access these solutions through managed service providers, who add their management fees to the hardware and license costs. Due to security being a specialized skill set and the various types of attacks (phishing, DDoS, hacks), having Fortinet FortiGate represents just one component of the total security investment.

What other advice do I have?

There's always room for improvement with Fortinet FortiGate, as no vendor achieves perfection. In their market segment, considering their offering and price point, they merit an eight out of ten rating.

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 has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
PeerSpot user
IT Consultant at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 10
Jun 20, 2025
Has protected against emerging security threats with valuable features and reliable support
Pros and Cons
  • "The antivirus, malware, anti-malware, anti-spam, IP VPN connections, and firewall rules bring the most value for me and my clients."
  • "There were situations of availability related to their switching solutions due to box errors."

What is our primary use case?

I have experience with Fortinet solutions.

I have had experience recently with FortiGate as well.

All the basic and important features needed for perimeter solutions to protect branches and headquarters are valuable with the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW).

The FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is deployed in a company that is a carrier of telecommunication services, providing solutions to all kinds of companies around the world, especially in Mexico.

It addresses new and emerging security threats in the telecommunications industry, as we recognize that it is a highly effective solution that provides robust protection. That's the reason it was the main product we used to sell for perimeter security.

What is most valuable?

We use FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for the access points and their switches.

All the basic and important features needed for perimeter solutions to protect branches and headquarters are valuable with this solution.

The antivirus, malware, anti-malware, anti-spam, IP VPN connections, and firewall rules bring the most value for me and my clients. 

The segmentation capabilities enhance our security posture because they work effectively combined with the switching solutions, allowing us to easily combine switching with the firewall, as we could segregate the VLANs. They were powerful and appropriate for the solution we needed while supporting all the adequate features we required.

What needs improvement?

I'm not completely sure how Fortinet can improve the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), however, there were situations of availability related to their switching solutions due to box errors. Fixing the bugs in their switching solutions is necessary because I have faced several situations where we lost connectivity because of their firmware.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have almost 12 years of experience with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW).

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Regarding next-generation firewalls, I would give the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) a rating of ten out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is quite good; it is easy to make it scalable.

I would place the scalability between nine and ten on a scale of one to ten.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate Fortinet's support a ten out of ten. They are excellent and very available whenever we needed their help.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We used to struggle with Cisco because it didn't have most of the features that Fortinet has, and when comparing with Palo Alto or Check Point, the prices are higher, which is important for solutions needed by mid-sized companies.

What about the implementation team?

Their deployment team is substantial, consisting of between 100 and 150 people.

What was our ROI?

Most clients realize the benefits from deployment immediately. They look for internet availability and the security needed for their endpoints.

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

Fortinet has good prices compared to other vendors; there were cheaper options, and when we compared Cisco, Fortinet's prices were lower.

What other advice do I have?

I don't remember how I bought the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), so I can't say if it was purchased through AWS Marketplace.

The FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) helps with the economic aspect because it effectively protects what we needed with the companies in designing the products and solutions.

I'm not familiar with how the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) utilizes artificial intelligence or if it has AI-driven features to improve threat detection and response, so I cannot detail its existence or help.

I would recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) to others. It is a very good product. In my position, I sold approximately 1,000 units.

On a scale of one to ten, I rate this solution a ten.

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 has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer2808123 - PeerSpot reviewer
Bdm at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Reseller
Top 20
Mar 11, 2026
Long-term deployment has supported flexible security services for diverse customer needs
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate has it all."
  • "But because it's so modular, sometimes customers mistakenly just buy the firewall. The firewall doesn't work right."

What is our primary use case?

I integrate service with Fortinet FortiGate. I integrate service, and some manage service, so the customer already has the firewall and we manage them, or we sell the hardware. But mostly for hardware, there are a lot of sellers, so mostly we do the services.

If the customer wants Fortinet FortiGate, I give Fortinet FortiGate. If the customer wants Sophos, I give Sophos. Both have a different market and different customer profile.

Whatever the customer asks, we provide. I'm running Fortinet FortiGate now because a customer wants that in my data center.

What is most valuable?

I find Fortinet FortiGate valuable due to Fortinet's ASIC, as I have known Fortinet FortiGate since a long time ago, from the first time they ran. They use ASIC. While Sophos also has a special hardware solution such as Xstream, they have all different purposes and different advantages, so I can utilize both. It depends on the customer.

I don't have any problem with Fortinet Unified SASE. Mostly in Indonesia, in our market, customers buy the brand without knowing the full capability of it. So actually with Fortinet FortiGate, you also have to implement FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer and for hardware control, FortiNAC and so on. But because it's so modular, sometimes customers mistakenly just buy the firewall. The firewall doesn't work right. That's a problem. I understand that this product design philosophy of Fortinet FortiGate is meant to serve very big corporations which have established SOC teams. They put segmentation of who is the manager and who is the analyzer. That's why they put the separate server for that. But because the brand is so famous, even small customers want to buy it.

What needs improvement?

I think Fortinet FortiGate could learn from its competitors that there's nothing to change. Perhaps they could just launch a lightweight version of the SIEM and SOAR tool, which is cloud-based. This would be for small organizations who cannot afford to build the full scale SOC facility and team.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for maybe five or six years, or maybe longer than that. It could be 10 years as well.

What other advice do I have?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for quite a long time, but I am not a partner yet. Last year I took partnership with Sophos, so we do both.

I don't have experience integrating SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate yet, as we had a case but the project didn't go. SD-WAN is not mostly firewall. Yesterday, I just had a discussion with a new customer that wants to buy ZTNA and NAC.

I think the pricing of Fortinet FortiGate is affordable to some small customers, but they can only afford the firewall without the other components. Mostly firewall, so it's just selling products, not selling a security system.

In my opinion, Fortinet FortiGate doesn't need to be improved. It's because it has a different market. I had a case maybe five or six years ago. There was a tender of SD-WAN implementation for 10,000 mini marts. A company that has 10,000 outlets of mini marts needs security. In the data center at their headquarters, they need a very big firewall, up to 500 Gbps. But in the outlet, which is a small store or mini mart, they need a very small firewall that's capable to do SD-WAN, authentication, security, VPN and so on. Fortinet FortiGate has it all. Fortinet FortiGate is suitable for that kind of organization. They have a special SOC, so they buy FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer and so on. I rate this review an 8.

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 has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Last updated: Mar 11, 2026
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: August 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.