Fortinet FortiOS Reviews

We use it for end-point gateway protection and also use the FortiOS for external user connection and server VPN. We love that clear synchronization as it's almost invisible with the fabric for the guests, externally to connect. The zero-choice engine that they use is pretty good. It is perfect for setting up one-to-one channels for different services that have to pass through the firewall. So it does that seamlessly.

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are its constant updates and definitions. The new definitions and the content information coming out to the threat labs keeps you updated on your signatures so that you know what's happening out there. And also doing well, for my system, we have, like, what is called, active scans.

It's constantly accessing Sophos into your gateway, even Sophos that you authorized.

I want to see a better integration or a better integration with the endpoint protection or with EDR with the security life cycle. I want to see if that enhances a bit more so I have granular datasets and the user level through to the gateway because that's where most of our threats come from. It's from user activities on the Internet and passes into your files over that gateway. That's where most of our threats would appear and where our exposure to vulnerabilities lies.

So if we can tighten that up, we can harden our infrastructure much better.

I have been using the solution for quite some time.

The customer support team is good and responsive.

We did the initial setup ourselves, so it was easy. The learning curve was that great once you have any experience with any firewall or any experience with any security appliance, you can pull around it. We did get some help from our providers. But that was basic.

The EMS setup was all in-house. Our service provider assisted with the firewall setup. The implementations were very smooth. And the transition of our current from our current security device to that when we did it a couple of years ago, it's seamless.

The pricing is competitive for the medium and high markets but for the small markets it can be expensive.

You have to see what works best for your environment. Each environment is different depending on the applications and different services you are running in that environment. Suppose it's a full Windows environment versus a mixture if you have a hybrid environment. It all depends on the type of environment you're running and finding the right tools that meet your domain.

But for the regular Windows environment, it's perfect.

I rate it eight out of ten.

We are using the solution as a firewall. It provides portal access.

Feature-wise, the solution is strong. It has SD-WAN, site-to-site VPN, load balancing, and application-based load balancing. 

It's very user-friendly. 

Compared to other OEMs, due to the SD-WAN and the IPsec VPN, there is no need for the licensing for SD-WAN and the IPsec site-to-site on the remote access VPN.

Chipset wise they're using an ACS chipset dedicated to FortiOS.

The interface and dashboard are good. 

We've been happy with the pricing. 

The initial setup is easy.

There aren't any features missing at this time. 

For monitoring purposes, we don't have any option to monitor the ISP link. If the ISP link goes down, then there is no monitoring tool or in-built monitoring tool. We can use a third-party application, like Zoho or PRTG. However, we would like something in-built. 

They need to improve the solution at the application level. 

I've been using the solution for five years. 

Sometimes it is unstable. However, they'll easily fix the issue. We get upgrades and updates. If there is even any vulnerability or malware, we'll get it fixed immediately. They give good responses to the customers.

While there are bugs, sometimes the development team is on top of it and fixes everything fast. They'll send a patch in the next update.

We work with more than 100 customers. 

Technical support is helpful and responsive. 

Positive

I worked on FortiGate and Palo Alto.

The solution is very simple, very straightforward. It's not complex a all. 

How long it takes to deploy depends on the client's requirements. 

For a mid-level customer, we can deploy within an hour. We can complete everything and have it up and running, and the users get internet access. If they need more rules, they need more things, then it could take time, depending on the configuration.

The cost of the solution has been fine. 

You do have to pay for a license. I'm not sure of the exact cost. I'm more of a technical person.

We're a customer and end-user.

We have the solution deployed on the cloud and on-premises. 

I've deployed the 600F model a couple of times.

New users need to do some homework, and then we proceed with the configuration. Security-wise, they need to make the customized port. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. 

Our company is a partner with Fortinet and uses the VDOM to deploy and service virtual firewalls for our customers. 

The solution provides good firewall and antivirus protection via IPX and its security profile.

The solution needs improvement with DDoS protection. 

I have been using the solution for nine years. 

The solution is stable and I rate it an eight out of ten. 

The solution is scalable and I rate it an eight out of ten.

The technical support is excellent. 

Positive

The initial setup was not very easy but the solution does integrate without much complexity. 

Our internal team of two engineers deploys the solution in about three days. 

The licensing costs are paid by our customers on a monthly basis and include maintenance and technical support provided by three of our engineers. 

The solution is quite affordable and I rate the cost a four out of ten. 

The solution is a leader in security according to the Gartner Report and I recommend its use. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

The best aspects of the solution are the wire signature and VPN, secure VPN encryption, and bulk packet monitoring.

It is a stable product. 

The product is scalable and easily expands. 

Setting up the solution is easy.

We like the technical support on offer. 

It should be controlled in the local environment as well. Its gateway security is more powerful. However, it should also manage the local DSCP network, so the policies, local LAN policies, and other stuff should be there.

I've been using the solution for the last two years.

The stability is good. 

It's running in many places and in different organizations. There's a huge market.

 I found the solution to be scalable. 

We use it in more than one location. We have more than four or five people using it at each location. 

Technical support's good. When we register a ticket, they are always prompt in their response. There are two types of support. It's paid or unpaid support, depending on the service we are using.

Positive

We've also used SonicWall. 

The initial setup is straightforward. It's not complex, You should know where it exists in the OS. Then you can work with it easily. Otherwise, the complexity is something you have to contend with for a new user.

We have witnessed an ROI. 

You need to repurchase a license every year or two. Costs are negotiable and sometimes they offer promotional prices. A yearly subscription might be around $20,000 to $30,000.

We're a customer and end-user.

We would recommend the solution.

Fortinet is a good product. However, other products are good as well. It really depends on the customer experience.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten due to the cost of quality of services, and due to the fact that we know other firewalls are more powerful than Fortinet. That said, Fortinet is very economical and gives us an appropriate solution based on what we require.

We use the solution as a perimeter firewall. 

It's simple to use in terms of inbound and outbound traffic management, traffic shaping, and connectivities, as well as the VPN. Everything is built into it, so it gives us quite a good well-rounded solution.

With assistance, the initial setup is easy.

The solution is stable and reliable. 

I would like to see more statistics in the monitoring part. There is monitoring, there are DSCPs, and everything; however, I would like to have more active monitoring of the traffic.

Sometimes we would like to monitor some threats. For example, where are some bots, and how do we detect these kinds of things. That would be good for us.

I've been using the solution for more than five years. 

We've been happy with the stability. It's been good so far. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash.

We are not scaling it right now. We bought it sometime back and we didn't need to scale it. We bought a higher end for our use case, which is still sufficient for another few years.

We have 200 or so users of different levels and positions on it.

We do not have plans to increase usage. 

This firewall is quite a capable firewall - even up to 1000 users. Due to that, we didn't find any requirement to expand it or replace it somehow. It has helped us build our software-defined WAN, LAN, et cetera. It is sufficient for us. It gives us Gbps throughput, which is good enough. The firewall itself is 32Gbps capable, which is more than what we need.

We have used support sometimes. That said, mostly we use it via the third party directly. They are helping us with support of any type that we need.

There was something else that was used. However, I don't remember what was that previously.

The initial setup was easy for us as we had assistance. 

For the deployment, one person was involved from the outside, and two people we assisting from our side. In total, three people were involved.

The deployment itself took a few days as we were rebuilding policies as well.

The initial setup was done by the contractor. For that reason, we had no problem implementing this.

The ROI we have witnessed is good. I would rate it five out of five. 

We started with a three-year license and have since renewed it. 

For three years, we paid about 2,800 KD, which is about $9,000.

The product is pretty affordable overall.

We are just customers of the solution. 

We're not using the most recent version. We updated it a few years ago and we are still using that version.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. We are really happy with it in general. 

Potential users should plan what they want to do with it before buying something this big and this good. They should know what they want to do first and then act accordingly.

The most important feature of Fortinet FortiOS is the IPS.

Fortinet FortiOS need to manage its memory and CPU utilization better. It peaks at times, which sometimes can be challenging.

In a feature release, if Fortinet FortiOS could have better cloud functionality would be a benefit.

I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for approximately seven years.

The stability of Fortinet FortiOS is good.

Fortinet FortiOS is scalable.

I rate the support from Fortinet FortiOS a five out of five.

Positive

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiOS is simple.

We evaluated Checkpoint and Cisco before choosing Fortinet FortiOS.

The manageability suit is better in Fortinet in terms of device manageability and  OS upgrades. It has the capability of terminating a leased line, RF, and a USB dongle. When we evaluated Fortinet FortiOS, back in 2015, Cisco and Checkpoint did not have a 4G termination feature. Today if my MPLS goes down, the lease line goes down, I can connect a 4G dongle. In Cisco, you need to have a SIM  embedded in a device and you need to open the device, put it on, and then you need to connect it and extend the cable. It is very complex. In Fortinet it is easy.

I rate Fortinet FortiOS a nine out of ten.

The solution is basically an OS for Fortinet.

Security and authentication are the most valuable aspects of the product. The classification of the websites is helpful.

The solution is stable and reliable.

We have several access points on FortiGate, which were procured long ago. Those are not supporting the present firmware update we make on the UTM. Therefore, we cannot get the latest firmware updated on the UTMs. I was thinking that if we need to get rid of these physical devices, we should move to some cloud-based system.

The only problem that we are facing at the moment is that all the devices of FortiGate, whether it is for FortiGate's access points or authenticator or controllers or UTM, is in the FortiOS. They are interrelated and interdependent. It means if I buy a FortiGate car, I have to run FortiGate OS, I have to fill in FortiGate fuel, and I have to run it on a Fortinet road. I can’t mix and match it with different solutions. There is no flexibility.

The initial setup is a bit complex.

We would like to have NMS built into the solution.

We’ve been using the solution for the last ten years.

The solution is stable. We’ve never had any issues with the product. It’s reliable. There are no bugs or glitches.

If I need to scale it up, then again, I have to change the entire family of it.

The amount of users connected at any given point is something around 6,000, including the students and the people on move.

We never use tech support from Fortinet. We get support from a local supplier.

We are tied to Fortinet and therefore did not use any other product.

Initially, the solution can be a bit complex to set up. It’s not simple. There’s a learning curve. You need to train on it a bit first.

We have ten to 12 people on hand who are specialized in FortiOS and can handle deployment and maintenance tasks. We have a total of 20 people working on maintenance.

The pricing is pretty high. I’d rate it at a two or three out of five in terms of affordability.

Since the pandemic, a lot of things have gotten exponentially higher. Also, for us, the final price is dependent on the dollar conversion rate. You can get a license for one or up to five years.

Since we are tied to Fortinet and could not use anything else, we did not compare it to other solutions.

We are customers and end-users.

I’d rate the solution seven out of ten.

I’d recommend the solution for an enterprise user. However, it may be a bit much for a small or medium-sized organization.

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are its simplicity, highly user-centric, and performs well. The line speed and for heavy traffic, is helpful for us.

Fortinet FortiOS can improve by limiting the need for the CLI and GUI combination. The more functions they can have on the GUI and less on CLI would be helpful.

I have used Fortinet FortiOS within the last 12 months.

The stability of Fortinet FortiOS has been good, I have not had any issues at this point.

Fortinet FortiOS scalability has been good. However, we only have a small setup. 

The support offered by Fortinet FortiOS is good.

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiOS is straightforward.

The price of Fortinet FortiOS is less than $10,000 annually. The price of the support is reasonable compared to competitors.

I rate Fortinet FortiOS a seven out of ten.