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Senior Network & Security Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Easy to manage, effective intrusion prevention, and useful geographical visibility
Pros and Cons
  • "The main features I find useful are intrusion prevention and web filtering. Additionally, the solution is easy to manage."
  • "The solution could improve the log retention and reports."

What is our primary use case?

I am using Fortinet FortiOS in conjunction with a firewall for our network security.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution has helped our organization prevent multiple attacks. It has been beneficial having geographical visibility of what threat is being blocked in real-time.

What is most valuable?

The main features I find useful are intrusion prevention and web filtering. Additionally, the solution is easy to manage.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve the log retention and reports.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiOS
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for approximately eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiOS is scalable.

We have different size organizations using this solution and when determining if it fits the organization's it depends on their use case.

How are customer service and support?

We have been satisfied with the technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What was our ROI?

I have found Fortinet FortiOS to be a good investment.

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

The price of Fortinet FortiOS has been reasonable.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated other solutions, such as SonicWall, Palo Alto, Cyberoam, and Check Point before choosing Fortinet FortiOS.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution.

I rate Fortinet FortiOS a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementor
PeerSpot user
Ali Fauzi - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Security Engineer at Tunas Ridean Tbk PT
Real User
Satisfactory stability and easy to set up, but lacks desired features
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability of Fortinet meets our requirements and I'm satisfied with it."
  • "I would like to see the features of FortiAnalyzer included in Fortinet FortiOS. Right now, you're required to have an additional license and a different device for features such as processing the log, reporting, and analyzing traffic."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet to secure the environment at our data center and LAN.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see the features of FortiAnalyzer included in Fortinet FortiOS. Right now, you're required to have an additional license and a different device for features such as processing the log, reporting, and analyzing traffic.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about six or seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Fortinet meets our requirements and I'm satisfied with it.

How was the initial setup?

The solution was easy to set up. 

What about the implementation team?

I deployed the solution by myself and it took about one to two months.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution as a seven 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 FortiOS
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1876488 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Presales Engineer at a educational organization with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It has high availability features so we can have one box on hot standby to take over when another one crashes
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiOS allows us to set up alarms for blocked websites and SSL verifications. When someone tries to access a blocked site, the solution sends a notification to the IT manager's mailbox."
  • "FortiOS could provide a more detailed analysis of the network and connected devices."

What is our primary use case?

I was working at a bank where internal information security was strict, so I needed to block a lot of websites in Fortinet. For example, we needed to block Gmail, WhatsApp Web, porn, and violent content. 

What is most valuable?

FortiOS allows us to set up alarms for blocked websites and SSL verifications. When someone tries to access a blocked site, the solution sends a notification to the IT manager's mailbox.

The user interface is easy to use. Fortinet has high availability features, so you can have an active and hot standby box. We can have two boxes in Rio and two in São Paulo. When a box crashes, we can transfer all the operations to the second box. 

FortiOS tells you exactly what is happening in the first box, so you can quickly understand what went wrong and troubleshoot. Users rarely notice an impact on the daily operations. 

What needs improvement?

FortiOS could provide a more detailed analysis of the network and connected devices.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used Fortinet for about nine months.

How are customer service and support?

We have a support contract with a third-party company, but Fortinet provides the licenses, so we update the solution ourselves using the license code. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortinet FortiOS nine out of 10.

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
Director, IT Infrastructure Department at Zemen Bank S.C.
Real User
Excellent management and security features
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiOS' most valuable features are management, security, and easy updates with no downtime."
  • "FortiOS's bandwidth and interface could be improved."

What is most valuable?

FortiOS' most valuable features are management, security, and easy updates with no downtime.

What needs improvement?

FortiOS's bandwidth and interface could be improved. In the next release, Fortinet should include an option to disable users.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Fortinet FortiOS for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've been using FortiOS for five years and have had no problems with stability during that time.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiOS is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Fortinet's technical support is good and provides good solutions for us.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Previously, I used Cisco ASA Firewall.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very simple and was completed within a week.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was done by a reseller and a technical team from our side. 

What was our ROI?

On the technical side, we have received a good ROI from FortiOS as its scalability and management are good.

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

The licensing for FortiOS is good, with a security license included when we update the main license.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate FortiOS 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
RiteshJha - PeerSpot reviewer
Director (FS Strategy) at LPP
Consultant
Offers good protection and control of traffic, with better deep packet inspection than Azure Firewall
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that the firewall gives me a lot of control in terms of outgoing and inbound traffic, and it scores better in deep packet inspections when compared with the Azure Firewall."
  • "The support could be improved, Fortinet's response time is very slow. Setting up the VPN could be made much easier, especially when deployed with Azure."

What is our primary use case?

We are consultant architects so our role is to set up firewalls for our customers, who are usually small and medium-sized companies. 

What is most valuable?

I like that the firewall gives me a lot of control in terms of outgoing and inbound traffic, and it scores better in deep packet inspections when compared with the Azure Firewall.

What needs improvement?

The support could be improved, Fortinet's response time is very slow. 

Setting up the VPN could be made much easier, especially when deployed with Azure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for a year now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of this solution is relatively easy.

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

The pricing could always be lower.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

If I'm going with Azure data center, my first recommendation would always be Azure Firewall with the newly launched premium services. Otherwise, Fortinet is pretty good.

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution an eight out of ten. I advise users to go through the documentation very thoroughly as it's not the same as your on-premises Fortinet Power. It's slightly different. Setting up the VPN is a bit tricky in Azure, deploying the Fortinet firewall and Azure is somewhat tricky.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Ravinder-Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
Junior Manager at Paytm Payments Bank
Real User
Next-generation firewall that can detect threats other solutions do not
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiOS's most valuable feature is a next-generation firewall that can be used as the APT solution in advanced threat protection."
  • "The threat time interval lags a little, especially if there's a heavy load on the firewall."

What is most valuable?

FortiOS's most valuable feature is a next-generation firewall that can be used as the APT solution in advanced threat protection. The IPS feature is also very good and can sometimes detect threats that are not detectable by the Palo Alto firewall.

What needs improvement?

The threat time interval lags a little, especially if there's a heavy load on the firewall.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with FortiOS for over four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiOS is one of the most stable solutions.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiOS is very easy to scale.

How are customer service and support?

Fortinet's technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy and could be done without an integrator or other external assistance.

What other advice do I have?

Compared to other firewalls like Palo Alto, FortiOS is easy to deploy and upgrade - for example, an upgrade of Palo Alto takes at least thirty minutes, but Fortigate can be done in around ten. I would rate FortiOS 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
Joao Gama Mendes - PeerSpot reviewer
Responsible for Cyber Security at IMT IP
Real User
Useful blocking lists, reliable, and simple setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most important features of Fortinet FortiOS are the ability to block and make white and black lists. Additionally, the filtering of user access to websites is useful."
  • "Fortinet FortiOS is stable. However, last month we had an issue with a released patch. We had to receive another update to fix the firewall issue consuming all of the resources. The patches should be tested more before going into circulation."

What is most valuable?

The most important features of Fortinet FortiOS are the ability to block and make white and black lists. Additionally, the filtering of user access to websites is useful. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiOS is stable. However, last month we had an issue with a released patch. We had to receive another update to fix the firewall issue consuming all of the resources. The patches should be tested more before going into circulation.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 800 users using the solution.

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

We were previously using other firewalls, such as Palo Alto. They are similar solutions.

How was the initial setup?

Fortinet FortiOS's initial setup is simple.

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

We had a three-year license to use Fortinet FortiOS and we are going to renew it this year.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortinet FortiOS 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
SamiEsber - PeerSpot reviewer
Security consultant at Manaai corp.
Real User
User-friendly interface, high performance, and low maintenance
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are the ease of use and user-friendly interface."
  • "Some features I have found to be hidden and cannot be accessed through the graphical user interface, you can only access them through the command-line interface(CLI). All the features should be accessible through the graphical user interface."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are the ease of use and user-friendly interface.

What needs improvement?

Some features I have found to be hidden and cannot be accessed through the graphical user interface, you can only access them through the command-line interface(CLI). All the features should be accessible through the graphical user interface.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiOS is a stable solution and it has high performance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability depends on the cloud provider of Fortinet FortiOS, such as Amazon AWS or Microsoft Azure. They need to work according to their SLA.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment of Fortinet FortiOS is simple. The speed of the deployment depends on a lot of factors, such as a number of policies, features we need to enable, and security specifications.

What about the implementation team?

I do the deployment of Fortinet FortiOS and since it is on the cloud there is no maintenance. 

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

The price of Fortinet FortiOS is reasonable and it is paid annually. You are able to select the features that you want.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortinet FortiOS 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?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiOS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2025
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Firewalls
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiOS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.