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reviewer1140930 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Lead at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Responsive support, useful analyzer, and effective protection
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate-VM are the servers, analyzer, and track protection."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as a network firewall.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate-VM are the servers, analyzer, and track protection.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM for approximately seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is highly stable.

    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiGate-VM
    June 2025
    Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
    860,632 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is not scalable.

    We have approximately 7,000 users using this solution in my organization.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support has been responsive in my experience.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is easy and took approximately six months.

    What about the implementation team?

    We did the implementation with an integrator called Dimension Data and from Fortinet support.

    We have a six-person technical team that does the maintenance of the solution.

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

    The price of the solution could be less expensive. There are some features that have to be purchased separately that have their own license.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM a nine out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Easy to learn and use
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable features are the SD-WAN and the web filtering applications control."
    • "Areas for improvement would be application control and web filtering."

    What is our primary use case?

    The primary use of this solution is to provide information about SD-WAN and how Fortigate helps to reduce costs.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features are the SD-WAN and the web filtering applications control.

    What needs improvement?

    Areas for improvement would be application control and web filtering.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using this solution for three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I haven't seen any problems with stability.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability of this solution is limited.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support is very good.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup was very straightforward, and deployment did not take a long time.

    What other advice do I have?

    This is a very easy appliance, and they make it easy to learn. I would rate it as eight out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiGate-VM
    June 2025
    Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
    860,632 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Head of systems and technology at Hotel Zuana Beach Resort
    Real User
    Simple VPN creation, good technical support, and integrates well
    Pros and Cons
    • "Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very easy to create the user of VPN, allowing them to use it quickly. Additionally, the integration and interface are good."

      What is our primary use case?

      We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as a firewall for our internet.

      What is most valuable?

      Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very easy to create the user of VPN, allowing them to use it quickly. Additionally, the integration and interface are good.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been Fortinet FortiGate-VM for approximately three years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      The stability is good.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Fortinet FortiGate-VM is scalable.

      We have 110 systems for users that we can connect and we have 12 users using the VPN.

      How are customer service and support?

      The technical support in my experience has been good.

      What about the implementation team?

      We require ten people for the deployment of Fortinet FortiGate-VM.

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

      We have been waiting a long time for the vendor to give us licenses, it has been five months and we are still waiting. However, the price is reasonable.

      What other advice do I have?

      I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM 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.
      PeerSpot user
      PeerSpot user
      Full support analyst at Gruppen
      Real User
      A very friendly and easy solution with an easy to use configuration, graphical interface and command line
      Pros and Cons
      • "The configuration, graphical interface and command line are easy to use."
      • "The price is problematic."

      What is our primary use case?

      We primarily use the solution as a public cloud for Microsoft Azure. 

      What is most valuable?

      My experience with the solution has been very positive and Fortinet provides a great layer of security when it comes to SD-WAN and other security capabilities. There are many models available to suit a host of environments. 

      The solution is extremely easy and friendly. The configuration, graphical interface and command line are easy to use.

      What needs improvement?

      The price is problematic. 

      An interesting feature of the vendor license involves SD-WAN orchestrator and this should be addressed in the part which deals with feature licensing. 

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been working with FortiGate products for the past five years and with Fortinet FortiGate-VM for the past year. 

      How are customer service and support?

      The technical support varies with the product in question. The support for FortiGate appliances is relatively good compared with the more complicated support afforded other products. 

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

      I like the comparative use of the SD-WAN feature of the solution. 

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

      The solution could be better priced. 

      What other advice do I have?

      My sole experience with the solution is in the Azure environments. 

      As a Fortinet partner, I make use of many of its products. 

      As I feel Fortinet FortiGate-VM to be a good solution, I rate it as a ten out of ten. 

      Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
      PeerSpot user
      Consultor Infraestructura, Networking y Seguridad en Seti Consulting at SETI CONSULTING
      Real User
      Easy to set up, stable and fast with good WAN optimization capabilities
      Pros and Cons
      • "The most valuable feature is the WAN optimization."
      • "The most valuable feature is the WAN optimization."
      • "In terms of improvement, there have been some problems with the bandwidth of the security layer."
      • "We have encountered certain issues with the bandwidth in respect of the security layer."

      What is our primary use case?

      We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as an SD-WAN solution and for security profiles.

      I do not recall which version we are using. 

      What is most valuable?

      The most valuable feature is the WAN optimization. 

      What needs improvement?

      We have encountered certain issues with the bandwidth in respect of the security layer. 

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate-VM for two years. 

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      The solution has good stability. 

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      For the moment, we don't have plans to increase the usage. 

      How was the initial setup?

      The initial setup was simple.

      The setup period can vary. I believe it did not take us more than a week. 

      What about the implementation team?

      There are ten people in our organization who are responsible for the deployment. 

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

      Our licensing costs are of a general nature. There are no additional costs beyond the standard fee. 

      What other advice do I have?

      There are around 100 users making use of the solution in our organization. 

      The solution is quite good. It is simple and fast. 

      I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM as 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?

      Amazon Web Services (AWS)
      Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
      PeerSpot user
      Director General CEO at SC Telecom
      Real User
      I like its interface and load-balancing features
      Pros and Cons
      • "In terms of specific features, I like FortiGate's load balancing, interface, and priority on the network."
      • "Fortinet could improve the availability and delivery of its products. It takes four to six weeks for every purchase to arrive."

      What is most valuable?

      I like how Fortinet products work together to provide a total equipment solution. And, I don't see any issues with that solution. In terms of specific features, I like FortiGate's load balancing, interface, and priority on the network.

      What needs improvement?

      Fortinet could improve the availability and delivery of its products. It takes four to six weeks for every purchase to arrive.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I've been using FortiGate-VM for six years.

      How are customer service and support?

      Fortinet's local support in Mexico could be better.

      What other advice do I have?

      I rate FortiGate 10 out of 10. 

      Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
      PeerSpot user
      reviewer1651302 - PeerSpot reviewer
      Director Of Technology at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
      Real User
      Flexible pricing, versatile, scalable, stable, and the support is good
      Pros and Cons
      • "It is very versatile."
      • "It has a monitoring tool, but it could be improved."

      What is our primary use case?

      Fortinet FortiGate-VM may be installed on Azure or AWS.

      You can either install it in your data center alongside your virtual applications or put it in the public cloud to secure it.

      What is most valuable?

      It is very versatile.

      What needs improvement?

      More monitoring should be included with Fortinet FortiGate-VM, in my opinion.

      It has a monitoring tool, but it could be improved.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      We have been selling Fortinet FortiGate VM for at least 12 years. It could be 15 years because it has been exclusive since the beginning.

      It's available both on-premises and in the cloud.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      It's a stable product.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very scalable because you can use Fortinet FortiManager.

      We have a big team of many people.

      How are customer service and support?

      Technical support is good.

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

      With Fortinet FortiGate-VM you can bring your own licensing, or it can be paid on a yearly basis.

      Pricing is very flexible.

      What other advice do I have?

      Definitely, I would recommend this solution to others.

      FortiGate Cloud and FortiGate-VM are the same product.

      FortiOS is the operating system on FortiGate.

      Fortinet has a very large product portfolio. You have the VM, and you have physical appliances for Firewalls.

      I would rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM a nine out of ten.

      Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

      Public Cloud

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

      Amazon Web Services (AWS)
      Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
      PeerSpot user
      IT Specialist at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
      Real User
      Stable, with great technical support and excellent firewall capabilities
      Pros and Cons
      • "Overall, it's an excellent solution."
      • "The key activation is very complicated at times."

      What is our primary use case?

      You can use the balance of FortiGate for an HTTP server, for example. It's not a total solution like a firewall, however, you have a lot of structure within it for normal firewalls or next-generation firewalls. FortiGate is the firewall for Fortinet.

      What is most valuable?

      Overall, it's an excellent solution.

      The solution is largely very stable. 

      Technical support has been good.

      The firewall capabilities are very good.

      What needs improvement?

      The key activation is very complicated at times. For example, when you use it for different customers, due to the fact that they are linked with one customer or another, you need an account. Sometimes the customer doesn't have the account, or they confuse the key. It derails the process a bit. It would be ideal if they could simplify or streamline the process.

      The internal logs could be easier to manage. When you handle debugging sometimes you have some trouble seeing the whole of a packet that crossed the firewall. Luckily, I have a lot of expertise and therefore can work within these shortcomings. However, it would be easier if there was more visibility.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I've used the solution for five years at this point. I've used it for a while. 

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      It's very stable. I remember only one case in which we had issues with a routing protocol. This was the big problem that I had with FortiGate, as they had some issues and they reduced the equipment. However, in the last five years, it was the one lone situation that I opened a case for and they took a lot of time to get to the solution, which was an SBS and BGP routing protocol into the FortiGate. That said, that issue was on an appliance, not a VM solution.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      One of the primary clients we have that uses the solution is a bank. They utilize it for internal services.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      The technical support is good. For me, it's a simple process in that you open a case, and, depending on your contract, normally they respond quickly and their help normally is good. I would say I am satisfied with the level of support they offer to clients. 

      What other advice do I have?

      I work with a service provider and he sells service in cloud and FortiGate products, including FortiGate VMs. With this, he sells services, and I work with him on support and initial configurations or deactivations for customers. 

      I work with various versions of the solution, the latest being 7.7.

      We use a variety of deployments, including on-premise and in public clouds. Not an American public cloud, however. Rather, it's a public cloud here in South America.

      I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten. the product is excellent and I am very happy with it overall.

      Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
      PeerSpot user
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      Updated: June 2025
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