Fortinet FortiOS Reviews

We use FortiOS for the internet router and firewall for our customers' offices. In some of the smaller offices, there is only one FortiGate, but the hub site may have a pair of firewalls in an HA configuration.

Performance-wise, I think FortiOS is much better than its Juniper counterpart. Based on our actual experience and performance metrics, FortiOS-based products are much better than Juniper. We've experienced some trouble with Juniper in the past and some unstable, unpredictable performance on Juniper devices.

They're using a lot of application-specific IC, so that may be causing some performance issues. And whenever a Fortinet adds new features, it can affect performance. I don't handle implementation, so I have to ask my frontline engineers to implement new features, like software-defined WAN service. But I'm not sure these are stable and acceptable because this project is still in progress. FortiOS and all the other firewall products are adding SD-WAN service, and this kind of service needs a lot of resources from the fabrics, the hardware, and the software. Still, I think we have more confidence deploying this service with FortiOS than using the other brands, like Juniper.

I've been using FortiOS for more than 15 years.

Fortinet provides sufficient support, and their response time is reasonable.

We have a team of around 10 engineers that manage FortiOS-based devices and all other firewall brands. 

FortiOS has a UTM feature, for which you have to buy an annual subscription. Most brands of firewalls will also have such a subscription.

I rate FortiOS at least eight out of 10, and we recommend it to our customers.

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

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.

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.

I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for approximately eight years.

The solution is stable.

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.

We have been satisfied with the technical support.

The initial setup is straightforward.

I have found Fortinet FortiOS to be a good investment.

The price of Fortinet FortiOS has been reasonable.

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

I would recommend this solution.

I rate Fortinet FortiOS a nine out of ten.

We use Fortinet FortiOS to control all the security and networking capabilities in all our FortiGates devices across our entire network.

Firewall and overall management are valuable features. They are a leader in the market.

The reporting and monitoring could improve, they have a lot of limitations. The monitoring is not easy compared to the other firewall.

I have been using this solution within the past 12 months.

The solution is stable.

I have used Palo Alto solutions.

I rate Fortinet FortiOS a nine out of ten.

We're using it for web filtering, intrusion prevention system (IPS), intrusion detection system (IDS), and VPN. We are also using it as DSCP.

The information security features are the most valuable. 

It would be great if they can push the Microsoft updates through Fortinet OS and provide a centralized patch management system.

They should also include the data loss prevention (DLP) and data leakage prevention features. They could also add network monitoring more effectively.

We have been using Fortinet FortiOS for nearly seven years.

It is very much stable.

It is very scalable. We have a global presence in more than 23 countries. 

We are satisfied with the support. They provide fantastic support. They provide online support, and on priority, they also provide a remote session.

It is extremely easy to set up.

We deployed it ourselves.

This particular solution will be in a firewall. It's not a firewall, but it is a unified threat management (UTM) box. It acts as a firewall, plus it has many features like web filtering, VPN, DSCP, IPS, and IDS. It also has the high availability (HA) feature. You are getting a very good solution with all these features combined into one box.

I would rate Fortinet FortiOS a nine out of ten. We will surely keep using Fortinet FortiOS because it is a great and very secure product. We intend to only go with this product.

FortiGate as a product is very easy to configure. There is a lot of data now with switching IDS and IPS. It's a truly complete solution for our customers.

It's a good idea to have the firewall connected to the switches. That way, the firewall is the controller of the switches. We like how the solution is designed with that in mind.

The solution's switches are lacking. They need more features added to them to build them out a bit. The switches are very simple if you compare them with other companies like Cisco or Aruba. Those organizations offer their clients much more.

Technical support could be better. Some competitors have much more responsive support teams.

I know the last version had NAC, network access control, added inside the firewall. It's a process, however. There's still work to do. The next version will be better. Right now, you can't authenticate other devices. You only can authenticate Forti devices and not devices from other companies. This could be the next addition to the solution that will make its performance even better. 

I've been dealing with the solution for ten years now. It's been a decade.

The solution is stable. We have no issues in that regard. There aren't bugs and glitches. It doesn't crash. It's reliable.

The solution is very scalable. We have a solution from the most basic office setup to a very complex data center. It works well in either scenario. If a company requires scale, this solution can provide it.

I have used technical support in the past. It's good for the most part. However, other companies, from my experience, have better technical support. They might be able to improve this aspect of the solution a little bit.

While it's easy to access them, finding a solution to whatever problems you are dealing with takes a long time. They need to get better at turning around queries faster so clients aren't kept waiting for so long.

The initial setup is very straightforward. I wouldn't describe the process as complex.

Deployment takes one to two hours. Everything happens pretty fast.

The pricing is good. They are especially fair when compared with other companies, like Palo Alto, for example, which can get quite expensive.

We work with a lot of manufacturers of firewalls. It's normally Fortinet, however, we also work with Cisco, Palo Alto, and Sophos. My company works with Barracuda as well. To be honest, I am not a specialist with Barracuda. I normally don't work with that.

That said, typically, when we work with clients, one of the first solutions we will suggest will be Fortinet. We do normally also recommend Cisco first, as well, due to the fact we are Cisco partners. We're also partners with Fortinet.

We have a deal with Palo Alto and our security center recommends Barracuda because of their other security solutions like WAF or solutions in the cloud (not their firewall). 

Normally, we use the on-premise deployment model. At this moment, we are working with a public cloud deployment model as well.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten overall.

It's a security device. We use it to keep the bad guys away.

A firewall is a security appliance. FortiGate also does email filtering and does data loss prevention.

All networks are security-driven, we get throughputs and security. We feel that the people at Fortinet are easy to deal with from a support standpoint. If they need to jump in and help us, they're very willing to do that. Their email filtering, their data loss prevention, their intrusion prevention, type of products in the newest OSs has been outstanding.

I have been using Fortinet FortiOS for ten years. 

The stability is excellent. 

Scalability is wonderful. Affordability is really good.

Everybody's being protected by the firewall. The firewall device is using the operating system. And so, in that sense, you could say everybody is using it. The people that are actually technically working with the Fortinet devices are a handful, six to eight technicians.

We feel that the people at Fortinet are easy to deal with from a support standpoint. If they need to jump in and help us, they're very willing to do that. Their email filtering, their data loss prevention, their intrusion prevention, type of products in the newest OSs has been outstanding.

We've used other solutions in the past. But we've settled into FortiGate for around 10 years. 

The initial setup was straightforward. It's pretty much just plug and play. It takes hours. 

They're very competitive and easy to work with in terms of pricing. I can't say, that's why we chose them, that's why we've stuck with them. It's a very well-respected name in the industry.

Everybody wants to go to Cisco for different things and everybody loves to hate Cisco. Cisco is a great product for large companies. They're low income, they're low-end products and their support for their low-end products leaves a lot to be desired. That's hence why SonicWall, Extreme Networks, and Fortinet are in business. There are these other smaller companies that are getting involved with the smaller companies, taking market shares away from Cisco because Cisco's support for their product is bad.

The support contracts are usually about $100 - $200 a device. The support contract usually includes software upgrades, hardware maintenance, and hardware break-fix. And they very seldom break.

I am looking at replacing some SonicWalls for a customer. I think SonicWall is its competition. SonicWall is got a good product, but I still believe that FortiGate is the best product for the people that we deal with.

My advice to someone implementing this solution is not to take shortcuts. Shortcuts aren't good. Don't hesitate to use FortiGate's technical support.

Always buy support. Always buy FortiCare. You can buy it for one year, two years, or three years with the initial purchase. We always buy it and sell it to our customers for three years. And the product will last more than three years.

Fortinet competes in the big companies as well. We just don't. Our marketplace is the smaller users two or three, maybe four locations, 150 to 300 endpoints. So we're not dealing in the 10,000s of users trying to get into 100 of servers. We're dealing with tens and fifties and a hundred, trying to get into a few servers.

I would rate it a nine out of ten. It could more scalable for the lower end users. 

We are still using it in our company. We use FortiOS primarily for perimeter security and network segmentation.

In terms of benefits, it’s a standard solution used by many, and our customers and partners widely utilize the VPN features. It’s elementary to work with and implement because it is familiar across different infrastructures.

Sometimes, Fortinet FortiOS changes its CLI (command line interface) with new versions, which leads to internal incompatibility. When this happens, you need to update the configuration to match the new format, as the commands aren’t always the same. This can create some confusion and extra work because, unlike other vendors where the CLI commands remain primarily consistent with updates, Fortinet often changes the syntax between versions.

We have been using Fortinet FortiOS for more than six years.

Fortinet FortiOS is very scalable and can handle many users, depending on your hardware. Expanding it when needed is straightforward.

It’s generally good, but there’s always room for improvement.

Positive

The complexity of implementing and setting up Fortinet FortiOS depends on the customer'srequirements. With a network map of a hundred nodes, it could be either very complex or straightforward. There isn't a standard rule for this; it varies based on the specific design and planning needed. It would be best to have a straightforward design and a good plan before implementing. If the design isn't well done, you might need to make changes during the project, which isn't ideal.The time required for a full implementation of FortiOS can vary
significantly. It might be small but complex or large but straightforward—tthere'sno one-size-fits-
all pattern.

For maintenance, FortiOS requires attention to patches because it handles many functions and can be complex. It's crucial to stay updated on your running version and check for any reported vulnerabilities to avoid potential issues.

The return on investment for FortiOS is good but not exceptional. It’s close to breaking even; not every case justifies the renewal cost.

Regarding the cost, the initial purchase is relatively cheap because it comes bundled. However, the subscription renewals can be quite expensive. The renewal costs are high, even though the initial purchase might include discounts.

Overall, I would rate Fortinet FortiOS an 8 out of 10. It’s a solid product but could improve in areas like update management. Currently, it’s up to the user to check for updates, and Fortinet doesn’t proactively notify you about necessary updates. If they know your version, they should inform you directly about any needed upgrades instead of relying on you to check.

The solution's most valuable feature is its ability to work efficiently with large-scale firewall deployments. Also, it provides custom segmentation for the firewall without adding any additional devices. It helps in reducing the cost of testing purposes.

The solution's firmware updates have significant bugs and issues. They affect the network and firewall. This particular area needs improvement. Also, they should include an advanced firewall feature.

I have been using the solution for two years.

I rate the solution's stability as seven.

I rate the solution's scalability a seven. The major bugs in the firmware update affect the scaling capabilities as well.

The solution's initial setup process is easy.

I rate the solution as a seven out of ten.