Fortinet FortiOS Reviews

I am a consultant, and I have worked with solutions from many different vendors. Depending on what the customer wants, we help to select the solution. This is one of the solutions that I have serviced in a client environment.

All of the features in this solution are effective and efficient. They are dependent on the environment in the organization.

The policies and the way that they are applied can be improved. It could be more direct, as it is an issue for some people. Generally, policy management could be made better and simpler to deploy.

The GUI could be improved to make it more usable, easier to administer, and easier to configure. 

I think it's a stable solution.

We have been deploying this solution in small and medium-sized environments, with no more than fifty users, and it has always been effective.

I don't think that we have had any issues with technical support for this solution.

The difficulty of the initial setup depends on who is handling it. Definitely, there are challenges, but if you have a proper understanding of what you're supposed to do, then it is straightforward to work with.

For me, I think that the physical box is more straightforward to work with, but it depends on who is doing it. If you get your architecture right then it is a pretty straightforward deployment. If you don't, then you run into issues that you will need to troubleshoot.

For my requirements and expectations, I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

We primarily use the solution as a data center.

Fortinet is very easy to use. I like its configuration and the various functions it offers. 

I think the most common use for a firewall system is web filtering and application filtering. The program has other features too, like anti-virus and other security features, but I think that some of the usage is there to control and connect web filtering and application filtering and to control what comes in and what goes out.

For me, it is important to be able to block VPN applications, like Facebook, so I would like to see that included in the next release. With this version, if you want to block or allow a site, you now have to drag all the domains related to this site. 

The program is very stable.

The scalability is very high.

The customer service is very nice because they answered my questions when I asked them about the program before buying it. The technical support is great too, because they called me back with a solution to my question. 

The initial setup was straightforward and I did it myself. I downloaded it, read the instructions and started the deployment, which took only about an hour. 

I rate this solution an eight out of ten and I will definitely recommend it to others because many people are using it around the world now. 

We primarily use the solution for banks, whereby they want to secure their edge network, to filter their web application and block forms, etc. We also are able to integrate AWS using secure channels. It's more robust and they have different modes including nap, flow, and proximity.

You can apply patterns to look for. That can be done for applications also. You can ask for a specific feature to become a pattern.  If you were using Office 360 and had 2 ISPs, automatically using SD-WAN will allow you to switch over to the other link based on the criteria you can set yourself. You don't need to go to the device to manually sort and link it, it does it automatically.

Users can go directly to the cloud from the branch instead of routing to the head office and then the cloud. That will reduce the cost of routing, so you just pay for internet service and you have access to the cloud.

The interface is easy to understand, so when there are threats you get alerts. It's quite intuitive, but if you are ever confused they have instructional videos. For example, if you don't understand a graph there's a link to a video that explains what the graph means. It makes it very user-friendly.

The solution is good, but they have poor marketing in Nigeria. They need to market their product better.

They need to work on their support. Cisco has the best technical support. In comparison, Fortinet's support takes too long. If you are paying for SLAs, you should also get value from your SLAs.

Right now, everybody is moving to the cloud. The solution has already worked on that aspect, and they are embedding security to the cloud. However, security can be more enhanced and as long as they continue to offer more protection I'll be happy.

The solution is very stable.

The solution is very scalable. It allows for API integrations so you can actually integrate into other security solutions.

Technical support could be more qualified and offer a quicker turnaround.

The initial setup is very straightforward, especially if that person understands security.

We integrate solutions on the client's request. Most times I push on Fortinet, as it's a robust system.

You can integrate your endpoint with Fortinet. You can integrate the cloud on-premises. Because the solution is so robust and offers excellent the features we tend to enjoy using FortiOS. Cisco is similar, however, and we do work with them too.  

We are using the on-premises deployment model.

We are an integrator, so we do integrations using Fortinet, Cisco, Sophos, and Palo Alto.

If you're an SMB or a small enterprise, I would recommend Fortinet.

I would advise users to make sure they are getting value for what they are paying for. I can say that Fortinet is not as expensive as the others, but it also gives good value. The main thing is not about the cost, but the value and Fortinet delivers on that front.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

We primarily use the solution as a co-firewall.

For my organization, it has become much easier to scan the firewalls because the solution is more user-friendly than its competitors. 

We've found the threat detection very valuable. The entire platform is user-friendly. It's easier compared to Check Point or Juniper firewalls.

The signature discs, compared to Palo Alto, aren't as good. It takes more time to get the signature updates.

The solution should be on the cloud a bit more. 

There should be a cookie eater. 

The stability of the solution is very good.

The solution is scalable.

Technical support for the solution is very good.

We ended up choosing the solution because of its ease of use and it troubleshooting steps were easy to control.

The initial setup is straightforward. You need about two to three people for deployment and maintenance.

Licensing is renewed on a yearly basis.

We use the on-premises deployment model.

I would recommend the solution. As a co-firewall, it does a good job.

I would rate the solution seven out of ten.

We are a reseller, and I deployed the public cloud version of this solution for a client on Microsoft Azure.

Due to instability of internet here in East Africa ,it will be great if the updates for FortOS could be small and so much size that could utilise more bandwidth.

The most valuable features are the intrusion prevention system and the anti-virus.

The interface is more user-friendly than other products, but moving between the VPN and anti-virus features is not as easy for people who are inexperienced with the solution.

The internet service is not as reliable in East Africa as in other parts of the world, and as such, the bandwidth that is required for updating the Fortinet OS should be reduced. I would like to see smaller and more frequent updates.

So far, the solution has been stable. I have not had any complaints from the customer.

The scalability is one of the great features of this solution.

We did not have to contact technical support.

I have had experience working with Check Point UTM. These products have the same features. However, the user interface and support for Fortinet are superior to Check Point.

The initial setup of this solution was straightforward. The deployment took at most three hours. When the deployment was complete, the only job that was left was for the system administrator on the client's side.

According to our customer, they have not experienced any difficulties.

We handled the deployment of this solution for our customer.

Three people are enough for deployment, with one configuring the network and two working on the systems. 

It is easy to show a return on investment with this solution because it is easy to scale.

The only advice I have for anybody who is implementing this solution to make sure that they have a proper internet connection with good bandwidth.

Overall, the Fortinet OS is great.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

The fact that is it has a UTM, a Unified Threat Management feature is the most valuable aspect for us. It's an all in one product. It's like our one-stop-shop to the internet.

The complexity of the VPNs should be improved. Certain versions of the operating system don't function with our current Fortinet unit. For instance, we've got a 60D FortiGate at our branch offices and the 60D FortiGate doesn't support the latest version of the 40 OS. Because of this, certain Wi-Fi access points that depend on those operating systems don't function so well. So that has room for improvement. I'd like to see that happen.

My impression is the solution is very stable.

I find the solution scalable. With my current employer, we have a high available cluster. You can extend it and also extend it with Wi-fi access points because the controller of the Wi-Fi access points is also in the 40GB range. We've got about 300 personnel in the offices and we've got about 1,000 or more employees in the trucks and they all use it, at different times.

Technical support has been pretty good. At one point, because we've got a lot of drivers - we're a transportation organization - those drivers have mobile phones and at one point we implemented a new mobile phone which uses the Wi-Fi network. The new phones couldn't connect with the Wi-Fi access point and Fortinet pretty much came in quickly with a patch for the Wi-Fi access points.

The initial setup was straightforward. It comes with a quick book, a manual, and without any experience from day one, I implemented successfully without any help. It was pretty straightforward.

I implemented the solution myself.

Seven years ago I was looking into Palo Alto Firewalls.

It's a good reliable product. I'd rate it as a solid eight out of 10. It has room left for improvement.

We'd chosen the solution because of the price and the support contract, but just a few years later the support contact pricing was all of a sudden pretty steep. They increased it by 20% to 30% from one year to another year, and it's hard to explain why.

Network edge security, single Entry/Exit for multiple branches. and recently have started with SDWAN investigations and labs. 

Having used the FortiOS for a period, the improvement of functions and additions have been both "Great" and "Poor," as one gets used to using a product, menu and layout changes can be a bit confusing at first, however you slowly start to get more familiar over time.

VPN Services, and FortiView for quick troubleshooting and tracking.

Reporting, having only recently migrated to 6.04 there will be some time to see what improvements have been made, with some of the menu changes and inclusions through the versions.

in 10 years, we have had little to no issues with the functionality, stability of the product from my standpoint has been very stable, preventative maintenance schedules, and keeping up with the latest information on the product is key.

We have had no issues to date.

We have an array of products that are specific to our environments, and the requirements around the service needed for that specific environment, FortiOs ticked the boxes to the best match for our requirement.

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiOS was straightforward, with the new inclusion of SDWAN there are some learning still to be done but in general, if the planning is done correctly the intitial setup is a breeze.

A combination of both was used.

Research and plan, ensure that the product falls in line with your requirement and has room to grow, and don't let a Product dictate your requirements.

We use it as Fortinet as a edge firewall Fortinet protection and SSL VPN FortiOS Vivo SS.

The SSL VPN is fee for use is most attractive.

A switch should be introduced. 

I have been working with Fortinet FortiOS for 2023. 

The solution is moderately stable. I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. 

The clients are primarily small businesses. 

The initial setup was straightforward. I would date the setup a six out of ten. The deployment takes few minutes time. 

The solution is cost effective. I would rate the pricing a five out of ten. 

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.