Fortinet FortiGate Ear Bracket - network device mounting bracket
$37.99
Mfg # SP-EAR-FG100D
CDW # 2973824
Know your gear
The Fortinet FortiGate Ear Bracket, Network Device Mounting Bracket is a sturdy adjustable bracket to suit the mounting requirement. This mounting bracket works with a variety of Fortinet FortiGate 100D.
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Fortinet FortiGate Ear Bracket - network device mounting bracket is rated
4.40 out of
5 by
279.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
OmerBaig from
Has an effective intrusion prevention system feature for maintaining security efficiently
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate offers a new official solution for SASE. This solution is more cost-effective for my organisation than the hardware. It doesn’t require renewals every year or every three years. With FortiGate, you get a firewall as a cloud service and optimal protection.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate meets all the security demands of my industry. It covers endpoint security, including web interface, DNS security, and ELP. I'm currently using the latest version. The features that have most improved our network security are Web Control, filtering, application control, IDS, IPS policies, and Deep SSL inspection.
The intrusion prevention system (IPS) in FortiGate is highly effective. It detects and prevents intrusions, maintaining security efficiently. It works seamlessly with my environment and Google Analytics, providing robust protection.
What needs improvement?
The firmware updates are sometimes not stable. The stability issues can vary, sometimes happening once a month or quarterly. New firmware updates can occasionally introduce bugs, causing some policies to fail. We then have to raise a ticket, and Fortinet usually provides a fix within a few days.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for the past three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
For overall stability, I'd rate FortiGate an eight. It is stable, but there are sometimes issues with the software, so there's room for improvement.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are no scalability issues with Fortinet FortiGate. I haven't needed to scale it yet, but I have a relationship with the vendor, and they have a program to scale their hardware if required.
They also offer many solutions free of cost with the hardware, including advanced solutions. We have four branches of our organization, and they use these effectively.
How are customer service and support?
The support team is very effective.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Cisco for my environment, specifically Cisco ISE for access control, but I have shifted to Fortinet products due to their cost-effectiveness.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment process of Fortinet FortiGate was very straightforward. The installation took about twenty minutes, and fully configuring it with security features took about an hour. It was pretty fast, so I didn't need to spend days preparing and configuring.
I am involved in the maintenance of FortiGate, and I have five engineers with me. Three are on-site, handling different boxes, and two are remote.
What was our ROI?
I've noticed benefits in terms of performance and timing with Fortinet FortiGate. Its implementation and deployment are quick, and migration from other vendors to Fortinet is smooth and easy. Typically, we only have about fifteen minutes of downtime during the transition and gradually implement the policies.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For the price, I'd rate it a ten because it's very cost-effective.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I chose Fortinet FortiGate because it is effortless to use compared to other vendors. Their customer support is excellent, with quick responses and qualified attack engineers. They provide relevant documentation and immediate engineer assistance if needed.
What other advice do I have?
Regarding AI capabilities, the product promises threat intelligence based on AI and machine learning, which I plan to explore. FortiGate integrates smoothly with other solutions.
I'd rate FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Date published: 2024-06-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Luke_Smith from
Easy to use and provides good visibility of network traffic
What is our primary use case?
It is just for firewalls and network security.
How has it helped my organization?
It's mostly compliance, like just meeting our security requirements to keep our data secure. We don't make money out of it. It just keeps our data safe.
I have FortiGate for SD-WAN and all access points here, which has helped with traffic shaping capabilities.
I also use AI (Rapid7) to improve my cybersecurity.
What is most valuable?
It's easy to use and provides good visibility of network traffic.
What needs improvement?
The SD-WAN functionality is a bit overly complicated and not fully documented.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for six years.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are good. I can contact them online or over the phone.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Sophos XTM and Palo Alto.
FortiGate is more feature-rich and has a broader range of hardware. They offer switches, access points, firewalls, and the whole network stack, whereas a lot of others only do firewalls.
It's just a good value and the possibility of using those features. We haven't used FortiSwitches yet; we're investigating them at the moment, but we haven't ordered any yet.
How was the initial setup?
The SD-WAN was certainly tricky and took a while to figure out, but the rest of the security features were straightforward.
The deployment took us six months.
What was our ROI?
It's hard to measure the return on investment, but it certainly helps us manage our security requirements easier than other solutions that I've used.
It's good value for the money.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It was worth the money overall. It's good value.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-06-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
AiméKouchade from
Has a good network security feature with effective threat intelligence
What is our primary use case?
I'm managing security rules, bandwidth for the internet, switches, and fifty access points. Everything, including the network in Afghanistan, is managed from there, and it's something critical for us.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate's ability to perform as expected and fulfil our needs has been the most compelling feature for network security. FortiGate has proven to be secure and effective in terms of threat intelligence, as it alerts us about external login attempts and suspicious scripts, contributing to our system's overall security.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate can improve its token system, as it requires a purchase before use. Additionally, the VPN system could be more efficient, especially regarding VLAN passing through, which is currently a limitation. Another suggestion for improvement would be better timezone coordination for customer support. Currently, there are issues with calls coming at inconvenient times due to timezone differences. Another area for enhancement could be the response time for support tickets, as there is a delay of at least twelve hours, even for urgent tickets, which can be frustrating.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for the past three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable as we expand our usage of FortiGate as our company grows. We're currently using one, but we plan to use two as our network expands.
How are customer service and support?
I open a ticket and communicate with the engineers when I encounter issues. Although it may take some time, they always get back to me with a resolution. There are mainly due to these issues with time zone coordination and response time.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The setup process for FortiGate depends on the complexity of your network. For simpler setups, a user-friendly interface is easy to use. However, for more advanced configurations, it may require expertise. Integration into the ecosystem is neither too easy nor too complex.
The maintenance process is relatively easy.
What was our ROI?
Regarding return on investment, I believe FortiGate is worth the money. It has helped us stay safe, and considering what we are paying for such a system and service aligns well with our expectations and financial goals.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of FortiGate is reasonable as I plan to buy new switches. The initial gadgets are already booted, and the pricing seems normal on the market. As for additional costs, I haven't subscribed to many extra features, so I'm only using what I need. Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2024-06-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ian Manton from
Intuitive with a user-friendly interface that simplifies network tasks
What is our primary use case?
I used it as an IT provider, and our main firewall was the Fortinet series FortiGate. Currently, I am just a user on the end user side of the fence.
How has it helped my organization?
The Fortinet gear is really easy to use, intuitive, and pretty powerful. It has been great because we haven't had to change it out very much. The operational return on investment has been great as we don't have to keep replacing it.
What is most valuable?
I really liked the interface because it was extremely user-friendly. Unlike Cisco, where you didn't need to be certified to use the interface effectively. The consistency across all models has also been beneficial as it simplifies learning and usage. They put in a thing called the FortiCookbook, which is very easy to read with real-life scenarios that make networking tasks like joining networks very straightforward.
What needs improvement?
I just don't like giving products ten out of ten. There's always something new that can be added or fixed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the Fortinet FortiGate overall since 2006, which is quite a few years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had to change it out very much. It has been stable and reliable for us.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate its scalability as a nine out of ten. They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is quite good. We purchased the 24/7 support, and they usually respond within an hour, even in the middle of the night.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I haven't switched from FortiGate. We still use the Fortinet solution as our firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward and easy, with wizards helping to configure the device efficiently.
What was our ROI?
The ROI has been very good because it's operationally efficient, and we haven't needed to replace the equipment frequently.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend it to other businesses with similar security needs. For smaller businesses with just a couple of computers, the standard ISP-supplied modems are fine.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-09-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
DineshKumar28 from
Effective threat prevention with responsive customer support
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate has been invaluable. It has helped save costs due to its various features, reliable performance, very good UI, low latency, and stability.
What is most valuable?
The Threat Intel engine in Fortinet FortiGate is highly rated for its effectiveness in threat prevention. It has a good UI and overall integration, including FortiGate Manager for controlling all firewalls from a single place.
What needs improvement?
The anti-malware engine could use an upgrade. It should automatically classify and sandbox malicious packets with more granular controls, including providing details like TV numbers.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Initially, we faced some issues with updates due to network factors needing to be white-listed in the proxy. These problems have since been resolved, and we are not facing any issues now.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While I don't have a clear picture of scalability, we scale up in different regions based on the number of users and the amount of load. This is typically handled by architecture teams.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is very responsive, addressing queries in a timely manner. I would rate the customer support ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have also used Palo Alto Firewalls and Fortinet FortiGate. Fortinet FortiGate has a better UI and overall integration, including FortiGate Manager for single-place control over all firewalls.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and easy, thanks to the support provided. I would rate the ease of setup ten out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
We had the help of the end-of-support team for the setup, which made the process quite straightforward and easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is reasonable for our company. The finance team handles the specifics regarding the license costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Palo Alto NG Firewalls before settling on Fortinet FortiGate.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-09-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Elvis Mahadeo from
Has good ECC management feature and a single GUI with excellent monitoring capabilities
What is our primary use case?
Our company uses this solution for endpoint network security.
What is most valuable?
The ECC management and the GUI that offers single interface management are the most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate.
What needs improvement?
The documentation available for Fortinet FortiGate should be improved. Often, I find documentation of older models and not the latest version of Fortinet FortiGate. I have to often utilize the older documentation and reengineer the information for the latest model of Fortinet FortiGate.
There are competitor products in the market that can monitor all logs, which are referred to as SOC; Fortinet FortiGate should have such in-built features. The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for more than a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is used daily in our organization. I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate the tech support an eight out of ten. Our company needs to contact customer support on certain issues. The support team is usually able to resolve the issues by communication over call a few times. Sometimes, there was quite some back-and-forth through support tickets with the vendor team before the issues got resolved.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our company previously worked with Juniper, NETGEAR, and Cisco. The devices from the aforementioned vendors reached the End of Life, and their support was expiring in our company, so we switched to Fortinet FortiGate to have visibility and manage all devices through a single vendor.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate the initial setup a nine out of ten. Due to some network complexities, we had to schedule the downtime of our organization's business, so the initial deployment of Fortinet FortiGate took more time than anticipated. But the setup process was seamless and our company didn't face any abrupt down time.
At our company, first, we prepared a deployment plan and then divided the services into varying areas based on which the deployment was performed in phases. Only two professionals, a system engineer, and an infrastructure manager, are required to deploy Fortinet FortiGate.
Another two individuals are needed to maintain the solution with the same aforementioned professional job designations. In our company, we didn't face any issues while integrating Fortinet FortiGate with our existing infrastructure and even with other tools.
What about the implementation team?
A third-party team deployed the solution for our organization.
What was our ROI?
In our company, we haven't realized an ROI yet, as the solution was implemented just a year ago. There are some devices that I need in addition to other area devices of my company, we are in process of renewing all old devices with newer versions.
In the next few months, our company will be able to obtain the actual capex purchase with at least ten switches. Fortinet FortiGate is worth the money, offers multiple solutions under one roof.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing a five out of ten. Our company onboarded the solution through a traditional capex purchase of the standard license with three years of customer support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our company has been using Fortinet FortiGate since 2009 at the firewall level, due to familiarity with the RTO and FortiGate environment, complete adoption of Fortinet FortiGate was an easier choice than other solutions for a single clear management.
Fortinet FortiGate also had all the features that our company was expecting, and in terms of ease of management, opting for the same vendor from firewall to edge device was a comfortable option.
What other advice do I have?
Previously, in our organization, we didn't have a network monitoring tool. With the adoption of Fortinet FortiGate, we can now check the port level of the switches that can be witnessed at the EP end, where all devices remain connected to the network. The management and monitoring are the major benefits of Fortinet FortiGate.
I would advise others to consider adopting the solution without hesitation. I read the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant report, and it mentioned that, based on its track record, Fortinet can compete with the best in terms of network and security solutions.
For the last five years I believe Fortinet has dominated the market. I recently attended a Fortinet event where I met all the local and regional support team; I learned that the vendor is continually expanding, and in our region, we can easily avail support and guidance regarding Fortinet solutions whenever required.
The monitoring subscription that is provided with the Fortinet FortiGate has built-in AI features for the past three years. I believe Fortinet is in the sixth generation of their AI and ML utilizing the native infrastructure. Thus, the AI features have been available for a long time in Fortinet FortiGate, but they are promoting it now due to the market trends. I would overall rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.Customer
Date published: 2024-06-15T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2497986 from
Provides good threat intelligence feeds, but the advanced models are expensive
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution on the perimeter. We are a government entity. We have other organizations monitoring our network. We also have our own firewall to separate the DMZ and different things on our external servers.
What is most valuable?
The solution provides good threat intelligence feeds.
What needs improvement?
The advanced models are expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for five to six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool’s stability is good. I rate the stability a seven or eight out of ten. The stability could be improved.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is very scalable. It connects to its own wireless access points. The firewall is supported by other technologies. We can add more products and extend the features and the network.
How was the initial setup?
Fortinet has a tool that migrates all the policies from the previous firewall to the new one.
What about the implementation team?
The vendor helped us with the setup. It was quick. We connected the new firewall first. Then, we exported the policies from the live firewall to the new one. On a weekend, we deployed the new firewall.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If we buy licenses for a longer duration, we get discounts.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Fortinet has better models, but we are using the one within our budget. It's a good product. Besides Fortinet, we're using Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Defender, as well as the safety features that come with these products. There are many products in the market. The monitoring team is using Palo Alto. Palo Alto is better than Fortinet, but it's more expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We use Fortinet for VPN, too. We have not faced any major issues with the tool. It has a lot of capabilities that enable us to customize tunnels and allow traffic from certain countries or regions. The vendor provides cloud-based models, but we do not use them because they are subscription-based models that are not within our budget.
The vendor has a lot of free and paid training courses. It is the best way to learn about the product. It is similar to Palo Alto. All the good companies have a lot of training materials and training courses to understand the product. The initial versions are free of cost. The certifications will help people understand the process and make administration easier. The cloud version has AI features.
Overall, I rate the product a seven or eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-06-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Matteo ZAMOLO from
Safe and stable but could be more user friendly
What is most valuable?
It is a safe product.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more user friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately 6 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have over 5000 users using the solution at my company.
How was the initial setup?
All the firewalls, more or less are similar, it is very easy to install this type of equipment on the premise of the customer.
What about the implementation team?
I configured the solution for my clients. We have a minimal of three technical employees doing the maintenance of the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I think Check Point or Cisco are more user-friendly solutions.
What other advice do I have?
We do not have plans to expand usage of the product at this time.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1289523 from
Scalable, extremely reliable, and has a good user interface
What is our primary use case?
In most cases, we use the solution as a firewall to access the internet. For example, we use Cisco Wireless for our clients to have access to the network and we use within the same solution the FortiGate Firewall for them to access the internet as well.
What is most valuable?
The solution offers very easy usability.
The product can scale well.
The solution is extremely reliable.
The pricing and licensing models are pretty good.
The user interface, both the web and CLI versions, are very good.
What needs improvement?
The solution overall is quite good. It works how we need it to. I can't recall seeing any features that are lacking.
We haven't had any breaches in our organization, however, I have read in journals that there have been some issues.
There may have been some bugs after an update, however, that has since been resolved. We saw a few bugs in the web field and when we ran an update it was resolved in the new version.
Some resources must be accessed via web fields. We were not able to access them at first. However, it was a simple task to fix it and that has since been resolved.
The pricing could be a bit better, especially when you consider how they have the most basic offering priced.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution since I started at my current company. I began my employment here about a year ago or so.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. It doesn't give us issues. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash on us. It doesn't freeze. It's reliable. Fortinet has created a really reliable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We've found the scalability of the solution to be very good. If a company needs to expand on this solution, it can do so with ease.
We have between 2,000 and 3,000 users on the solution currently.
We do plan to continue to use the solution going forward. We have no plans to change anything.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've never contacted technical support. Having never dealt with them, I can't speak to their responsiveness or knowledgeability. I don't know enough about them from any kind of personal experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also use Cisco wireless solutions. Our company uses both simultaneously.
How was the initial setup?
While I did not participate in the main part of the installation, I've discovered from deploying small FortiGates such as FortWiFi 60E, that it's good. It's not too complex of a process. It's pretty straightforward. It's easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We've found the pricing to be fair and the licensing model is quite good. It's a reasonable cost. It's not too expensive.
That said, I do feel they could work on the pricing policy a bit.
Right now a license to use some of the simpler features like web filtering or antivirus, you have to pay about 80% of the hardware price to have a license for a year. That's a bit too much for such basic features.
What other advice do I have?
We use a variety of Fortinet products. We are using mostly FortiGate 200E and we have some of FortiGate 100E and the FortiWiFi 60E.
We are not using the latest version of the solution at this time. We have version 6.0 and it completely meets our requirements. When we will have to update it we will do so. However, that is not so necessary right now. We will not update it until we need to.
I'd recommend the solution to other organizations. It's been a positive experience overall.
I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ferrianto Suryanto from
I like the SD-WAN feature and their IP4 policy
What is most valuable?
The features that I have found most valuable are the SD-WAN and their IP4 policy.
What needs improvement?
In terms of what could be improved, the SD-WAN is quite difficult, because if you install in the new box, 15 is okay, but if you change from an old configuration, if there is already a configuration and a policy when you change to SD-WAN, you must change the whole policy that you see in the interface.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable so far. We had a difficulty, but after we opened the support, we found out that it was only from having the wrong config. But so far, it is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
So far our biggest client is only FortiGate 400, a small-medium business.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is very helpful, although they only have it for their in-the-box and sometimes we have difficulty with the out of box, with the ISP or other things. So we must find a solution for the customer. But if it is the wrong product or if there is a configuration issue in the product, yes, they're very helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have also worked with the Hillstone network, with Palo Alto and with Barracuda.
In terms of support, so far FortiGate is helpful whereas with Barracuda I didn't get the support like FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and new configuration are very easy. It is very user-friendly. It's only three clicks from the menu, two or three sub-menus and we already have it configured. It's not difficult because we have experience with the SonicWall, Palo Alto, etc.., but Fortinet is user-friendly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of price, FortiGate's price is reasonable. Most of the customers stand by it, and are aware that the price is worth it for the performance.
What other advice do I have?
In terms of advice for anyone looking to use FortiGate, you need to learn about trouble-shooting, because sometimes you find out you have the wrong configuration, not because of a FortiGate problem or FortiGate config, so you are responsible to handle the trouble-shooting.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a nine.
One thing they could offer is a version that already has the configuration. This would make it easier. This is something that I would request. I worked with Barracuda, I worked with Palo Alto. If you want it easy. It's very easy. But FortiGate needs to have something more like that, to do it faster.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2021-01-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mohd. Rivai from
A next-generation firewall solution that's easy to setup and use
What is our primary use case?
I use Fortinet FortiGate mostly for security purposes.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The sniffing packets or packet captures can be simplified and improved because it's a little confusing. The automation feature has some limitations and could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Fortinet FortiGate for over four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support was quite good.
What about the implementation team?
I think it's very easy to implement this solution because one person can do it. There aren't too many fancy things to do. I think you can implement FortiGate in less than an hour. We implement it by ourselves. Three administrators can do it because our clients aren't big enterprises, just SMEs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Setup costs and pricing depends on many variables, but it's mostly affordable.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Fortinet FortiGate to potential users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1255635 from
A user-friendly firewall solution with a valuable domains feature
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate mainly for firewall and VPN purposes.
What is most valuable?
The virtual domains feature and the ease of use.
What needs improvement?
The Fortinet support needs improvement and also the quality control of the firmware (there are a lot of bugs)
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for about 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate offer a good value for money solution
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable. We don't have any constraints that create a problem for us except the support.
How are customer service and technical support?
The major problem with Fortinet is the support. We have often hardware malfunctions and software bugs and the support is slow.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use another firewall vendor product
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was through a international integrator team
What was our ROI?
Fair
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is fair compared to the other competitors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No
What other advice do I have?
They have many features
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.Partner
Date published: 2021-01-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Phil Horst from
Reasonably-priced, intuitive, and offers a seamless VPN
What is our primary use case?
I am primarily using FortiGate to provide a hardware VPN or an equipment base of VPN to a central office. I am only using a small fraction of its capabilities, so I'm not pushing it at the edges.
How has it helped my organization?
Using this product makes the VPN seamless and almost invisible to me in the sense that I don't have to think about it.
What is most valuable?
Once it is in use, it is intuitive to use. Once it's in place, it doesn't require any further interaction.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup and configuration are not intuitive and require training.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been rock-solid, and I haven't seen any glitches or bugs at all.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
With only two people in the company, we haven't needed to scale. Our roles include software development and providing technical support for various clients.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not needed to contact technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This is the first firewall product that I have used.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is fairly technical and it's not something the untrained person would want to do. You need to know what you're doing in order to set it up.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of FortiGate is reasonable. In terms of the market, it's not a cheap product, but it's cost-effective.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I purchased this product because this is the one that the central office supports.
What other advice do I have?
In summary, this is a good product, it works, it doesn't need any attention, and I'm satisfied with it. Although the initial setup is slightly complex, security is a complex question and I'm not sure that it can be simplified.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-02-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mushtaq Ahmad from
Good threat prevention with a straightforward setup and good stability
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security, including threat prevention.
What is most valuable?
The threat prevention is the solution's most valuable aspect.
The solution's initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It's not hard to implement it.
The stability if the product is very good so far. We haven't had any issues.
The pricing of the product is reasonable.
What needs improvement?
The logs need to be better. They need to be more visible and easier to access.
The VPN features could use some improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about two years at this point. It hasn't been too long.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is excellent. We haven't had any issues in that sense. It's not buggy and there aren't glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. We find it reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I do not foresee the product being easy to scale. We find it so hard. It does not seem to be possible.
Currently, we have around 15 users and there are five to ten people handling the management aspect of the product.
How are customer service and technical support?
Over the past two years, we really haven't had any issues that would require us to reach out to technical support. The user experience has been good. If we run into little issues, we may reach out directly to the vendors, however, I can't say that I've spoken with technical support. I wouldn't be able to evaluate their services or speak to their level of knowledge or responsiveness for that reason.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used other solutions in the past, including, for example, Sophos. However, I have found Fortigate to be more reasonably priced and generally much better as a product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. It's straightforward. We didn't run into any complexities. We were able to set it up without any issues at all.
What about the implementation team?
The initial implementation was handled by the vendors. They were great at assisting us with the process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We've found that the cost of the product isn't too high. They are a bit higher than other options, such as Meraki, however, it's still not so bad.
You need to pay for the hardware and then you need to pay for the licensing as well.
What other advice do I have?
We are just a customer. We don't have a business relationship with Fortinet.
We are using the latest version of the solution at this point.
Overall, we've been pretty happy with the solution. I would rate it at an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-02-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1418730 from
Detailed reports, amazing stability, and easy implementation
What is most valuable?
Some of the key features of the solution is that it has good reporting, you can receive many details from the connection, for example, clients and website information. Additionally, you can determine if an action has taken place such as virus scan information.
What needs improvement?
In the balance between links feature normally you can just choose one option to balance. It would be better for the solution to have more than one option, preferably three.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is amazing.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. We have approximately 50 employees using this product in our company.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is easy.
What about the implementation team?
The solution is easy to implement, it takes approximately one day for deployment.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2021-02-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1470960 from
Scalable with good core functionality and good support
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for different reasons.
We use it for the firewall with SDWAN funtionality
We use it in some use cases as a VPN Server.
We use it as a Wi-Fi controller on some sites.
We use if for internal network segregation and routung
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate has improved the way our organization functions.
What is most valuable?
The base firewall features are quite valuable to us. The other features are not as good, but the core firewall functionality is what is most valuable.
What needs improvement?
The Wi-Fi controller needs a lot of improvement. The function itself is not as stable as it should be.
Some of the features related to load-balancing and traffic shaping are not as straightforward as they need to be. I always have to help in the configuration as it could affect other use cases.
The VPN needs low-level debugging get what really going on. It requires someone who is quite experienced to analyze and solve those issues. Zero-trust base features are lagging behind the other competition, based on what I have read.
What I read from reports is that they are still lagging behind. I would like to see those features in a clear pathway in the UI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for four years.
We are not using the latest version, but close to it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are some stability issues when you move to a newer version. It's always good to know that when you upgrade you can expect to have delays in your upgrade because you always have unknown bugs or unsupportive features, or some breakout that you are already using.
We are quite cautious to update.
It's a little more stable than the VPN solution.
Wifi stability is an issue for us
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's quite scalable. The scalability and the migration are okay as well. Licensing model is also stright forword and certain features such as basic SSL VPN requires no to min additional cost per user.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical service is quite good. The application notes and the help on the web are quite good.
I would rate technical support an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before I started with the company they used another firewall. By the time I joined a Fortigate was selextes against pfsense.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is intermediate, with support online.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SIze your use case carefully as licensing price jumps significantly with HW changes.
Cusomizable Forticilent SW can be downloded for free with FNDN membership
If you have multi sites and require fortigate based 2FA then consider getting a dedicated fortiauthenticator (VM) with fortiokens acting a centeal RADIUS server wich can be cheaper than cloud tokens an with additional authentication flexabilities.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
pfsense; was decided against based required features (mainly VPN which is based in openvon)
Paloalto; is a more expensive with comprable security features.
What other advice do I have?
I would say that they need to follow the clear instructions on the application manual. Otherwise, certain features would not be running quite as they need them to.
They will not be running at all without giving them the proper reason in the UI or the command line, why it's not being implemented, or what is not functioning.
Follow up with the instructions and contact technical support, always, they have solutions for most of the problems.
Chose/size the HW carefully based on your usecase as cetrain features are HW accelerated in higher variants but takes a huge toll on CPU/ memory when running on lower variants.
Consider segregating fuctions on different unites instead of having all features on a Fortigate (i.e avoid having wifi controller + firewall + VPN on a single unit specially for lower variants)
Because of the flexibility, the configuration, the high level of security controls, and the tweaks that are available for the user, I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Kshitij Singhai from
Good web filtering facility and application control, very stable and scalable, and easy to deploy
What is our primary use case?
We are basically system integrators. We design and implement firewall solutions for our customers. We also provide after-sales services.
We have deployed this firewall for different types of clients. We are providing solutions starting with FG-30E, which is the lowest model in the FortiGate series, and up to 1000 series.
How has it helped my organization?
We understand a customer's requirement of current internet users. After that, we design a perfect solution through which they can not only protect their network but also have load balancing between multiple internet service providers. They can also have secure connectivity from a remote office by using a single box device.
What is most valuable?
The web filtering facility and application control are the most valuable features from the point of view of our clients. The VPN feature is also quite popular amongst our clients. Two-factor authentication is one of the good features in Fortinet. These features are important for the current scenario of security. Security has become a necessity nowadays. With cyber-attacks becoming more common, protecting an organization's data is one of the major tasks.
It is also very stable and scalable, and it is very straightforward to configure. Their technical support is also good.
What needs improvement?
Security is a continuous process. In every product, there is a requirement for improvement. Its pricing should also be improved according to Indian market requirements.
They must also improve on the reporting part. Its reporting can be more precise. If we can get a real-time report in a specific format, it will be helpful for customers to know about the current status of their security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for the last 12 to 13 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. We have been working with this solution for a long time, and we found it to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution, and you can also upgrade. They come up with a new feature every time. Whenever you're updating your firewall firmware, it is ready to mitigate threats available in the fiber scenario.
Our clients are small, medium, and large businesses. We have deployed it for small offices or retail stores as well as for big manufacturing units. We also have clients from Education and Healthcare. Some of the large companies have between 800 to 1,000-plus devices protected through this firewall.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have a little bit of experience with other firewalls such as Sophos and Check Point. There are some basic differences in the features and their functionality, but I cannot say that this one is the best, or this one is not good. I have more confidence in Fortinet FortiGate, so we are focusing only on this.
In terms of support, we had purchased a Check Point product for a customer, and we were trying to get support from the team, but it was very difficult. Sophos is okay in terms of support.
How was the initial setup?
Its initial setup is very straightforward. It is very easy if one knows the basic concepts. It has a graphical user interface, which makes it straightforward to configure. You can configure it step by step. The basic implementation of this firewall can be done in a very simple way. There could be some complexity at the Enterprise level, but at a basic level, it is very straightforward.
The deployment duration depends on the complexity level. A simple deployment can be completed in a few hours. A complex deployment can take one to two days depending upon the requirements. This is because, in addition to implementation, we also have to test the solution as per a customer's requirements to see whether it is fulfilling the given task or not.
What about the implementation team?
We are a very small company with seven to eight people. We have a total of three people working with firewalls. They're network and support engineers.
What was our ROI?
Our clients definitely get a return on investment. It is a really good product, and the stability of the product is a very important factor for our clients.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing and licensing is a little bit complicated in FortiGate. They are always on the higher side. This is one issue that we always raise with the company that they should reduce the price according to Indian market requirements. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
It is a good product, but I would always recommend selecting an implementer partner carefully. The implementor should be able to implement all the features so that you get the best benefits of the firewall. An implementation partner is very important. If you don't have a proper partner, you will probably end up with a mashup, and you won't be able to use all the features. Your performance might also not get optimized.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Channel Partner
Date published: 2021-01-30T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1485723 from
Good UI, easy to use, and offers reasonable pricing
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution for our network, as virtual security of the network. It helps protect us and keeps us safe.
What is most valuable?
The overall experience has been very good. It fully meets our requirements. We find the solution to be pretty user-friendly.
The solution has a lot of features. I'm not sure if there is one that stands out as the most valuable for us.
The stability of the solution is very good.
The vendor has been very good at providing us with everything we need.
Overall, the pricing of the solution is very good. The product offers good value.
The product is quite flexible.
We've found the scalability to be very good.
The dashboards and UI are very nice.
What needs improvement?
We aren't really missing any features.
The solution isn't lacking anything. We've been overall very please with the experience we've had. There aren't really any negative aspects to discuss.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the solution for a while. It's been more than five years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, we have found the stability of the product to be quite good. It doesn't crash or freeze on us. We haven't experienced bugs or glitches. The performance is reliable. It's good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can scale the solution if you need to. It's not a difficult thing to do.
We do plan to continue using this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't have any experience with technical support. No problems have really presented themselves, and therefore there hasn't been a need to reach out at all. Therefore, we can't really speak to the helpfulness of technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't previously use a different solution.
How was the initial setup?
This is a cloud-based solution. Therefore, there really isn't an installation process per se. It's very easy to get started.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution offers good value for your money. It isn't too expensive.
What other advice do I have?
It is my understanding that we are using the latest version of the solution. However, I am not 100% positive. I don't know which version number we are currently on.
I'm not sure if I would recommend the product. It would depend on each individual company's needs.
I would rate this solution at an eight out of ten. It's been a pretty positive experience overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-02-07T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
UmerSiddique from
Great VPN feature with IPS providing excellent stability
What is our primary use case?
We have created a virtual cloud on-prem, providing services to our different IT domains in terms of software, database and ERP. We've also created a virtual firewall handling the security and protecting servers in the network. No unwanted or unauthorized user can access the servers. That's a good sign of security and the handling of the network. It provides us with oversight. I'm a senior network engineer and we are customers of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
With the Covid pandemic, the VPN has become the most valuable feature. With the majority of traffic connecting from remote locations, the VPN provides stability and reliability. The antivirus and its IPS, intrusion prevention system, also helps with stability.
What needs improvement?
In our environment, we need multiple virtual firewalls to facilitate end users and customers. Fortinet doesn't provide that but they really should include that feature.
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?
Overall stability of the solution is good. I am totally dependent on this device. Basically, it's deployed on the edge of our network. All the software and HR, admin, every department is behind this network. And every user connects their internet services via the VPN.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability of this solution is good, we can add devices whenever we like.
How are customer service and technical support?
Whenever there's an issue and we contact support, the response is positive. The support is impressive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Cisco ASA but that model didn't support the latest technology, and was also very expensive. The main issue that caused us to switch solutions was the throughput of the interface. Cisco was providing us with one gig interface. Because of our gradually increasing bandwidth and network requirements, we had to move to more bandwidth and a 10 gig interface, which Fortinet provides. Although Cisco provides the same on a different model, that model was very expensive. That's why we chose to switch to Fortinet Firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple. It's only complex if the design hasn't been sorted or tested. If we're deploying, we study the network, traffic patterns, and traffic path, which is, I think, the most important thing about deploying any network device. We can easily create or delete, modify or customize and optimize the feature, the network, the routing, the policy, and the different features of this device. Most of the time we carry out the implementation ourselves, deploying in different phases; firstly connecting the network, and then partially shifting the traffic phase by phase. When we removed ASA and shifted all the traffic to Fortinet, the overall performance and overall working was very impressive. Downtime probably came to a total of 15 to 20 hours. We have multiple groups using this product - I would estimate somewhere between 12,000 to 13,000 users and the solution is used continuously.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think the licensing of Fortinet is in the middle range. We also had a demonstration from the vendor that gave us the confidence to work with these devices. We purchased the solution on a bundle basis which the vendor offered us. There are additional costs if we enable a new feature not included in the bundle.
What other advice do I have?
I think Fortinet is a cheaper, stable, scalable, and reliable device.
From my experience, I would rate this solution a nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jeroen Hein from
A very stable firewall and numerous functions we use on the IPS; good interface
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution is for the firewall and IPS; the security on behalf of our network, to support north and south traffic. We are customers of Fortinet and I'm a systems engineer.
What is most valuable?
The firewall is stable and that's important. There are a lot of functions we use on the IPS and it works well for us. It's stable, the interface works for me.
What needs improvement?
We currently have two on-premise data centers with several separate firewall units and unfortunately they don't connect with each other. We'll likely migrate to Azure in the next two years because of that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this product for about seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For the traffic we have all five firewalls. The log is minimal with the traffic, which is going over the firewall and we don't require a lot of scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have support in the Netherlands, direct contact with our partner but not with Fortinet. For big changes and difficult issues I can get extended support from a partner. I do the simple fixes myself.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used a heap of different products. I've worked with Palo Alto and also with Fortinet. From experience, I prefer Palo Alto, but for the business I'm working in now, Fortinet is okay.
What other advice do I have?
I've had great experience with Palo Alto but I think Fortinet FortiGate is also a great solution. Some time ago we upgraded to the Fortinet solution of our previous partner and there was a memory leak which created problems. Our firewalls crashed multiple times a day and we had a lot of issues. I think the issue was a systems error and it shouldn't have been deployed. It's all very stable now.
I would rate this product a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1486140 from
Plenty of features, good quality hardware, and reliable
What is our primary use case?
The solution is recommended for medium-sized and enterprise businesses that want their sensitive information secured.
What is most valuable?
There are lots of features and most of them are deployed for internet security. Users are protected if they accidentally go to some malicious sites.
What needs improvement?
The way everything is set up could be easier. Currently, people need a lot of experience and knowledge to administer it and to link it to devices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My colleagues have easily switched licenses and features for the device. There was not any complication, it was really intuitive.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support agents are really responsive. They are a small company, but they are providing high-quality technical support every time we contact them.
How was the initial setup?
The initial set up is complicated.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price for the device and software is high. However, the solution is of good quality and has a lot of features. Licensing is on a yearly basis, it can also be purchased for a couple of years ahead. For example, for a single year or three years. If you purchase a license for a longer period you receive a discount or some type of credit.
What other advice do I have?
We are recommending this solution to help increase the possibilities of securing internal systems of companies against intrusions.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2021-01-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1487361 from
Stable, with a quota to monitor and control user access
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as our Firewall.
FortiGate is a service, and because of that, I don't use it very much. The equipment is for the operator that monitors who is on the internet, nothing more.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved our productivity because we can control the people who go on the internet, and we control their access to social networks.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is Quota. It allows the user to go where they want to go and to use the internet.
What needs improvement?
The price could be improved.
In the next release, I would like to see the interface simplified to be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. It works for us.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is not an area fully explored. It has been sufficient for what we need.
We have 700 users in our organization who are using this solution. We don't have plans to increase our usage at this time.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not needed any technical support for the Fortinet FortiGate service.
How was the initial setup?
The initial set up was not something that I was concerned with.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be lower.
What other advice do I have?
It's a good tool to control users.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1420032 from
A stable and easy-to-use virtual firewall solution
What is our primary use case?
We have both on-premises as well as virtual firewall servers. We have quite a few FortiGate firewalls as part of our infrastructure. We are using Check Point more from the perimeter perspective. It is only there on the perimeter.
What is most valuable?
The virtual firewall feature is the most valuable. We have around 1,500 firewalls. We did not buy individual hardware, and the virtual firewalls made sense because we don't have to keep on buying the hardware.
FortiGate is easier to use as compared to Checkpoint devices. It is user friendly and has a good UI. You don't need much expertise to work on this firewall. You don't need to worry much about DCLA, commands, and things like that.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate is really good. We have been using it for quite some time. Initially, when we started off, we had around 70 plus devices of FortiGate, but then Check Point and Palo Alto took over the place. From the product perspective, there are no issues, but from the account perspective, we have had issues.
Fortinet's presence in our company is very less. I don't see any Fortinet account managers talking to us, and their presence has diluted in the last two and a half or three years. We have close to 1,500 firewalls. Out of these, 60% of firewalls are from Palo Alto, and a few firewalls are from Check Point. FortiGate firewalls are very less now. It is not because of the product; it is because of the relationship. I don't think they had a good relationship with us, and there was some kind of disconnect for a very long time. The relationship between their accounts team and my leadership team seems to be the reason for phasing out FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate for the last four to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I currently have about 36 to 40 devices that are being used. We use a certain number of devices from business to business.
How are customer service and technical support?
We were not getting proper support from Fortinet. That's the reason we had to phase out FortiGate.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it on our own. It took around one hour. We have one or two engineers for its deployment and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
We installed FortiGate four or five years ago. We are just phasing out FortiGate and not doing new installations of FortiGate. Whichever model is getting end of life, we're just replacing it with a Palo Alto device. We can use it in the future, but I don't see any presence of Fortinet in my company at this time. I see a lot of push from Palo Alto, Check Point, and other vendors, but I don't see Fortinet around at all.
With the current COVID situation, I don't know how FortiGate behaves when working from home, which is an entirely different concept. In other firewalls, we create HIP profiles and similar stuff, but I am not sure how FortiGate works in such an environment.
I would definitely recommend this solution, but I think Fortinet has to first create a presence. That is more important. Nobody says anything bad about the product. The product is still widely being used.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-10-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1316841 from
Affordable, simple, effective, and has good support
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
The way the rules are created and set up on our firewall is very quick, very simple, and does not take a lot of time. It allows us to spend more time in other areas.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are that it is very simple to configure and to manage.
What needs improvement?
For me, this solution has nothing to improve and it meets the needs that I have. I don't see any way to improve, at least from my point of view on regular use.
In the next release, maybe the documentation on how to use this solution could be improved.
What I have noticed is that when we have done some configurations directly from the command line, there is not a lot of information regarding splitting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is very scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We are satisfied with technical support. We have not had any issues.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We used a reseller to help us with the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is very competitive. It's cheap for what it offers and for what it does.
It's very affordable.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
Fortinet FortiGate is simple and effective.
I would rate Fortinet Fortigate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-10-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Effort Moyo from
Helpful SD-WAN feature for uptime and privatizing applications, but needs better stability and integration
What is our primary use case?
We're using it as an edge or a perimeter firewall. We have also used it to segment our LAN in terms of the endpoints and the servers, and we're also using it for remote access using SSL VPN. We have two other sites that we connect through FortiGate by using an IPSec, and we have integrated it with FortiAuthenticator for two-factor authentication and FortiAnalyzer to analyze logs and things like that. We are currently using the FortiGate 1200D series and running the latest software.
What is most valuable?
The SD-WAN feature is the most valuable. This feature evolved from link load balancing. It has helped us in terms of our uptime and privatizing applications whenever we experience an outage. The SD-WAN feature has been a plus for us.
Two-factor authentication has allowed us to add more users in terms of remote working. We have two-factor authentication for remote workers to authenticate them before they get on the network.
What needs improvement?
It should be more stable. There should be full integration within Fortinet products themselves as well as with other third-party products. Especially when you're not dealing with SIEM and the correlation of the security box, we want Fortinet to be able to share that information with as many other products as it can.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, I would rate it a seven out of ten. It should be more stable. Sometimes when you do firmware upgrades, a feature that was previously working is broken. There are things like that, but I guess that can be taken care of by reading the release notes and seeing what changed in the firmware upgrades.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is highly scalable. A customer had about 500 users.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed it ourselves. You just need one engineer for its deployment and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
We are skilled in Fortinet and Check Point. For customers who specifically want Fortinet, we will continue to provide this solution. Our first preference is Check Point, but if a customer insists on Fortinet, then we can do a lot of integration there and incorporate other products like FortiNAC, FortiWifi, and so on.
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2020-11-23T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer805185 from
Controls the user's activities and maximizes my bandwidth use overall
What is our primary use case?
The company has integrated the LDAP with the UTM to control user traffic in senses and have a high availability for Active/Passive to assure uptime in case of physical failure. Our company is cloud driven and downtime becomes critical.
How has it helped my organization?
The FortiGate controls the user's activities and maximizes my bandwidth use overall. If the employer BYOD, we can accommodate it the need by having an isolated networked exclusively for that equipment which does not comply with the internal policies.
What is most valuable?
The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors.
What needs improvement?
Reporting is limited to providing an external appliance for improving the reporting capabilities of the FortiAnalyzer. It does not offer a central management and is also sold separably as an appliance.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-01-21T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Kofi Osei-Appaw from
Provides good security features, and generating FortiCloud reports is helpful to us
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for our company firewall.
What is most valuable?
This solution has many good features. The security features are about the best that I've seen anywhere.
I really like the fact that I am able to generate FortiCloud reports.
What needs improvement?
FortiWAN was supposed to help in doing intersite linking, but we've realized that most of the ISPs use BGP. FortiWAN supports OSPF but does not support the BGP protocol. This is a problem for us because without BGP they are not doing anything, and we've had to pack them up. I would like to see the BGP protocol supported on FortiWAN.
Technical support for this solution can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution since 2017.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of this solution is fantastic.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've been in contact with technical support a few times and it is good. It might be better, but as far as I'm concerned, it's good.
How was the initial setup?
The challenge for the initial setup was at the ISP level. We have the Fortinet firewall running, but between the various sites, we wanted to implement FortiWAN. It didn't work because of the BGP issue.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for this solution is good.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I recommend.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-08-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sabyasachi Sen from
I am "headache free" now that I don't have to categorize all the websites and that security has been pre-categorized. The tech support needs improvement.
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case for this solution is using it as a key net and as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
For Fortinet Fortigate,I have to have a Fortigate access point. In my opinion, it should have been a universal access, which supported the universal access point. At this point, our campus is large with some 10 thousand students and staff on board at any given time. Every time I have to use Fortigate, the access point portal has to be a universal type. It would be nice if I did not have to "marry" Fortigate for everything.
What is most valuable?
The only feature is that I don't have to be worried about categorization of the websites. I am able to put on the policies for the blog because this is an institution.There are several restrictions out there to get onto the websites. It creates a "headache free" environment for us.
What needs improvement?
A couple of things I've seen that need improvement, especially in terms of a hard coding. The driver-level active moment really is out-of-the-box and we have to have contact the customer support and sometimes it is difficult to resolve.
My only solution would be please don't make it as a closed source. Don't make it as
a closed source. Give some kind of a power to the user so that they can consider it
according to their determine that it should have some flexibility on concurrent
connections not be restricted. I agree that to some concurrent connections the CPU and
the box may be a lower model and it need some higher scale level with this. But, there
should be a provision. There should be a provision to go to at least to 60-70% onto the
threshold to go beyond the designed capacity of something. Like we call it as a design
capacity, and since 70% addition to the 100% of it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
If I compare with the open source, it has really frustrated me for a couple of things. Whenever my students or faculty goals increase, then in Fortinet, I need to change the model for going with the higher model, or better model more better first tier it can deal with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It should have been scalable. But, it is not quite so. There are limitations, I need to change the box or I have 1500 D. That means I can make 1000 connections, but some kind of vestibules are going on and the advances are going on. Then, I find it very difficult to give a connectivity simultaneously and upon current connections. As a result, I have to deprive my faculties, my staff, or my students of certain functions.
How is customer service and technical support?
Tech support is not very efficient in India.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have considered the Linux Suite and HP BSM.
What other advice do I have?
As I said, that at least one part I am "headache free" that I don't have to categorize all the websites and that security has been pre categorized by the people, and that the services are getting updated. At least one part of my problem is over.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-11-18T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Fernando Neto from
A stable product that allows us to offer several services in a single box
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is the provision of services to our customers, the end users.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has improved our organization a lot. We have been able to offer several services to customers in a single box.
What is most valuable?
The firewall is a valuable feature because it offers more security for end customers. The HA function is fantastic, as the link switching time is almost imperceptible. It also offers dedicated IP, all in one box.
What needs improvement?
I use the FortiGate 60D model and realized the 300Mbps bandwidth limitation. Because it is a product that offers many services, I think it could have greater bandwidth capacity.
For how long have I used the solution?
Trial/evaluations only.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My impression of the stability is very good. It is very difficult to have to replace the equipment due to lack of resources.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I found this product to be good for scalability. It offers several features, among them I can mention Application Control, Antispam, QoS and others.
How are customer service and technical support?
I found the technical support team to be careful and committed to delivering what we needed.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
Prior to using the FortiGate solution, I used the MikroTik RB1100AHx2e. I found that the FortiGate 60D offered more security.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was straightforward and easy, and the equipment has a good command line interface.
What about the implementation team?
We were given all the support that we needed for implementation. The vendors were fantastic.
What was our ROI?
The return is inevitable when you have equipment that offers stability and quality in services.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Before choosing a piece of equipment you have to take into account the cost-benefit offered by each one. Sometimes it is not worth paying a very cheap price to have a minimum level of security.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our evaluation of the MikroTik RB1100AHx2e revealed that it lacks antivirus software and has no lock for botnet control centers.
What other advice do I have?
There is a VOIP feature that by default is enabled on the Fortigate 60D. This greatly increases the CPU usage, which causes bad behavior in the equipment. This feature should be disabled and if necessary, the user can re-enable it.
The FortiGate 60D is a fantastic piece of equipment.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
DaleYeh from
Auto-scans for viruses, worms, and malware
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate out of fear for malware on the internet, to protect our users from malware. We also use FortiGate to prevent connections to the internet.
How has it helped my organization?
We mainly use Fortinet FortiGate to prevent infections of technology on our network devices. We use it to auto-scan for viruses, worms, and malware.
What is most valuable?
The feature that prevents internet connections, the filtering, is the most valuable feature because we did not have any internet protection before.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet could improve the windows opener or the virtual IP solutions for opening windows. The virtual IP settings need improvement as firewalls are trending in new development directions.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is very stable. We use it for 20 hours a day only. It is a firewall so it cannot be shut down.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable, but it is not a requirement for us. We only have 25 users. They are general users, not engineers. I am the only engineer needed to maintain FortiGate.
How are customer service and technical support?
We didn't need Fortinet customer support because FortiGate was already configured.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
We started with Fortinet FortiGate. We weren't previously using another solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is not so difficult. We got the instructions for the installation from Fortinet online.
The majority of the work was implemented by our vendor. The deployment took about two days to complete.
What about the implementation team?
The installation of Fortinet FortiGate was implemented by our vendor. They are a third-party selling company, not the original manufacturer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet is reasonable in pricing and licensing. Overall, FortiGate is affordable. The licensing fee can be a little high, depending on the budget for your project.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Other products are not so popular in Taiwan, but the IBM IPM solution is a major competitor to Fortinet FortiGate for firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable and affordable product. I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an 8/10. So far, Fortinet FortiGate has been enough for our business requirements.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user234777 from
It offers stability, scalability and plenty of security features. Enjoy fast and effective troubleshooting as everything is organized in a very understandable way.
Valuable Features
* High Availability clustering
* SNAT/DNAT
* Policies section view
* Virtual Domains
* Logging and Reporting
* IPS
Improvements to My Organization
It has made our daily operations easier, as well as adding security, and stability to them. Adding or removing security policies is simplified through its web interface, or CLI. Additionally, troubleshooting is fast and effective, as everything is organized in a very understandable way.
Room for Improvement
Its web interface needs to be more stable, and more functional, through the variety of browsers. Additionally a nice add-on would be a “diagnostic sniffer” capability in the web interface.
Use of Solution
I've used it for six years.
Deployment Issues
With different browsers, the web interface crashes. On newer versions of Fortios the problem has been minimized.
Stability Issues
Not at all, it is as stable as it should be.
Scalability Issues
I believe that it is a little complex adding new firewalls in an existing cluster.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: 8/10.
Technical Support: 9/10.
Previous Solutions
We are using different firewall solutions, in parallel with the Fortigate ones.
Initial Setup
It was straightforward. Taking control of the device for first time is easy, and the cookbook manual is very helpful.
Implementation Team
A vendor team offered five day training but the implementation was in-house.
Other Solutions Considered
We evaluated other solutions, but I was not responsible for taking the final decision.
Other Advice
Throughout the last six years we have been using Fortigate firewalls, and the experience we gained is only positive. These devices are easy to manage, operate and troubleshoot any issues that might rise. The use of virtual domains has added more security presence by only having one physical device, and it’s easy to create them. Also, by enabling other security features on the VDoms, the physical performance will not be affected.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-05-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Simon Chaba from
Virtual domains are treated as separate firewall instances
How has it helped my organization?
There is no need to buy physical firewall hardware when you host multiple customers requiring individual secure access to their FW. You just create virtual domains (VDOMs).
What is most valuable?
You can create multiple Virtual Domains (VDOMs), which are treated as separate firewall instances. The reporting you receive out of this appliance is excellent. You will not need an external management system.
What needs improvement?
1. sFlow and NetFlow
I could not configure sFlow from the FortiGate graphical user interface. I realized that the sFlow configuration is available only from the CLI, and discovered that sFlow is not supported on virtual interfaces, such as VDOM links, IPsec, or GRE.
NetFlow is a network protocol developed by Cisco for collecting IP traffic information and monitoring network traffic. It is not supported on FortiGate for those who have a NetFlow analyzer/collector already setup in their network.
2. Policies
To control traffic in a firewall, you need to create and apply policies to the FW interfaces. By default, policies are sorted by FW interfaces and this makes FW interfaces an integral part of the policies. Zones provide the option to logically group multiple virtual and physical FortiGate firewall interfaces. Then, you apply security policies to those zones (logical groups of interfaces) to control traffic flow on those interfaces.
In a FortiGate unit with a lot of interfaces (including virtual interfaces), there is a high probability of having duplication of policies.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
These devices are very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
They are easily scalable with multiple built-in interfaces. It supports a minimum of 10 VDOMs. VDOM supports all dynamic routing protocols like RIP, OSPF, BGP, and IS-IS. You do not need to reboot after enabling the VDOMs.
Area for improvement - there is one big configuration file with no separations for the unique VDOMs. Maybe they could separate individual VDOM configuration files with the root VDOM configuration file referencing the individual VDOM config files.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Customer service is great, an eight out 10.
Technical Support:
I will give technical support an eight out 10.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We previously used different solutions as well. We did not switch, we have different requirements for different customers.
How was the initial setup?
The user interface is relatively easy. The devices are easy to deploy and figure out if you have experience with other security appliances.
What about the implementation team?
It was an in-house installation.
What was our ROI?
The ROI is great. These boxes are not that expensive compared to what they can do, their functionality, and the reporting you receive.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet licensing is straightforward and less confusing compared to Cisco. Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I already have experience with Cisco ASA, so it was simply a customer preference and well within the budget.
What other advice do I have?
Great appliances, and it is affordable.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-01-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
NetworkEng896 from
I could achieve the same results with a software firewall. This one comes in a nice hardware package. Using the CLI should be documented better.
Valuable Features
* Flexibility
* Flow tracking
* B2B VPN
Improvements to My Organization
It's good for what it is. I could achieve the same results with a pfSense ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/comparisons/fortinet-fortigate_vs_pfsense ) firewall. This one just comes in a nice hardware package.
Room for Improvement
Better documentation about usage of the CLI. I learned most of what I know in diagnostic functionality through saving SSH sessions with the customer support staff while in WebEx sessions.
I have tried looking up the manuals. They are OK in some respects, but I feel exhaustive documentation about the CLI "with examples" should be there, and I feel it's not.
I'm saying, hey lets consolidate some of the primary real world scenarios like:
Section A: - Troubeshooting B2B VPN peering with a business partner or client when initially setting up the VPN tunnel.
Inevitably, there are always quirks and nuances between the fortigate vendor versus peering with a Palo Alto or an ASA firewall or even a Juniper SSG.
Imagine providing all steps, command line syntax, and GUI (if available) and how to take steps to debug the flow and see what's failing.
Sometimes it's super hard to figure out what's wrong with a fortigate VPN unless you know the commands on the CLI to see the flow and how to interpret it.
If they had all the methods / syntax and the "how's and why's" for a scenario; even possibly an instructional video showing how via the CLI and gui alongside the documentation. It would be like the pearly gates had opened and I had gone to heaven.
Use of Solution
I have used it for three years.
Stability Issues
I never encountered any stability ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/fortinet-fortigate/by_topic/scalability_issues ) issues. It is a very stable product.
Scalability Issues
Scalability's not been an issue for my org. We only utilize it for certain applications.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Technical support ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/fortinet-fortigate/by_topic/technical_support ) is excellent, although it can be a bit difficult to understand the tech. As with most support staff from almost all vendors now, the support comes from somewhere across the pond.
Previous Solutions
On the site where the FortiGate is stationed, it's never been changed out.
Initial Setup
Initial setup was straightforward.
Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing
Buy the support package! Upgrades, advice about upgrade paths, and troubleshooting help is paramount. There have been some times where, without it, I'd have been dead in the water.
Other Solutions Considered
This was an in-place firewall when I integrated the site to my org.
Other Advice
Figure out what features you want, and what policies you want. Look up how to do it in advance, and create an implementation plan.
Plan for policies, routing, NATting, etc. Create a step-by-step process in advance, possibly create the environment in a DEV sandbox, test it, then implement.
It has a good feature set. However, sometimes you are forced to solicit technical support to get it working.
Also, I find the web interfaces sometimes do not display things properly.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-08-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Robert Kaczorowski from
Their proxy-based inspection is responsive and secure
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate as our firewall and Layer 3 switch. Together, they connect all our locations for internal and external access with an MPLS as the primary connection and a backup VPN over a secondary DSL/Cable ISP.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate has improved our routing and made us more secure. Using OSPF tables with an MPLS VPN, along with the combined security of the firewalls, has made a huge difference in our organization.
What is most valuable?
* The ability to customize UTM features and add or remove features as we like.
* Availability of different locations as options.
* The VPN features are easy to deal with.
* The CLI and GUI do a good job of putting a lot at your fingertips.
What needs improvement?
It could use more templates for third-party site-to-site VPN setups other than FortiGate and Cisco.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What other advice do I have?
Their proxy-based inspection is responsive and secure.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user454521 from
It has given us improved security over the internet. It is easy to use with a single console and unified threat management features.
How has it helped my organization?
It has given us improved security over the internet.
What is most valuable?
Ease of use, single console, Unified Threat Management (UTM) features.
What needs improvement?
NGN, reporting and controls.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We had some stability issues but we upgraded.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There was a hardware limitation, affecting scalability.
How is customer service and technical support?
I would rate the technical support as 8/10.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We had a different solution in the organization arising from different OEMs and this solution was chosen with consideration of requirements and costs.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was simple but the DC was complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Check Point, Cisco ASA.
What other advice do I have?
You should be clear concerning the scope and outcome you are looking for.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-06-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer32902 from
I am able to save hours of planning and implementation time because the documentation is so helpful
What is most valuable?
* The prompt and knowledgeable support behind them.
* Their reliability and their policy of pre-shipping replacements when a unit has failed.
* The simplicity and clarity of their user interface and documentation.
* Their 'cookbooks' that walk you through the most common installation scenarios.
How has it helped my organization?
I am a one-man show, so there is not much that can be done to improve the way that I function. However, these products provide best-in-class security at reasonable prices.
One of the most helpful features is their VPN, the client could not be any simpler to set up and use.
What needs improvement?
I can't think of too much which they can improve upon. I just have not come across any situation where they have fallen short of expectations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am a consultant who supports these units for my clients who use them. I have had over 10 years of experience with Fortinet products.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The products are extremely stable. I have only had one instance where a unit did not function as expected, and Fortinet replaced the unit, despite the fact that it was still operational.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is the one area where there is room for some improvement. Currently, customers need to purchase more powerful units as their network traffic and requirements grow. Fortinet will occasionally offer trade-in credits in such situations, but this is not always the case. Their product line allows customers to scale from SoHo through enterprise-level requirements, which is what I like about them so much.
How is customer service and technical support?
Their tech support is outstanding.
Which solutions did we use previously?
I have sold and supported other solutions in the past. Fortinet is not always the least-cost solution available, but from a value standpoint, I find them hard to beat.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup complexity will vary with the complexity of the installation. It is relatively straightforward and simple to set up basic configurations. More complex requirements entail reading through a lot of documentation in order to complete the firewall configuration because of the myriad of features and options that are available in their O/S. The 'cookbooks' are a big help in these instances.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing and licensing have to be taken in context with value. Fortinet is usually not the least expensive alternative when considering an upfront investment, but if you take into account the support costs over several years, they are often as cost-effective as the 'cheaper' solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
In this particular instance, Fortinet was evaluated against an equivalent solution sourced from D-Link. I also evaluated a solution from Xirrus (now Riverbed) which promised better signal strength. However, when I ran the various WiFi planning tools from each supplier, the coverage differences did not merit the more expensive Xirrus solution.
What other advice do I have?
Anyone evaluating this product should consult the documentation available and plan out their solution before making a decision. From personal experience, I find that I am able to save hours of planning and implementation time because Fortinet's documentation is so helpful.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-11-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Emmanuel Salamat from
Optimizes security on the network and protects the company from attacks from outside
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate as the firewall for our networks and as a security device. Fortinet FortiGate is used in our organization for:
* making policies
* security profiles
* identity management
* blocking applications on websites
* making objects
* future groups
* user management
* network reports
* data analytics
* other stuff
FortiGate is not just a security solution, but also a network solution, because it can do SD-WAN which provides innovation to security.
How has it helped my organization?
Originally, I used Fortinet FortiGate for SD-WAN. There is actually a feature for the SD-WAN. I could find a port and use it for SD-WAN. Then I also used FortiGate for security rules.
We implement solutions categorizing the insurers by Fortinet, i.e. what are the network users that are allowed in this particular instance or for these particular policies.
We program every port you can set the policies on with Fortinet FortiGate. You can actually see the users that access the particular website and govern the rules for web traffic.
What is most valuable?
First and foremost, Fortinet FortiGate is a security device. It can optimize security on the networks of a company. It actually protects the company from attacks from outside.
With Fortinet FortiGate, you can categorize the users. You can create a group of users that can access all of the websites for their work. You can limit other users' access.
It can also do detailed reporting and analytics that comprise information from recorded events on the network by traffic location, device, IP address, etc.
What needs improvement?
Flexibility is questionable when it comes to the hardware parts. If Fortinet can make FortiGate modular so that you can actually upgrade it without changing the parts, I would prefer it.
If Fortinet FortiGate could actually integrate with the hybrid cloud architecture without changing the storage parts, i.e. the hardware, it would be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The Fortinet FortiGate solution is 81% stable. I would say it is very flexible. I would grade it an eight or nine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is one of the disadvantages. When it comes to scalability, you have to actually change the box. If you want to upgrade it, you need to actually change the existing box and probably you take the system off to other sites.
With FortiGate, if you want to upgrade, it is physical and you have to buy a bigger box. You have to replace it with a bigger one. The boxes of Fortinet are not modular, so you have to replace the entire box. That's one of the bad sides of Fortinet.
When it comes to security, it's not really possible if the other solution is actually plausible.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment of Fortinet FortiGate is complex. It depends on how long you are going to maintain the network of the client. For us, it would only take a day or two.
What about the implementation team?
We are resellers of Fortinet products.
What other advice do I have?
The Fortinet FortiGate solution has to have a system-wide update for improvements. First and foremost, you need to have a patch. You have to continually improve FortiGate by having continuously updated patches applied.
Then always check for the admin reports from Fortinet that the patch was applied. When it comes to the features of this device, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-09T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
VeerSharma from
Effective bandwidth management saves us money and keeps our customers happy
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is to manage bandwidth for our customers. This is done by setting the appropriate firewall rules and policies.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution made it very easy to manage our bandwidth. It is important because we do not have to buy additional bandwidth from our ISPs. The rules and policies are set such that our users are happy, and we can maintain our current cost of bandwidth.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features for us is that it is easy to configure. It is also very easy to manage. One of the things we were looking at was a product that is user friendly, and this helps us to generate and analyze the reports we need.
What needs improvement?
I recently saw the new updates that are coming, such as the ability to quarantine a user's machine. Once done, you have the ability to connect to it from the FortiManager Console and you can bring it back online, out of quarantine. This is all very good news.
One of the areas that I feel need improvement is on the DLP (Data Leak Prevention) side of things. Compared to some other products, the DLP is not at par for the moment.
Also, if in the next few years this solution can be made to support HE between models, it would be better.
I feel that improvements can be made on the security side. Sometimes the product does a good job, but sometimes not.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good, although I see that some brands are now coming up with an important advancement. Currently, when you want to do HE (High-end), you have to have the same model or a similar model. Some competing solutions are now able to do HE between mixed models.
How are customer service and technical support?
I hardly ever use their technical support, but when I do they are pretty good.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
Previously we were using SonicWall, and we had no trouble after switching to FortiGate. One of the reasons that we switched is because we needed something that is easy to configure and manage.
One of the problems we had is that we could not get SonicWall to print out a comment. The documentation says that it should be able to, but it was not printing. The currently solution meets this requirement.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and it is easy to configure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of pricing, the cost of the product is important because we do not want to pay for something that is too expensive. At the same time, however, pricing is not as important as manageability and support. I would say that all things considered, the pricing is pretty good.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
After switching from SonicWall, we did not evaluate options other than the current solution.
What other advice do I have?
We look for a couple of things when selecting a vendor or product. First, we look at the user interface and figure out whether it is easy to manage. We also consider the price because we do not want to overpay. That said, price is not our number one priority; user manageability is.
We have been using a pretty wide range of products. We have used models such as the Fortinet FortiGate-30E, 51E, 90D, and 200D. They are all pretty good at doing the job that they are configured for. Obviously, the firewall sizing has to be done right, but if the product sizing is done correctly then they will never go wrong.
I have not yet used the cloud access capability, but we do plan on testing it.
After we purchased FortiGate we grew by forty percent, and it was able to continue to perform as it had before.
Overall it is user-friendly, easy to configure, easy to manage, the support is pretty good, they are priced low, and they do the job that you require.
I would rate this solution nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-15T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Derrick Slaton from
Enables us to to set up remote systems and has good stability
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as our firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
We have branches that we use for the net clients to VPN back into our network.
What is most valuable?
The ability to set up remote systems is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
They should improve the interface to make it more user-friendly.
I would like to see some sort of reporting if there was an issue with the connecting network sources or connections.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's definitely stable. We haven't had any issues with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. We have just over 100 users using this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex. The user interface was a little bit difficult so it made actually setting it up a little bit complicated. The deployment took a week to roll out four branches.
What about the implementation team?
We used an integrator for the deployment and had a good experience with them. They made it easier to get everything set up.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no additional costs aside for the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
FortiGate is very good if you're thinking of expanding where you have remote offices, then it's a good solution.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Cloud Spot Bursa from
We use it as an internal firewall for VLAN segmentation.
How has it helped my organization?
We have secured our LAN IP subnets with VLAN segregation.
What is most valuable?
Layer-3 firewall and routing are the most valuable features. We use it as an internal firewall for VLAN segmentation.
What needs improvement?
When we need to enable Netflow on the firewall, there is a high CPU and memory usage that occurs. They should improve that high CPU and memory usage that occurs.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There were no scalability issues.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We were previously using the Check Point ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/vendors/check-point ) and Palo Alto software ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/vendors/palo-alto-networks ). The price and user-friendly GUI are the reasons that we switched to this solution.
How was the initial setup?
It is an easy setup and configuration.
What other advice do I have?
It's a user-friendly and stable firewall. You can safely use it for all small and big LAN networks.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-07-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user677703 from
Allows for firewall rules to be programmed and named in a way that makes it readable.
What is most valuable?
* Flexible enough to handle everything we could want
* Configuration layout is easily understandable
* Allows for firewall rules to be programmed and named in a way that makes it “readable”
* VPN support and some anti-virus protection.
What needs improvement?
It would be nice if backups could more easily migrate between different models.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I did not encounter any issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No scalability issues, but communications is severely limited in our case by design.
Which solutions did we use previously?
They were our first firewalls on site.
How was the initial setup?
It does require someone knowledgeable in routing, firewall rules, and these firewalls in particular. Once it is set up, they are easy to modify and maintain.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is difficult as an end-user to setup continuing license contracts. It is possible to do between emails and their website, but it is practically impossible to find a phone number to call anyone directly.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We considered SonicWall ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/sonicwall-nsa ) .
What other advice do I have?
It is an excellent product and works extremely well. If it is set up in a logical way, it is very easy to understand and modify. It is highly recommended to have a service “expert” familiar with these to set it up initially with customer direction.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-06-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user245154 from
It helps to come up with the requirements of proxy servers, but it does not have that much troubleshooting & network testing features.
Valuable Features
The key features of this product are:
* Network security
* UTM Features
* Configuration and ease of deployment.
* IP/User/Device Mac ID/Device Type based policy configuration
* Traffic shaping
* Load balancing
* Ease of VPN configurations
* Explicit proxy
* Link segregation
* Application signatures
* Network object based HTTPS/SSL inspection etc.
Improvements to My Organization
In many organizations it helps to come up with the requirements of proxy servers, defining network traffic and the amount of bandwidth for any network object or specified user(s). It has also provided us with security compatibility with other network devices such as IP cameras, the video conferencing system, VOIP phones. It also logs & reports on individual users network activities.
Room for Improvement
The FortiGate series does not have that much troubleshooting & network testing features in its GUI, hence we’ll definitely be looking for some add-on features in near future.
Use of Solution
I have been using this solution for the past year.
Deployment Issues
No issues yet.
Stability Issues
No issues yet.
Scalability Issues
For massive logs & reports (over a month) we have to go for a separate logging & reporting device i.e. FortiAnalyzer/FortiCloud, as this is not available in Fortigate itself.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: 7/10.
Technical Support: 8/10.
Previous Solutions
We started with FortiGate itself.
Initial Setup
This product has a setup wizard (FortiExplorer) for the initial configuration, while the physical connectivity is done via a USB cable which is very easy to use.
Implementation Team
We implemented the solution ourselves.
ROI
It is value for money product as we’ve purchased it with Fortinet's three-year warranty package.
Other Solutions Considered
We have evaluated Dell’s Sonicwall & Cyberoam.
Other Advice
Analyze your needs first before implementing this product.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-05-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user107088 from
Cisco's license is more expensive than Fortinet - that was the tipping point for why we changed to Fortinet.
Valuable Features:
The two most valuable features are VPN and firewalling.
Improvements to My Organization:
Fortigate 300c is a very robust product, unlike Cisco ASA Firewall, you have already the web gui interface inside the device. Although they the same concept. Fortigate 300c has one of the easiest gui configuration compared to ASA Firewall, where you can lose your way.
Use of Solution:
I have been using the solution for 2 years. It has served as an SSL VPN server.
Deployment Issues:
So far, I haven't encountered any issues and that was the first time I implemented it. I just followed some concepts with Cisco ASA firewall and 2 hours later I finished configuring SSL VPN with 3 different capabilities.
Stability Issues:
None so far.
Scalability Issues:
None so far, well it depends with license of the vpn. You need to purchase it and discuss it with the vendor.
Previous Solutions:
Before I was to implement ASA for SSL VPN, it was already working. My boss told me that we would be implementing Fortigate instead. He told me that Cisco's license is more expensive than Fortinet so I think that was the tipping point for why we changed to Fortinet.
Initial Setup:
Yes it was, when you plug-in to the Fortigate Manager there is this wizard that will guide you to making it work basically, and that was it.Afterwards you can add your additional features as your company needs. The initial setup took me just 10 or 15 minutes.
Implementation Team:
Through a vendor team. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate them 8. The representative from the vendor seems to know the basics of the product but when it comes to troubleshooting he seems to lack information. He had to come back the other day just to provide a solution for a specific issue.
Other Solutions Considered:
We only evaluated two, Cisco and Fortinet.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2014-09-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Panos Kre from
Has a friendly GUI and CLI to access its many features
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution for our firewall, Application Control, QoS, IPSec, and SSL VPN.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has a very friendly GUI and CLI as compared to other vendors.
What is most valuable?
The features that we have found most valuable are the SSL VPN and the user Portal.
What needs improvement?
This product could be improved with active directory integration and better handling in IPsec and GRE Tunnels. There are not enough recent online materials to assist in integration with Cisco for VPN, GRE, and IPSec.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Our experience with this solution is that it is stable and reliable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We found the user interface to be better than what is found in other products.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-05-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Camilo Benavides from
A complete solution, but it is very expensive compared with other solutions
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate for edge protection by avoiding attacks to the servers of the institution, also, by protecting the LAN network.
How has it helped my organization?
Having FortiGate allowed for easy management of the network, protection from threats by having a very intuitive administration console.
What is most valuable?
The most important feature for me apart from the administrator is the UTM module because it protects in a very efficient way the equipment of the entity.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate is a complete solution, but it is very expensive compared with other solutions. Then actually, we are analyzing other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-03-12T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Shahab Razak from
The option of using the GUI and CLI interchangeably is invaluable
What is our primary use case?
Needed to get off of EOL Cisco ASA platform and we evaluated Checkpoint, Palo Alto, and FortiGate 1500 and 3000D. We chose FortiGate, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiManager as our solution.
How has it helped my organization?
* Better visibility into traffic patterns
* Lightening fast troubleshooting and reduced management complexity overall.
What is most valuable?
* Live traffic viewer
* Packet capture, and
* The option of using GUI and CLI interchangeably.
FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer helps us manage multiply firewalls.
What needs improvement?
The speed of synchronization between FortiManager and FortiGate could be improved, but that could be because we host them in Azure.
For how long have I used the solution?
Still implementing.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-01-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user234774 from
Web filtering is good but I can't allow traffic from outside to inside using a NAT pool.
Valuable Features
* IPS
* Web filtering
Improvements to My Organization
We are making use of the VDOM feature to segregate the traffic, and apply policy to control that traffic.
Room for Improvement
This product can't show the NAT status or NAT logs.
Use of Solution
I've been using ForitGate for over two years alongside FortiManager 300D.
Deployment Issues
I have an issue with NAT only, in that I can't allow traffic from outside to inside using a NAT pool.
Stability Issues
There was a bug related to device stability with HA configuration. We face many attacks on the network which causes the CPU usage to become high and, with the older device, we started losing the heartbeat and control messages, causing HA split-brain and lag flapping.This issue has been fixed in the new release.
Scalability Issues
No issues encountered.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: They're good.
Technical Support: They're very good.
Previous Solutions
No previous solution used.
Initial Setup
It was complex to setup.
Implementation Team
We used a vendor, ALU to help implement it.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-05-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Renato Pereira from
The projects' initial costs were high but right now we can do most things, and the only costs now are the annual license fees.
Valuable Features
* Active Directory integration
* QOS
* Balance/Fail-over
* Web filtering and protection with AV engine
* WiFi network for visitors isolated from our corporate WiFi network using only one unit
Improvements to My Organization
After the implementation we stopped internet disruptions and abuse by users.
Room for Improvement
Everything needs to be improved, but they have improvements with each new version.
Use of Solution
We've been using Fortinet products since 2009. Alongside FortiGate. we also use FortiAnalyzer 10C and FortiWiFi 40C & 50B.
Deployment Issues
Yes, a misunderstanding of the environment and misconfiguration of the unit. After reviewing it all, everything has been working fine for years.
Stability Issues
It works as defined and expected.
Scalability Issues
We have the ability to expand our units and there have been no issues so far.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: It's the best I have experienced.
Technical Support: It's the best I have experienced.
Previous Solutions
Previously, we used Linux distributions, and we changed due to its limitations and our company expansion.
Initial Setup
It's straightforward. You just need to understand the concept, and how to apply it.
Implementation Team
We used an external company and they had a good amount of knowledge.
ROI
We have never stopped to calculate it, but we cannot describe how good we feel since we no longer face issues with the internet.
Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing
The projects' initial costs were high but right now we can do most things, and the only costs now are the annual license fees.
Other Solutions Considered
We also looked at BlueCoat.
Other Advice
Feel free to ask me questions about Fortinet.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-04-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Rishi Vanarse from
Provides zero-day protection against undiscovered malware and vulnerabilities
What is our primary use case?
We are dealing in the payment business where we provide services to end-users, and FortiGate is part of our security solution.
The customers swipe their cards into our product, which transmits the data through another server to the acquirer or bank. The server is hosted behind the FortiGate firewall, so all of the traffic that comes in and out goes through the firewall policies, intrusion detection, and instruction prevention systems.
What is most valuable?
We use the FortiGate Sandbox to detect zero-day vulnerabilities, such as anomalies or malware, that are unknown and have not yet been discovered.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see a better training platform implemented.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for the past five years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution. We are able to integrate new products and different payment options. As new projects come in, we are looking for a hybrid setup that will incorporate the cloud.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been in contact with technical support and I find them to be good. We've had no issues with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are continuing to use FortiGate but we are in the process of upgrading to the 200E and 300E enterprise firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex. We had to connect it and set up the PCI DSS compliance. To maintain this, there are a lot of things that have to be done on a regular basis. This includes scanning and hardening the servers, then rescanning. Initially, it is very complex.
We have the FortiGate firewall in our environment, and we are using network segmentation. Based on the segmentation, there are policies. Based on the policies, the traffic to the critical components is monitored and goes through the IDS/IPS antivirus profile. We also have hosted applications, so a basic DDoS and WAP are configured.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-05-19T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user283398 from
The UTM (application control) features have solved many issues that other firewall providers cannot, such as Google suite blocking and allowing.
Valuable Features
The UTM (application control) features have been very important, because they have solved many issues that other firewall providers have not developed as Fortinet has.
A clear example of this feature advantages is blocking and allowing the Google suite. For example, without UTM, we would not have been able to execute some customer requirements like this one:
A customer asked us that some host on their LAN is going to be assigned to be a POS workstation. They needed that workstation to have permissions to some applications and some URLs, and they needed to block users from opening sites like YouTube, Google+, and Google Drive, but they needed to get in to some POS URLs hosted in the Google cloud. We were working with rules allowing some specified URLs, but it didn’t work because the subnetting IP address the customer needed to be allowed, sometimes matched the YouTube service. Google support engineers told us they rotate their IP addressing subnets to be more secure and they do not always attach an IP address to a domain name. So, sometimes the customer’s workstations were able to open YouTube sites too.
The way we could block YouTube and allow the customer POS URLs sites, was by configuring an application control sensor, where we were able to block some categories like this:
Another requirement was to allow some specified applications, so we configured the next sensor structure:
Another customer reported to us they had issues working with Gmail attachment files; they could not do it. Executing some packet captures and with the Fortinet TAC help, we found they were using the latest Chrome versions that use the QUIC Google protocol, which is not supported by Fortinet because it is not a valid protocol. We proceeded to block the QUIC protocol using an application control sensor.
After this blocking action, the customer was able to work without any issue.
Improvements to My Organization
It can block applications in level 7.
Even though other companies have latest-generation firewalls, FortiGate’s database is bigger.
Room for Improvement
They could improve performance with all the UTM features working.
Sometimes, we have seen that when you enable the antivirus sensor, customers report slow web browsing. We know this is normal, but we would like to know if it is possible to make feel the customer their web browsing is fast with not as much delay. The antivirus sensor analyzes all the protocols and packets we specified, and this is an important performance affectation. In my personal point of view, I don’t think it is a serious issue, but we receive many reports from users who browse the web with antivirus sensors applied to their firewall policies.
Use of Solution
I have been using it for seven years.
It is working in route mode, with all UTM licences active; it has FSSO configured to give permission to the users. It is configured to provide VPN SSL ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/ssl-vpn ) service.
Stability Issues
I have encountered stability issues only when we enable all the UTM features.
Scalability Issues
I have not encountered any scalability issues.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Technical support is 9/10.
Previous Solutions
We have been using FortiGate solutions for eight years. We have been upgrading when solutions in the family become unsupported.
Initial Setup
The initial setup is easy; no issues with doing it.
Other Solutions Considered
My company did not evaluate other options. They decided to purchase FortiGate directly.
Other Advice
Work a lot with all of the UTM features because they can be very helpful right now with configuring firewall policies. The policies became very whole.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:My company is a Fortinet provider for Mexico.
Date published: 2016-08-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user249372 from
They added a valuable WAF feature to the latest version.
What is most valuable?
* Complete and cost-effective next-generation firewall features with app identification, and IPS and URL filtering with SSL inspection.
How has it helped my organization?
* Better manageability
* Straightforward deployments
* Streamlined and reliable upgrades
Customers have more time to focus on security because maintaining the firewalls is completely hassle-free.
What needs improvement?
Grouping/tabbing (not only by interface) in the policy table of the web GUI would be a great addition.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it for two years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We have not encountered any deployment issues.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not encountered any stability issues. Stability has dramatically improved over the previous main version branch of FortiOS; 5.2.x and 5.4.x are stable enough for critical environments.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not encountered any scalability issues; proven that you properly sized the FortiGate model that fits your environment.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer Service: Customer service is sufficient.
Technical Support: The tech support is not excellent; this is where Fortinet saves money compared to others... But plenty of free, clear and public documentation is available and this compensates for the most part the tech support shortcomings.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We previously used Cisco ASA ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/cisco-asa ). We switched because the old ASA has no next-generation features.
How was the initial setup?
IMHO It is the most straightforward enterprise-level next generation firewall.
What about the implementation team?
All implementations were done in-house.
What was our ROI?
ROI is very high, it has hands-down the best price/performance/features ratio in the market...
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing model is straightforward, easy to understand and purchase; prices are fairly low compared to other vendors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing this product, we also evaluated Check Point and Palo Alto Networks.
What other advice do I have?
In version 5.4, they added a WAF feature that is absolutely unique for this kind of product; no other NGFW product can also be a WAF and this is a great added value...
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-03-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Naseema Ap from
Offers good threat protection and stability
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall. On some particular days, when our network traffic is very busy, we use a separate debit line. We need additional monitoring to know whether our production was cut by peak rates or not.
How has it helped my organization?
It satisfies all of our requirements.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the threat protection. With many users, I've found an issue where sometimes I need to monitor the traffic that I need to filter.
What needs improvement?
We have many users currently with this solution. One issue that I have had is that sometimes I need to monitor the traffic, so I need to filter it according to the user and which user is using it the most. I experience a bottleneck most of the time, particularly at peak time when the number of contracts and users are at maximum. We feel a kind of bottleneck.
When I first entered the log section, I could not find any results. I did not find any proof, i.e. reporting and analytics on the speed and network availability were not optimized. I could not find any such log from the server, maybe Fortinet could improve this service.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable for our users. Right now, we have almost 70 users. We do not have any plan to increase our usage of FortiGate. For maintaining the firewall solution, one staff member is enough.
How are customer service and technical support?
We are very well satisfied with the Fortinet technical support.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
We had been using another solution for approximately ten years. The product was not up to date, so we were not getting any support for it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The total amount of deployment time required depends upon the number of users. Fortinet FortiGate automatically corrects any mistakes you make in the installation process.
What other advice do I have?
I cannot find anything lacking in Fortinet FortiGate. I would rate it a nine out of ten. We advise other users to go for Fortinet.
There is a back-up service that needs to be included with the firewall support.
I have the requirement to filter what information goes to the user to see which user require the most bandwidth and other resources. When there is a disconnection, that should be shown somewhere in the reports.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user229269 from
It has given me complete oversight of my network in a centralized fashion but certain features need improving.
Valuable Features
* It's version of throughput is good
* It has a strong active cluster, as you can have between three and 32 units to a cluster
Improvements to My Organization
Finally there is a UTM Fortinet. It has given me complete oversight of my network in a centralized fashion, so I know what is going on at all times. It provides me with a solution that can automatically take control of situations when they arise, with the most intuitive interface. It stops you needing to be on the phone to tech support, or a local vendor, for days on end.
Room for Improvement
* Security
* LAN
* WAN
Use of Solution
I've used it for three years.
Deployment Issues
No issues encountered.
Stability Issues
No issues encountered.
Scalability Issues
No issues encountered.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: 8/10.
Technical Support: 8/10.
Previous Solutions
No previous solution was used.
Initial Setup
It was easy to set up.
Other Advice
The most important factor is that you choose a firewall or UTM solution that fits your organizations security requirements. Begin by determining what business problem you are trying to solve, what technical controls you need to implement (Firewall, IPS, NAC, VPN, endpoint, mobility, web filtering, malware detection, etc.). Then, determine what hardware features you need such as (HA clustering, link aggregation or 10Gb, port sensity), and what kind of throughput, and how many concurrent connections.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-04-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Simon Coombs from
Provides a high standard of secuirty for our clients
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use this solution for external security of our network.
How has it helped my organization?
We are a visual effects company, and there have been a number of high profile security issues in our industry. This has brought us to a higher standard of security, which our clients are very keen on these days.
What needs improvement?
We had a minor problem where there was a major system upgrade on the hardware platform and the Apple Mac client was not available as soon as it might have been. The PC client was available immediately, but we had to wait a month or so, before there was a Apple Mac client. I was slightly irritated that it was not ready on time, but it was eventually resolved.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortigate has more than adequate capability to cope with everything we require for the foreseeable future.
How is customer service and technical support?
The support is very good, and we have had no issues.
How was the initial setup?
It was fairly straightforward.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-01-20T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Diana Nongera from
Our security improved from being able to put in rules and close off unwanted traffic
What is our primary use case?
When we looking for a device, we wanted to control incoming and outgoing traffic into our network to protect our organization, like have a barrier before anyone could send something in or anyone could send something out. We also use this for our DHCP.
How has it helped my organization?
The greatest improvement was on security. If you put rules that will not allow certain traffic, it won't happen. You can close the traffic that you don't want in your network, because of malware and people fishing and spamming.
What is most valuable?
* DHCP functionality: The object tab where we manage our IP addresses and static. The DHCP monitors them.
* FortiClient: You can easily connect when you are home, check out what you want to do, and connect to your network when you are not at work. You can switch on servers and you can check what is wrong.
What needs improvement?
It should come integrated or have its own type of network monitor tool in a module. There should just be one package, and you are good to go.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is excellent. It is so stable that it is the best in the market. I would rate the stability as a 10 out of 10.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has the capacity to change in size. It comes in different sizes. E.g., for a smaller organization, you buy smaller package, then for bigger entities, you buy the bigger one. If you have fewer users in a certain entity, they would get a package of 50 each. If it's a head office, then you'd get something like 201. So, it accommodates for all sizes.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been great. We have used it before because sometimes you get issues that you can't handle, then you have to call it in, send emails, and they assist you.
We also work through our partners, which has been good.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We were previously using Netgear, which was smaller. It didn't have the advanced technology in terms of what we wanted it to do. It was an older version. We thought that if we were going to change the firewall, then we should make a good, future investment. Thus, our partners advised us that FortiGate was one of the best, so we invested in them.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not straightforward. You need some training and to learn some of these things through the experience of using it.
What about the implementation team?
We were guided by our partner, so we worked on our devices with our partners. They were the ones who helped us and who have been working with us, even for upgrades, and it has not been straightforward.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Cisco, Netgear, and Cyberoam.
What other advice do I have?
You don't need to reinvent the wheel, as FortiGate is the best solution.
Most important criteria when selecting a vendor:
* The ability of the brand
* Best of breed
* Reliability
* After hours sales service, because we know technology comes with renewals, upgrades, and support. This is quite critical to our functionality and efficiency.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-07-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Kevin Stephens from
Enables us to bring security into compliance with our policies
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for our company firewall. We use it for intrusion prevention and anti-virus.
How has it helped my organization?
The internet filtering feature has really benefited my organization because we have a lot of things that go on illegal sites like auto torrents sites and a lot of streaming and downloads. We've been able to minimize the impact of bandwidth by filtering out media sites. This solution has also benefited us by bringing security into compliance with our policies.
What is most valuable?
I really like the captive portal feature for our guest network. It has nice VLAN features in terms of separating our network. The anti-virus is also good.
What needs improvement?
Some of the filtering is not robust, you can escape it with a VPN. Some of the users bypass some of the filters. It catches some but it also misses some, that area could be improved. It's functioning reasonably but there's room for improvement in that area.
There is a feature that Palo Alto has called Traps. It helps to prevent attacks on the system. A feature similar to this would be worth adding.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very much stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable. We have around 200 users.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not complex.
What about the implementation team?
We have had experience with enterprise firewalls and notably, we had experience with Fortinet, so the deployment was done in-house. We require four people for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Compared to Palo Alto, which we have used in the past, pricing and licensing are okay.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise someone considering this solution to learn the product. You have to get to know the product, don't just look at it from outside. Get to know the product, the ins and outs and see how you can actually use it for your scenario.
I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-03-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user339975 from
I can delegate more simple and routine tasks to other administrators and I don’t have to be the “Firewall” guy all the time, but the graphical interface always has room for improvement.
Valuable Features
I enjoy the combination of an intuitive graphical interface and also a traditional shell command line environment for more advanced administration. The option to configure policies in a graphical environment is very easy to understand and also simple to teach someone else unfamiliar with the product.
Improvements to My Organization
It’s much easier to share administration tasks with more people. Due to the flexibility and ease of certain features, I can delegate more simple and routine tasks to other administrators and I don’t have to be the “Firewall” guy all the time.
Room for Improvement
I think the graphical interface always has room for improvement. I would like to see more attention put towards the logging functions as well.
Use of Solution
I worked with this solution daily for over 12 months.
Stability Issues
I encountered several strange issues in v5.0 (and earlier) OS versions. Strange anomalies like random reloads, VPN instability and unexplained policy changes. However, all of these issues were resolved in v5.2.
Customer Service and Technical Support
I always had great experiences with Fortinet. I worked with them several times to resolve configuration issues and process RMA’s on failed equipment, which was rare.
Previous Solutions
I’ve personally used Cisco ASA and PIX architecture and after using Fortinet, I always prefer FortiGate products in terms of functionality and ease of use. I recommend these to clients looking for a firewall solution.
Initial Setup
Usually always simple and straight forward. I can get a client up and running with most standard policies and inbound/outbound control in a single day and make adjustments as needed. I can usually preconfigure Fortinet products and send them out for install.
Implementation Team
I always implemented via in-house. I think the most important advice is to always test new configurations in the lab especially, when upgrading firmware.
ROI
From my experience, FortiGate products are affordable and worth the investment.
Other Advice
I think for almost any small to mid-size business this is a great solution. Fortigate should definitely be considered before choosing a more expensive and complicated product.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-11-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
PTLNet3112 from
A cost-efficient product that is very user friendly
What is our primary use case?
It's a firewall that secures our internal network. I have been using it since 2013, and I find that most of the features are advanced, and very user-friendly.
What is most valuable?
It gives priority to certain applications compared to others as well because internally all our applications are web based. We use FortiGate to prioritize certain applications to be accessed much faster than the others. For end users, it enables access to the applications and web filtering, as well. That's where we block off most of the sites and we can do scheduling, as well as access to certain sites within certain periods of time.
What needs improvement?
The web-cache feature which was previously on the FortiGate device, but was deleted with the recent upgrade, should be returned. It was a very valuable feature for us.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is consistent with our needs.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of usage, I have a main branch and then we have smaller branches throughout the country. Connecting to each site through FortiGate is much easier.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is cost-effective, and provides a good value for your money. The pricing, and license renewal, is very reasonable for us. The bottom-line is that it all comes down to the pricing of the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I looked at Cisco, and I think that FortiGate is more reliable, consistent and stable.
What other advice do I have?
When choosing a new solution, I suggest seriously researching the pricing and the features. It must be a solution that fits your particular requirements and specifications.
I think FortiGate is more reliable, consistent, and easy to learn. It is robust and more secure than other solutions on the market.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-01-20T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Amgad Soliman from
Offers side-to-Side VPN Support for Secure Networking
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate 100E for a VPN. We also use the solution for word filtering. These are our primary business requirements.
How has it helped my organization?
We were not fully operational previously. Our project needs to link two sides through the internet. One of these was in Cairo and the other in another city.
In Egypt, to make this possible, we built connections for everything between the two sides through the internet using the VPN side-to-side with Fortinet.
We used FortiGate as the integrating solution between the two locations, i.e. the Fortinet 30E & 100E.
What is most valuable?
The main feature that Fortinet FortiGate has that is very useful for me, is that I can connect two sides of the network to each other with Fortinet.
I can make two VPNs run side-to-side. VPN is very simple and so easy with FortiGate.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet needs more memory to save the log files (like in the 101E, the old product). We need it to save the logs on the hardware and not in the cloud.
I know this feature is available in FortiCloud, but if we need to log locally, it is not available. Also, the log only records a little time and needs to be longer.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate offers good stability. I have been using it for around two years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is a very scalable tool. They have an app to manage the access points, switches, and other solutions.
For our project, now we're over a hundred users at the headquarters. The other branch supports about 20 persons.
How are customer service and technical support?
Fortinet tech support is very helpful. I have not faced any trouble with their technical support.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
The other product I was previously using was ForgeRock but did not have the experience of integrating it with Fortinet FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
For the Fortinet installation, our initial setup was for word filtering. It was very easy and did not take a lot of time. The deployment took about three days.
FortiGate is very easy. The entire solution setup processes took about three days. I can make many of the rules for most users as we need it configured easily.
What about the implementation team?
I am the integrator for Fortinet FortiGate solutions at our company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing price for the Fortinet products is approximately a thousand of dollars per year for the FortiGate 100E and $200 per year for the FortiGate 50E.
I don't use additional licensing, just the yearly subscription.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate any other options for this purchase.
What other advice do I have?
If anyone asks me for my experience with Fortinet solutions, I would recommend FortiGate, especially if they need to use it for security.
I would recommend the FortiGate series for integration with any hardware or software product. I am very satisfied with Fortinet. I would rate it a 9 out of 10 overall.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-09T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mohsinoddi Mohammed from
Easy to manage, improves visibility, and lowered our TCO
What is our primary use case?
We are using the FortiGate firewall for multiple purposes including network antivirus, Application Control, Web Filtering, IPSec Tunnels, and SSL-VPN using soft FortiTokens.
For the past year, we have also been using this technology for Secure SD-WAN. This added a lot of value in terms of technology, such as datacenter connectivity using IPSec tunnel-added security filters, with less cost by canceling MPLS.
How has it helped my organization?
We have implemented secure SD-WAN using FortiGate firewalls in 15 locations and it is working extremely well.
Since implementing, the total cost of ownership (TCO) has been lowered and the day-to-day security operations have been simplified through our FortiOps services. These provide cloud-based management, visibility, and automation across your Fortinet Security Fabric. It also helps to realize the operational benefits of a Fortinet-enabled Secure SD-WAN.
At the same time, cybersecurity threats have become more sophisticated and fast-moving. Fortinet offers a full range of services and subscriptions to help us simplify and make the most of your SD-WAN deployment with the lowest TCO possible.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate Secure SD-WAN includes best-of-breed next-generation firewall (NGFW) security, SD-WAN, advanced routing, and WAN optimization capabilities, delivering a security-driven networking WAN edge transformation in a unified offering.
Fortinet Secure SD-WAN delivered the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) per Mbps among all other vendors.
Antivirus, Application Control, Web Filtering, IPSec, and SSL-VPN are great features with the next-generation Fortinet firewall. They are all very easy to manage.
What needs improvement?
We are managing FortiGate using a FortiManager and it needs improvement with respect to the ease of administration tasks.
There is a lot of improvement needed with SSL-VPN.
Technical support could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using FortiGate technology for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is a very stable firewall.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
With respect to scalability, it's an excellent product.
How are customer service and technical support?
The customer service is good, although there is room for improvement with technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use another solution prior to this one.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented this solution with this assistance of a partner.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did evaluate other products, including solutions by Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
There is always a need for improvement with any vendor.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-02-19T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Dale Dobeck from
Saved a bundle by not needing past appliances from an NGFW, however it needs better performance on bandwidth demands for smaller devices
What is our primary use case?
Firewall/Web Filter management. We have over 30 sites, and it is imperative that one person (myself) can plan, implement, and deploy these devices to our sites and manage them when finished.
How has it helped my organization?
Consolidated our network environment at all locations, but mainly at our datacenter.
What is most valuable?
The web filtering was the most valuable, because at a school board, we need to make sure the students are not tying up our bandwidth and also to keep the bad guys out.
What needs improvement?
One area for improvement is the performance on bandwidth demands for smaller devices, as well as better web filtering. Each manufacturer has their own way of filtering and each one needs improvement in categories, URL, and/or application filtering.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What was our ROI?
We saved a bundle by not needing all the past appliances from an NGFW.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-02-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user275226 from
I don't need to have a cluster because it's stable, but rules are not intuitive and the admin UI needs improvement.
Valuable Features
It offers a proxy and a firewall.
Improvements to My Organization
It has a better processor than CheckPoint.
Room for Improvement
It's not intuitive, as the rules will be in the last place you look. You can look for a report for an hour, eventually getting a blank page. User experience for the administrator is basically not good as it needs to be more proficient.
Use of Solution
I've used it for two years.
Deployment Issues
I have five ISPs, and it was hard to connect the LAN to the WAN. It did not go well and I had do to a roll-back.
Stability Issues
The product is so stable I don't need to have a cluster.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: I use a service given by the integrator and it's better than Fortigate’s. The integrator gives me a guarantee that they will immediately replace my machine if a problem occurs.
Technical Support: I use a service given by the integrator and it's better than Fortigate’s. The integrator gives me a guarantee that they will immediately replace my machine if a problem occurs.
Previous Solutions
I used an open-source product name Squid.
Initial Setup
It's straightforward, and was transparent for the users.
Implementation Team
We did it in-house.
ROI
It costs $200,000 and is only a bit better than the open source solution, which was free.
Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing
You don’t have to buy the Fortigate analyzer, as you can also get the reports using Fortinet.
Other Advice
It's fine as a firewall and as a proxy. You need to configure the rules right or else it will be hard to keep up with the logs.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-07-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ramon Henriquez from
We can detect any attack of viruses or malware at the first point of contact
What is our primary use case?
We use it for security. It performs okay.
How has it helped my organization?
It controls the traffic in the organization and the navigation of the Internet. It blocks some sites and permits limited access to our information through the web. We can detect any attack of viruses or malware at the first point of contact.
What is most valuable?
* The security
* Monitoring
* Alarms
It is a very strong platform.
What needs improvement?
There are problems with the custom reporting of the unique traffic. The data is there, but it is too difficult for us to extract.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Just today, our platform was down seven hours today. We called the technical support and they told us that there was some maintenance in the cloud for the platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good.
How is customer service and technical support?
The technical support is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not difficult, but tricky. It's easy, but it's important that their technical support will help you during the configuration of the platform. Procedures that appear logical are not always so.
What other advice do I have?
Most important criteria when selecting a vendor: The security of the platform, because we are very concerned about cybersecurity. Also, the customer service response is important.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MnG32 from
Filtering and alerts help protect our data but the cost is becoming too high
What is our primary use case?
The main use is to protect from outside attack, from any side. Because we work with sensitive data, we have to protect our work. We use it mainly for security, not only for content control.
How has it helped my organization?
We have peace of mind. We do work in a very dangerous environment, the internet, and this device gives us alerts. It gives us the opportunity to know what is going on.
What is most valuable?
The filtering that you can do with the firewall.
What needs improvement?
I would like to be able to do segmentation, for a specific user, with more priveledges. I would also like to see an easier user interface to implement that.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes we found that the traffic to the internet froze, I don't know exactly the reason. The only way to get it to work again was to turn it off and then run it again, a hardware reset. Overall it is a very stable platform but sometimes there is this problem.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is fine. The problem is the licensing. To do more you have to pay for it. In this market, where you can find a lot of devices to do the same things, to charge for them in the license is very difficult. Also, sometimes Fortinet changes their products, they drop devices from the market very quickly.
How is customer service and technical support?
We have guys who are certified to work with Fortinet, so right now it's fine with them. We never really have serious problems, something to escalate to Fortinet. Only when there is a very difficult issue with the performance or something like that have we had to go to Fortinet, but it has been great.
Which solutions did we use previously?
One of the main reasons we're considering switching from FortiGate is because many companies have a lot of features and you don't have to pay for. If you compare side by side, you find a lot of things that new brands do as well for fewer dollars.
When selecting a vendor the most important factor is the prestige of the vendor. Also the cost, renewing licenses. Our customers are looking for more features for less cost. We have to look at what is going on in the market, who the main players are, who is doing well, and who has a good reputation.
How was the initial setup?
I was not involved in the initial setup of the devices. I only had to check it out and make sure it was working fine. But I saw the guys working with the configuration. Occasionally they had to reference the manual but had to find the answers on Google.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Fortinet and Sophos are the main players for this type of solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate FortiGate at seven out of 10 because, although they are doing well, the problem is the licensing, the cost is too high, and how they support their own devices needs improvement. They have to focus on more features with less cost for the customer. If you see the market, where it's going, there are a lot of players offering more features for less cost. FortiGate is a great product but they have to look out.
My advice would be, look at the time on the market. FortiGate is doing well, but right now they have many competitors that are doing well.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-05-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Reviewer3147 from
The most valuable feature is the policy routing and application control
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for our small company. It is basically for users on the LAN-side. So, it is just for browsing mostly.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the policy routing and application control. In addition, the firewall ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/firewalls ) will act as a call-switch. So, the performance within the LAN is good.
What needs improvement?
The UI could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
How is customer service and technical support?
We sometimes wait 30 to 40 minutes to get a tech engineer. But, then they are pretty good. Whenever I call for a problem they will assist me and correct me and they will fix up the call. Only one they are sure we have solved the problem will they disconnect from the call. Whenever the issue arises, they're available to help.
Which solutions did we use previously?
I also have prior experience with SonicWall.
How was the initial setup?
The initial implementation was straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not have personal experience with the pricing of the solution because my boss has been taking care of that aspect of the relationship with the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
SonicWall has a better UI solution.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-11-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mark DeLong from
Good SSL-VPN, anti-virus, and anti-malware protection
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate is used as the primary firewall and malware detection device for the company.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution allows solid VPN service for access from the field, and the anti-virus/anti-malware detection works well.
What is most valuable?
SSL-VPN is very useful for us and has been very reliable.
What needs improvement?
The user interface could be improved to make it less confusing and easier to set up. There are too many pull-down menus.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate for five years.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-02-28T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user241101 from
It offers unlimited VPN licensing but it needs a real-time log viewer in the GUI.
Valuable Features
The unlimited VPN licensing. All of our remote locations (1000+) used IPSec VPN and SSL to connect to the cluster.
Improvements to My Organization
We went from being terrified about our firewalls screwing up to completely forgetting we had firewalls. I slept better and so did my manager.
Room for Improvement
A real-time log viewer in the GUI with the capability to filter traffic displayed. Cisco ASA's have this and it's fantastic.
Use of Solution
I used it for four years. We had two devices that were clustered together in a high availability pair as the front end of an country wide, high visibility solution.
Deployment Issues
No issues encountered.
Stability Issues
No issues encountered.
Scalability Issues
No issues encountered.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: Customer service was decent with Fortinet - they were helpful and got the product to our doorstep quickly.
Technical Support: This is where Fortinet stumbles. The support is farmed out overseas to techs that are not very knowledgeable about the Fortinet products. The response time for a critical priority one issue was over four hours and they only responded because we threatened legal action for them violating our support contract.
Previous Solutions
They used to have Juniper products, which are terrible. The enterprise class firewalls do not support any sort of packetflow gathering such as netflow, and the devices didn't even support Juniper's proprietary jflow. Their SRX series routers, meant for home office use, had more features and capabilities.
Initial Setup
It was very straightforward and we encountered very little problems. Fail-over occurred within a second with zero outages or anyone actually taking notice. Firmware updates were easy to apply in a live environment if required, and the GUI was very easy to understand.
Implementation Team
I deployed it - I'm FCNSA certified.
ROI
If we used a similar solution that required a "per seat" license per VPN, we would have literally spent over 100x what the solution cost us.
Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing
We implemented the clustered firewalls for around $30,000, and each office had another Fortigate device at a cost of around $1,000.
Other Solutions Considered
Cisco was evaluated but we didn't want to pay for the VPN licensing.
Other Advice
It's an absolutely fantastic product. Just get your support contract clarified, and confirm the response times.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-05-19T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Hugo456456 from
It has improved our organization with control data
What is our primary use case?
We use it because it is a good device.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved our organization with control data.
What is most valuable?
The rules.
What needs improvement?
The reports are very basic.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-19T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user460626 from
We were able to prevent the use of torrent applications. They need to improve the alert and event logs.
Valuable Features
With the application and web filters, we were able to block social network websites and any other websites that could lead staff being less productive. We were able to stop use of VPN ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/ssl-vpn ) applications on the school’s network. We were able to prevent the use of torrent applications.
Improvements to My Organization
It was used in a school network, so it kind of helped in preventing staff and students from getting carried away with their browsing.
Room for Improvement
I feel they need to work on the alert and event logs. We were not able to get anything much out of it when we were facing issues. Not sure if it was a configuration issue; we were, in fact, not able to see any system-related logs ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/log-management ).
Use of Solution
I used it for two years. I had to replace it as the number of staff increased to beyond its limit.
Stability Issues
We did have an issue with it hanging occasionally. But then later, we figured out that it was handling traffic beyond its limit.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Technical support is average.
Previous Solutions
This was the first device we used.
Initial Setup
It was installed by the IT solution provider while setting up the school.
Other Advice
It is a good device for a medium-sized company. But if you have over 150 staff/devices, I wouldn’t advise using this.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-08-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ali Asvadi from
Good performance, protects network perimeters against attacks
What is our primary use case?
To protect network perimeters.
How has it helped my organization?
Security. The main options feature protection and security against attacks.
What is most valuable?
Reliability and performance, those are key factors.
What needs improvement?
I have only one request and that is to have Fortinet as a market download in Azure.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, so good.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I'm an integrator, so I use SonicWall, Sophos, and Fortinet.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator.
Date published: 2018-05-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
VictorCastillo from
An inexpensive answer for firewall protection
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use this product as a firewall protection.
How has it helped my organization?
With Fortigate, I find fewer attacks. The console easily alerts me about possible attacks so I can prevent the malware attacks.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The UTM filtering control could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I do not have problems with the stability of the solution. It works well.
How is customer service and technical support?
We do not use a lot of tech support. It is not readily available in our area.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is not expensive. It is affordable.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-01-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sherif Abouelezz from
Next-Generation Advanced Firewall Protection
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use of Fortinet FortiGate is for a firewall. I use it as the firewall system and protection from spam. I mainly use Fortinet FortiGate for protection and security.
How has it helped my organization?
Mainly the FortiGate reporting system is very good. It guides us through all the expectations of security. Fortinet provides us all that we need for security. Also, Fortinet FortiGate is a next-generation firewall. It is much more advanced than others.
What is most valuable?
I like all of FortiGate's features.
What needs improvement?
The FortiGate reporting system needs to be more detailed about files. Palo Alto Networks is more detailed in the reporting system than Fortinet.
Currently, as for our security, we don't need more. The main reporting in Palo Alto Networks is much more developed than Fortinet, especially in the part of the file exchange.
As a security lead, I think Fortinet FortiGate is much more reliable than Palo Alto Networks.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The Fortinet FortiGate solution is very stable for our installations.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate is sufficient. What we bought was sufficient for what we need. I don't know if we're going to need to upgrade it or not, it depends on if we need to increase or lessen it.
Since we built Fortinet FortiGate we didn't need to do anything more for it. Over 200 users are currently using this solution and only one staff is required for maintaining it.
How are customer service and technical support?
The Fortinet technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
Setup and installation of Fortinet FortiGate were very straightforward. The deployment stage took five days. We used an integrator company and they were very good.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented Fortinet through a third-party integrator company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
With Fortinet licensing, you have to buy a license for every product: for the stamp, for the email, for the firewall, for everything. This is all the same for all vendors. You have to buy a license for each service.
In terms of pricing, they are reasonable compared to Palo Alto Networks. FortiGate is much cheaper than Palo Alto Networks with more efficiency in operations.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We talked to several vendors like Cisco and Palo Alto Networks. There was another system and they gave us a test drive for a week running it on their premises to see how reliable it is.
We tested Cisco, a next-generation firewall, two years ago. We also tested the Palo Alto Networks equipment.
What other advice do I have?
We may increase our usage of Fortinet next year.
I would recommend to anyone to buy Fortinet FortiGate. I would rate the product ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user236517 from
Security has been increased but the licensing fees could be lower.
Valuable Features
* GUI
* Flexibility
* Easy to configure
* UTM
Improvements to My Organization
* Option to control application = increased productivity
* Data leak prevention = increased security
* Anti-virus & IPS = increased security
Room for Improvement
I'm happy with the product, however the licensing fees could be lower.
Use of Solution
I've used it for six years.
Stability Issues
No issues encountered.
Scalability Issues
There is a specific way of deploying a Fortigate product, and the scalability is related to the new unit deployment so there are no problems here. If you need more power/space, you just have to add a new box.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: It's very good, I've never had any problems with customer service.
Technical Support: It's very good, I've never had any problems with technical support.
Previous Solutions
I was using Cisco ASA, and I switched due to a lack of features (e.g. poor SSL VPN support).
Initial Setup
It's a very simple setup as everything is well documented online and via the Fortigate channel on YouTube. Also, I posses a large amount of knowledge gained during the years that has helped me to deploy all my solutions. Even from the the beginning, it was easy as Fortigate has a great GUI and good online help,
Implementation Team
We did an in-house implementation, with no third party involvement.
ROI
The product is deployed as part of, and an add-on to, the MPLS solution for the majority of my customers. There is no ROI as this is not the major expectation, as the ROI is coming from the whole solution, not just this product.
Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing
All the costs are for the annual licenses. The cost of the original deployment fell below £5,000, and licenses are priced at around £3,000.
Other Solutions Considered
We considered Cisco, however we decided to go with Fortigate as it provides a good set of the features for the price paid,
Other Advice
Enjoy it. The product is easy to implement, easy to manage, and easy to develop and grow.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-05-12T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Gamal Al-Hamzah from
Improves internet speed and improves network security
What is our primary use case?
We are a reseller of Fortinet products. We use FortiGate for Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) support. This is the most important reason that we use Fortinet FortiGate.
How has it helped my organization?
We required our network to be more secure. We also use FortiGate for improving the speed of the internet because the network here does not perform as we would like it to.
What is most valuable?
The most important features of Fortinet FortiGate are the Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) and firewall control applications.
What needs improvement?
The main aspect of FortiGate that could be improved is load balancing. Our management team does not want to buy another appliance for only load balancing.
The network routing with Fortinet FortiGate can be an issue, but it generally depends on the size of the company.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is a wonderful appliance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have knowledge of other firewall products but FortiGate is the best.
How are customer service and technical support?
We like the Fortinet technical support and how they have responded in the past.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy and not complex at all.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is only one issue with Fortinet FortiGate: It's the price. If the company makes its products cheaper then we can convince our clients to buy more.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten because I don't know all of the features of the platform personally.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
NipontChartkul from
Securely Protects Databases in Business Operations
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate has many use cases: firewall, security, and wifi controller. We use the solution for our project's internet gateway.
How has it helped my organization?
My company operates a large data center with many useful applications, sections, and databases. We have to put the security function into FortiGate to protect the databases in the organization.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate has many excellent functions and good security. The firewall is the most common function that we have used for a long time.
What needs improvement?
The Fortinet FortiGate firewall has been improved with many new functions. Fortinet is working to develop a new generation of firewalls with better security.
Fortinet already improved FortiGate, but in the current market, many brands of security devices have improved together. Fortinet still needs to catch up with market standards.
Fortinet is lacking in features in comparison to competitors.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our experience with Fortinet FortiGate depends more on the sizing of the customer. Fortigate is very scalable to serve our customers' needs.
We have scaled from fifty to more than a hundred instances of Fortinet FortiGate. Around 20 staff are required for deployment and maintenance, mostly engineers.
We are not a distributor for Fortinet, so we will not actively promote it as a solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support with Fortinet is good. We have our engineers required to have certification in Fortinet products. We provide training classes for our engineers.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
We also implement solutions with Palo Alto Networks and WatchGuard.
How was the initial setup?
Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly to set up. The UI is fine. We still have concerns about security with Fortinet.
The security could be improved compared with Palo Alto Networks equipment. Palo Alto Networks products have more technical issues than Fortinet.
Overall, Fortinet FortiGate is not complicated to set up.
What about the implementation team?
We had a team for implementing Fortinet FortiGate on these projects. We also have many business partners for service work as integrators.
Our partner for the Fortinet FortiGate installation was one of the few consultancies that have exceptionally good service in the market currently.
We have begun Fortinet FortiGate training through the consultant company and now have many partners for service contracts.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing and licensing of Fortinet FortiGate are good if they stay the same. The price is not too high now, but license pricing still changes too much.
Fortinet FortiGate is comparable with the other products in the current market.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are not sole-distributors of Fortinet products currently. It is part of a portfolio of solutions that we offer our business clients.
What other advice do I have?
The policy for integration and for configuring Fortinet FortiGate should be friendlier than in the version we are using now. Because Fortinet has been in the market for a really long time, and we are very experienced with Fortinet products, I would rate FortiGate with an eight or nine out of 10. I would rate it this score because of the experience that Fortinet has as a market leader for such a long time.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-09T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Cesar Nieves from
Easy to set up, make policies; the switches automatically get policies from the firewall
What is our primary use case?
I am using it as an IPS, intrusion protection system.
How has it helped my organization?
The first benefit is the cost. It is very affordable.
Also, it's very easy to set up, it's very easy to make policies and, for an organization, that means you don't need IT expert in firewalls. You just need to have somebody who knows a little bit of IT, and that's it. With other products, you need someone with a "Masters" degree in firewalls.
What is most valuable?
It's a complete solution. You can purchase switches and you don't need to do anything with them. You just put in the firewall and the switches get all the policies and rules that you already have in the firewall. That's a very nice feature because with, for example, Cisco, you need to set the switch, you need to set the firewall, and you need to test it. With Fortinet, you just connect the FortiSwitch to the Fortinet and that's it. It's very easy.
In the last version of the FortiOS - the operating system of the firewall - they put a lot of new features to support communications in a firewall. Whatever the communication that you have, you can put that in the firewall, and that's great.
What needs improvement?
For me, at this time, it's very complete.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is very good. I have no problems right now with any of my customers. I haven't had a call from a customer in about three months, other than to make new policies. That's it. They are not complaining about the Fortinet, that it is damaged or something like that.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is very good. We just did a quote for a university here that has about 25,000 students, and all the solutions that we put in the RFP, they were accepted. The only thing is the cost. As far wanting more scalability or things in the network diagram, it's going to cost you.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support is very good. If you have any questions, they have a forum and, apart from the forum, depending on the FortiGate that you purchased, they have very good support from second-line engineers. Whatever your problem is, you call and at least you get a callback.
Which solutions did we use previously?
I was using a SonicWall. The problem with SonicWall is that they were purchased by Dell, and apparently, Dell is not putting any research money into the devices. That is the reason I changed because there are a lot of new things, new generation firewall technologies and they are not using them. Also, apparently, the price is very high right now. If you compare the price with a FortiGate, which has a lot of additional features, it's not worth it.
When selecting a vendor the most important criteria are support and cost.
How was the initial setup?
Setup is very straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is good. They offer a lot of things, the most important is the support. Every time you upgrade your license, you also get insurance for the equipment. If you have any problem with equipment, they send in new equipment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did a total cost of ownership analysis against Sophos and also Palo Alto, but that was out of scope, it was too expensive. Another one was WatchGuard. When you start looking at the cost of the license for all the things that you get, Fortinet is by far the best option. The problem with the other companies is the licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I rate FortiGate a 10 because every time I need to use the support, they are there. There were times when I went to a customer to give support, I called Cisco, they pass me to Brazil, and on another call, they passed me to India. After I gave the guy in India all this information for an hour, he asked me, "What's the problem?" So there was a communication issue with them and they don't know the problems very well. With Fortinet, they are in the US, not in India.
Do a total cost of ownership analysis with all the features you are looking for and, based on that, make the purchase. Also, reviews are very important.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-05-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Randy Obanon from
Enables us to check our sites and emails for threats
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for checking sites, threat prevention, ransomware, and email check.
How has it helped my organization?
We can use our devices to check all of the perimeters. It secures email websites.
What needs improvement?
They need to improve their technical support.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to 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?
It's scalable. We have 22 users.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
We were previously using Sophos XG.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy. The implementation took around two hours.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner.
Date published: 2019-03-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Directcust4564 from
A user friendly solution that helps protect us against spam
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is to protect ourselves against email spam.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution helps to protect us against spam and offers features like intrusion prevention.
What is most valuable?
The most important feature is that it's easy to use. It is user-friendly and has all the features you need. You can have IDS (Intrusion detection systems) and IPS (Intrusion prevention systems) in just one device. You don't need multiples.
What needs improvement?
The reporting needs to be improved. Also, the VPN (Virtual private network) monitoring needs improvement.
Beyond these improvements, I cannot think of any additional features that I would like.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. We rarely have problems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Regarding scalability, we have bought a very large box, so it meets all of our requirements.
We have a big company, with fifteen hundred end points.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is excellent.
How was the initial setup?
I was not there when the initial setup was done.
Currently, we have five staff in charge of maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Each feature costs money, so it is important to study your needs.
What other advice do I have?
Before implementing this solution, you have to study your network first, and then consider your needs. Decide what features you need and what features you don't need.
It is important to know what is required from the device because they come in very different models. There are different features and each feature costs money, so you need to be prepared so that you can optimize your cost. You don't want to end up buying something that you won't use in the future.
I would rate this solution eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
TahseenJaved from
Easy to understand licensing requirements
What is our primary use case?
I use this product on AWS. FortiGate's VM GUI is slightly different than the hardware devices.
How has it helped my organization?
It is a one box solution, which covers most of the edge device’s requirements.
What is most valuable?
I have found FortiGuard Services to be valuable.
What needs improvement?
It needs to improve its ISP load balancing.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues.
How is customer service and technical support?
I would rate technical support as a seven out of 10.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We had a previous solution, but switch because FortiGate is a one box solution.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was not complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Easy to understand licensing requirements.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
* Palo Alto Networks
* Cisco ASA
What other advice do I have?
Easy to implement, and it is also reliable.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-01-22T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ReviewerO136 from
Valuable option for security although unstable at times
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved our security capabilities.
What is most valuable?
We find the most valuable aspect of this solution is the price. It is affordable and cheaper than other firewalls.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were quite a few problems with the stability of the system but now it's working fine. I think it had to do with the complex environment, not because of the product itself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is an inexpensive solution.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-01-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer743844 from
Centralized monitoring, policy management, and virtualized appliances allow us to take control over our public and private infrastructure
What is our primary use case?
* Security
* Monitoring and controlling
* VPN
* Active Directory integration
* Servers
* All components related to an enterprise environment.
How has it helped my organization?
We replaced Sophos with FortiGate and found it better than the Sophos product. It has better control, insights, and prevention from crypto malware and other threats.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are centralized monitoring, policy management, and virtualized appliances so we can have control over public and private Infrastructure.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Meraki products are rising very quickly in the cloud and the connected era. Meraki products are future proof and offer much better ROI, upgradability, and manageability.
IT is continuously evolving, and every few days or months, there is something new. Whoever evolves first will take the lead over the competition. Adopting and evolving is the key to success.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
These products are solid and stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not had any issues with scalability.
How is customer service and technical support?
Our experience with support has been fine. No trouble or hassle.
Which solutions did we use previously?
Sophos: It was good for small businesses, who are evolving and improving. Though, I found Cisco Meraki to be much better.
How was the initial setup?
Part of the setup was straightforward and other parts were complex. They need to work on feature placements and menus.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation through a vendor, who had good experience.
What was our ROI?
Two to three years, depending on usage type, number of users, and organizational size.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes, we did, Palo Alto and other solutions, but we found FortiGate to be the best solution at that point in time.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-07-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user195018 from
I've been using it for 6 years. I like the security profiles and vulnerability assessment.
Valuable Features
* Load Sharing
* VDOM
* Security Profiles
* Vulnerability Assessment
Use of Solution
6 Years
Deployment Issues
Yes, bugs.
Stability Issues
No.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Poor.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2015-02-28T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MaheshPatel from
Improved our organization through single pane of glass management
What is most valuable?
FortiGate is really strong in the following:
* UTM
* IPS-like
* Antivirus
* App control
* AntiBotnet
* Anti-Spam web content filtering
* L3 routing
How has it helped my organization?
* Single pane of glass management
* Easy GUI for monitors
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using it for the last five years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Easy installation through the mobile app.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is fine. I rebooted after 755 Days from the date of installation.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is Fine.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer Service: Partner support is very good.
Technical Support: FortiGuard Service is also good with the push method update.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We were previously using Cyberoam.
How was the initial setup?
Easy by WebGUI and also mobile app.
What about the implementation team?
We have implemented in-house.
What was our ROI?
Excellent ROI, due to virus spambot intrusion free network.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's a little bit higher than Cyberoam but the security is higher compared to the other vendor.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Sophos, Check Point, and SonicWall.
What other advice do I have?
Buy FortiGate for a hassle free network management and excellent ROI.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-10-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user181989 from
Very easy to manage and understand
Valuable Features
SSL VPN, Site to Site VPN, UTM features and web override are nice features.
Room for Improvement
They need to improve a bit the SSL VPN to integrate with Sharepoint single sign on, with form base, Windows claim base and SALM base authentication.
Use of Solution
For the last 3 years
Deployment Issues
Yes but that was resolved.
Stability Issues
Yes, sometimes the CPU and memory get to 99% utilization but when this happens no users are working and no updates for windows are configured.
Scalability Issues
Yes, somewhat.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: The level of customer service is bad because support is very pathetic.
Technical Support: Support is very pathetic.
Previous Solutions
No
Initial Setup
Straightforward
Implementation Team
In house
Other Solutions Considered
Yes
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-02-17T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mohamed Abdullah from
Enables us to load balance more than six internet lines but they should develop better visibility, monitoring, and reporting
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
Customers want to load balance more than six internet lines. FortiGate is the only solution that can accomplish this.
What needs improvement?
The monitoring and the visibility, in this proxy, is very weak. I would for them to develop better visibility, monitoring, and reporting.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's not always stable. When there's heavy traffic, we get hardware problems.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The configuration was very easy. I didn't have any problems with it.
It depends on the project, but I don't need a lot of resources to maintain it. One or two staff are enough to deploy and maintain it.
What about the implementation team?
I integrated it myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our licensing costs are on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a seven out of ten. Not a ten because of the monitoring and the stability issues.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner.
Date published: 2019-04-04T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Dave Winkel from
A solution that impresses our customers and saves them money in the long run
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use for this solution is as an SMB boundary firewall, and we now use their Security Fabric.
How has it helped my organization?
This is a quality product with ok support, and it is better than the competition we've tried.
What is most valuable?
Security Fabric makes VLANs a breeze. It impresses customers, as well as saves them money over the long run when comparing apples to apples.
What needs improvement?
FortiOS is not simple. Too many people think it should be simple to use, but the complexity of the product makes that impossible.
For how long have I used the solution?
Seventeen years.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support for this solution is ok.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-06-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user236523 from
It's excellent and we strongly recommend it, but WAN link load balancing needs improving.
Valuable Features
I am using different features of this product but the most valuable are -
* SSL VPN
* Web filter
* Explicit proxy
* IPS
* Application control
* Routing
Improvements to My Organization
I replaced my core router with a Fortigate appliance and it is performing inter-VLAN routing. I removed manual proxies and used transparent proxy using Fortigate security profiles, and implemented traffic shaping, web filter, application control, IPS and anti-virus. All the servers are protected by Fortigate security profiles.
Room for Improvement
* WAN link load balancing
* Reports
* Anti-virus.
Use of Solution
I have been using this solution since 2013.
Deployment Issues
We faced some technical issues on the Fortinet side.
Stability Issues
No issues encountered.
Scalability Issues
No issues encountered.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: 6/10.
Technical Support: 6/10.
Previous Solutions
I didn't use any other solution prior to Fortinet.
Initial Setup
It was complex because there was a huge network with VLANs configured and routing protocols enabled.
Implementation Team
We implement this through a vendor. I would rate their level of experience 8/10.
ROI
I would only say that Fortinet provides business and security returns at a cost substantially lower than the benefits derived.
Other Solutions Considered
We evaluated Sophos and Barracuda alongside Fortigate.
Other Advice
Our experience of using Fortigate is excellent and we strongly recommend it.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-05-12T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ibrahim Hassan from
SD-WAN allows me to better manage and load balance our traffic
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for securing and controlling our company, as well as to improve VPN services.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has helped us by controlling our incoming and outgoing traffic. It blocks the vulnerabilities that can negatively impact us.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the SD-WAN because I can manage many lines and load balance them all.
What needs improvement?
I would like to have logs, monitoring, and reporting for a month without extra fees.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for more than eight years.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Fortigate
Date published: 2019-08-04T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Vineeth Babu P from
Enables us to control our internet usage with the web filter for application features
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate mainly for web filtering and site-to-site VPN connectivity. We establish filters based on the type of application for filtering purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
With Fortinet FortiGate I can do over forty enlaces. We give all of the log-based runtime support to every user and the web traffic coming in. Also, we can enlace all of the security projects from our two servers with the other forty enlaces.
What is most valuable?
The most important features with FortiGate are the web filter and application controls. We can control our internet usage and use the web filter for application purposes. All branch FortiGate devices are integrated with FortiAnalyzer and easy to download and monitor the logs from all other locations. It's easy to change the configurations using CMD-SSH. FSSO is also another good feature.
What needs improvement?
It is mainly our own application of FortiGate that we need to improve. If you compare FortiGate to any other products, all of the other products have more signatures. I couldn't find that many signatures available in the application.
Some features of Fortinet FortiGate are actually fee enabled that are inconvenient for deploying in production. Other issues relate to isolation with Cisco products and your server.
Fortinet should make it so that we are not able to use analytics from Cisco at the same time that FortiGate is installed. We are not able to do real-time network monitoring.
For the next release, FortiGate should be improved to support these issues. For the setup, you need to prepare a lot for that before engaging the deployment.
I learned a lot about FortiGate from books. That should be important in preparation. Fortinet should implement these changes, then we would be able to do more.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is good. The only issue is that in the VPN, I have seen many times that there is no stability in the VPN configuration and VPN connectivity. That is our only issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If we implement Fortinet to Fortinet connections, then the solution works fine and there are no issues. If we connect with any other vendor like Cisco, Palo Alto, or these kinds of devices, I can see sometimes that the connectivity issue is there.
From IIS, the I/O packet works and connectivity is ideal. Connectivity is fine, but the title clock unnecessarily comes in and sometimes it doesn't reach the destination.
We use Fortinet FortiGate in twenty to twenty-five locations at the time, although we are basically focused on healthcare industry requirements.
For the deployment and maintenance, we have two people we are using right now. Regarding maintenance and deployment, we employ experts in network and security support.
We don't have any plans to increase usage of Fortinet FortiGate. We only use it in 25 locations.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have evaluated Fortinet FortiGate's technical support and it is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The normal VLAN interface configuration with the LAN configuration is fine. There is no problem with that.
Our deployment took a maximum of half an hour to forty-five minutes. It only took this much time for the entire configuration including the LAN and policy configuration.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use an integrator or consultant. Our security engineers completed the configuration.
What other advice do I have?
In terms of rating, Fortinet FortiGate will come in with an eight out of ten. We are satisfied with the product overall.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Nt32w18Enr from
A solid product with an easy configuration and good support
What is our primary use case?
Primary use would be firewalls for the central office as well as all our branch offices. For some branches, we use the wireless feature.
How has it helped my organization?
The product is very stable, easy to troubleshoot, and configure, so it has reduced the time it takes for support.
What is most valuable?
* Stability
* Ease of use
* Configuration
* The available feature sets
What needs improvement?
* It needs more available central management.
* It could use better throughput on some of the smaller boxes for the branch offices.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Since we are not virtual, it is a physical box. It scales well if you know what to buy from a physical box standpoint. They seem to offer something for every level.
How is customer service and technical support?
The technical support is very responsive and qualified.
Which solutions did we use previously?
Cost and convenience are probably why we switched from our previous solution to FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward, once you understand the operating system environment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was not here at the time that they were evaluating other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I highly recommend the Fortinet product because of its implementation. It is a solid product with an easy configuration and good support.
Most important criteria when selecting a vendor:
* Experience
* Installations of similar types which met our needs
* Pricing
* Support
* Ease of implementation.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-06-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Alan Chavira from
Great product with too many features at the right price
How has it helped my organization?
Simplifies administration and upgrades overall security.
What is most valuable?
UTM/NGFW features and FortiCloud for logs and backups are awesome.
What needs improvement?
MTBF: Hardware failure is more common when compared to SonicWall or Cisco ASA.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No.
How is customer service and technical support?
Great support. It's quite good in Mexico.
How was the initial setup?
Straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
Great product with too many features at the right price.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-09-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Vuong Huynh from
The graphical interface is complete and easy to use
What is our primary use case?
It is a UTM firewall with many features. It has helped me to control users and public multi-servers easily. It also can make the VPN connection free through advanced routing (RIP, OSPF, BGP, PBR). It gives you a seamless, simple integration into a large network.
How has it helped my organization?
It help me control users, so I could review how users access the Internet or the bandwidth, and what they use per day.
What is most valuable?
* A strong point of FortiGate is the graphical interface is complete and easy to use.
* The IPS is good. It protect my network from attackers.
What needs improvement?
One area for improvement is the performance on the bandwidth demands for smaller devices, as well as better web filtering.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-06-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Consultant76 from
Their response and resolution times are good
What is our primary use case?
It performs well.
How has it helped my organization?
We have a lot of bandwidth.
What is most valuable?
* Box stability
* Security features, like SSL scanning.
* Their service: Whenever we raise a complaint with FortiGate, their response and resolution times are minimal.
What needs improvement?
They need faster serviceability and more security features.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has good stability compared to its competitors.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We are making a cost savings on the scalability.
How is customer service and technical support?
We have been using technical support. Their response and resolution times are good.
Which solutions did we use previously?
Our previous solution had performance issues.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and easy.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Cyberoam and Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
Most important criteria when selecting a vendor: stability and service.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-19T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Zhargal Solovyev from
An intuitive user interface for our SOHO edge protection solution
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for edge protection in SOHO and K-12 environments.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiOS has a very good, intuitive GUI.
What is most valuable?
This solution has solid UTM features combined with a nice GUI.
What needs improvement?
The Web-filter in this solution is not very good. Perhaps because Fortinet does not want to compete with its own dedicated solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three years.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-06-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
InfoSec301 from
Protected us from several Zero-day attacks and includes data leak prevention
What is our primary use case?
It is performing fine, there is no problem from FortiGate. The firewall engine is very good, Very suitable for picking up Zero-day threats. It has protected us from two or three instances, thanks to this engine.
How has it helped my organization?
From 2014 when they started using it, I was not associated with the company. I have only been associated with the company for the last year.
What is most valuable?
Valuable features include the Web Application Firewall, and it even has DLP (data leak prevention).
What needs improvement?
After four years it has started to fail. The firewall engine is not so strong as of now, in my opinion. For that reason, we want to migrate to Check Point. This is one of the concerns that I have right now.
My second concern is that, while they have Zero-day vulnerability and anti-malware features, the threat engine needs to be strengthened, its efficiency can be increased.
I also need user-behavior analytics, to find threat scenarios from inside the organization, insider attacks. That would be very helpful for us. In addition, I would like next-generation features for small and medium businesses. These businesses require UTM, all in one product. Fortinet must include it.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is fine as of now. Compared to other firewall products, it's a little cheaper in terms of pricing. So scalability is good.
But right now, due to a greater focus on security, I think FortiGate needs to improve on the security features, and they need to do so for their small and medium business products, in order to compete.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support is pretty good. We had to call FortiGate support once, and they really helped us. In one of the configuration files from FortiGate, during an upgrade of the hardware, something was changed. They were very helpful in resolving it for us. There is no problem with support.
Which solutions did we use previously?
Previously, in 2013, I believe we were using WatchGuard.
In the process of selecting a vendor, the most important criteria will be to go through threat assessment reports - the NSS testing reports that are published every year. Our decision will depend on that.
What other advice do I have?
If price is a constraint for you, you should go with Fortinet. But security is a very big factor right now. If you want to be compliant with GDPR and all the other things that are coming up, you should go with another good vendor. Even though Fortinet is a big competitor, in one to three years, when they include many new features in their products, they will be a good solution.
I would rate FortiGate at eight out of 10 because the support was very good. Considering the current scenario, I would not give it nine or 10 because they need to include many features in the smaller products, not only in enterprise-level products.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Md Mohiuddin from
Excellent Bandwith Agility from Webstie to Website
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is providing cybersecurity applications to internet (IT) clients throughout India.
How has it helped my organization?
Since we are still in the implementation period we still need more time to evaluate how this solution can add value to our organization.
What is most valuable?
We are very happy with the general bandwidth agility we have seen from one website to another website.
What needs improvement?
Since we are in the initial stages of implementation I can't suggest any additional features for the next release. At this point, I really need more time to evaluate the tool. The only thing I can recommend at this time is to make improvements for the user end when the user website is running slowly; the speed can definitely be improved. There is room to include IP wise and net-wise and bandwidth settings.
For how long have I used the solution?
Still implementing.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Currently, we have more than 600 employees using this product. Our users range from IT staff, management, and senior executives. We are all using it. And we plan on increasing the number of users to more than what we are currently at.
How are customer service and technical support?
My technical support experience has been very poor. I think the technical support personnel isn't experienced in Bangladesh. They have much less technical experience and aren't as able to handle the work, as I am.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
Initially, we were using an IPVanish. We switched to this tool because we believed it would be easier to set up and use but it turns out it wasn't easier.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex. The deployment took a few days to get set up. Initially, we were using an IPVanish. We switched to this tool since we thought it would be easier. But it turns out it wasn't easier to set up and run.
What about the implementation team?
Our vendor team implemented the tool for us; the vendor team is based here in Bangladesh.
What other advice do I have?
Maintenance only requires two or three people. At the moment both a Senior Executive and an IT manager are in charge of maintenance.
Besides wanting to see a faster connection speed I would like to see the expanded bandwidth, IP, and proprietary net settings feature included within the tool.
I rate this product an 8 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-04-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user241746 from
The product has lived up to its expectations but the web interface needs to be improved.
Valuable Features
* Anti-virus
* NAT
* VPN
Improvements to My Organization
It's the only security product in place that is responsible for guarding the network infrastructure deployed within the premises. The product has lived up to its expectation with no issues whatsoever.
Room for Improvement
The web interface could be made better.
Use of Solution
I've used it for eight years.
Deployment Issues
No issues encountered.
Stability Issues
No issues encountered.
Customer Service and Technical Support
We have managed to maintain the device without getting in touch with technical support. Credit can be given to the documentation provided.
Previous Solutions
This was the first security device that was deployed.
Initial Setup
Setup was straightforward and the documentation was very clear which meant that there were no issues during the initial setup.
Implementation Team
We had a vendor assist us who had decent knowledge about the product.
Other Solutions Considered
We also looked at pfSense.
Other Advice
The product has reached its end of life.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-05-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Alberto E. Luna Rodriguez from
The VPN capabilities provide a reliable connection to our corporate network over low cost internet services.
How has it helped my organization?
These devices allowed my organization to connect a network of gas stations and convenience stores nationwide. The VPN capabilities provide a reliable connection to our corporate network over very low cost internet services (basically, any Internet service locally available can be used for this connections).
We also leverage the NGFW, UTM and WLAN controller features to provide security for corporate network traffic, and secure, content-filtered guest internet access for customers in the convenience stores. All this at a relative low cost.
What is most valuable?
* Link ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/ssl-vpn )Great firewall ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/firewalls ) capabilities
* Great IPS and web filter for small remote locations, with VPNs ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/ssl-vpn ) for tunneling to the corporate network, makes this device a solid choice for many sites.
What needs improvement?
Stability and technical support are the two major issues I have found with Fortinet.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We’ve had cases of unexplained bugs that go away with a simple device reboot. Software updates usually help with these issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have personally found that Fortinet advertising can be misleading. The devices will usually fail way before reaching the capacity advertised in the data sheets, especially when you activate several of the features the device can handle. This is not a dealbreaker for me, especially because of the cost. But I would advise care when dimensioning the devices you’ll need.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Customer service in Fortinet is OK. Lately they've been making efforts in this area. They actually call you when licenses are about to expire which is a nice touch on their part.
Technical Support:
I would say technical support is 6/10. I’ve found tech support to vary, sometimes being decent, sometimes painfully inefficient. Much room for improvement here IMHO.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We still use Cisco for some cases. However, where we need the advanced security and UTM features, Cisco’s prices can be very restrictive. Fortinet is a much more cost-effective choice for those cases.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was very straightforward. Interface is very friendly and easy to comprehend.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing this product, we also evaluated Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
Be careful with dimensioning. Don’t expect the device to handle ALL the features. Usually firewall, Web Filter and the WLAN controller work well. But if you need IPS, app control and AV, I would advise over-dimensioning the device a bit (taking Fortinet data sheets as the reference).
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-09-11T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Andrew S. Baker (ASB) from
The IPsec tunnels are very easily created, and quite interoperable with devices from other vendors
What is our primary use case?
I have deployed several of the following models for customers: 200D, 60E, 60D. This review focuses on the FortiGate 200D.
How has it helped my organization?
The first implementation I performed of a FortiGate 200D was to replace a Juniper SSG-140 in a main corporate office. This implementation provided improved network administration and network performance.
We also received more timely security updates, and it became easier to connect all of the other offices together (via an IPsec VPN mesh).
As additional FortiOS releases have come out, we have obtained more flexibility in device identification and WAN load-balancing, among other things.
What is most valuable?
* The CLI is robust and powerful, enabling rapid, consistent changes via SSH.
The device identification is very flexible, facilitating the creation of rules to regulate all sorts of devices that might spring up on a network, especially via WiFi.
* The IPsec tunnels are very easily created, and quite interoperable with devices from other vendors.
* WAN load-balancing has improved, but needs some refinement.
You can set up a different DDNS config for each WAN link.
It is great to be able largely use the same OS features across the family of devices.
What needs improvement?
WAN load-balancing could be a lot better at detecting when a link is poor or inconsistent, and not just flat out dead. There are lots of options for routing traffic over a specific path when you have WAN load-balancing enabled, but they are not as clear and consistent as they could be, and most can only be set at the CLI.
Some configuration elements cannot be easily altered once created. For instance, there is no way to rename an interface (say, for a VPN tunnel), unless you create an entirely new one and perform a little gymnastics to switch from one to the other. Or, you export the config, rename the elements in question, then re-import the entire config.
Creating a meshed VPN connection (Office A with two WAN links connecting to Office B with two WAN links) requires a massive bundle of four IPsec interfaces, with two policies. It would be nice to have a cleaner, simpler config for that functionality, something not very uncommon today.
I have found that if you have a console cable in the device when you reboot it for a disk check, it will boot to the device firmware. This will not happen for a regular reboot.
If you have more than a very basic environment, you quickly have to escalate past the first level of support. The initial level is so-so. The next level up has been stellar for me, and quick to figure out issues and resolve them.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've only experienced stability issues a few times. One was with the v5.4.0 and .1 releases. Also, there was an issue during the v5.2.x series where there was an SSD issue that was fixed with later firmware. Overall, the devices have been very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No. Scalability is good, and performance increases are great as you move to higher products.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer support is okay. They are fairly responsive for level three and higher (one and two) issues, but if your issue is a little complex, you will want to ask them to escalate to a second level tech. They don't always read all the info you provide in the first pass, but overall, they are helpful.
Which solutions did we use previously?
I previously favored NetScreen/Juniper SSG solutions, but Juniper stopped supporting the SSG line, and FortiGate provides more value and performance for the dollar.
I've also tested the Sophos solutions, but found them not compelling enough to switch from the FortiGate devices.
How was the initial setup?
The devices are very easy to setup, even if you need to configure VPNs. You could have an HA config up and running within 60-90 minutes, with the latest firmware installed, and a couple of policies and tunnels.
If you do not regularly work with enterprise-class firewalls, you might need to add an hour to the above scenario, but the provided wizards make it pretty easy to address the basic functions.
What about the implementation team?
In-house deployment all the time.
What was our ROI?
In almost every case, I've experienced (or had customers experience) an ROI within 12 months, based on better performance for the same price or increased functionality for the same (or less) price.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing and setup costs are generally pretty clear with Fortinet. If you go with centralized management or their Log Analyzer tool, these carry some additional pricing that you need to look at.
Check out the price matrix, and go with a value-added reseller that understands how to help you size out the equipment. Remember to always look at the performance with the assumption that you will have many of the unified threat management (UTM) features on, not off.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes, I tested and evaluated solutions from pfSense, Sophos, and Palo Alto.
What other advice do I have?
I highly recommend, and often try to deploy Fortinet solutions for my office network and for my customers. They run for a long time, they are supported for many OS updates, and they are pretty solid.
Don't upgrade the OS right away when it is released, if a major new version has come out. v5.0 was problematic early, but v5.2 was great. v5.4 was a problem child, but v5.6 had only a minor issue. v6.0 was surprisingly smooth and had only a minor issue. I could have avoided most of these problems if I waited an additional month or so before updating, but I updated because I need to advise customers on what they should be doing.
I've had to interact with support a lot, and overall they've been good (with the caveat mentioned earlier).
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Narendra Singh from
Good security, performance, and traffic inspection
What is our primary use case?
I have deployed FortiGate with multiple organizations such as universities, government institutions, healthcare, and ISP providers. I have worked with FortiGate models 30-500 series and I have deployed the 3200D model for one of the broadband service providers located in India, Namely Sikka Broadband.
How has it helped my organization?
I have installed the FortiGate 500 and 400D to replace a Sophos firewall in a main corporate office. This implementation provided improved network performance.
This solution made it easier to connect all of the branches together via an IPsec VPN and remote users with SSL VPN.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus.
Using the FortiGate security solution provides comprehensive visibility and advanced layer 7 security, including threat protection, intrusion prevention, web filtering, and application control. They face a major complexity hurdle managing these point products with no integration and lack of visibility.
Thie solution provides a high-performance inspection of clear-text and encrypted traffic.
The FortiOS Operating system is robust, and the WAN load-balancing very much transparent.
What needs improvement?
Improvement is needed in the Web Filter quotas to restrict users with allocated quotas.
It would be an improvement to add a feature for active users to change/reset their own passwords.
Fortinet renewal prices for all models are too high, so they should offer discounts for customers on renewal.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for almost seven years.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-10-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
NetwkMng9 from
Review about Fortinet FortiGate
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case for this solution is as a firewall protection for our company.
How has it helped my organization?
It's performed as a firewall to block those unwanted traffics, and it can protect our clients and our users from some threats. I think it is the best solution to protect the network or our users from the APT attacks.
What is most valuable?
I like the UTM features, including the web filtering and antivirus.
What needs improvement?
The room for improvement is about the global delivery time period. Usually I need to wait for almost one month to deliver it overseas. So if you can shorten the deliver time it would be great.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It keeps improving the features and I am very impressed with the effort.
How is customer service and technical support?
The response is very quick and they can visually resolve our problems in a short period.
Which solutions did we use previously?
In the past, we were using Cisco, the quite old firewall. And did not have the UTM features. So we switched to Fortinet to improve the security of our network.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the initial setup and it was very easy and the features and interface are very good for us to understand what is going on.
What about the implementation team?
When selecting the firewall vendor, we are considering the protection and the security features, it's the most important things we are considering. We need a good option for threat protection.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The beauty is the price performance ratio is great with FortiGate. It provides all the features we needed and the price is comparable with others' firewalls. The price is quite competitive with the firewalls with similar features.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also looked at Palo Alto, Check Point and Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
It's very easy to contact, the conversation is easy and it provides us all the features on point. It is also reliable.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-11-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user313743 from
Controlling and tracing with web console works nicely for windows systems, but for Linux, only IP can be obtained.
Valuable Features:
* Policy control
* Web filtering
* Application filter works smoothly.
* Controlling and tracing with web console works nicely for windows systems.
* Better QoS than Checkpoint, I believe.
Improvements to My Organization:
Previously, my organization had the Checkpoint firewall solution, which has been replaced by the Fortinet Fortigate solution, which is cost effective and more manageable from a beginner's perspective.
Fine QoS and Web based filtering solution is a plus.
Room for Improvement:
* Maybe Linux system monitoring can be improved by the developers of the product.
* Although it has policy control and web filtering, these could be better.
* Application filter needs more control options.
* IP tracing works only so-so.
* Controlling and tracing with web console for Linux only obtains IP addresses.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:My company provides tech services that include this product.
Date published: 2015-09-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1266459 from
Good interface with good reporting and useful templates
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
We use the firewall to enforce our company ideologies and principles and policies. The solution has built-in features for web filtering that are great. It categorizes it nicely for you.
The interface itself is nice to work with. It's a lot better than the initial interface that they used to have around version four. I used to work for FortiGate some time back, and the earlier interfaces were not as good as these latest ones.
I like that once you open it up, you have a dashboard that can give you a holistic overview of what is happening. You can see, for example, how your resources are doing on your firewall or if you still have disc space for logs and so forth.
The solution gives you an immediate view of what's happening on the hardware itself. What we have done with FortiGate is we have put up a FortiAnalyzer, a FortiGate reporting hardware. We are using it in conjunction with FortiGate.
The solution offers good reporting. We get our reports from there. We have the opportunity to get real-time reports.
There are great templates, so you don't have to customize them if you don't want to. You do have the option to custom create some folders and some reports, however, with what is there, you don't really need to go through extra effort, as they already give you a lot of predefined views of reports and so forth.
We have access to quite a few features. The web filter and application control are primarily what we are using. Then we also have a VPN feature, which allows for our remote users to connect and get through the firewall.
What needs improvement?
The commercial side of things can be improved a bit. They have such a good product, and when you disable some features, it has to be commercialized for you to enjoy those features. Therefore, you are actually buying half a product. You have hardware there, and yet, your features are not enabled. The primary things, such as the antivirus, web filter, DNS filter, application intrusion, file filter, and email filter come with the general license. There are other things that you want to also enjoy in this system and you can't.
There are SD-WAN network monitoring, SD-WAN features, Industrial Databases, Internet of Things, Detection, etc., however, we do have not licenses for those features. We thought that if you bought a product, you should have all of the features it offers. Why should you need to make so many extra purchases to enable features? They should have one price for the entire offering. That's one of the drawbacks they could look at.
Sometimes the firmware automatically updates itself. Then it corrupts the configuration and you have to roll back or you have to do amendments to the configurations. That, however, has happened only once with us. We have put in controls for automatic updates to stop them and now we do manual allowance or we allow the manual update.
Most of the features are good. They give you pricing and you get a VPN for about 10 users where you can test it. For us, we feel that we need to buy extra licenses due to COVID, as people are working from home. Under the current conditions, we are not getting the best out of the firewall.
They could just maybe put better graphics or better reporting into the solution. I want to know who is the user and what is the exact website they're visiting. Something like that would help. They should do more like what the GFI is doing.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for a bit over a year now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
6.4.2 is our current version. The latest is 6.4.3. It's available like I say, however, we have not installed it. We'll wait until around December, then we will then install that one. We like to wait to witness its stability. Once we know it is bug-free, then we allow it to run as the latest platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have a cluster and we have configured it with high availability. What we have done is we have put one primary and one secondary in case it breaks or it gets damaged. We have a third one at our DR site as well, which works in conjunction with Plateau. We have employed the same rules and some stricter rules on the DR site, just to allow traffic between these machines.
We allow certain times for updates on the infrastructure we have at the DR. We are planning some more, however, we don't enjoy all the features yet. We want to bring in an SD-WAN. Maybe that can also help us with scaling our network at different angles and from the cloud or being from an LD device or so forth. We're still working on that.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have a partner that we work with. We have support at another level and I'm the primary person that looks after the firewall. If I have an issue that is urgent and I don't have the time to do the knowledge base to actually turn it around, we usually engage our partner, which has engineers that have the knowledge necessary to deal with it and who are certified in FortiGate.
We have what is called FortiCare. We have FortiCare support as well for firmware and general updates and all those other things. I normally do updates and so forth myself. It's very little intervention from outside technical support.
How was the initial setup?
Having background knowledge, the initial implementation was not really complex for me. You just need to know your environment and what is needed as well as what is allowed.
The business input was the only item outstanding as there were issues such as who needs to have social media access at what time and who needs to have full access. Those were business decisions, however, but from the technical side, it was fairly easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They have almost all the features embedded in the solution. It's just that some features are not available because you have to pay for it. There are lots of add-ons available, and you need to pay extra for them, so pricing can add up.
What other advice do I have?
We are strictly a government entity. We are a customer.
The model that we are using is the 500E, which is for small and medium enterprises. We are not a big institution. We do not have the latest version. We like to wait about three months before we apply anything new to make sure the early releases aren't flawed. After three months, after we've got a good review, then we will say, "Okay, let's upgrade to that version."
Even though we feel that sometimes they create a new version to take care of a vulnerability or threat, we like to be safe and avoid bugs. The version that we are fitting currently is 6.4.2, which is fairly stable.
Apart from the fact that they should just include everything in their offering, everything else works fine for me. There's a whole lot of Fortinet products that work together, FortiSwitches, FortiAP's, etc. Overall, I would give it eight of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-10T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1254792 from
Good performance and web filter capability
What is our primary use case?
This firewall is an antivirus, protects against spam, and is an IPS.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the web filter.
The performance is fine.
What needs improvement?
Some of the features in the graphical user interface do not work, which requires that we used the command-line-interface. We have problems with that.
Log retention should be greater than 24 hours.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate for about eight years.
How was the initial setup?
The complexity of the initial setup depends on the implementation. There are some that are very simple, whereas others are complex.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-11-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer951024 from
Good reliability and robust solution
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution as a firewall.
It's our main firewall, but we're planning to replace it with a pfSense for reasons I will discuss.
How has it helped my organization?
What is most valuable?
It's super reliable. I don't think I've ever had a reliability issue with it. Within the four years that I've been using it, maybe two or three times, resetting the firewall was what solved the problem. It's been super, super solid. I never have to think twice. If I ever experience a problem, the firewall is the last thing I think about. I never need to check it because it's never the problem. It's just super solid. It's also pretty robust. I know that there are more robust solutions out there, but not by a lot.
What needs improvement?
In the enterprise proprietary world, Fortinet, in my experience, considering its cost and reliability (maybe they could bring the price down or maybe they could make more plans), I honestly don't think that there is much room for improvement. I think it's a pretty good solution for anyone who is looking for a proprietary solution. I wouldn't look anywhere else.
Cisco, for example, is probably way overpriced. Fortinet on the other hand, one of their strong sides is that they have an all-encompassing solution with a very reasonable price point. Cisco and other brands are a little bit more modular — to get everything you'd have to buy a lot of different packages.
An automated guide feature or templates that you could pick and choose would be a nice addition.
It's definitely not as easy to look at traffic as I would like. Sometimes when I'm trying to see what traffic has been blocked or what traffic has been passed, it's not as easy as I would like to filter it out or to monitor bandwidth.
The monitoring is not as good as it could be. It could be a lot easier to understand. For example, I was trying to figure out, in a given timeframe, how much was downloaded off of a certain interface and I didn't really understand how I could get that information or if it was even available. I was searching the documentation online and I couldn't even figure it out. Monitoring and reporting could be better; It's very good, but there's definitely a lot of ways to improve it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is super stable, one hundred percent. Just works 24/7 without any issues like you would expect from an enterprise product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I know that it's scalable, but I don't actually have any experience regarding scalability. It's probably not as scalable as pfSense because pfSense is based on open hardware platforms. I definitely know that proprietary platforms usually tend to be less scalable because they're more constrained with licensing. The scalability in my opinion would be decent, satisfactory, but I believe pfSense is probably more scalable. I know that there are a lot of big corporations like Google and others that use pfSense. I don't know the details. I'm just giving my educated guess.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I personally prefer pfSense as it's open-source and you only have to pay a minimal fee for support. But for people who want that platform, I think it's a great solution. If I wasn't using pfSense, I would definitely go with FortiGate.
The two products are completely different. If you're using pfSense, you're basically using the entire open-source world — so you're based on FreeBSD, you're using Snorts, everything is open-source. It's very easy to make modifications and to figure out what's going on. You're not dependent on your single company's documentation, there's a huge user base. It's very easy to modify and extend. You can see what's going on — it's very transparent in that sense. It's probably a little bit more manual. With pfSense, You have to put in a little bit more effort to get things done, but, in the end (aside from the huge cost savings), you get all the features that are available in an enterprise firewall for just the price of support, which is also very minimal.
If you need to make any tweaks, you can do it all yourself. If you need to tweak ciphers for SSL for compliance (for PCI, for security compliance) it's not a difficult thing to do; it's a fairly trivial task.
How was the initial setup?
I didn't set it up initially, but I did set up a lot of things from scratch. I think it could be more simple. When you're looking at a proprietary solution, usually it's aimed for end-users and they just want to do point and click. I believe in certain aspects, pfSense was simpler. I think there's maybe just a bit of a learning curve, but I guess you would experience that with any platform.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think that the pricing is fair.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a rating of nine.
Other than the price and the lack of extensibility and transparency (which is inherent in any proprietary platform); if you're going to compare it to pfSense, then I would not give it a nine. I would give it an eight, and I would give pfSense a 10. pfSense has its drawbacks, but not that many, in my opinion.
Take the time to learn the platform and you won't run into trouble later. That's my advice.
Other than that, it's super solid, super reliable. It does the job.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-10-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1448211 from
Easy to configure and the technical support is good, but the newer versions have issues with stability
What is our primary use case?
We use this firewall as part of our security solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ease of configuration.
What needs improvement?
There are a lot of known issues in some newer versions of the FortiGate operating system, so there is room for improvement with that. One of the problems I was having was with user mapping, and it is an issue for which I have escalated tickets with Fortinet support.
Having the newer features work in the older, more stable versions of the product would be great. Some of the new features might really help a lot, but there are problems with stability.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiGate for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are a lot of new features built into newer releases, but there are not very stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The Fortinet technical support is awesome. They're handling my problem quickly and doing it well.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is okay.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have compared solutions from other vendors including Palo Alto.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good product, however, there is always room for improvement.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2020-11-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Engnrm7165 from
Prevents outside attacks to our network
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use is for firewall protection.
How has it helped my organization?
It provides security purposes, and it makes our network safe from outside attacks.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the bundled subscription, which is IPS, TV and web filtering. I also like the application control.
What needs improvement?
I think they need to improve more in order to be a competitor with the leaders of the field.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, there is not too much downtime.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They need to be competitive with other solutions.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-01-20T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
AKreviewer311 from
It has very easy management and an amazing ETM configuration.
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case of this solution is as a data center. It performs very well.
How has it helped my organization?
It has very easy management and an amazing ETM configuration.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more advanced developments of a wireless controller in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I think the product is stable. It is amazing.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is amazing, but sometimes there are issues with Fortinet Integrations. But, I know they are now trying to rectify the problem.
How is customer service and technical support?
We have good technical support from the vendor.
How was the initial setup?
It was very straightforward. An easy installation process.
What other advice do I have?
I think when you look at this product, you must realize that the box hardware and software are vary stable. And, the pricing is perfect.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:I am a reseller.
Date published: 2018-11-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Iz from
It has improved the security posture and visibility of our traffic
What is our primary use case?
E-commerce environment, enterprise data center.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved the security posture and visibility of our traffic. The OS and the firmware updates are very straight forward.
What is most valuable?
All the features are very good, straightforward licensing, Fortinet product integration, standardized FortiOS and automatic uninterruptable firmware upgrade. Easy to use support and licensing portal as well as activation process.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements made to the dashboard and UI, as well as to the reporting. I would also like them to consider offering more predefined security templates.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
An eight and a half out of 10.
Technical Support:
They are able to identify an issue and resolve it within a pretty short period of time.
Which solutions did we use previously?
Cisco ASA.
We switched to Fortinet Fortigate because it was easy to manage, and it uses a Single OS for the whole product. We were also able to learn how to use it very quickly.
How was the initial setup?
It is very straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it ourselves with some assistance from vendor. Because of the limited assistance from the vendor, we do not know what the level of expertise was.
What was our ROI?
No
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They have very competitive solutions across the entire product line.
They also offer very clear licensing and pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Checkpoint, Cisco, Palo Alto, Sonicwall, Huawei, and Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
I found that the memory usage for the Fortigate firewall are relatively higher than other firewall brand when compared to same traffic volume. It might be the scan engine do their job well or the scan engine not well tuning. If there is a details information about this would be good.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-11-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
it_user375528 from
The most valuable features for us are VPN, WebFilter, and Firewall.
Valuable Features
The most valuable features for us are
* VPN
* WebFilter
* Firewall
Improvements to My Organization
It's features are highly customizable. This means that when our different business groups have different needs, the implementations can be customized to meet the demands of those groups and needs.
Room for Improvement
I'd like to see an improvement in the Bandwidth Management and Traffic limit control.
Also, the licenses are expensive, turning off some users.
Use of Solution
We've used all units for five years, except the FortiGate 200D which has been in use for one year. Alongside FortiGate, we also have FortiAnalyzer 1000B and the FortiManager 200D.
Deployment Issues
There have been no issues with the deployment.
Stability Issues
There have been no stability issues.
Scalability Issues
It has not been a problem to scale it.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer Service: Customer service is very good.
Technical Support: Technical support is very good.
Previous Solutions
I depend on different products from different vendors depending on the required function.
Initial Setup
The initial setup is simple in the CLI or Web GUI.
Implementation Team
An in-house network engineer implemented it using the best practice recommendations from the vendor.
Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing
The appliances and licenses are expensive, and I know some people use other vendors because of this.
Other Advice
You should know the customization you want from the beginning, and plan your requirements appropriately.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-01-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Matthew Titcombe from
The solution improved the security posture and overall management's TCO
How has it helped my organization?
The solution improved the security posture and overall management's TCO.
What is most valuable?
One of the valuable features is a standardized OS.
What needs improvement?
It claims it does DLP ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/data-loss-protection ), but the degree and level of controls are very basic. We recommend that our clients supplement it with other products.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There were no issues with scalability.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Customer service is excellent.
Technical Support:
Technical support is excellent.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We did not use a previous solution.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Work through partners for the best pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Palo Alto ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/vendors/palo-alto-networks ), Check Point, and Cisco ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/vendors/cisco ).
What other advice do I have?
I highly recommend Fortinet as a leader in integrated suite information security capabilities.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-07-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ITopsassis9887 from
It is straightforward to implement the device from scratch
What is our primary use case?
We have been using the FortiGate antivirus software for a couple of years, as of mid-July. The hardware solutions for the firewall, we have been using for less than a year.
We are using FortiGate 80E for a medium-sized office. I am pretty satisfied with it. It has performed well. The primary use is to protect the internet traffic for a medium-sized office, up to fifty users, using a local domain with a not so intensive cloud traffic. Generally, it is just to protect the internet access for all the users in the network.
Also, we are using VPN at external locations to the office, which FortiGate supports.
How has it helped my organization?
It give us the liberty to let us do our jobs.
What is most valuable?
* There is an easy process for configuring it, and it is straightforward to implement the device from scratch.
* It has a somewhat diverse device interface, but if you have one day to play with it, you can easily find whatever you need.
* All types of policies need to be installed, then all the parameters are configured. It is not very demanding,
What needs improvement?
At first glance, the interface for the device is very confusing. However, every version is getting better.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have had no concerns with the stability so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have been in no position to upgrade our number of users. So, I cannot judge this aspect of the product.
How is customer service and technical support?
They provides local support. I have been using them only for some site blocking. They are pretty efficient in this. They say they will respond in 24 hours, but I have received responses in a maximum of one hour, which is impressive.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We had a server acting as our service-based firewall, so no solution for firewall.
FortiGate is my first actual solution for firewalls.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It provides mid-sized company pricing.
What other advice do I have?
Most important criteria when selecting a vendor: We have specific procurement rules, then we specify the technical specifications. After that, whoever is cheapest should get the job.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-07-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Adriana Ymeri from
FortiGate/FortiWiFi; FortiManager; FortiAnalyzer
What is most valuable?
FortiGate ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/fortinet-fortigate )/FortiWifi:
* IPS
* Application control
* IPsec & SSL VPN
* Web filtering
* E-mail security
* Data leak prevention
* Wireless security and wireless controller
* Central antivirus (FortiClient)
* HW & SW token controller (FortiToken) etc.
*
* FortiManager
* Central management
* Administrative domains (can group devices according to geographical are, functionality, admins, etc.)
* FortiGuard management
* Logging and reporting
* Configuration version control and tracking
* Firmware management
* Scripting
*
* FortiAnalyzer
* Centralized security log analysis and forensics
* Centralized graphical reports
* Customized reports
* Scheduled reports
* Queries
* Content archiving/data mining
How has it helped my organization?
Routing and security policies, central management and all of the other features help us to improve network performance and implement organization policies.
What needs improvement?
They could improve vulnerability scanning.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We encountered a few stability issues; maybe one case per year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I did not encounter any scalability ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/fortinet-fortigate/by_topic/scalability_issues ) issues.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support is 10/10. They respond and offer solutions very fast.
Which solutions did we use previously?
We previously used Cisco ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/vendors/cisco ) solutions. They are more expensive, have fewer features, are more difficult to use, and response and help from
technical support is not quick.
How was the initial setup?
For Fortinet solutions, the initial setup is very easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They are very cheap compared to other vendors.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet solutions ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/vendors/fortinet ) are very easy to implement, proven, certified and tested.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-08-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Abdy Sanjur from
The main benefit is the grouping of our security monitoring. The technical support is great.
What is our primary use case?
I use Fortinet Fortigate. First of all, I use them as perimeter firewall. Secondly, I use it for a data center firewall for internal segmentation.
How has it helped my organization?
The main benefit is the grouping of our security monitoring. I have all of my solutions from the same brand, Fortinet. I have only one console, one dashboard, all the security incidents that occurs on the network.
What is most valuable?
The Fortinet FortiGate product has original features that we use.
These features include:
* IPS
* Anti-Malware
* Web Application Firewall
What needs improvement?
I am looking to implement key authentication for admin access for the Fortinet product.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
How is customer service and technical support?
The technical support is great.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the initial setup. When we decided to use Fortinet, we were already a customer of Fortinet. So, my previous firewall also was Fortinet and the experience with the brand and with the provider was very good. We have no issues. We like to keep with the same brand.
What was our ROI?
Fortinet is a very good solution. It would not be a mistake to choose Fortinet as a solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
In the past, we had evaluated Palo Alto and Cisco as possible solutions.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-10-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Chingiz Abdukarimov from
Don't underestimate FortiAnalyzer. It can give you a better understanding of what is going on in your network.
What is our primary use case?
We used FG-90D as UTM device to protect some users and servers, and also to enable inter-vlan routing with advanced security policies inside our lab zone. We also using FG-500D in transparent mode in front of Cisco ASA 5585-X for advanced and high performance protection of clients' traffic by applying AV, IPS, AntiSpam, App.Control and DoS-protection profiles.
How has it helped my organization?
Better manageability (opening and closing ports/services/addresses is very quick).
Outstanding reporting tools when coupled with FortiAnalyzer (Fortinet's log collector and reporting tool).
Better security posture.
What is most valuable?
Good VPN, both IPSEC and SSL (web-mode, tunnel-mode). An engineer/network administrator has tools to debug VPN issues that can occur during tunnel setup with other vendors' equipment.
VDOMs are very useful when you need to grant admin role to clients separately. VDOMs in FortiGate can be represented in FortiAnalyzer's ADOMs (administrative domain), which can have different log storage policies, event handling and alerting configurations.
Ability to capture packets going through any interface of device (and VM too). You can set number of packets, filter out packets by IP and port number for particular troubleshooting purposes, then download a .pcap file from web gui and analyze it in your favorite programm.
Human readable firewall policies with editable security policies and addresses in single page. This is very useful and time saving feature.
Bulk CLI commands are uploaded via gui in script file (portions of config file).
Advanced routing (RIP, OSPF, BGP, PBR). It gives you a seamless and simple integration into a large network.
IPS and AV are working very well.
SSL Inspection and CASI (Cloud Access Security Inspection) profiles.
Straightforward SNAT and DNAT.
Rich logging options.
LDAP integration variants for any case (scalable approach).
Can work as explicit web-proxy and supports web-caching.
Straightforward HA with different redundancy schemas.
What needs improvement?
I think there could be more QoS features in GUI. FortiGate has Traffic Shaping that is enough in most cases, but sometimes I just need 802.1p prioritizing (Class of Service) and manual queue assignment. Also a few ports supporting native vlan while in trunk mode would be very helpful in some cases.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Small models (up to FG-90) are build on SoC (System on a Chip), so they need to be mounted in places with enough airflow and right temperature, otherwise they could hang, slow down traffic processing, but more often you just can't log in to the device's web-interface (reboot won't help you until it cools down). Actually, that's not an issue. It is a technical requirement for operating environment to be 5-40 degrees (but at 35 degrees with poor airflow there may be issues mentioned above).
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For large scale deployment I would suggest to look at FortiManager, a central management point for large amount of FortiGates. I have tested the solution and found it quite useful. I could download configuration from any device and install edited list of policies to several devices simultaneously through a couple of clicks. Also I liked functionality of clearing out Address objects list from unused entries. It can be configured to be a central repository of firmware and updates.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good, but if you carefully read the documentation you don't need their help at all.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
We used an old IPS from Cisco. We switched because of End-of-Support on that device.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup in plain networks is very straightforward. For large environment you should prepare beforehand, because FortiGate is a highly-tunable and feature rich product, so you must have a plan with many considered details.
What about the implementation team?
All by myself. Documentation is as clear as possible and it's in open access in web.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Setup cost may be not so low, as you expect, because it depends on different factors, but TCO for 5 years may pleasantly surprise you.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Palo Alto, Cisco ASA, CheckPoint
What other advice do I have?
Many interesting things are hidden in CLI, they can help you in different situations. Web-interface (GUI) is primarily intended for day-to-day routine.
Don't underestimate FortiAnalyzer. It can give you a better understanding of what is going on in your network. When FortiGate sends logs to FortiAnalyzer, FortiAnalyzer inserts received log data into database. Predefined and customizable data queries, charts and reports can significantly help you by visualizing problem points, so you can thoroughly investigate security events and traffic behavior anomalies.
FortiGate is a constantly evolving product, so pay attention to FortiOS version it runs.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2017-11-29T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Neal Tipton from
The reporting that automatically comes off the unit makes it much easier to meet compliance standards
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution is for intrusion detection and prevention.
How has it helped my organization?
We use a southern institution that's audited for IT security and the reporting that automatically comes off the unit makes it much easier to meet compliance standards and makes it easier as far as the amount of time that has to be spent to compile that information. If you get your reporting set up correctly when you initially set it up, you just select the one you want and hit print. The auditing trail on it is the best features.
What is most valuable?
There's an all-inclusive appliance where all of the logs, registers, and everything is customizable as far as the way reporting comes back.
What needs improvement?
They should make the rule sets more understandable for the end user. When you're trying to explain to somebody how a computer network is secured, sometimes it's difficult for an end user or customer to understand. If there was a way to make the terminology more accessible to the end user, the set up could be easier. They should translate the technical jargon to an easily relatable and understandable conversation for the end user, the customer. Particularly in an environment where the IT structure is audited regularly, there's always pressure from the auditor to up the standards and up the security and you get your USCERT's that come out and there's a warning about this and the customer will want to lock out so much so when you apply it they run into issue where they can't search the internet or print to their remote office. Of course they can't print to their remote office, they just locked it up. They should make the language more understandable for the customer. If there's a product out there that made the jargon understandable to John Q. Public, I would buy that.
There's a link off of the reports that you can click and make suggestions, which is pretty awesome because it seems like somebody is reading those and doing something about it. If I could save reports on a format where I could save space and not have to reprint them and move information down from letterheads and that sort of stuff that would be great. Formatting reports is the only thing I would change about that product right now.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's solid. It's a rock solid solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is excellent. Across three locations we have 120 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is excellent.
If you previously used a different solution, which one did you use and why did you switch?
We did use a different solution. We switched primarily because of the audit trails because the user interface, what you saw on the screen and the options you were presented with were difficult to configure and we ended up spending a lot of time trying to get the information that we wanted.
How was the initial setup?
For the product that it is, the initial setup was straight forward but not so simple. The Dell EMC product is simple, this is more complicated than that but it wasn't incredibly difficult. We rolled that out on a test network initially and to try to get our rule sets correct so that we didn't run into issues and did testing for about a week. The initial set up time took around an hour and a half, and it was on a virtual network with a bunch of virtual machines. We just tested it for about a week just to make sure that we weren't going to run into a lot of issues switching from the old IDS to the new one.
What about the implementation team?
I installed it. I did the product research and was involved in the purchase decision but I did not purchase the product, I was not a vendor of the product, and I did not make any money on it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As far as the licensing goes for the small product that we have, the pricing was pretty competitive. It wasn't as simple and as cheap as a SonicWall but for the service we would get it was a good price.
What other advice do I have?
There's a setup guide on the Fortigate website that is a video that is far better than the written manual that is provided. If you've set up other products before, that may get you through, but the training on their website was far more useful to me than the user manual.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2019-02-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
SitaramPatro from
Easy to configure and very user-friendly, with a great graphical interface
How has it helped my organization?
Unlike Cisco, which is expensive, or Sophos, which has performance issues, Fortinet offers a good product with no bottlenecks.
What is most valuable?
The UTM and security features are the solution's most valuable aspects.
It's very fast and easy to configure.
The solution is extremely user-friendly.
The graphical interface is great.
Now, we are able to optimize the bandwidth. We have the level of control to be able to block specific sites - like YouTube, Facebook etc.
What needs improvement?
The performance and speed are aspects of the solution that could always be improved upon.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. We haven't experienced any issues in the last two years. It's reliable. There aren't bugs or glitches. It works well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 400 users covered under the firewall and 50 employees. We've never had issues with scaling. It shouldn't be a problem. However, it's not something we actively measure.
We plan to increase usage and to continue to use the product for another three years. After that we may upgrade to a new Fortinet product or seek out a new solution, depending on the landscape at that time.
How are customer service and technical support?
We haven't really faced any technical challenges. We just install it and it runs perfectly. Therefore we don't really have any experience with technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, maybe five to seven years ago, I had Cisco. We moved firewalls due to the fact that the renewal cost on Cisco was so high. At the time, we moved to Sophos. It was very good on the UTM side. However, there were performance challenges. That's why we switched to Fortinet. The internet speed is okay and there are no bottlenecks or major challenges.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex. It's pretty straightforward.
It's pretty simple for us as we're very familiar with the product. Every year we do a minimum one or two million dollars of business with Fortinet. At this point, my team is very experienced.
It's very easy to migrate from other solutions and we can migrate within one day.
It's pretty plug-and-play. You can handle everything in an hour or two and then you can do the testing. It's very easy.
What about the implementation team?
We handle the implementation for our clients as we're Fortinet partners and well versed in the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We received this solution for free because we are one of the leading and exclusive partners for Fortinet in Uganda.
What other advice do I have?
We're partners with Fortinet.
I'm not sure of the exact version of the solution.
Overall, I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's offered us a very stable VPN and we can access it from anywhere in the world. We're not facing any challenges whatsoever.
I'd happily recommend Fortinet to other organizations. It's one of the best products out there.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ted De Vos from
Detailed analytics that integrates with SIEM products and has good support
What is our primary use case?
Typically, we use Fortinet FortiGate with edge devices for businesses.
We also use them to integrate with a SIEM product and we use it for detailed analytics.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is the analytics.
What needs improvement?
Quality control on their firmware versions needs improvement. When they introduce new firmware, there tend to be bugs.
I would like the licensing price to be better. It would be nice if it were less than 25 percent of the hardware costs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for fifteen years. We are an MSSP.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
With respect to scalability, it's good.
We have 15 people using this solution in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
We contact technical support almost daily. They have good support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not straightforward but not too complex. It's a bit of both.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For our organization, the licensing costs are approximately $7,000 per year.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing the Fortinet FortiGate, I evaluated other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1116360 from
Good pricing, good technical support, and fairly user-friendly
What is our primary use case?
I'm primarily using the solution for security purposes, and also for managing the network for various companies. I am deploying it for uniting management statuses, in order to be able to manage everything inside and to control security policies. It can fight against attacks to the system or for email searches. It is basically a central management security appliance.
What is most valuable?
We find it's good for managing the network and offers good defense against attacks.
Technical support is great. It's really fast.
Overall the solution is pretty user-friendly. It has a good dashboard and is pretty easy to navigate.
The pricing is excellent. It's much less expensive than Cisco.
What needs improvement?
The only thing is sometimes you have to learn with CLI. For those not familiar with CLI it can be an issue. It would be ideal if we could avoid using CLI. If you make a mistake in the command line, it's harder to detect. It would be much better if they had a user-friendly GUI.
The initial setup is complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. You don't have to worry about bugs or glitches. I tend to wait and not upgrade to the latest version right away to ensure this is the case.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. If you need to expand it, you can. We have it at a variety of networks and sites with no problem.
We have 120 users that are connected to a minimum of 80 computers and a minimum of 15 servers, which is great. The solution is working and it is still stable even across all of these devices and servers. We have multiple networks inside as well, so we are not only on one network. We set them separately, which is why the initial setup for us was quite complex. We're through with that though.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is pretty good. they're pretty knowledgeable and responsive, especially when you get to the Level 3 techs.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used CheckPoint. Unfortunately, they didn't have a very good service, especially in technical support, and therefore we decided to switch.
How was the initial setup?
For our organization, the initial setup was not straightforward. It was pretty complex. That's due to the fact that we had many networks to set up and many sites to take into account.
What about the implementation team?
We set up the solution ourselves, although we did work closely with Fortinet as part of their bundle package.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is paid on a yearly basis.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Palo Alto. They didn't have the complete solution we wanted. Neither did Juniper, which we also looked at. We looked into possible having Cisco, however, Cisco is too expensive.
When we looked at Cisco, we also evaluated Meraki, which is a part of Cisco. It did not have what we needed either.
What other advice do I have?
We are using the 200E in our environment. We had 200D before.
We're not using the latest version of the solution, which is 6.4. I like to wait on new versions to see if it is stable before deploying it. I like to take my time and avoid headaches where possible.
I would recommend the product to other organizations. It's got great bundle options which make it a very good choice - and it's much cheaper than Cisco.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Imran Qureshi from
User-friendly with an easy setup and a good user interface
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for network security and security next-generation firewalls.
What is most valuable?
The solution is quite user-friendly.
We find that the system interface is simple to navigate.
The initial installation is very straightforward.
What needs improvement?
There are some cloud-based features that could be much more flexible than they currently are.
It's my understanding that they are currently working on improving the cloud solution quite substantially.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. It doesn't have bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We find the solution to be quite scalable. If your organization needs to expand this solution out, you shouldn't have any problems doing so.
We have two or three different locations and have between 50 to 200 users amongst those locations.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is very good.
Most of the time, whenever a ticket is opened and we reach out to support on behalf of our customers, they offer good advice and are very responsive. We're satisfied with the level of service we're provided.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation is not complex. It's very straightforward to set up and does not take a lot of time to deploy everything.
That said, I did not handle the implementation myself, so I can't speak to more technical aspects of the job.
We had four or five resources that assist in network security and they all helped with the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't handle the pricing side of the product and therefore can't speak to anything in regards to the licensing or costs.
What other advice do I have?
Although we largely handle on-premises deployment models, we have suggested cloud versions to our clients recently.
We are a solution-providing company, and we are offering products to our customers.
Although we really enjoy the solution, there's a lot of very interesting competition in the market. The competition is huge. As a partner of the product, we get a lot of questions we have to answer, and, to be honest, this solution isn't as strong in some areas as others.
That said, we would recommend the solution to others.
Overall, I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1392531 from
Rich in features, good support, and setup and deployment straightforward
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for network security protection.
What is most valuable?
Some of the valuable features are the firewall, IPS, web filter, and gateway capabilities. Additionally, it is easy to use and flexible.
What needs improvement?
It would be a benefit if Fortinet would release a one-stop solution that is better integrated with other products and has an automated emergency response system.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for 12 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution's scalability is a problem because when you use a LAN, you use hardware and hardware wastes resources. However, it is more scalable than some of its competitors, such as Check Point. We have 620 users using the product.
How are customer service and technical support?
The solution is designed in a way to help you, the support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used many solutions previously such as Check Point and Stone software. We changed to this solution because we wanted something more stable.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was easy.
What about the implementation team?
You will need one or two integrators for the deployment and it was very easy. The maintenance is simple too.
What other advice do I have?
We are going to continue using this solution.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-02-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1441512 from
Good filtering, ROI, and technical support
What is our primary use case?
We use it for routing and restricting user access.
What is most valuable?
We use the filtering feature the most. It has filtering and inbuilt securities. We can create customized rules to define which users can access a particular type of site. We can create policies inside the firewall.
What needs improvement?
The visibility of the network can be better. The GUI can be improved for better visibility of the network flow. Other solutions have better GUI in terms of network visibility.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for maybe five or six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can have the availability features. All the traffic goes through this firewall for access to the outside world.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using some open-source solutions, and then we directly moved to firewalls.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. It was completed in a month or so.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it on our own. We are a small team, so a person with a few other duties also manages this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is not a very costly product if you compare it with other products. The return on investment is also good. If you compare the return of investment and money that you are spending on this product with Palo Alto, Cisco, Check Point, and other solutions, the investment is very less. We are happy with this solution.
The optional licenses are there, and you can choose which one you want and which one to avoid.
What other advice do I have?
It is a fine solution. We have been using this solution for some years, and we are happy with it. We will continue using it unless the FortiGate solution is running itself in some other ways with new features.
I would recommend this solution. It is working fine for us.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Rodolfo Bento Matos from
Good application control features and very stable and reliable
What is our primary use case?
We use it to protect our or our customers' full environment by using features such as IPS signatures, VPN, endpoint protection, and antivirus.
What is most valuable?
The application control features, such as Facebook blocking and Spotify blocking, are the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
The license renewal process, annual renewal price, and the web application firewall features should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been very stable and reliable. We are comfortable with its stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is good enough for us. We have about 15 employees who use this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I would rate them a nine out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The set up was a little complex, but the interface and the process are user friendly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is too expensive to renew. The license renewal process is also complex.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others to use the documentation. The official documentation is very comprehensive and complete. I use the Cookbook Reference Guide.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Reseller
Date published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1474071 from
Reliably protects our users, but could be more user-friendly
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate as our primary firewall that acts as the perimeter between the internet and our on-premises network. It is used as a security measure for about 2000 users that go out to the internet from here.
Along with FortiGate we also use other products like F5 for our network and app security. And for network equipment, we use Cisco products.
What is most valuable?
We have found it to be very reliable and that's why our teams and various users in our company use it as our main firewall every day.
What needs improvement?
The feedback that I have received is that the performance could be better, and the user experience is not as good compared to a previous solution we used. It could be more user-friendly. Of course, it still works fine for our operations.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for one year now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Since we have been using FortiGate there haven't been any major problems so far. Especially nothing too serious like a major bug or anything like that.
The only issues that we have come across have had to do with simple configuration errors like missing configuration values from a previous implementation.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not tried to expand the product much, but it is currently used as the main security perimeter for about 2000 people which is already quite a large number. We don't predict that we will be increasing usage much more than that.
We plan to keep using FortiGate as much as we can for our security solution as we casually move more of our systems to the cloud.
How are customer service and technical support?
Usually, we have our maintenance plan once a year, like a power-down test and things like that. But I'm not sure whether we have a contract with a partner company to do that or not. I believe our network engineer department may have used Fortinet technical support, though I have not received feedback on it.
How was the initial setup?
It's straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
Fortinet offers help with implementation and we have in the past used their assistance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As far as I'm aware, in our case, it's just a yearly pricing arrangement with no additional licensing costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We made a comparison to two or three other products in this space, but I cannot recall the others.
What other advice do I have?
I wish that I could give more details on our technical use of FortiGate, but that isn't my main responsibility. I don't know much about this area and whether they are good or bad compared to other products. However, the feedback from our technical team has been generally good. That's why our teams use it every day.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ahamed Ali Hameed from
Simple, intuitive interface, with good support
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is as a firewall and UTM machine.
What is most valuable?
What I like the most is the configuration and that it's simple, and straightforward to maintain.
The UTM configuration on-premises is straightforward and simple to use.
Support is good and the interface is simple and intuitive.
What needs improvement?
It's good, and I feel that there is nothing more that can be added.
The pricing could be reduced or include the first year warranty.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. I have not had any issues with it during the time that I have been using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is quite good. They have helped me with all of my requests.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
It took approximately one day to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They are very competitive, but we like to have the factory warranty taken care of.
We had to pay a large amount for the first year contract and support.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Leo_Wong from
Good next-generation firewall features with good pricing and stability
What is our primary use case?
We mostly use the solution for our internet-facing firewall.
What is most valuable?
The next-generation firewall features are the solution's most valuable aspect.
The implementation and deployment are pretty simple.
The pricing is very good.
We've found the solution to be pretty stable.
What needs improvement?
The solution isn't really lacking features per se.
The product does need better support in the cloud environment. It's not exactly cloud-native right now.
The solution needs to do more on the deployment in the multi-cloud. For example, clients have GCP and AWS. How do we deploy FortiGate in a cloud environment? Right now, there's no solution for that.
We're worried that the scalability isn't as good as it could be.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for about two years or so. It hasn't been an extremely long time, however, it's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability, in our experience, is quite good. It doesn't run a lot of unexpected downtimes or anything of that nature. We haven't encountered any serious problems. There have been a few minor items here and there, however, by and large, it's quite good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution isn't exactly scalable, especially when it comes to the public cloud environment. We'll need to scale up, so we will have to figure out how to do it effectively.
We primarily work with medium and large enterprises.
How was the initial setup?
We find the solution to be pretty straightforward to set up and deploy. We didn't have any difficulties with implementation.
The deployment takes less than a week. It's a pretty quick process.
We provide maintenance services for our clients.
What about the implementation team?
We actually provide deployment services to our customers that need it. We can handle this aspect for customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is on the cheaper side. There are other products that are competitors that are much more expensive.
That said, the pricing isn't just based on licensing costs. There are add-on costs as well a company will need to consider.
What other advice do I have?
We are more of a solution integrator. We are not a straight reseller. We are partners, however. We recommend people to use products. That said, we don't actually resell the actual boxes.
We use different versions and deployments of the solution. It really is dependant on the client and their needs.
We mostly work with Fortinet. It's the main solution we recommend and use.
I'd recommend the solution to other organizations. We've had a pretty good experience.
I'd rate the solution eight 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)
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2020-12-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1368420 from
Good network protection and configuration that is easy to set up and quick to deploy
What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution to protect our network on every site. We are using it as a Network Firewall.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the policies, filtering, and configuration.
What needs improvement?
Technical support is good but the response time could be faster.
When it's overloaded, it works slower and overheats.
The data analysis could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for 15 years.
We are using the 100 models.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is pretty stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution. I would rate it a seven out of ten.
We have 2,500 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good. I would rate them an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have also used Huawei.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It's pretty easy.
At the very most, it takes a day to deploy.
What other advice do I have?
Before deciding to install this solution, be sure to conduct an analysis of your environment. You may need a larger one or this may be too big for their needs.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
RajM2 from
High-performing SSL VPN functionality keeps our users secure while they work from home
How has it helped my organization?
We use the FortiGate firewall for our centralized management services. We have SAP and there are multiple work-from-home users that connect using the VPN to access it. Also, we have some applications that are hosted on the server and we have assigned a public IP through the firewall for them.
For our server, we have specific some UTM policies, and we have designed access so that it is sectioned by zone.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the SSL VPN, as it allows us to connect and it separates this product from other firewalls.
The VPN performance with multiple users is very good.
We are able to generate a report where we can see details on exactly what the users are accessing. We can set limits as well as easily analyze what they are uploading and downloading.
What needs improvement?
The only challenge that we are facing is that a good internet connection is required for VPN stability.
Some of the web policy reports could be improved. There are reports generated that show exactly which user is using how much bandwidth, and which sites they have been browsing. We should have a way to show that on a single screen. As it is now, when I click on a user, the information shows on another tab.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using FortiGate for more than seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There is no downtime with this solution. The last time the users could not connect to the VPN was an issue with the internet.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not tried to scale FortiGate.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been in contact with Fortinet several times and the technical support that we have received is absolutely fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In addition to FortiGate, we are using a Sophos firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment took approximately four months.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing costs are very low.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Previously, we were using Turbo VPN to connect using mobile devices. The problem was that the users would be disconnected when the mobile was in a roaming area, and the connectivity is not as stable.
We moved to a cloud service and assigned a public IP address for that application, and we have cut out the VPN for it. That was a rare issue that we were facing with FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good firewall and I have recommended it to some of my colleagues in other organizations, and they have implemented it.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-30T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Michael-Sugg from
Very complete with good capabilities and very good stability
What is our primary use case?
The purpose of this solution is to provide intrusion protection and more robust endpoint security for small offices. We are providing an enterprise solution for a small business by adding endpoint protection coupled with Intrusion Detection and Protection. For small offices needing HIPAA compliance, we need to make sure we are providing robust protection instead of the default modem gateway provided by the ISP.
How has it helped my organization?
The Fortinet product provides enterprise capabilities in a small footprint at a price point that is more attainable for a small business. The product meets the IPS/IDS/Endpoint protection that small organizations need for their HIPAA and PCI compliance. While the end user may not understand the true capabilities, the managed service provider can more easily deploy and maintain this small footprint product.
What is most valuable?
The main reason why I purchased the particular unit was based on other reviews and leadership in this space. Being able to have a VPN solution as well as integrated access points is a plus. For me, it's all about simplicity. When you look at my particular model for a managed service provider, it's basically to help simplify, protect, and remain compliant. When you're trying to implement something, it's about making sure it is simplified. This seems to fit the bill.
What needs improvement?
The product has enterprise capabilities, which means there are a ton of configurations possible. What I'd like to see in the product is more of a branch in the box wizard deployment for those that are not as well versed in firewall and routing. For a small business, the firewall should be able to self-configure for a Unified Threat Management configuration with 2 SSIDs for protected wireless network for internal gear and a guest wireless network for employee cell phones and guests. I'd like to open the box, plug in the router behind the cable modem, and check a few boxes, and the rest is done automatically. I don't want to have to build a configure VLANs, SSIDs, security protocols for each port, and try to figure out and understand all the layers in an effort to deploy a solution. It's great to have those capabilities in case you need them, but for most of the offices I am trying to deploy these into--it should be a branch in a box.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've only been using the solution for a few weeks. It's very new for us.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability has been fine. I've had no questions about the stability of it. It seems so far it is staying up. I haven't had any issues to speak of.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't really pushed this product from a scalability perspective. Certainly, if you look at the performance metrics, the F series appears to have really expanded the capacity and capabilities beyond past models. If you look at 40E versus 40F, there's a fairly substantial difference. For a small office, it's going to be just fine.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't reached out to technical support and therefore can't speak to their level of responsiveness.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
N/A
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex for me due to my lack of experience with the Fortinet FortiGate product. The complexity can be a good thing, however, as there's a lot of really good features associated with it. Where it could be simplified is in having that easy deployment option, and then you can start going down and trying to get into the nitty-gritty and figure out when do you need the extra features.
Right now, I'm just in a test environment getting all the firmware up and tested. Then, once I have it tested, I'll take it to the client location and yank out their WiFi mechanism, their WiFi router, and put this in.
What about the implementation team?
I'm currently handling the implementation for a client.
What was our ROI?
ROI is somewhat difficult to measure when you are mostly talking about deploying a product for endpoint security. If your environment stays protected, then it was a good return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When you look at these endpoint security systems and firewalls, these products a few years were way too expensive for a small business. Now we have enterprise level security in a footprint that is less than $1,000. For offices that have 10-25 computers needing protection, this is a better solution.
What other advice do I have?
The good news is that Fortinet does have a good support network as well as their education academy to help someone get up to speed on their product.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1238928 from
Good web filtering, nice GUI, and an easy initial setup
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution just for internal segmentation and connection of some ranges using IPSec.
How has it helped my organization?
Currently, the solution is saving costs for us and blocks applications effectively using layer seven.
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable aspect is the IPS for potential mitigation from the cloud inside our network.
The VPN SSL is important for us.
The web filter is very good.
The GUI is okay.
The initial setup is straightforward.
The documentation provided is okay, I find that sometimes, with other startups, it's hard to find a good amount of documentation in order to assist you with the product. In this case, the solution offers a good amount of detail.
The solution offers good analyzing capabilities.
What needs improvement?
I'm not sure if the solution is really lacking anything major. For us, it works okay.
They seem to have made a lot of improvements since the last release.
Technical support could be better. You don't always get the level of help you need right away.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for about ten years at this point. As it's been about a decade, I'd say we have quite a bit of experience with it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
For the most part, the memory and the CPU are good. It's generally stable. We don't face any issues with this aspect of the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is fine. If a company needs to expand it, they should be able to do so without any issues.
We only have about 40 users on the product currently. It's not a big company.
For now, the product is good as it is and we don't have plans to increase usage in the future.
How are customer service and technical support?
By and large, technical support is good. It's okay. It's not bad. It could be better, however, they do answer our questions when we have them. We're mostly satisfied with the level of service they provide. Of course, it could always be a bit better.
Sometimes the first contact is useful, and sometimes you don't get the kind of help you need right away. It would be nice if it was more consistent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use Sophos. We use both solutions at the same time.
How was the initial setup?
We didn't face any complexity when handling the initial implementation. The process is quite straightforward.
The implementation itself can sometimes take less than a week. On average, you should expect it to be about a week in total.
What about the implementation team?
I didn't need the assistance of a reseller or integrator. I handled the implementation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're charged a licensing fee on a yearly basis. I'm unsure of the exact cost to the company, however. I'm not sure if there are other costs over and above the standard licensing fee.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also looked at Juniper when we evaluated FortiGate. FortiGate is much easier to use in comparison which is why we chose it. The documentation was also better. That, and there was no integration for SSL in Juniper.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a customer. We don't have a business relationship with the company.
Overall, I would recommend the product. It comes with a very good set of features.
I would rate the solution ten out of ten. We've been quite happy with it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MichaelZhang from
Includes an antivirus, IPS, and even SD-WAN
What is our primary use case?
This Fortinet product is a firewall system, acting as our perimeter firewall. Generally speaking we use this system as a security product to defend from any attacks and to protect our internal network. We are very happy with the security features afforded by this product.
What is most valuable?
The notable features that I have found most valuable are that it includes the antivirus, IPS, and even SD-WAN.
What needs improvement?
In terms of what could be improved, the FortiGate support could do some improvements on their IPv6 configuration. Right now it's still in the very early stage for utilizing in an enterprise level network environment
In terms of the FortiGate IPS, we haven't gotten additional tools because they are not free, and we have to purchase them to maximize this IPS feature. As long as they can perform some basic functions to meet our business needs, that is okay. I'm okay with this feature right now, so far.
In the next release of FortiGate the price could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate since May of 2018.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This product is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a very scalable product.
It is managed by the IT department, so only they use it.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support is quite good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is quite simple.
Not including the preparation, setup took about three days to just unpack them, connect it to the power, power it on, and do some initial configuration. That's just the three days, but we took about two weeks for the preparation and planning.
What about the implementation team?
We had an external partner to help us and to work together with us to do the initial setup.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten I would give Fortinet FortiGate an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1450398 from
Flexible and easy to use, with good support, but they should introduce security at the packet level
What is our primary use case?
We use this product as a perimeter firewall and also in the role of a firewall as a service for our cloud.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate is flexible and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet currently has many products bundled with FortiGate including the basic firewall and load balancer, and I think that that they need to have separate product portfolios for each of these specialized services. When it comes to large deployments, I don't think it's a good plan to have all of these services in a single box.
I think that they should introduce in-line security at the packet level, where they can do filtering and other firewall functions. It should not comes down to the infrastructure level but rather, offer services at the ISP level.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using FortiGate for the past four to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product is scalable and as a service provider, we extend our usage to external customers. There are many users on the platform.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have premium support from Fortinet and it is quite good.
What about the implementation team?
We used their Professional Services for the initial installation.
We have a large in-house team for maintenance, although I am not sure how many are dedicated to this particular product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of FortiGate is average and I would say that based on the top five products available on the market, it is in the affordable range.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I can recommend to others.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-08T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1238931 from
Stable and straightforward to deploy, but technical support needs improvement
What is our primary use case?
We are a solution provider and FortiGate is one of the security products that we implement for our customers.
What is most valuable?
This is an easy solution to deploy.
What needs improvement?
Technical support needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for almost two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, FortiGate is good. We plan to continue working with it in the future.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is a scalable product and our customer has approximately 2,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
The customer support is expensive.
We have had difficulties with technical support from Fortinet.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also have experience with Cisco, and FortiGate is the cheaper solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and it took about two months for us to deploy for our last customer.
Some customers have this deployed on-premises, whereas others have a cloud-based deployment. The choice depends on the environment.
What about the implementation team?
We have an in-house team to deploy this product for our customers. We also give them technical support. Relationships with our customers are very important.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of FortiGate support is too expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We try to help our customers evaluate and choose the best solution for them. Sometimes, they implement Cisco products.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall product that I recommend.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sandhy Ami from
Easy to install, stable but security features could improve
How has it helped my organization?
We use the solution for security but we are planning on upgrading to another product.
What is most valuable?
We currently are using the basic features of the product but one of the features we use is for blocking traffic.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see an upgrade to the VPN feature, we are using the VPN from outside of our office and there is a limitation to 10 connections, more connections would be suitable. Also, the security could improve on some features that are available.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support is they provide is good.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for the product is alright. Our organization has not yet provided an end budget for this area.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are not yet certain if we need a different solution in the future. We are evaluating our options. We have looked at Cisco and Barracuda solutions but I believe Cisco is very expensive and Barracuda might be the one we choose. It is too early to tell, we are still evaluating these options and others.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet Fortigate a six out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-02T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1448721 from
Good stability and fair pricing with an easy initial setup
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the firewall for the most part. It's to help us with security on our network.
What is most valuable?
The solution has a very good set of rules.
The customization potential is quite impressive. It can be customized based on our licensing contracts.
The initial setup was pretty simple. We didn't find it to be overly difficult to execute on.
Technical support is rather helpful.
We find the stability to be pretty good.
We didn't have any trouble setting up the solution.
We find the pricing to be fairly good.
What needs improvement?
The ease of use could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for about five years. We have been continuously working with FortiGate itself throughout that time. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the stability has been pretty good for us. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. I'd describe the stability as reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I can't really speak to the scalability of the solution, as it isn't as aspect I handle. I've never tried to do it, so I'm not sure how it works.
We have about 50 users on the solution. About one third have access to it.
How are customer service and technical support?
We only really had one issue in the past where we had to deal with technical support. We needed some restoration of some data. It wasn't a bad experience. We were satisfied with their level of service. They seem to be knowledgeable and responsive.
How was the initial setup?
In terms of the initial setup, the process was not complex at all. We found it to be very straightforward and easy. We didn't run into any issues setting everything up.
We have one engineer that handles ongoing maintenance for us when we need it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is fair. I don't feel that it is too expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I've been good with using Fortinet. It's a fine tool.
Overall, I would recommend the solution to other organizations.
I would rate it a nine on a scale from one to ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
KrishnakumarNair from
Easy to use with good customization and an easy initial setup
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for a firewall plus as an overall UTM. We do not, however, use it as an SD-WAN.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very, very easy to use.
The user interface is very nice.
The product seems to offer pretty good customization.
The configuration of the product has been very straightforward and simple.
The reporting on offer is quite good.
The initial setup is straightforward as well.
We've found the pricing to be pretty good.
Technical support from the partner has been very helpful.
What needs improvement?
The integration with third-party tools may be something that they should work on. We haven't actually tried to implement that, however.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the solution for close to ten years. It's been at least a decade at this point. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any issues with the solution's stability. It's very reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. I can't recall experiencing bugs or glitches at all over the time I've used it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution seems to be pretty good. We haven't had any issues in that respect.
Currently, our organization has about 125 users on the product.
How are customer service and technical support?
While I don't have a direct line to Fortigate, I have used our partner support. They have been excellent and we are quite satisfied with the level of service we receive from them. They are knowledgeable and responsive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex at all. I found it to be very straightforward. This was due to the fact that we had this solution procured along back in 2007 or 2008, as a smaller firewall, a FortiGate 60C.
We don't have anyone that handles maintenance full-time. It's an on-call situation. If we have issues or need maintenance, we raise a ticket and it is dealt with.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the solution is fair. We don't find it to be overly expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I've never looked at other products and therefore would not be able to really compare this solution to anything.
What other advice do I have?
We are just customers and end-users of the product. We don't have a business relationship with Fortinet.
I'd recommend the solution. It's very simple and easy to use. On top of that, it offers peace of mind.
Overall, I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-23T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Patrick Goovaerts from
Works fine, stable, and scalable
What is our primary use case?
It is our firewall that controls all incoming and outgoing communications for all users. They are only working through the network, so it is the firewall on the network. We have three users who use FortiClient. They are IT personnel who use it for additional features like VPN.
What is most valuable?
Everything works fairly fine. If there are issues related to the security, then we get a call almost immediately from a third party to tell us that they need to install an extra certificate and that kind of stuff for security reasons. We always agree with them because you can never be secure enough. Everything works, so there are no problems.
What needs improvement?
Its console is not intuitive enough. I don't work with the console every day, but sometimes when I go there and try to look up something, I always have to search the whole root to be able to find the information I need.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have no direct contact with Fortinet support. If there are issues that need to be solved by Fortinet, a third party contacts them for us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had SonicWall, and we were very pleased with it. It worked fine, but when we moved to the cloud environment, our cloud provider suggested to stop using SonicWall and start with FortiGate because it could be easily integrated into our VMware or virtual environment. That's why we switched.
How was the initial setup?
It was done by a third party. I don't know if they had any issues with it, but I think everything went smooth because it was set up in the three weeks.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is all integrated. We pay one amount per month for the full package of cloud services, including FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
It does what it says it does, and it is working very fine for us. We plan to keep using it.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1262043 from
A superior solution for endpoint security
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for marketing and manipulation purposes.
Within our organization, there are roughly 500 people using this solution.
At the moment, we don't have any plans to extend our usage of this solution — currently, we are happy with the way things are.
What is most valuable?
The next-generation firewall is great.
What needs improvement?
The captive portal could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never had to contact customer support. We have a team that handles all of the troubleshooting; however, they do provide excellent documentation.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy.
What about the implementation team?
At the moment, we don't have a deployment strategy.
We have a team of three people who handle all maintenance-related issues.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a rating of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Pier Andrea Gabutto from
Stable and useful for intrusion prevention, VPN, and anti-malware purposes
What is most valuable?
We are using the FortiGate 100D series. VPN, firewall, anti-malware, OTM, and intrusion prevention are useful features.
What needs improvement?
It should have a better pricing plan. It is too expensive.
It should also have a more granular view of the attack. I don't have FortiAnalyzer, and it is difficult for me to have a complete view when there is an attack on my server.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I don't have any experience with their technical support. My partner contacts them for me.
How was the initial setup?
Its installation is not easy for me because I handle some other work, but I have two partners. One of them is very skilled at using FortiGate, and it took him a day to deploy it. After that, it took us a week to set all parameters and check all parameters and firewall functions.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is too expensive for us. My organization is very small, and we have a total of ten users. We have three internal users and seven external users. The FortiGate 100D series is too expensive for renewing the licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution if you can afford it. I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-30T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
RafatJuneidi from
Scalable solution with a straightforward setup
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution primarily for the VPN connections in local area. In some cases, I use it at universities in order to secure the local network in the university, such as servers and backup devices.
I have also used the solution as a load balancer and the EMS functionality, which I use as a controller for wireless devices.
What needs improvement?
The PPPoE server protocol with a connection to a Radius server is used a lot by ISPs and not so much by the end user. I think it would be great to see this solution with the protocol developed for ISPs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for more than two or three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
There are some problems that support cannot give you a logical reason as to why it happened. For example, I had a case where I was dealing with a WhatsApp application that was giving issues. Technical support gave more than one reason it could be giving issues, but none of them solved the problem. Eventually I solved the problem, but it was far from the solutions that support had given.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before choosing Fortigate, I was using Cisco and pfSense.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy and straightforward.
The time it takes to setup the solution depends on the case. It may take less than a day or more than two months, it depends on the technology that is being used. For example, a hospital I am working with has 20 switches with two firewalls, but there are issues in the physical place and not in Fortinet. In this case, the environment limits the speed of setup.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-11-29T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1456182 from
User-friendly, easy to operate, reliable, and easy to set up
What is our primary use case?
We use it as an end-server and to block traffic.
What is most valuable?
It's user-friendly and easy to operate.
What needs improvement?
The command line is complicated, and the interface could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for three years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable project. We plan to keep using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
We have 300 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is a local vendor. We are satisfied with the support that we have received.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used a MikroTik firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex, it's easy. It took 30 minutes to deploy.
It only requires one person to deploy and maintain.
What about the implementation team?
We have a vendor to support us.
What other advice do I have?
There is really nothing to complain about with this product. It's a very good product to use, and it has just started to get the top ratings for firewalls.
This is a good product and I would recommend it.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-29T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Spencer Malmad from
Stable, easy to set up, and offers good ROI
What is our primary use case?
I specify, configure and deploy firewalls in organizations with 500 or fewer employees and 15 or fewer sites. Primarily I choose between Cisco, Sonicwall and Fortigate small and medium sized appliances. Occasionally I deploy virtual appliances in AWS. I prefer to use Fortigate firewalls for several reasons- remote access is simple and the included client works with MacOS Windows and IOS devices. The level of security works well for most clients and the authentication with AD/LDAP makes the solution easier to deploy. I also find that the clients appreciate the lower price point than other vendors.
How has it helped my organization?
We have a standard build. We give the client the laptop, and, especially with the pandemic, we send them home with the laptop or FedEx the laptop already configured, and the user is ready to go.
I don't even need to know the client's password. I can just install the software and create a profile. The client fills the profile in with simple instructions, types in their password instructions, and connects it and they're good. It's really simple.
That's why we have standardized recommending Fortinet. That doesn't mean that I don't support other solutions as well, however, the device that I like the best is the one that's easy to use for me and it's easy to use for the clients. The price point is not bad as well.
What is most valuable?
The ease of setting the solution up is a valuable aspect for us.
The most valuable aspect that differentiates it from other solutions is that the client (the SSL VPN client or the IP sec VPN client, the same clients) is included in the solution. We don't have to pay extra for the software and the clients.
I have had some issues, but no more than others and I don't have to buy an expensive add-on license to do it and it's managed and it's updated automatically. That's the key thing, that the client is included and it updates itself so I don't have to do too much to manage it and it's very transparent to the end-user.
What needs improvement?
The biggest "gotcha" is that if the client purchases what they call the UTM shared bundle, which has unified threat management on both, it's not as easy to manage if you have more than one firewall.
If I wanted a unified console, I have to pay extra. And that's the downfall. That's the only needed improvement that I would say for the Fortinet solution, is that they should have it web-based from the get-go. You should not have to buy an extra bundle or an extra device.
If I have to make an update to a web filter, and I have 12 devices, I've got to do it in 12 places. If I don't want to do that the client can pay for a pretty expensive device or virtual appliance that does that for them. It's like an expensive centralized management tool. That's the big downfall of Fortinet. It doesn't come included, you have to pay for it. Their web-based one, that's sort of just like an inventory manager. It's not really good for distributing roles. With Cisco, you don't have to do anything. The one from Aruba HD has one too. Fortinet should try to be similar to those options.
In the next release, it would be amazing if they could give a better tool for upgrading, so that if I upgrade from an older version to the other, it can read the configuration and processes it for me so that I don't have to rewrite it from scratch. In FortiConverter, they have a tool like this, however, it doesn't work well. It's really more for bringing items in from other vendors, not from one version to the other.
That was my last experience where they operated from version five to six. However, that's really the only big thing. The main thing is to include the FortiManager cloud software like Cisco does. To have one solution. If you paid $150 a year for the support, you might as well get that too so I could manage all the devices at one spot. They do have FortiCloud, however, it's not the same as the way Cisco does it. They are selling another product called FortiManager. FortiManager should be included with the support, and that would make it more of a business solution, rather than a feature request.
For how long have I used the solution?
I would say that I have been using the solution for over 10 years. It's likely been between 10 and 15 years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortigate firewalls are very reliable- in the past 15 years I believe only 2 devices in a 100 have failed. The failures were due to harsh environments (dust and water will ruin any electronic device). The input I can give to any technology person or client looking to choose a firewall / threat management device I would highly recommend the stability / reliability of fortigate. Once installed it will do it's job efficiently and effectively for several years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I will tell a client not to go with Fortinet if they have no firewall or they have a very, very old firewall. If this is from scratch, I'd say let's not go with Fortinet, let's go with Meraki if you have the money. I always say create the budget for it if you have a lot of sites, as Cisco does a better job if you have a lot of sites. If you have two sites, then it's fine to go with Fortinet. It'll scale to that scale. However, if you want to go over a couple of sites, it's not the best option.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is straightforward. It's actually gotten better. I got good at doing it from scratch from the command line, or even from the GUI with all the 50 steps to set up stuff. However, now they're wizards and it's much better. It was the thing that probably a lot of people commented on initially, and they just worked hard to fix it. They updated the software from version four to five to six. They did a good job at making it easier.
What was our ROI?
If the client had a lot of downtime or a lot of issues with older equipment, or they did not like the fact that they had to pay every year just to be able to use the device, then the return on investment of spending $900 for a Fortinet 60E per site for a three-year contract will hands-down beat pretty much anybody.
It is definitely set it and forget it. There's very little input. You'll save money on consulting. If you were to call me and you're doing Juniper or you're doing Palo Alto, there's a lot more configuring and it's a lot harder to add stuff and therefore, as a consultant, I make more money, and I'm being serious. Once I set up a Fortinet I really don't have to touch it for years.
Maybe I have to log in to check that I need to do an update, however, in that case, they usually send me an email saying hey, your license key is up and maybe you want to buy a new one. I take the old one out and put a new one in, that's when I get paid again. It's boiled down to that.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not only an authorized reseller. I am a consultant that uses their equipment and recommends them on a routine basis. I am not a Fortinet partner, however.
I use a series of FortiGate products, including the 60, the 90, and the 100. Some of them are E's, some of them are S's; it all depends. However, they have pretty much the same user interface.
If a company is considering the solution, I'd advise that they consider purchasing the FortiManager if they really like the feature set and the way that Fortinet works. For example, a company we work with has these large scale solutions, and they use FortiManager. If you're a very large implementation, definitely look into Fortinet. If you're small, for example, under 20 devices, consider joining Cisco Meraki as it's so much easier. That's what I would tell any client.
FortiManager and FortiGate are really good. If you like the way the GUI works it's more flexible than Cisco. There are more bells and whistles, however, Cisco is going to be the way to do it if you're going to do 50 sites. If you were to do a lot of sites, consider Cisco. If not, you can do Fortinet.
At the end of the day, the solution is very flexible, and if the client has special business partners that want a special type of nailed up VPN or special configuration for the clients, it offers that. The lesson I learned using the solution was to go with the solution that's most flexible for the client and at the same time is as low touch as possible. That's why I've standardized on FortiGate, as it's low touch for me and I'd rather spend time fixing other stuff or troubleshooting the other problems for clients than this particular solution.
You want to spend less time fighting with your remote access solution or your firewall solution and work on other problems. It should not be a difficult thing, and yet, a lot of people struggle with that. Especially today with the pandemic, they have to be able to have access to their stuff and that's crucial. That's the biggest takeaway. Is it easy to manage it, is it easy to connect? If so, it's worth the investment.
I would rate the solution nine out of ten. If they included FortiManager in their offering, I'd give the product a perfect ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-29T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1457130 from
Scalable and stable, fair pricing, and the VPN helps us with global site connectivity
What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution to filter communication to and from the website or our site.
We also use it to create a VPN connection for all of our sites in the world.
What is most valuable?
I like that they have given me a solution at a fair price.
What needs improvement?
The user interface could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiGate for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution, we have not had any issues. It works.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable product. We have 600 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not contacted technical support. We have been fortunate in that we did not have any issues that needed it.
How was the initial setup?
I am working as a manager, and I am not doing any of the configurations.
We only require one person for the maintenance of this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is fair.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it. That said, nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-29T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MohamedElKashlan from
Stable with good technical support and very good UI
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the firewall. We use it for a perimeter firewall or access firewall inside the network to allow some zones to be disabled from one zone to another zone.
What is most valuable?
The stability of the solution is excellent.
The user interface (UI) is very, very good.
What needs improvement?
The search tool needs improvement. It's very difficult to search for policies right now.
When we need to engage with the endpoint or our customer during an investigation, there should be a way to investigate the issues without the need for the customer to be present. It would make it much easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the product for the last few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We find the solution to be quite stable. It's very reliable. We don't have to worry about bugs or glitches on the system. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have more than 7.000 users on the solution right now.
We do plan to continue to use the solution going forward.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is very good. We're quite satisfied with the level of support we receive. We find them to be knowledgeable and responsive when we have issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using FortiGate, we used Cisco. However, we found the Cisco solutions to be unstable and we needed to move away from them. We do still have some legacy Cisco solutions, however. We find they work better now, with FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
We didn't have a problem with the installation. It wasn't complex in any way. We found it to be quite straightforward.
The deployment process was very fast. It took less than a day for us to do everything we needed to do.
In terms of maintenance, we have eight people taking care of the troubleshooting of tickets.
What about the implementation team?
An integrator helped us with the implementation process they were very helpful and extremely knowledgable. We had them in case something we wrong, however, nothing has gone wrong so far.
What other advice do I have?
We're a service provider. We work with clients that use the solution.
We utilize both the 1500 and 3000 series of the product.
I would definitely recommend this solution to other companies to use. We've had a good experience overall.
In general, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-11-28T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1465347 from
Great load balancing feature, secure and stable
What is our primary use case?
We've used this solution for the guest portal for our client and we also use it to secure the network of our firm. I am the IT infrastructure manager and we are customers of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
I like the fact that we don't have to use our IP address and that it roams. I also like the load balancing feature which allows you to attach several internet connections and load balance.
What needs improvement?
We have an issue with the license when it expires because we're unable to use the computers. We are in the hotel industry and there's an issue with vouchers when guests come in wanting to use them.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. We had some issues after we upgraded but on the whole it's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We don't have scalability requirements so I can't comment.
How are customer service and technical support?
We had some issues with the local support, particularly with regard to purchasing the subscription. It took a very long time and at one point the license had expired and it took a while to sort out.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple and doesn't take much time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an affordable solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
FortiGate is the most effective solution for us and it's a cheaper option to Check Point or Palo Alto which we looked at. They are both very expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-17T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
John McSorley from
Installation is super easy, stable operations, and has prompt and responsive customer service
What is our primary use case?
We use it as a firewall for securing our HQ and branch.
What is most valuable?
The product is easy to use and is stable. The SV1 functionality is a benefit.
What needs improvement?
A feature for bandwidth monitoring and the ability to have more bandwidth testing would be useful to include in future releases.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for just about a year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 40,000 employees and the product is very scalable. The different hardware units are quite good and are an appropriate size for enterprise-sized businesses.
How are customer service and technical support?
They're very prompt and responsive, and very helpful. In our experience, they responded on the same day and the next day for fixes.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was super easy, we were up and running in less than 50 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We did it the implementation ourselves. We used an in house team of four to do the deployment.
What was our ROI?
Some of the software stability could improve.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend FortiGate to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Thameem Ansari from
Flexible to use and easy to set up
What is our primary use case?
The typical next-generation firewall use case is to restrict access to the users by using a firewall.
What is most valuable?
It is very flexible to use.
What needs improvement?
It is stable, but its stability can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for maybe four or five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is just okay. It should be better.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the device is limited.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is okay. They could be more knowledgeable and faster.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was using Sophos. We switched because it was very unstable in terms of both software and hardware. I found a lot of vulnerabilities. Even though they provide a lot of features for a minimum cost, these features don't do what they are supposed to do.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy. The deployment duration depends on the situation. I have done the installation in one to three days.
What about the implementation team?
I installed it myself. You just need one technical guy to maintain and manage the firewall. It is a small product for 200 to 500 users.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has a competitive price.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. We plan to continue using it. Even though it has a few stability issues, its price is competitive.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-11-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1383504 from
Great web tutor and automated rules by schedule features
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution is for the UTM it offers and the access to VPN. We have branches in Rio, Singapore and the UK. I'm an information security manager and we are customers of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features for me are the web tutor and the automated rules by schedule - the VPN itself.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet is huge in today's market and they've become quite expensive. I think there are products at the same level as Fortinet, but with better prices. They've changed their subscription plan and are now forcing companies to subscribe 24/7.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We never had any issues or problems related to stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are other products on the market that are a little better than FortiGate in terms of scalability, but in general it's a good solution. We have about 200 users in the company.
How are customer service and technical support?
We didn't need to contact technical support very much. We had a local partner and if there were problems we contacted them directly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. We were implementing on a large project and it took a weekend to completely deploy with all the features, connections and everything.
What other advice do I have?
They have very good documentation and if you've had experience with other products I'm pretty sure that you'd be able to deploy just by reading the documentation.
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1451103 from
A stable and scalable solution but the setup is pretty complex and not easy to implement
What is our primary use case?
We use it for our paralegal security, our internet operations, and network zone segmentation.
What needs improvement?
It could be more stable and secure. They can improve the ability to make changes, change requests, and provide more rounded monitoring in terms of security and potential threats.
For how long have I used the solution?
My team has been using Fortinet FortiGate for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate appears to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate appears to be scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Palo Alto.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is pretty complex and not easy to implement.
What about the implementation team?
Implemented by our in-house team.
What other advice do I have?
I would give Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-11-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Anderson Clivati from
Great anti-malware and web filtering features
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution as a security perimeter and for VPN. We are partners of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
I like the anti-malware and web filtering features.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more evenly structured and I'd like to see orchestration in the calls included. The solution currently lacks that feature.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is good. We rely a lot on the documentation which is a good standard.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Meraki but I prefer Fortinet for its value and software capabilities. It's better than any of the other products in this field.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. Deployment time depends on the complexity of the situation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay an annual license fee - I get a good price on this product.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1344861 from
It works and does its job and has good stability and scalability
What is our primary use case?
We have some that are doing IPS, and we have some that are for AV. That's basically their main role. We are using one version below the current release.
What is most valuable?
I only deal with it from a security analyst's point of view. I don't really get into the features of the actual FortiGate. From the security point of view, it works, and it does its job.
What needs improvement?
If I had any criticism that I would give FortiGate, it would be that they need to stop changing their logging format. Every time we do a firmware upgrade, it is a massive issue on the SIM. Parsers have to be rebuilt. Even the FortiGate guys came in and said that they don't play well in the sandbox.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for probably 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They are pretty stable. We never had any real issues with them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Their scalability is pretty good. We have upgraded and changed them, and we have been running them for 20 years. They run for a long time. We are not replacing them every couple of years, and we have scaled up a lot. We have over 10,000 users behind it. We have three people for maintenance and deployment.
How are customer service and technical support?
I never had to deal with technical support directly, but I've never heard the guys complain about it.
How was the initial setup?
I never set them up.
What other advice do I have?
We are using FortiGate, but we are switching to Palo Alto. We are just moving over to the new next-gen and do an extra layer or higher layer filtering. Being a government organization, it was RFP, and basically, Palo Alto won the RFP. I wasn't part of the RFP review, so I can't tell which features pushed Palo Alto over the edge or not. For all I know, it could just be price.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten. I would also rate Palo Alto the same.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
JackTrantham from
Full-featured and priced well, with good bandwidth traffic reporting
What is our primary use case?
We are an IT service provider. We provide solutions to our customers based on what their needs are.
How has it helped my organization?
I don't know that it changes the way the organization functions. I think it gives customers more peace of mind knowing that they have this in place, that they have it set up properly, that they can run reports to get the information they need of who is using it, and who the top five users are.
Different areas in reporting that they can get information that they need to know. That it's blocking what needs to be blocked, it's allowing what needs to be allowed, it's doing what it needs to do based on the specific requirements and I don't have to worry about it.
What is most valuable?
There is an enormous amount but it also depends on the customer. Some have to do with the tracking of bandwidth to ensure that the students are not using too much or too little bandwidth.
There is also reporting. The reporting is valuable.
The next-gen features, the unified threat management capabilities are something that just about everybody is interested in at this point.
What needs improvement?
I don't like that anything more than very basic reporting is not included. You have to buy their cloud module that's an add-on for getting more customized reporting.
It has just about everything that we are looking for and the customer is needing. It's just the reporting part that is lacking in the base application.
Technical support could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I am sure there are bugs or glitches from time to time, but it's not anything that's been problematic or had multiples where it's been an issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our clients are small to medium-sized businesses.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is okay. They are not exceptional or awful, they're in the middle.
It's hit or miss on their technical capabilities and who you get and who you talk to.
I would rate them a six or a seven out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't deploy a variety of solutions. Cisco is one we have deployed as well. It's just not as easy to setup. It's all command line, there is not a user interface, it's more expensive, and It doesn't have as much capability.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
There's a lot to it, but it's very easy. It's a web interface and very easy to walk through it.
What other advice do I have?
We deploy both on cloud and on-premises, depending on what the customer's requirements are.
Fortinet solution has received great feedback. It compares well to Palo Alto. It's a lot more expensive.
It's very full-featured solution and it's priced well.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
RafatJuneidi from
Good security, easy to install, and offers good performance
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for its security features and performance. We enable features that assist with web filtering, application consoles, and IPS.
What is most valuable?
The performance of the solution is very good.
The product offers very good security.
It's pretty easy to install the solution.
What needs improvement?
The cloud management should improve. There are other manufacturers that have better management cloud solutions. Aruba, for example, is very good at this aspect. Fortinet could look to them as a model of how to do something interesting with management solutions.
Fortinet across the board needs to improve the LAN aspect of their products.
The solution lacks multi-language support.
They could offer access points to small companies and firewalls at those access points. Aruba, in that sense, is much better for smaller organizations as they provide this possibility.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for a few years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. You don't have to deal with bugs or glitches. You don't have it freezing on you. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is pretty scalable. It's flexible. It works with the organization and allows you to expand it as necessary.
In my company, we use FortiGate across several locations. The location with the most number of users has maybe 400 to 500 employees. That said, there is another FortiGate that manages the traffic that goes to the internet for all of the users across locations. We must have around 900 users.
We do plan to continue to use it going forward.
How are customer service and technical support?
The solution does have different levels of support. If the problem is critical, you can escalate it quite well and even get telephone support.
That said, in terms of telephone support, they need to have support provided in the Spanish language. Right now, this is not the case.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
While we concurrently use both Sophos and Fortinet, we're working towards just using Fortinet. I find that the performance of Fortinet is much better than Sophos.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is not complex. It's pretty straightforward. In my case, I have many years of expertise working with FortiGate and therefore it was not difficult. It's quite good and easy to manage.
How long it takes to deploy the solution, depends on what the customers ask you to do. More or less, however, it might take maybe one day to make the initial setup of the unit and the configuration that the customer requests. It may take another day or two to put it on service and check that everything is working properly, once again, based on the requirements of the customer.
What other advice do I have?
I work mostly with firewalls and network equipment including firewalls, switches, and routers. I don't just work with Fortinet. I also work with Sophos, Cisco, and Aruba.
We're using the latest version of the product currently.
Overall, I would rate the solution ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer967515 from
Very stable, easily customizable, and simple to install
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use the solution for network security - especially for the VPN connection, the remote site connection.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to install.
The services from Fortinet products are very, very good. The WIFI that Fortinet provides for us, for example, is fantastic.
The VPN tunnel is very stable and there is more than one option for the tunnel, which is helpful.
We can customize the product well.
There's a very intelligent solution that they gave us in order to make the VPN connection easy. It is a very, very, very useful tool.
The stability of the solution is excellent, as it is with other Fortinet products.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet is a very big product. It has FortiGate, FortiWiFi, FortiSwitch, email security, etc. Due to this, they have some weaknesses in the ISPs, the services. They could improve these aspects. Hotspot services especially could be a lot better.
There are just some services that aren't available. For example, the Ethernet or point-to-point protocols. They could add these services to their product offering - especially services for ISPs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about three years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. That's not a problem at all. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's quite reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale well. If a company needs to expand it, they can.
I have various clients that use the solution and they have a user base that can range anywhere from five users to over 10,000.
I do plan to continue to use the solution in the future, however, I can't speak as to if my clients will expand their services or not.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support, by and large, is very good. Fortinet has a very fast response time for their support tickets. It doesn't matter if the help is coming from the local distributor, or from web support. I don't face any problems with their level of attentiveness. I'm quite satisfied.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I use a wide variety of products in my shop. For example, I also work with Sophos UTM, Cisco, HPE, and Aruba products.
There's a lot of problems in, maybe, let's say, Sophos products. Especially in their support. They have very weak support. Cisco has good support, on the other hand, and a very good product, however, it is too expensive. HPE is a very nice product and has good support, however, it's not a UTM. Therefore, often we end up recommending Fortinet options.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not complex. It was pretty straightforward.
How long it takes to deploy the solution depends on the company and the configurations required. Sometimes I am able to do it in one day, whereas other times it takes more than one month to complete.
What other advice do I have?
I'm just a customer. I'm using the latest version of the solution. I'm using the F-series. Previously, I used the E-series.
We use the on-premises version of the solution as Fortinet does not yet support the cloud.
I am not an organization, I am in IT support. I have my own agency for installing such devices. I use it for some universities which is more than 10,000 students in some cases. I also use it in some factories which have four to five users. It works just as well for small and medium-sized companies as it does for enterprise-level organizations.
I would recommend the solution to others for sure.
Overall, I would rate Fortinet's solution at a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2020-12-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Manjil Bhetwal from
Scales well, but the technical support needs to be improved
What is our primary use case?
We are a solution integrator and FortiGate is one of the security products that we implement for our clients.
What needs improvement?
The support is the main thing that needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for five years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product is definitely scalable. Our clients range from small to medium-sized businesses.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support needs to be improved, and I would rate them a six out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I would recommend.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2020-12-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Adriana Ymeri from
Scalable, Easy to implement, security fabric integration, wireless controller, low cost, stable
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution for our clients is for protecting internal networks with data center firewalls, internal segmentation and next generation firewalls.
We are a gold partner of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
SD-WAN, Security fabric integration, two-factor authentication, ADVPN, Dynamic routing, single pane of glas managements are great features. FortiGate is very easy to use, and to configure.
What needs improvement?
I think some improvements could be made in vulnerability scanning. I'd also like to see additional features in the authentication. They support RADIUS, LDAP but the solution doesn't have API integration with other solutions. They have API in FortiAuthenticator, but not in the firewall and not all customers want to buy another solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been providing this solution to clients for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable. They have now built hyperscale firewalls and it's very easy. Also VMs, for example, is very easy to scale, you just need to adjust the licensing.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is very, very good. They respond quickly and provide the solution to the problem.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Check Point and Cisco ASA. In terms of cost and security features, Fortinet has the advantage and it's also easy to implement. Cisco and Check Point are a little bit more difficult in that aspect.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple, as with all Fortinet technologies. Deployment time depends on the situation. For small customers it takes about one to two hours. For larger companies with different kinds of firewalls in their infrastructure, it may take a day or two, it depends on the complexity of the network, the infrastructure and the size of the business. The solution is suitable for any size company. Maintenance depends on the contract with our customers, but Fortinet includes support with every license. If a customer wants support from us, we provide it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet offers four types of licensing - Advanced Threat Protection, Unified Threat Protection and Enterprise Protection and 360 degree Protection. Licensing costs are dependent on the VM or Hardware model, not per features. For example if vm or Hardware model supports 200 IPsec tunnels you can setup 200 IPsec tunnels, it doesn't matter what kind of license you have.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend this solution.
I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Daniel Gorham from
Highly affordable and comprehensive
What is our primary use case?
Our clients' main use case for Fortinet FortiGate is for the firewall on the outside perimeter to the internet. Some of them have started using it for SD-WAN.
What is most valuable?
We are software integrators.
Our clients like the packaging because it's an appliance. It has specific chip sets to accelerate different features in the product.
Additionally, it's inexpensive compared to some of the other technology out there.
What needs improvement?
In terms of what can be improved, they do have certain features that you can only configure through a CLI and there's no GUI interface for it. That's a pain. But it's nice that the user can do everything one way or the other.
They sometimes hide some features and if you want to enable them, you have to go in the CLI, enable the feature and configure it through the CLI. Customers, typically, like everything to be done by the GUI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for at least the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is pretty stable.
It is hard to judge this year because of everybody working from home. Everybody is using up a lot of bandwidth so I'm not sure if that is a cause for some of the instability with the Forti client. The only place we've seen instability would be updating Forti client with their software called EMS.
So pushing out the client with EMS, like a client update to remote users, has proven a pain in the butt. But that could be because the end users' VPNs are maybe a little bit unstable just because of the high bandwidth demands. It is hard to determine. Maybe it is because some of these users are in remote areas, or non-urban or smaller towns, as opposed to being in an urban area where bandwidth is a little better.
We never jump ahead and say, "Oh, yes. 6.5 just came up. Let's jump on that." We'll probably just wait six months and see what goes on first. And I guess that's probably what a lot of people do because it's protecting your intellectual property and everything which that company owns.
I'm not saying that there's no instability. People will generally just wait and not jump out unless they're testing in the lab. They're not going to jump out and put the first revision that comes out on their firewalls.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, it scales very well.
They have different models for different sizes. Obviously, if you buy too small and you have to upgrade, then it's a box swap. Some other vendors can just add another unit and you cluster them together. In their case it's more of just switching the box out for more performance boxes if you go too low.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is very good.
Every time we've had to open up a case or get their help, if we surpass that person's ability, it gets escalated right away. So it's very good. It usually gets resolved within a day or two.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is fairly straightforward.
What was our ROI?
In terms of ROI, they're inexpensive. Because they're inexpensive, they're just everywhere, in the Federal Government, schools, everywhere where budgets are fairly tight. And it is a very good product. It's a product that's built that if you need to you can add a different box and remove that feature from your main FortiGate and just run it on a different box.
So if you need to expand, you can always do it that way too.
They have good integration if you have multiple firewalls and it allows you to be able to push out policies to all of them at the same time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet FortiGate's pricing is pretty hard to beat.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2020-12-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1465677 from
Straightforward and quick to deploy, user-friendly, and the UTM features well protect our infrastructure
What is our primary use case?
We're using both firewall and UTM features, as well as the inbound and outbound traffic load-balancing functionality. We are also using the VPN.
What is most valuable?
I think that the UTM features are the most value, as it truly protects my infrastructure.
The interface is user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The support structure needs to be improved because every time we contact them, there is a delay in the response.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for almost eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable and reliable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have had no trouble scaling the solutions.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical Team response time is slow comparatively other competition , However once the Engineer is allocated then incidents are managed properly
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and it is very quick to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We purchased a five-year bundle package, which worked out cheaper than competing solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated other products including those from Palo Alto and Cisco. However, compare the features and price for all of them, Fortinet was the best choice.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good product and I can recommend it to others.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mauricio Lazaro from
Easy to use, well-priced, and scales to our requirements
What is our primary use case?
We use this firewall as part of our security solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ease of use. It's very simple and this is one of its advantages.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see the product updated more frequently.
In the future, I would like to see improvements made to cloud-based management. They already have some features for this, but it's very basic.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, this is a good solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good, we have about 5,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never used technical support from the vendor.
What about the implementation team?
We have an internal team for deployment, maintenance, and support.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of FortiGate is good.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is implementing FortiGate that it is a great product and easy to use, but be careful which firmware you use.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1462002 from
A highly-effective firewall but some evolution is required
What is our primary use case?
Foremost, we mainly used it as a firewall. we also use it for low sharing between circuits.
What is most valuable?
It's great for capturing the traffic and troubleshooting it.
For how long have I used the solution?
We used Fortinet FortiGate for one year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is both scalable and stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We used a different party for support — they were pretty good.
How was the initial setup?
Deployment was very easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think the price of Fortinet FortiGate is very reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
We were not able to build a full-mesh VPN; however, I am not sure if this was the fault of Fortinet FortiGate.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a rating of seven.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Alexander Lombard from
Its stability is the most valuable, and it is also scalable
What is our primary use case?
We use it to create a WAN. We also use it for the UTM firewall.
We don't have the latest versions. We've got the 60Ds and 30E products.
What is most valuable?
Its stability is the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
It should provide better visibility over the network and more information in the form of reports for the end users. Its installation should also be easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for about three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We use it at five sites, and all in all, we have around 300 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't deal with Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
It was complex for me, but it was quick.
What about the implementation team?
We had to use an outside resource to set it up.
What other advice do I have?
We are going to move over to Meraki, so we won't be using this solution. I would recommend this solution to others, but it is a matter of preference.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1458159 from
Easy to use with good GUI and an easy initial setup
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the VPN.
What is most valuable?
The initial setup is pretty easy, at least if you are looking to take advantage of basic functionality.
The usage in general is pretty good.
The GUI is pretty good.
What needs improvement?
The support could be improved upon somewhat.
The performance could be a bit better. Right now, I find it to be lacking. Having good performance is very important for our work.
The command line operation is a bit out of our depth.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been dealing with the solution for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. We don't have issues with bugs or glitches. For us, we haven't had problems with crashing or freezing. It's been working well for the most part.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I can't speak to the scalability. I've never attempted to scale and therefore don't have a sense of how well the solution would take to it.
We have about 30 engineers that work with the solution currently. I'm not sure, however, if there are any plans to increase usage in the future.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support wasn't the best. We weren't too satisfied with the level of service we were given.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy and straightforward. It was not complex. We do, however, use the basic functionality and therefore we don't really get into much complexity during the implementation.
The deployment itself is rather quick and we were able to get everything sorted in about one day.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing isn't too bad. Right now, we find the cost to be manageable.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a customer. We don't have a special business relationship with Fortinet.
We're a development company. We sometimes use the cloud, however, we're open to other deployment models as well.
I've found the solution to be very good. Overall, I would rate it 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)
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
NomanSaleem from
Highly rated, easy to manage, and pretty easy to set up
What is our primary use case?
Our organization has 45 branches. We use the Fortigate 200 models at our data centers and have centralized connectivity between our different branches and our data centers.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex.
The product is user-friendly and easy to manage.
Fortigate overall has a very high security rating in Gartner. We feel safe under their security features. It has extended options as well, if you would like even more security for your organization.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs to improve its integration with cybersecurity. While in general, it's pretty good, this is always a concern as the landscape shifts constantly. They need to ensure they stay on top of things so that their security and integrations stay constantly up to date in order to protect our company.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for seven to eight years. It's been quite a while. We have lots of experience with it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. We don't have issues with the product freezing or crashing. We don't deal with glitches or bugs or anything of that nature.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale if you need it to. That's not a problem at all.
We do plan on continuing to use the service going forward.
How was the initial setup?
The solution overall is very easy to understand. Therefore, the initial setup is not complex. It's straightforward. Even the configurations are good. An organization shouldn't have too much trouble with it.
How long it takes to deploy depends on what you want to configure on a firewall. It depends on the policies being implemented. That definitely takes time depending on the company and what is being done. If you are familiar with all features and all the steps regarding how to create a policy and how to implement a policy, it is pretty easy and won't take too long.
What about the implementation team?
I've handled the initial implementation myself many times. I don't necessarily need any outside assistance.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would recommend this solution. I'd rate it ten out of ten. We've enjoyed using the product and we appreciate its security features.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1084257 from
A resilient, secure, and scalable solution that provides a secure connection for remote work.
What is our primary use case?
We utilize the services to ensure the stability of our network and clients protection from external treats. With the recent pandemic mobile working have increased in demand and Fortinet have easily bridge that gap to continue to support employee needs.
How has it helped my organization?
It has provided us the ability to work remotely during the pandemic. It opens a secure connection to the office for an employee working remotely from home.
What is most valuable?
The web filtering feature and the intrusion protection system are the most valuable.
It is a resilient appliance.
What needs improvement?
Its reporting capabilities can be improved. Some out-of-the-box reports needs to be able to provide usable data for example for web monitoring and reporting or browsing patterns and details. Some customers does not require any forensic type reporting and may not want to invest in all the features offered by the FortiAnalyzer.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the past seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. There are no issues. In terms of the number of users who use FortiGate, we have only about ten users for remote working. Only selected users utilize this remote capability.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good. If I have an inquiry or request, it is usually addressed within the same business day or within the 24 hours period as per the vendor's support agreement.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was on a Check Point platform, and then I migrated to FortiGate. Migrating from the Check Point environment to the FortiGate environment was new for me. We rely on a vendor for support. The vendor was kind of phasing out the support of the Check Point product. That's why we switched.
How was the initial setup?
We are currently on 80D, and it was a direct upgrade. The deployment didn't take that long because it was a direct replacement or upgrade from an older appliance 60D to 80D. It was easy for the vendor to deploy because they saved the policies and other things that were in use for the older appliance and had to be migrated over to the new appliance. It was done within maybe a day or two.
What about the implementation team?
We outsourced it to a local vendor, and it was deployed by the vendor. We do our own internal monitoring, and the vendor does the actual set up. So far, our experience with the vendor has been excellent in terms of response. Their technical staff is also very knowledgeable.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We just pay an affordable flat monthly fee to the vendor for the monitoring and support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I learned about different options and their benefits and listened to vendors' proposals for migration. We evaluated pfSense, which is open source. We were trying to determine whether to go for open source as opposed to an industry-standard and proprietary product. I also engaged other vendors who offered Sophos technology and SonicWall. I trusted the vendor-supported product and considered the cost associated with the migration. The current vendor could upgrade it with no implementation cost, and we just had to pay a monthly service fee or rental.
Based on the research, FortiGate seemed like a reasonable firewall, and it is also more or less recognized and trusted all over, so I trusted FortiGate. Overall, I was happy with the performance of the FortiGate, so I kind of stuck with that one.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend this product, but there are other products in the market, such as Sophos and SonicWall, that are just as effective.
We will be using this solution for at least the next three years. We renewed the license for three years in August of this year. We are thinking of upgrading to a newer appliance before that.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten. I am pleased with this solution and the features it offers right now. It just needs minor adjustments in terms of reporting and staying up to date with industry standards.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Avantha Malalage from
A continuously updated firewall solution with a good antispam filter
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate to implement firewalls for our customers.
What is most valuable?
I like Fortinet FortiGate's antispam filter, SPN, and clustering features.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement. When it comes to email spam detection, Baracuda is the highest or the best, Cisco is the lowest, and Fortinet FortiGate is in the middle. Application management can be improved. Analysis and sandbox can also be improved in the next release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for around three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability can be improved. Compared to Cisco, Fortinet FortiGate's scalability is in a good position.
How are customer service and technical support?
Fortinet FortiGate offers good technical support services.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. For example, the SMB solution is straightforward. We have to follow the instructions and customize it as per the customer's request for the enterprise solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet FortiGate's price can be reduced.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate is highly recommended because they update everything every second.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-26T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sanjeev Roy from
User-friendly with good integrations on offer and a variety of great features
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security - for the firewall.
What is most valuable?
The solution has a variety of excellent features.
The cloud base that they have on offer is great.
Overall, the solution is very good and we've been very happy with it.
The solution is very user friendly. The user interface in particular is quite nice.
The integration is great.
What needs improvement?
The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this. They need to work to be at least as good as they are.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for one year so far.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the stability has been very good. We haven't had any issues at all. I haven't had issues with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't run into any issues when it comes to scaling. If a company needs to scale it should be able to do so without much of a problem.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't really dealt directly with technical support. Once, when I ran into an issue, I spoke with my local partner. Other than that, you can find the answers you need via the help navigation.
Therefore, I can't speak to the helpfulness of technical support. I can't speak to whether or not they are responsive or knowledgable.
I have been satisfied with the help I've received from my local partner, however. They've been quite good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We do use other solutions as well, such as Cisco. We find this solution to be better in general, and more user-friendly. That said, Cisco does do customization better.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex. It's pretty straightforward. We found it to be quite simple.
When I bought it, I found that the user interface made everything pretty easy from the start. They also have very good help features that can assist you if you get stuck. It was pretty easy to configure the items I needed to.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is pretty much standard with the competition. It's not overly expensive.
That said, if you want to have a good security VPN or firewall, then you should invest more than money and pay interest in local devices. If you want a better network structure and better security, then you need more local devices.
What other advice do I have?
I use FortiGate quite a bit. I'm just a customer and end-user. I don't have a business relationship with the company.
On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate the solution at an eight. I've been pretty happy with it so far.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2020-12-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Arkadiusz Swierczek from
Intuitive and simple administrative panel and useful for filtering everything on our network and protecting our devices
What is our primary use case?
IPS is the main use case because we want to protect our devices, users, and data from external dangers.
We most probably are using the model of the last year. If the services connected to the hardware are possible on the cloud, we always prefer the cloud. The hardware must be placed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
Its administrative panel is very intuitive and simple. It is simpler than the other solutions that we had. As an administrator, we are always looking for the easiest solution to manage network policies.
We are able to filter everything on our network and also use the VPN feature, which is important these days when people are working remotely during COVID.
What needs improvement?
They can do more tests before they release new versions because I would like to be more assured. We had some experiences where they release something new and great, but some of the old features are disabled or they don't work well, which impacts the product satisfaction. The manufacturer should be able to prove that everything works or not only that it might work. This is applicable to most of the other services, software, and hardware companies. They all should work on this. We cannot trust every new release, such as a beta release, on the first day. We wait for some comments on the forums and from other companies that we know. We always wait a few weeks before we use the updated version.
They should also extend the VPN client application, especially for Linux versions. Currently, it has an application for Linux devices, but it doesn't work the way we want to connect to the VPN. They use only the old connection, not the new one. They have VPN client applications for Windows and Mac, but they can add more useful features to better manage the devices and monitor the current health of each device. Such features would be helpful for our company.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, and I don't see any cons of this.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Currently, everyone who is connected with the company is using this solution. We have up to 240 people.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have interacted with them but only through emails. There were separate tickets and stories, and I don't remember right now how it was.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
It was just a product for home-usage. It was a Cisco device from the small business series. It was less advanced than the similar devices available in the market currently. It was a huge step forward for us to switch to FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
It was a huge jump for us on the administrative side to implement this kind of hardware because we previously used just a simple product for home-usage.
What about the implementation team?
We hired a consultant to do this for us and to explain how the system works. After a few weeks, we did new certifications and training for this, and now, it works well for us.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. We plan to keep using this solution.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-01-08T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
UzairBaig from
Easy to configure and manage, supports link load balancing, and it has superior throughput
What is our primary use case?
We are a system integrator and Fortigate is one of the firewalls that we implement for our clients. I am a solution architect.
Our primary use for this firewall is the IPS.
What is most valuable?
One of the things I like best is the ease of configuration.
Management-wise, it is very good.
The most important feature, normally for small business customers, is link load balancing.
The firewall throughput is very good. Most of the customers in this region use FortiGate for their data center firewalls, and the main reason is because of its high throughput.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet is good in terms of security and threat prevention, but they are not leading. For example, the signature database can be improved.
If they had better integration with security products, such as Cisco ISE or Rapid Threat Containment, then it would be an improvement. Customers that have ISE implemented are able to provide inputs based on malicious traffic, and then ISE will automatically block it.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for the past two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, they are good at the job of a data center firewall. For a perimeter firewall, it is for smaller customers, preferably.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability depends on the design and how it was done. You have to think about the next five years. We get lots of new updates on the older versions and if the product is still in support then the new features will be included.
How are customer service and technical support?
The responsiveness of the support depends on the level of support that you have. If you have premium support then you will get immediate access to them. Otherwise, you have to wait for some time, perhaps an hour, before they get back to you.
On the technical details, there are different levels of access. Once you have engineer access then most of the cases are going to get resolved, or otherwise, they will go to their development team.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In addition to FortiGate, we are using Cisco SFR.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. We have field configuration guides that we follow and you don't need to have much in-depth knowledge to set it up initially. However, performing the fine-tuning requires that you have proper training on the device.
Deploying the firewall for a new customer will be completed within two to three days, or perhaps a week at the most.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Compared to vendors like Cisco and Palo Alto, FortiGate is the cheapest. However, they only have a small segment of the market. Fortinet is trying to appeal to small and medium-sized customers, and I think that their prices should be a little lower for this segment.
On the high-end devices, it is fine. However, the problem is that their subscription price is very high. If you purchase a one-year subscription with the hardware and then you want to renew for the second year, it is very costly. Your whole price ends up being very high.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
As a system integrator, we sell a lot of similar solutions from a variety of vendors. We have found that the Fortinet firewall has a much better throughput than that of the other vendors.
If a large customer is looking for a perimeter firewall then we suggest another vendor, such as Check Point or Palo Alto.
What other advice do I have?
FortiGate is a product that we recommend and we have migrated many customers from other vendors. FortiGate is a better option, although small customers don't care much about security. They only care about basic security. There are only a very few who are really concerned about it and most of them don't have a proper IT group in their company.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-11-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Charbel Hajj from
Robust, easy to use, and has excellent technical support that is quite responsive
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall that protects all network data. We use it as our primary firewall in the office.
What is most valuable?
The performance is good.
It is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see better pricing in the next release, as well as a simplification of the installation.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable product.
In our company, it is the main gateway for the internet, and we have less than 100 users.
Deployment is faster per user. Each one has a laptop or a PC, as well as a mobile phone, so we have less than 100 devices per user, but with mobile phones and Internet access, that number can rise to more than 100.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted technical support many times, they are very important and they are very good. They follow up on all of the cases that we have opened.
The response time is great.
They also always have an updated version of the firmware.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I now have UniFi Switches for our WiFi access point. We began using UniFi to replace Cisco Linksys Ethernet switches.
I am also working with QNAPS for network connections.
For virtual meetings, we use Google Meet. Some of our customers use Webex but we mainly work with Google Meet.
In our company, we have Kaspersky, as well as Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
It's not straightforward. You must have at least the knowledge and the settings. It's not that simple.
The length of time it takes to install is determined by the configuration you have inside. It could take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours.
In our company, I am responsible for the solution's maintenance and deployment.
What about the implementation team?
We had the assistance of a consultant at first.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis.
It would be better if it could be made a little less expensive.
It will be more expensive for the first year, then it will gradually decrease by a certain amount per year or something along those lines.
We have the full license that included all of the features and support.
Aside from the licensing fees, there are no other costs.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mario De Keer from
Has a clear pricing policy, and with VDOMs, we can split the rules and policies between two different companies
What is our primary use case?
It is used as a defense mechanism for securing the internal network from the external network. We also use it to have VPN tunnels between us and our partners and the support organizations we work with.
We are using FortiGate 200F.
What is most valuable?
We are mostly using it as a defense mechanism. It has many more possibilities, but at this moment, it is only used for defense against attacks. It is doing what it should do with the FortiGuard subscription on it, which is an advanced security subscription.
It is easy to use. We chose this product for the possibility to have virtual domains (VDOMs). We are building another company in the group, and we would like to split the firewalling rules and policies between these two companies. Each company would be able to manage its own policies and security rules, which is an advantage of Fortinet FortiGate. We can define VDOMs, and every company can manage its own VDOM as if it has its own physical firewall, but in fact, we would be using the same physical appliance because we are also using the same internet lines. So, it allows us to reuse the existing resources without the disadvantage of having to compromise on policies and security. Each company can choose its own way of working.
What needs improvement?
I don't see any area of improvement at this moment. I'm responsible for the IT infrastructure. I'm not a security specialist. The IT security is being managed by the CSO in our company.
We had some issues in the beginning while setting it up, but after doing the firmware update, it is working fine.
For how long have I used the solution?
It has been a little over a year since we have the firewall cluster in place.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product. We had some issues in the beginning while setting it up, but we received an update of the firmware, and since then, it has been stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is being implemented for everybody. It is our security layer.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good. We had some issues in the beginning, and they were resolved within a couple of days after we explained what we were trying to do. They confirmed that it is a bug, and they would give us a fix. A couple of days later, we had the fix.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using SonicWall firewalls. We found FortiGate better, and we switched everything. We decommissioned all SonicWall firewalls. One of the reasons why we changed from SonicWall was that its licensing was user-based and function-based. So, every time we did something, we had to add another license or subscription. The licensing of FortiGate is clear. We know what is the price.
We migrated last year from a typical MPLS network to a complete and only one network between the sites. For firewalls, we now have a few solutions in place in our headquarters. We have Fortinet Firewall Cluster, and on the remote sites, we are using Meraki firewalls that are being used as a router at the same time.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to use.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is reasonable. They have a clear pricing policy. It is not complicated by the number of VPN users at a time. We know what the price is. The yearly subscription for the security license is rather high, but it is all included for whatever number of users you have and the kind of functions you need.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Tamer Baher from
Unique and very efficient product for a security firewall
What is our primary use case?
The major function of this solution is traffic shaping for end-users. You can use a specific appendix for the specific manager.
We are using the latest version of the solution: 100D.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
From the firewall perspective, the rules and policies are very sufficient and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution is very expensive.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The support is very good. They respond on time and are professional. From a technical perspective, they're good.
How was the initial setup?
It's easy to set up.
For maintenance, if you want to add a mesh configuration, you can restore your configuration from the backup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Most people prefer the functions and capabilities in FortiGate, but compared to other solutions, it's expensive.
The price depends on the size of the company. From the beginning, you just want to know the internet bandwidths, speed, and the number of users to be able to offer the right product and model. They have a lot of products in FortiGate according to the size of the company, like 200D and 300D.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 10 out of 10.
It's a very unique and efficient product for a security firewall. The only comment I have is that the price is expensive for small companies or startup companies.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-04-03T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Krzysztof Moranski from
Flexible, integrates well, and offers good technical support
What is our primary use case?
The solution is mostly used for the connection with VPN clients. We use the solution for network security and network segmentation.
What is most valuable?
It's a flexible solution. The security that it's providing is a valuable aspect of the product.
FortiGate integrates well with other equipment such as FortiSwitch, FortiIB, and more, and delivers one pane of glass for the management of those devices.
It's an easy solution to set up.
Technical support has been good.
What needs improvement?
The configuration option availability is not 100% from the website of the FortiGate web management site. When we log on to the web interface on FortiGate, we do not have everything under this web solution. If we need some specific configuration or need to do some specific configuration, we need to do additional things on the CLI.
The stability could be a bit better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for at least the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, there are some areas in which they need to improve. There are different versions and we understand from past implementations which will work best according to our client's needs. The wrong one may not be as stable as they would like.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Some clients may increase usage in the future. FortiGate is fast becoming a very popular solution and its use will likely grow in general.
How are customer service and support?
In general, technical support is helpful. We are quite happy with the level of support on offer.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is pretty simple and straightforward. It's not overly complex or difficult.
The length of time it takes to deploy really depends on the size of the project.
While we do assist the client with the implementation, they tend to handle the maintenance on their end.
What about the implementation team?
Typically we, as integrators, will assist the client with the initial setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The overall costs are pretty typical. It's not overly cheap or overly expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I work as an integrator and maybe 60% of my work is around FortiGate. My company is a Fortinet partner and integrator.
If companies are thinking about the security of their network, they should consider FortiGate as a gate to the internet. I would highly recommend it to others.
For small or mid-size businesses, I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-04-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Suresh Bora from
Offers good protection and security
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet protects us from web attacks. We also use it to connect our remote users. I'm the IT infrastructure lead.
What is most valuable?
I think the overall security features and the performance routing is good.
What needs improvement?
The security features are good but I'd like to see additional security options.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution, yes.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple and took us about half an hour. We have 50 users in the company. We have one person who deals with all our maintenance and deployment issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a three-year license.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution and rate it eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-30T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Issam-Kawash from
Simple implementation, reliable, but security could improve
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is used for the overall protection of companies.
What is most valuable?
All of the features of Fortinet FortiGate are useful and the security protection is good.
What needs improvement?
The security of Fortinet FortiGate could improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We have 11 clients using this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet FortiGate allows you to purchase licenses for hardware and software.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated Cisco solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others, it is a good solution.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Reseller
Date published: 2022-03-30T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Dhsrms Fff from
Straightforward implementation and affordable
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the logging and reporting. Additionally, the next-generation application's policies should be improved. When they were released they had bugs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Whenever we install a new release of an OS we should expect lots of bugs on the system that could break the system. Something that is working fine in the previous system, if we upgrade it, it could break it. Fortinet should work a lot on this to remediate it before releasing any OS. This includes any update and upgrade of FortiOS because I have seen issues when I upgraded, such as the memory and CPU jumping to 100 percent, and some or all functions were not operational. These bugs should be fixed in the firmware.
If there is a need for some upgrade or update on an existing system then I will plan ahead, but if it is not stable I will not do it. We have new releases being tested now and once they are rated stable I will upgrade.
How are customer service and support?
I have found the support from Fortinet FortiGate very poor. I do not use them anymore because they are not very good. This is based on the support I have received from South Africa and India. However, the support from France I have heard was excellent. I only open support tickets for bugs.
I would rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate a two out of five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used SonicWall, Sophos, Juniper, and Cisco Meraki.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was straightforward.
The time it takes to implement a firewall a large and small firewall is the same. It does not matter the size of the firewall. The complexity comes from the network and the scope of work that we need to do for the customer on the network.
If it is a large network, it will take us more time to deploy it, because there is more to configure. If it is a small network, it will take less time, but configuration-wise, it's likely the same.
What about the implementation team?
I have deployed Fortinet FortiGate on my own. I have never needed help from any third-party consultant, or integrator. I work as a consultant and integrator for other companies. I provide my service as a consultant.
Fortinet FortiGate doesn't require a lot of maintenance if you deploy the system correctly, it will run well. However, you do need to have some security checks, auditing, and cleanup of the system, every month. It depends on the company policies.
If you already deployed the solution correctly you should not have an issue. Maintenance is required, we do have some customers that are doing morning checks on memory and CPU, it does not take much time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license for Fortinet FortiGate is affordable in my country.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-03-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1798890 from
Good support, simple to manage, and comes with lots of functionalities
What is our primary use case?
It is mainly for the SD-WAN network.
What is most valuable?
It is simple to manage, and there are a lot of functionalities in the same box.
What needs improvement?
At the moment, we are having some problems with IP multicast.
We would like to have the ability to disable some of the security functionalities.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. We didn't have any performance issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good.
How was the initial setup?
Its setup is easy.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this product. We are very satisfied with this product.
I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2022-03-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Rehan Khurram from
Straightforward policies, flexible, and high availability
What is our primary use case?
In my company, I'm using SSL VPN to connect external users who connect to our firewall to do some maintenance work. We have approximately 50 sites in our company and most of them are using Fortinet FortiGate.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features are ease of use, flexibility, and most of the configuration we can be done using the GUI. When we compare Fortinet FortiGate with other solutions the firewall policy are very easy to understand.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate has worked very well for what we are using it for. The stability is very good. It has very high availability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
When we cluster the two Fortinet FortiGate boxes together we have some issues.
When one of the boxes is active, we can't see the HA box in the same console.
How are customer service and support?
We have not used the support from Fortinet FortiGate. We do all the support of the solution internally.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was very simple and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
JeanSpiteri from
Simple to use, has less complications and is very straightforward
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall that protects your assets and data. We have 15 people using this solution. I am an infrastructure engineer. We require 3 people to maintain the solution.
What is most valuable?
What I like about this solution is that it is simple to use, has less complications and is very straightforward. Their interface is very easy to use, it is without bugs.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet Fortigate could benefit by simplifying some of their processes. For example, if you are using Cisco, and you want to find a source and a destination, you type the IP of the source and then the IP of the destination. Cisco will find any denied packet by highlighting it in yellow. To access it with Cisco, all you need to do is right click. FortiGate is not that simple.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 4 months. I am taking a course regarding this solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had been using Cisco and Firepower prior to FortiGate. FortiGate is easier to use. We encountered a lot of problems when we integrated Firepower on Cisco devices.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is very straightforward. I would give it a 5 out 5 on ease of setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Currently, we have not added licenses for all the features we want. For example, we do not have intrusion prevention and detection.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Fortinet FortiGate, it is a good firewall, especially for beginners because of its ease of use.
I would rate the solution an 8 out 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Costa Mitsios from
Useful URL filtering, scalable, and quick installation
What is our primary use case?
I am using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall appliance.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is URL filtering.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve the user interface. There should be more functionality and options through the GUI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I used Fortinet FortiGate within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be scalable. We have not had any problems.
We have approximately 150 people using Fortinet FortiGate in my organization. Everyone is using it.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the technical support from Fortinet FortiGate a three out of five.
There is room for improvement.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used many other solutions, such as Check Point and Cisco Firepower. I have found Fortinet FortiGate is much easier to configure. However, some others solutions have more functionality, such as Check Point and Cisco Firepower.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.
If we properly designed the installation beforehand, the installation would take us 10 to 15 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are on an annual license to use Fortinet FortiGate.
I rate the price of Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-04-12T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Thendo Ndzimeni from
Secure, multifeatured, and user-friendly solution for protecting networks
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for web filtering, IPS reporting, and firewall policy routing.
What is most valuable?
What we like about Fortinet FortiGate is that it's fast. You can also use it immediately, e.g. you don't have to wait and apply the policy before you can use it. It's robust and offers immediate usage, unlike Check Point, which we noticed was a slow product.
Fortinet FortiGate is also more secure, depending on how you set up the SD-WAN technology.
We also like the zero trust access, arrays, and the EDR features on this product. It's also 100% more user-friendly, e.g. even when I worked with them configuration-wise. The availability of the support hotline and their knowledgebase articles, e.g. the Cookbook, help a lot. Those articles are accessible to everyone, and they're free.
Whenever you implement a solution, you can run through Cookbook, then you can install the Fortinet certificate if you aren't able to, if you're stuck, but most of the time you are likely to get it right. The Cookbook explain everything straight to the point, and this makes it much easier.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate can be integrated with different platforms. They have integrations in place, but I can't say they're 100%.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used Fortinet FortiGate for three years, and the last time I used it was last year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable. It's a powerful product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable product.
How was the initial setup?
Installing Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward. The Cookbook tells you where the issue is, then the packs that come with the software, they are quick to advise on what bugs you can expect, and how those bugs can be fixed. I enjoyed installing the product.
The initial setup for Fortinet FortiGate took less than a week. We spent another week migrating the policy, or recreating the policies on the new object, because of the incompatibility with Check Point. We had to recreate the policies, otherwise, the change was quick, and we just had to mount them and connect the HA link and the other internet link. The setup was quick.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product has different licensing models, depending on what you're going to do. For the IoT service, initially the program was for free, then the IoT service and the mix firmware that we had, we had to pay.
Services are separate in terms of Fortinet FortiGate license models, e.g. you could have IPS, AV scanning on high availability, etc. The license could be on annual renewal.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Check Point, but my problem was that it was too slow to install, and you have to wait long while your environment is down. With Fortinet FortiGate, it was instant. Fortinet FortiGate is very easy to install, unlike Check Point. Fortinet FortiGate is a better product.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with Fortinet FortiGate. I used to manage the product in the past, but in a different company. I transferred to another company into a new position, and Fortinet FortiGate is being used in my current company.
This product can be deployed both on-premises and on cloud. We use version 300E for on-premises, and VM04 on cloud.
They are doing a lot of things to improve Fortinet FortiGate, that I can't think of anything else I'd like added to it. There's zero trust access, the EDR, and the arrays. I can't really say that there's anything that they have not started. They're able to provide what I want.
We started with 100 users of Fortinet FortiGate in the company, then it went up to 270 users, because we also had a child company with end users of this product.
We didn't have to contact technical support for Fortinet FortiGate, because we had a third-party guy who was helping us, and we seldom contact him. If we find an issue, we just email, and he'll write back to us. We also get advise on the old firmware, for example, that there's a higher chance it's static and could be affected by vulnerabilities. Any help was done quickly, and it was nice. Nowadays, we are doing all the work, e.g. not having to contact our third-party guy.
We don't really need a team for deployment and maintenance. There's another engineer we're sharing ideas with, otherwise, deployment and maintenance are both very straightforward. You just need to know what you're doing, e.g. a good path, IPsec channels, etc., and it'll be much easier.
I can recommend Fortinet FortiGate to others, especially because I understand it the most now. We do know everybody won't choose it, because Check Point, Cisco, and other competitors are coming up with robust devices. Everyone wants to win against their competitors, but I'm happy with FortiGate. It's a product I can recommend to others.
I'm rating Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten, because it doesn't give me any issues. It's very easy for me to rate it a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mohamed El-Sherbini from
Easy to use UI, excellent support, and simple implementation
What is our primary use case?
I am using Fortinet FortiGate for security on all devices, VPN, and IPsec.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the ease of use and the UI. It has always provided me with what I needed. I have no need for additional costs that other solutions have, such as Sophos.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate should improve the VPN tokens.
The upgrades should be reviewed more frequently, such as daily, to avoid any corruption or issues that can happen, without losing my VPN client. We should not need to downgrade the solution to fix the problems until the Fortinet FortiGate support solves it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be scalable.
Fortinet FortiGate is good for medium to large-sized enterprises.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Fortinet FortiGate is amazing.
How was the initial setup?
The setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
I am able to do the implementation myself. There is no need for assistance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license of Fortinet FortiGate should be reduced.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mina Aziz from
Secure, simple implementation, and responsive support
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate can be deployed on the cloud, on-premise, or hybrid setups.
Our clients use Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall for their business.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the rules and quality of service.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having a frequent ask questions(FAQ) area for people to receive quick answers to popular questions. Additionally, it would be beneficial to have an SMS notification feature. For example, if you cannot access your email you could receive an SMS message.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Fortinet FortiGate is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable.
We have approximately 25 people that are using this solution. We do not plan to increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
If we have an issue we can contact support. We have had good experiences with the support from Fortinet FortiGate.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Azure firewalls.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is simple. It is not complex. The whole process took us one day.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of the solutions ourselves.
We have approximately five engineers that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Other firewalls are more expensive than Fortinet FortiGate, such as the Azure firewall.
We are on an annual license and it is approximately 6,000 Egyptian Pound(EGP).
What other advice do I have?
I advise others Fortinet FortiGate has an easy configuration and it does not take much time to learn about the rules that you will need to apply for your company. When you connect to the main server you have high security.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1392267 from
Easy to use, stable, and scalable product that provides protection against internal and external threats
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for the internet, particularly to provide protection against internal and external threats.
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable from Fortinet FortiGate is that it gave us better protection against internet-based threats. Aside from giving us good protection, it is also easy to use, and it's fully automated.
What needs improvement?
An additional feature I'm expecting from Fortinet FortiGate is for it to have an analysis feature, rather than having the analysis done via integration with a different product.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I found Fortinet FortiGate to be a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable product.
How are customer service and support?
I had issues with Fortinet FortiGate more than three years ago, and I opened a support ticket, and we were able to solve the issues. The support for this product was fast.
How was the initial setup?
The installation process for Fortinet FortiGate was very easy. Installation was done by one technician, e.g. one technician was enough.
What about the implementation team?
This product was implemented by a Fortinet partner.
What other advice do I have?
We've been using this version of Fortinet FortiGate: 300E. I also have experience with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer.
We have one technician in charge of the installation, and one manager in charge of managing this product. We have 500 users of Fortinet FortiGate, and we currently have no plans of increasing the number of users.
My recommendation to people looking into implementing this product is that they should use Fortinet FortiAnalyzer with Fortinet FortiGate to analyze the traffic.
My rating for Fortinet FortiGate is nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-22T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
TEDDY LLANO from
Has good inspection and web security features and is useful for SD-WAN purposes
What is our primary use case?
My company is a system integrator in Brazil, and we are also a partner. We mainly use it for SD-WAN purposes. It is being used in the public sector and the commercial sector.
In terms of deployment, some customers deploy it on-premises, and some customers deploy it on the cloud.
What is most valuable?
The inspection and web security features are most valuable.
What needs improvement?
In Brazil, the main problem that we have is related to the protection from various attacks and ransomware in the public sector and the commercial sector. The main focus in Brazil is to deploy a solution to counter-attack ransomware and other attacks.
There can be more security in hybrid implementations. When a customer has a hybrid environment where some parts are in the cloud, we need a consistent security solution for such scenarios.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a 10 out of 10.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner.
Date published: 2022-03-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Anderson Guedes from
Highly scalable, good support, and simple configuration
What is our primary use case?
I use Fortinet FortiGate for my customers to have a secure network.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the simple configuration.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate can improve the integration with Active Directory. Additionally, I would like to have a Cloud Controller, such as they do in the Cisco Meraki solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Fortinet FortiGate is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Cisco solutions previously.
How was the initial setup?
Fortinet FortiGate is simple to implement. We have five engineers and five analysts that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiGate could improve, it is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
Overall Fortinet FortiGate is a good solution.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-03-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sunil Kumar Nair from
Useful intrusion detection, high availability, and robust
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is used as a network firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet has been a Perimeter Security which defends our network from Internet attackers, armed with zero-day exploits of common Internet services like HTTP and SMTP. We applied access-control lists to limit classes of VPN users' access to only what they need as a support team or solution deployers. We Shut off unused network services and defended critical resources first. We Build Internet-style perimeters for partner extranets. We also built secured wireless access.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate UTM has many valuable features, such as application control, advanced persistent threat protection, Web and content filtering, IP reputation, integrated WLAN controller, intrusion prevention system, data loss prevention, and antimalware, antivirus, and antispam. It has security features that are in level with the Firewall technologies that are available in the market.
What needs improvement?
One of the features that I would like to have is endpoint protection, this should be integrated. For example, the firewall gets notified of any kind of forensic event that needs to be done, such as if there is a ransomware attack and how it originated, all those records have to be available from the firewall, which is not.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 6 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate has high availability, which means that we have deployed two firewalls. In case of any failure of a device, the other one will continue to work. Our university stays online 100% of the time.
Fortinet FortiGate is quite robust. I haven't had any kind of hardware issue. The system has been running very smoothly with all the upgrades as far as I have continued my support with Fortinet. We keep renewing the support every year, which gives us the eligibility for all the updates.
How are customer service and support?
I used the Fortinet FortiGate support a long time ago. There was a small feature that was not functioning as per the documentation. When they released the latest firmware and the issue was resolved. They provide prompt support.
I would rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward we had an right person in-house for deploying it. Moreover, If required, Fortinet has its support extended to us. We can approach them anytime and they can assist us with any kind of complicated configuration.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the Fortinet using an in-house Technical support team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a subscription-based model to use Fortinet FortiGate. We pay annually for the solution along with the support. If you want to have all the updates, and security patches you will need to renew your support.
The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable compared to other solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated many other solutions, such as Sophos. If you look at Sophos, it has its own endpoint protection. It keeps a record of each client, what are the threats that have happened on each client level, and if there is a ransomware attack. It blocks it and notifies the firewall. I would be able to see a single dashboard view of what kind of threat has happened and how to mitigate them all.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate is a good solution overall. It is very user-friendly and all the policies are very easy to deploy. I would recommend Fortinet FortiGate to any new users who want to have a secure infrastructure.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
There are some better industry-standard solutions out there in the market, and compared to them, Fortinet FortiGate has to be more flexible enough with their solution to be more competitive.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ashleigh Gilson from
Reliable perimeter firewall with reasonable total cost of ownership over five years
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet as a perimeter firewall. The solution is deployed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
The best feature is the ease of use. I think it's pretty much a well-rounded product. It has more features than we use, but a lot of products are like that. We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well.
What needs improvement?
The logging details need to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Fortinet for about 18 months. We are running the current version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't had a need to scale it, so it provides directly what we need it for.
There are approximately 2,800 users in my organization. The solution doesn't require a lot of staff for maintenance.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good. On a scale of one to five, I would give them a four.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Check Point. We switched because the devices became in the end of support and then we got pricing on the replacement models, and the pricing was a little bit ridiculous for what we needed so we looked into Fortinet.
Fortinet said that they could migrate from Check Point for us or help build an easy migration from Check Point to Fortinet. It wasn't that easy at the end of the day, but it all got done.
The switch was really down to pricing and the functionality that we required, so the decision was made to go with Fortinet because of that and ongoing maintenance costs.
How was the initial setup?
It wasn't complex. It was time-consuming because there were so many rules that had to be set up. We were migrating away from Check Point and going to Fortinet.
Deployment took six weeks.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was completed with a consultant.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is yearly.
We pay for the top end. It's called 360. We get signatures for blacklist. We get signatures for a whole host of different bad actors that search the internet.
It covers the hardwares, software, and it covers the subscriptions to the signatures because the box uses three or four different types of signatures for interrogating inbound and outbound traffic.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.
It does everything we need it to do. We're quite happy with it. It's very reliable. We haven't had any problems with it. We had a few teething problems that everybody has when you first use something new. Everything works, and the majority of time we don't even know it's there, which is the best power for an IT appliance that you can buy.
My advice is that if you haven't tried it, you should try it and see if you like it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ahmad Aloqlah from
Powerful firewall with a user friendly interface and content filtering
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is mainly for firewalls. We tried FortiClient as well and FortiToken, but we mainly use it for the firewall.
The solution is deployed on-prem. We are using the latest version.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the interface, which is very user friendly. We are utilizing most of the features, like content filtering. The firewall is powerful.
What needs improvement?
The renewal price and the availability could be improved. We faced a lot of delivery issues because of the pandemic situation. We are a customer, but sometimes we have sister companies, so we deliver or order a few extra boxes. In these cases we are facing some delays, like three or four months. There are a massive delays in deliveries and they're saying that it's from the vendor itself. I don't know how long this will last or if it's just temporary.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for six to seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. The only issue is the renewal price, which is always higher compared to the purchase price.
We have two people for maintenance from network and security.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have up to 100 users, and we are pretty satisfied. It's stable. We have never had to scale up because of the newest model. We go with C, E, then F, but at the same level, we never had to upgrade the hardware itself to a higher or a bigger model.
How are customer service and support?
We raised a few tickets and issues, and they replied to us. It was pretty good. We have never faced any problems with getting our issues resolved.
How was the initial setup?
It was straightforward. We didn't face any issues.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented through a reseller and it took couple of days. There were some modifications and configurations that took more time, but the core configuration took a couple of days.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The renewal price is always higher compared to the purchase price.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Fortinet is one of our top products, our main products. They have 75% market share, so we cannot ignore the fact that they are in the market, but I need an alternate solution. I don't want to depend on only one vendor, so I think Sophos will be a good option for us.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Yazan Mashal from
Makes it easy to create policies and integrates with Active Directory
What is most valuable?
I like its interface. It is a simple solution. As compared to Sophos, its interface is easier. It is easy to create a policy, and you can easily understand it.
The integration with Active Directory is one of the good features. Most of the customers are now looking for the Single Sign-on feature. So, being able to integrate Active Directory with the firewall is useful. It is also easy.
What needs improvement?
Its reporting and pricing need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is good. It has 90% stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is more expensive than Sophos. Fortinet is overall more expensive than Sophos. The small range of Fortinet, such as 60F and 80F, is more expensive than the small range of Sophos. Sophos is cheaper. In addition, if you jump from 80F Series to 100F Series, the price doubles.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-01-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1136826 from
Great performance and management features
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as a firewall proxy. I'm the company manager.
What is most valuable?
Valuable features include the performance, stability, and virtual domain ability as well as the management that it provides.
What needs improvement?
There are some limitations to the solution such as publishing multiple servers with a single IP. I'd also like to see some improvement in the support system.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for two 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?
I think the scalability could be improved.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is a little slow and needs to be improved.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is reasonably straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Compared to other vendors and other firewalls, the Fortinet pricing is reasonable.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-18T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
LeandroCoelho from
Simple configuration, intuitive graphical interface, and efficient
What is our primary use case?
Depending on the final cost and any additional costs we deploy Fortinet FortiGate in the cloud or we can deploy on-premises in data centers.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is security. They are known for efficiency and are on the top of Gartner Quadrant reviews. Fortinet FortiGate has an easy-to-use platform with a good graphical interface. The configuration is simple and the solution provides an overall good layer of security.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having more storage in the hardware for log data.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately three years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Here in Brazil, we're going through difficult economic times and the tax on the dollar is high. All the solutions from minor competitors are growing in the market. The prices have come more competitive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-28T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MahmoudSaleh from
Stable, good local support, but security features lacking
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a central firewall for our ministry, but nowadays we are preparing to join every site we have to our main data center. Fortinet FortiGate firewall will not satisfy our needs.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the protection, it did not prevent us from being attacked. Additionally, Fortinet FortiGate could provide more features for WAF devices. I should not have to purchase two solutions, it would be a benefit to combine these features into one solution.
The main challenge to IT is hacking, and damaging the network software. Anything that can make a threat to our servers, accounts, VC, from an email or internet connection. We need all companies to make investments to improve the facilities of these devices in order to provide a one-package solution to protect our servers, and systems from any hacking, ransomware, virus, any command, or any other threats. They need to improve all the security features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. The main risk was the devices and systems that the end-users are using, whether inside or outside the network. The VC was not secure enough. This causes some threats to our headquarters servers.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate has limited scalability capabilities. You can't expand these devices. For example, if I was to go from 150 users to approximately 5,000, the CBU capability of the device would not suffice.
How are customer service and support?
The Fortinet FortiGate local partners were good. I did not have direct contact with Fortinet support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was very complex because our connection to other sites that were using different network topology and ISP providers. We have faced a very complex situation. The company takes approximately three to four months in order to make our system stable. Nowadays, we are going to make our provider and network with one subnet to make it easier to maintain, manage, and monitor any attack and threats from any device anywhere. This will allow us to access devices, ports, and switches to be able to take the right action.
Our network was very complicated and we are using different operating systems, databases, applications, and video.
What about the implementation team?
We used Fortinet's local partners that helped maintain our financial and management systems.
We have one to two people that do the maintenance of Fortinet FortiGate.
What was our ROI?
I have not seen a return on investment using Fortinet FortiGate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have the full version of Fortinet FortiGate and we are on a three-year contract with a commitment of five years.
What other advice do I have?
We will be replacing two of our Fortinet FortiGate devices and will move to a solution with better specifications.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-06-10T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Shewraj Anoop from
Good pricing, scalable, and helpful for controlling the traffic
What is our primary use case?
It controls the inflow and outflow of all the communication between different sites and so on.
We are using its latest version.
What is most valuable?
We were looking for the VPN feature and controlling the inflow and outflow of all the traffic within the site and across the sites. We are also using it for the VPN and VLANs.
What needs improvement?
It can be a little bit more user-friendly in terms of policy definition and implementation. It seems a little bit complicated, and it could be simplified.
When there is a change in the IP address from the ISP, there is some disruption in the service. So, we try to do it when we have the least number of people working, which means very late at night. So, for the time being, it is working fine.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for nearly a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Apart from the disruption in the service because of the IP address change, it has been quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are implementing it phase by phase. Initially, we had one VLAN, and then we added more. So, it is quite scalable, and we haven't had issues with it so far. It has been recommended by the vendor that the model that we have would meet our requirements for the time being. In two or three years, depending on how we expand and how many more resources are required, we might have to look at another version of the device.
How was the initial setup?
It was the vendor who did the initial setup. It was done within the time range that was allocated for the setup. My guess is that it was straightforward.
We are still in the process of implementing the solution. The commissioning has not yet been done. What we had previously is now changed to a new solution and a new way of doing things, and this is still in the implementation phase. Our implementation is being done phase-wise. We do things and tune it until we are happy with it, and then we go to the next phase. So far, it's working fine.
What about the implementation team?
We have a relationship with the vendor. We discussed what we wanted to do and finally, we selected the product, and after that, it was installed and configured on our premises.
We have a small team of three or four people for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its pricing is fine. It is on a yearly basis. Other than the licensing fee, there is no extra fee.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-06-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Saurabh-Pal from
It's a reliable solution that's easy to install and cheaper than competitors
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate is a hardware firewall that we deploy for our customers. I work on the system integration team and install whichever solution the clients choose. We also provide support, including maintenance and service. The customers contact us if they have any problems.
The firewalls are deployed on-premise, but you can also implement FortiCloud, which can integrate with public or private cloud platforms. If you have five or six locations in various countries, FortiCloud can provide centralized security support for those offices.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate is on the cheaper end, and it offers good value.
What needs improvement?
Palo Alto has a feature called WildFire Analysis that is unavailable in FortiGate. WildFire is better than a sandbox because it can address zero-day threats and vulnerabilities. It can immediately identify zero-day threats from the cloud.
Fortinet uses a separate solution called FortiSandbox. It needs to download signatures to identify malware, which takes significantly longer. WildFire is a cloud-based platform that collects threat information from users worldwide.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used FortiGate for eight months, but I have worked with Fortinet products, including FortiManager, for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate FortiGate nine out of 10 for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate FortiGate nine out of 10 for scalability. Fortinet sells models that can accommodate more people. You can choose a cheaper model if you only have 20-30 users, but you will need to spend more money for a FortiGate solution that covers 5,000.
How are customer service and support?
I rate Fortinet support eight out of 10. Sometimes, the Level 1 support can't fix the issue, so it needs to be escalated, and we can't get help until the next day. Otherwise, it's okay. Their frontline support can fix most basic issues, but we may need to wait a day or two for special problems.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also deploy Check Point and Palo Alto hardware for my clients. Check Point has been in the Indian market longer. Palo Alto came into the picture about three or four years ago.
In my opinion, Palo Alto is the better solution. It has WildFire Analysis, and you can configure virtual routers within the system, but Fortinet is less expensive. We deploy Check Point for our larger customers. It's more appropriate for multinational companies with 10,000 employees or more.
How was the initial setup?
Deploying FortiGate is straightforward. You have to check with the customers to see if their offices use other devices. Next, you must do the basic configuration and connect all the networks available at the customer's site individually.
The SD-WAN setup is the most time-consuming task because you need to configure the address and service objects. After that, you implement basic policies and connect the office network with Fortinet. Deployment only requires one person.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiGate is on the cheaper end. The price varies depending on the model of appliance you're using. It's affordable for a university or a small business. A firewall typically has a license for three years that includes installation and support, but maintenance is separate.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate eight out of 10. FortiGate is a solid solution, but Palo Alto is the best. I recommend Palo Alto to customers who can afford it. The second best is Check Point. When considering which firewall solution to use, you should look at your budget and the number of users.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-06-14T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Irshad Ali from
Good licensing, saves costs, and provides good security and visibility
What is our primary use case?
I used this solution while working with my last organization. I handled plain firewall deployment as well as SD-WAN deployment.
How has it helped my organization?
I was providing consulting services to various Telco customers. It helped customers save on the cost of highly expensive MPLS links. With the help of Secure SD-WAN, they were able to utilize broadband or even LTE connectivity, which saves costs. That's the flexibility that Secure SD-WAN gives to various customers. In addition to saving costs, they are also able to utilize active-active load balancing, where you can have two parallel links: primary and secondary. The secondary one used to sit idle in traditional scenarios, whereas now, the solution gives you the flexibility to configure both links as active-active, so you can prioritize critical traffic from link one and other traffic from link two. At the same time, you also have the option to maintain redundancy.
Secure SD-WAN is a great way to manage your entire organization network, especially the WAN network. Customers don't have to hop to multiple places. Fortinet has a solution called FortiManager. With the help of that, you can monitor, configure, and maintain your entire organization's network. It's a very convenient option. It's a single pane of glass from a customer's point of view. They don't have to log in to individual devices, and they can see the real traffic. They can see what's coming into the network, what sort of alerts or logs are there, and what sort of applications are being consumed.
Secure SD-WAN doesn't help with tool consolidation, but it's a secure way or mechanism they provide so that if branch users are accessing the internet, they can directly break out from the branch location rather than coming back to the data center. In that way, it improves the user experience while also giving security at the highest level.
I have not interacted much with Secure SD-WAN in terms of API integration or third-party integrations. However, they have pretty good integration with the RADIUS, LDAP, and AD servers. In that way, they have everything in-built. You can make the firewall a DNS server or some sort of DHCP server. Such features are included there. From a security standpoint, they have open API integration with their own SIEM or SOAR solutions. Third-party API integration is also possible, but the API details that are exposed are very limited.
The integrated application protection provided by Secure SD-WAN is a cool feature. They have real-time scanning of the application with the help of SSL inspection. You get to see the real-time traffic of applications, and you can protect your network from harmful websites. They have a signature database for that. This data also gets refreshed. It's a direct feed that the device takes from the central intelligence.
When you have Secure SD-WAN in place, you are more secure from the outside internet. They have a flavor of SASE, but I have not worked on it.
When you have a granular view of your entire network including users and security features being enabled, you get more visibility into your network. You get to know what's coming in and going out. If an administrator sees that some traffic is being hit repetitively from a particular location, functionality is available to block a region, country, or even an IP or domain.
In terms of Secure SD-WAN reducing our mean time to resolve, in the case of issues specific to SD-WAN, I've seen instances where customers can look into the dashboard and inform the support team that this is the issue they are facing. This helps them to have some visibility into these firewalls and isolate the entire issue from the technology perspective; for example, when a wireless client is facing some sort of challenge accessing the internet, whereas some of the wired users are able to access the internet. The testing tools given in the FortiGate GUI dashboard come in handy during troubleshooting. With the very user-friendly interface, it becomes very obvious and easy for any IT guy to simply follow the workflow to resolve any day-to-day operational issues.
What is most valuable?
The security features that they have are quite good. On top of that, their licensing model is quite nice where they don't charge you anything for the SD-WAN functionality for the firewall. The routing and firewall features are also good.
The unified view that they have built into this firewall is good. Within the same dashboard, you get to see the security profiles, the type of traffic that's passing through, the top applications that are being consumed, etc.
It's also very easy to use.
What needs improvement?
I was not looking after the operations part, but sometimes, I did get engaged in some critical activities related to operations. There are some caveats in every product. Tunnel flapping was one of the major things I had seen wherein your internet link remains but your VPN tunnel is down. However, since I got a fix from the TAC team, I have not noticed it, but the customer complained a few times that they couldn't access the internet because of this problem. There were tunnel issues where there was already established connectivity, but at the kernel level, there were some issues. For example, there's a feature for auto-site connectivity wherein whenever it automatically creates a new tunnel, at the kernel level, it also creates an interface. Sometimes, that interface crashes and a new interface could not be created, which results in connectivity loss.
Fortinet has established itself in the SMB market segment. It's doing pretty well in that space, but when it comes to the enterprise segment, they are lagging a little bit. It all boils down to the performance of the hardware. If I enable all of the security features available on my device, the throughput degrades quite a lot. If I have put 10 GBPS of throughput on a firewall and I enable all of these features available, such as IPS or UTM functionalities, the throughput comes down to 1 GBPS.
For how long have I used the solution?
I used Fortinet FortiGate for seven months. I last used it in February of this year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution offers the option of deploying VMs or virtual machines to any public cloud, such as AWS or Azure. It provides such flexibility. If you have any application hosted in the cloud space, you can have a VM spin of the FortiGate over there and have a site-to-site tunnel established, so the scalability is there. Otherwise, at the site level, it's mostly hardware-based work. If you size it properly, then you have the option to expand. You might have chosen a low-end model because of the tight budget. In that case, it's not scalable on a specific site. However, if you have a certain number of sites, for example, if you have 400 of them and you want to expand to 500 or 1,000, there is simply a license that goes at the FortiManager level to support additional devices. FortiManager provides a single pane of management.
I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of scalability.
How are customer service and support?
My experience was not that rewarding. It took me around three hours in total to get a simple issue identified and fixed. I escalated it to their L3 engineer, and after that, I was able to resolve the issue. The entire process took around three hours. First, their initial level person was troubleshooting, then it went to the next level, and then it went to the highest level.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
From the security perspective, I have not used any other solution, but I did have a glance at Cisco's portfolio. Cisco Meraki is one of the solutions that you can compare it with. Others were more specific to the routing and switching domain. I know the concepts and theory of Cisco SD-WAN, but I have not used it in a real environment for any customer.
How was the initial setup?
For one of the clients, it was deployed on the Azure public cloud. Initially, it was not easy. It was complex. Every product and technology requires a certain type of prerequisite, and when you have anything hosted on a public cloud, it becomes a tedious job to get things done quickly because multiple stakeholders are involved in that.
I have deployed Secure SD-WAN specifically for many customers. I find it easy, but you need one person to be at the site for remote connectivity. That person just needs to do the basic configuration. Once the device has IP reachability, you can easily discover it from FortiManager, which is the central controller. So, once you have the device on FortiManager, it takes a few clicks to onboard the device because you already would have a template in place.
The deployment duration depends on the number of sites. For a customer with ten sites, it would take a week's time because there are a lot of dependencies. It also depends on the customer's readiness and availability, but a week's time would be enough for the deployment of ten sites. If there is proper planning in place, you can also deploy 50 sites in a week, but that's something you cannot control from your side because there are a lot of dependencies on the customer and the service provider. If you have to integrate it into a customer's existing network, it becomes quite challenging to make...
Disclaimer: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.Integrator
Date published: 2023-06-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Reviewer:734513 from
Offers superior control and visibility, is affordable, and scalable
What is our primary use case?
In our current data center, we use eight Fortinet firewalls. These firewalls serve multiple tiers of the network, including internet users, server farms, and DMZ ports. This gives us multiple approaches to our system and network. As a result, we are able to receive all reports before the analyzer.
In 2011, we were using a Cisco ASA 5540 fixed firewall. We moved to Fortinet because their UTM appliance was a next-generation firewall that offered more than one solution in a single box. This meant that we could handle the network, server, and client parts of our infrastructure with a single device. We also chose Fortinet because of the ease of its GUI and its ease of implementation in multiple locations. Currently, I have three data centers. We are using a consolidated console with a broader view of the network traffic. This is why we moved to Fortinet. We had previously used Juniper and Cisco, but we found that Fortinet offered a better solution for our needs.
We deployed the solution on-premises because, while the private sector in Kuwait has begun to move to the cloud, government entities are not permitted to do so.
How has it helped my organization?
I started with the firewall module, and we were using multiple boxes for multiple functions. I was using a Juniper SSL VPN. They came to us with a single-box solution that included SSL VPN, so we moved to that. Then they came up with client endpoint security, and we moved to that as well. They also introduced web filtering in Fortinet, so we moved to that as well. All of the technology that we were using previously on separate consoles is now consolidated into a single console. I can see the beauty of this product in that it has a single console that manages all of the facilities on one web page.
What is most valuable?
The firewall is top-notch. We are using SSL VPN.
What needs improvement?
When we first started, Fortinet was using a single appliance with a firewall module in the region. They later came up with many different solutions. I have also used FortiDB, but it has been discontinued. We have since removed it. We are looking forward to Fortinet considering a sandboxing solution. This would allow us to secure our database at that layer. I see the database area as being weaker. I would suggest that Fortinet add sandboxing to their solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable which is why we have stuck with it for almost 12 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. In 2016, we scaled our system to ensure that we would have enough capacity for the next five to seven years. We are currently only utilizing 25 percent of the hardware processing.
We have around 900 users on our networks per second with a total active directory of 7,000.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support in our region is excellent. There are three levels of support. I remember one time when my problem was not resolved by level one or level two, so it was escalated to level three which was awesome. The level three technician was able to understand the issue quickly by reviewing the chain of email logs and the available information.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Juniper and Cisco firewalls before switching to Fortinet FortiGate. We were drawn to Fortinet because of its superior control and visibility, as well as its high availability, throughput, and durability. Fortinet's FortiGate firewalls are ASIC-based, which makes them more reliable and efficient than other solutions. As a result, we were able to handle more traffic with Fortinet than with any other vendor.
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment was complex. We started with a low-level design, discussing with the vendor that we had a certain number of firewalls and concurrent sessions available on the network, and that we had remote sites. We began by implementing the boxes in the data center, then the main data center headquarters, and then the campus network, which has its own data center with a firewall module. We later installed it in one of our accessory branches in their data center. The installation was done in phases.
When the high-level design was in place, we began migrating the configuration. We used a migration tool from Cisco and Juniper, which was very smooth because it was intelligent enough to take all the network IDs, policies, and source destinations, forward based. This meant that we had fewer challenges when we started the migration.
However, we did encounter some challenges during the migration. These were not due to Fortinet, but rather to the configuration that had been migrated from the other vendor. We resolved these challenges by manually checking each policy one by one, and the issue was rectified within a couple of days.
A total of four people were involved in the deployment. Two people from our organization, one from the vendor, and one from the partner. We have to go through our partner to access the vendor.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed by the vendor.
What was our ROI?
Fortinet FortiGate's features and price have provided a return on investment for our organization.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is a bit more expensive than the others but Fortinet is the best in the region. They have a good hold on the market because they are everywhere.
We pay for support and licensing fees.
I give the pricing a nine out of ten.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Palo Alto Networks, but they did not have a presence in our region, so we did not move forward with them. We also evaluated Check Point, but it is not a government-approved solution in our region.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Fortinet FortiGate has good regional support. One of the best things about this solution is that Fortinet doesn't disappear after the sale. They keep engaging us with new technologies. For example, they recently engaged us with a SIEM and SOAR solution that allows me to have a single console for all of my security needs. I have a plan to move to this solution and consolidate all of my firewalls into a single FortiManager. This will allow me to have a more secure and efficient network.
Fortinet is not as focused on cybersecurity as some other companies, but they are very strong in network security. They are constantly coming up with new and innovative solutions that help us to protect our networks. I am very happy with Fortinet FortiGate and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and secure network solution.
We have deployed the solution in multiple locations.
Our partner is involved in maintenance, especially when a new FortiOS is released. We engage the vendor to understand the maintenance requirements, such as stability and any potential risks. We follow the vendor's recommendations and perform maintenance accordingly. We also use FortiAnalyzer to manage our logs. We delete old logs in accordance with government policy, which requires six months of data to be kept. We take care to ensure that maintenance does not affect these logs.
Fortinet FortiGate is one of the best and most affordable solutions with top-notch technology on the market. We get something that is both cheaper and of good quality with Fortinet FortiGate. Fortinet submitted the lowest-priced bid and met all of our technical requirements.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2023-06-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Philimon Kaitano from
Offers a unified view, and is user-friendly, but the support has room for improvement
What is our primary use case?
We implemented Fortinet FortiGate SD-WAN for a small company that had two internet service providers. The goal was to configure the two links to operate independently, ensuring that they don't share the load. This way, when one link reaches a certain threshold, we can seamlessly switch to the other without any issues.
How has it helped my organization?
We have FortiManager, which enables us to have a unified view for monitoring and managing our devices centrally, as well as dispatching policies.
The solution enables us to consolidate tools and applications and manage them all through FortiManager. You can configure your SD-WAN from Forti Manager, which gives you management functionality.
The interoperability of the solutions is good because it allows for compatibility with brands other than Fortinet, and we don't encounter issues with it.
FortiGate SD-WAN facilitated a smooth transition for our customers between their two internet service providers, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity without any downtime.
The solution has helped us remediate threats more quickly by enabling real-time monitoring of both links, providing complete visibility into our end links. You can monitor both links on one platform. It's just one single pane of glass where you watch in real-time what is happening. It's easy to manage that way. It helps you to easily remediate issues.
As long as our policies are granular we are able to use the solution to reduce our MTTD.
The solution has helped to reduce our MTTR from what used to be five minutes down to 45 seconds.
The solution has helped to reduce the number of help desk tickets because it is now extremely rare for both links to be down simultaneously.
SD-WAN, regardless of the OEM being used, is a beneficial technology that is increasingly adopted by businesses due to its positive impact on business security. It allows us to maintain uninterrupted operations without concerns about past issues.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The support we receive when we need to upgrade is not satisfactory and has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and we have not had any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good, but they take a long time to respond and resolve the issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have also used Cisco, whose systems are robust and rarely experience downtime. However, with Fortinet, their licensing is highly competitive in terms of pricing. Cisco is primarily geared towards enterprise-level companies, but the learning curve for Cisco is higher compared to Fortinet.
Fortinet's price is very competitive compared to when you look at other brands of equal functionality. The hardware and licensing are compared to the others. It's also simple to use.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. I did the deployment and didn't have any issues with it. It took one day to complete.
What was our ROI?
The solution provides value and, therefore, offers a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality. Fortinet FortiGate is more affordable both in terms of hardware and licensing, in comparison to its competitors.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
I recommend FortiGate SD-WAN because it is easy to implement and simple to use.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-06-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Prasanth P. from
Provides solid protection against viruses, malware, and other threats
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate for our firewall. We have a typical business environment that includes end-user workstations, an ERP, web hosting solutions, etc. It's around 600 endpoints.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate improved our security. It's one of the best hardware firewalls. We're secured against various outside threats. It's hard to know how effective a firewall is if you aren't experiencing attacks. We haven't been affected, so we've seen the benefits of the solution from day one.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate provides solid protection against viruses, malware, and other threats.
What needs improvement?
It would be nice if FortiGate incorporated some built-in endpoint protection features. I would also like a built-in SOC dashboard for managing multiple Fortinet firewalls.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used FortiGate for five years, including my work at my previous company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate could be more scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used Cisco firewalls previously. FortiGate is a little better in terms of web protection, but it's more expensive.
How was the initial setup?
We had professional services deploy FortiGate. For maintenance, we have an annual maintenance contract, and there are periodic firmware upgrades. A network admin is responsible for maintenance.
What was our ROI?
We've seen a return in the form of greater security and threat protection.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiGate is a little expensive. In addition to hardware and licensing, there are some implementation and maintenance costs.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten. I would recommend FortiGate, but Cisco is one of the best. The biggest lesson I've learned from using FortiGate is that it's crucial to install and maintain the solution properly.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.customer
Date published: 2023-06-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Bora Kaptanoglu from
Competitively priced solution with excellent threat intelligence
How has it helped my organization?
Fortigate's threat intelligence service has improved how our organization functions.
What is most valuable?
Fortigate's most valuable feature is that it doesn't need a push policy when writing rules.
What needs improvement?
Fortigate's hardware capacities could be improved. In the next release, Fortigate should include SSL decryption.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using FortiGate for almost seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortigate's stability is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy and took around half a day.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortigate's pricing is competitive.
What other advice do I have?
I would give Fortigate a rating of eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Raphael Nwosu from
Increases operation efficiency, offers integrated application protection, and has excellent support
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security. I've deployed it for some customers for protection. It is used for firewalls. I have experience with the secure SD-WAN version.
How has it helped my organization?
Our customers are happy, and when they are happy, it means they are happy with us. It helps our organization. Many customers are migrating to this solution as it increases efficiency.
What is most valuable?
The security fabric is excellent. It's great on Fortinet, generally.
It is easy to deploy.
Our impression of a unified view of NetOps and SecOps is positive. It has a single pane of glass. It's excellent and very effective. We've been quite impressed with the visibility on the devices. We've been happy with it.
The integrated application protection provided by the solution is good. It's worth the investment. However, it does depend on how you apply it. It can help save on costs, depending on the setup. If you have it in a bank environment, each individual bank would have its own devices, and you can optimize everything. You can have some of the connections go direct from one customer to another. You can save a lot of money with a specific setup.
It's helped out operational efficiency. It helps us waste less time. A typical scenario helps us save time. Having a good connection at the head office allows other offices to maintain a good connection as well. It also has normal security features and more to help keep us safe while staying connected.
We can remediate threats more quickly. We have a single pane of glass that helps simplify the protection and visibility. We can monitor other components, even Macs or data centers. We can address items automatically, no matter where they are located. Visibility really helps.
It is helped us to reduce the mean time to detect. It can reduce the time to locate and detect effectively. It is remarkably shorter when using Fortinet. It's also reduced the time it takes to resolve problems.
The solution has helped us reduce Help Desk tickets.
We have been able to future-proof businesses with branches. We don't have branches in our office. However, we have seen benefits ourselves in terms such as load balancing, et cetera. A fiber connection helps ensure backups are seamless. We can run a backup at less cost, and knowing that we have a backup help with peace of mind. Accessing a secure network ensures this.
What needs improvement?
I haven't had a single issue since using Fortinet.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution since 2018.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is always top-notch. I always get good support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty easy. It was not difficult.
Everything I did was in one day. If I have to do some fine-tuning, that takes a little bit longer. Typically, one day is enough to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is moderate. You get good value for money. Of course, any solution could be less expensive. For a company like ours, we'd always like to pay less.
What other advice do I have?
We are partners with Fortinet. We also use the solution ourselves.
Assessing the secure SD-WAN with its interoperability with other systems is hard to say. I've not deployed it with other OEMS as of yet. We haven't consolidated any tools or applications as of yet.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten overall.
I'd recommend the solution to others.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:customer/partner
Date published: 2023-04-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Moeed Mahmood from
Great for intrusion prevention, with a great pipe filter application
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for social network blocking and for unusual applications in our network as well as for intrusion prevention. We are a department store.
How has it helped my organization?
This product has made it easier to secure our network.
What is most valuable?
The pipe filter application is an outstanding feature. The hardware processors are also very impressive. In general, this is an easy-to-use application, with a user-friendly interface. If you have any issues, Fortinet has a support library where you can search for videos and documentation. If you want to configure anything and you're unsure about it, the solution is in the videos. If a single link fails, it automatically connects to a secondary one and that's saved me a lot of time as I would have previously had to deal with it manually. Fortigate blocks unusual traffic and therefore secures our network. Third-party integrations are good.
What needs improvement?
The updates Fortinet provides are sometimes unstable. We have to check everything thoroughly before any upgrade.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using this solution for seven years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. The processor, the microprocessor and the security processors are very intelligent so they can scale significantly and manage that well.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and easy to manage. There is no maintenance required.
What was our ROI?
We've seen a return on our investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is a very comprehensive solution but the cost is quite high.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated several options before going with Fortinet.
What other advice do I have?
I think this is the best solution of its kind on the market and I rate it nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-03T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Nicholas Chan from
Provides great firewall security and has good VPN features
What is our primary use case?
The case of FortiGate is for firewall and VPN connection. We are partners and resellers of Fortinet and I'm a director. Our company is based in Malaysia.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate has improved our operational efficiency.
What is most valuable?
The solution provides good firewall security and has great VPN features. The product is generally very simple to deploy and is quite flexible.
What needs improvement?
They need to improve features related to mobiles with more and more customers adopting that as their way to manage things. They need to look to the future with their features and meet filtering requirements which the solution cannot currently do.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 10 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?
The product is not scalable.
How are customer service and support?
We are self-sufficient in terms of support.
How was the initial setup?
Initial deployments can be complex depending on the customer's requirements. Implementation can take up to a couple of days. There aren't usually too many issues. The solution requires some maintenance, mainly monitoring.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing costs are reasonable. You get value for your money.
What other advice do I have?
It's important to understand your customer's requirements. Once we work that out we then do a round of checks on the security vulnerabilities.
I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-03-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Esubalew-Berihun from
Easy to manage with reasonable pricing and good monitoring
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security purposes. We use it as a firewall for protection.
How has it helped my organization?
It helps protect our users, and we are able to initiate our own policies. It also provided good visibility and reporting.
What is most valuable?
The management is very easy.
It offers very good security features.
The reporting and monitoring are very good.
We can integrate the solution very well with other Fortigate solutions.
It's stable and reliable.
The solution can scale.
Pricing is reasonable.
What needs improvement?
We do not need any other features.
We'd like more management across other integrations. It would be ideal if it could centralize the management, and we could therefore manage all solutions under Fortinet instead of managing everything individually.
In some cases, depending on the module and the age, performance could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 800 end users, approximately.
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been fine. However, we haven't really dealt with them too much. We haven't had any critical issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use other Fortinet products, including the NFGW.
We also work with Cisco devices and solutions.
We have worked with Palo Alto in the past. It has a pretty good performance.
In the end, we moved to Fortinet as the cost was very good.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very simple. The process is easy to understand. It's not complex at all.
I helped deploy the solution. We had to integrate it with internal and external firewalls.
We had the full functionality in place within five days. We had five people managing the deployment process.
What about the implementation team?
I integrated the solution myself without outside help.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost of the solution is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I'm an end-user.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-11T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2152560 from
Challenging licensing model and process
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is for security purposes, mainly at the gateway level and for internal security, such as virtual training. We also use it for cybersecurity and internal communication, like having a portal. The main goal of implementing the product is to resolve security problems.
How has it helped my organization?
We have seen benefits. Recently, Sophos Firewalls and Palantir have also entered the market. However, FortiGate provides a higher throughput at a lower cost than these features and licensing. Our company acts as an integrator, and we work based on the customer's needs and requirements.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use. Anyone can easily maintain the box in small to large organizations. Even if we configure and hand it over to them, they can easily consider and register policies. And it's easy to monitor the end-to-end network through the firewall.
What needs improvement?
There are mainly two areas of improvement in Fortinet FortiGate— the licensing cost and the timing of upgrading licenses for boxes. FortiGate's renewal cost is quite high, and our customer care team also receives complaints about it. The renewal part of the firewall is expensive. If a customer pays for the license in advance, they may lose their privileges.
For example, if the license of a box expires in one or two months, and the customer wants to upgrade, there are three to four months between the operation and the end of the current license. If I purchase a new license, it will only take effect from that date. So, it fails in the backward fetch, and I am currently busy setting it up. But if the customer is not processing the card for six months, they will not benefit from the system.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate stability a nine out of ten. It's a stable product. For the most part, it's very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is also a scalable solution. However, as integrators, the scalability depends on us. There are many options available, and we can choose the size of the box based on our requirements.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are very good. Once we create a ticket, we can contact them using the ticket number, and they will provide the support we need. As for the contact names, there is no rate, but there are more challenges.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used Sophos Firewall, Check Point Power EOL, and others. But none of them were like FortiGate. When we upgrade the license, it shows another one, two or three years from that date.
How was the initial setup?
There are no challenges in the initial setup. The people required to deploy the situation are based on the customer's expertise. We handle various types of configurations, and sometimes there are additional requirements with load balancers on top of the firewalls. We need to integrate these firewalls with that ALG.
Generally, we consider security as a separate thing. These firewalls and the LOBs will take care of some further issues based on the customer's requirements. For smaller organizations, one person can provide or ensure a sort of service. We will need three more administrators or developers if there is more traffic or high-cost tech.
What about the implementation team?
Generally, most of the customers maintain their solution on-premises, not on the cloud. I am a technical guy. I am involved in deploying the solution to our customers. I take care of the HCLM upgrade, inflation rate consideration, automation, and other technical aspects of the solution.
We evaluate the area first and then proceed with the implementation by creating a DMZ zone and policies such as CRM and CAP.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiGate is a bit pricey, but its unique features and specifications make it an excellent option for certain customers.
As an integrator, we have observed that the licensing cost and the upgrade process are important considerations. When we purchase a new license for one or three years and upgrade it to the existing box, the expiry date does not change from the original. It can create a gap of three, eight, or even twelve months for the customer. Consequently, they buy another box instead of going through the ticket process to get it fixed.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We definitely explore the options. We always understand the customer's requirements first and then offer solutions accordingly. We ask what the customer needs and what their budget is. If their budget is INR 10,00,000, and we find a product that matches their requirements, we will offer it. If FortiGate provides the same features and throughput but costs INR 11,00,000, we might still offer it to the customer. However, if FortiGate doesn't match the customer's requirements, we won't suggest it.
So the main differences between products are the features and specifications. If a product has the same throughput and features as another product but costs more, we may not suggest it to the customer.
What other advice do I have?
The challenge is licensing. Hardware-wise, it's supportive, and the support is good. But the licensing and renewal costs should be lowered, and renewing the license and data for the new license is tough. So, only for licensing, we face challenges. I would rate it a seven.
We have many boxes, and we have changed all the boxes to other products because of this licensing factor only. Even for FortiGate, such a thing happens. If I have a hundred boxes and I want to renew the license, they suggest taking new boxes with three or four at least. So that is why customers are not liking FortiGate. They could provide the same license card along with the box, which is why customers are unhappy.
Overall, the product is a four out of ten because scalability, box performance, and support are all great. However, once it's commercially used, you can only use this box; no other options are available.
We can recommend it, but FortiGate's ability to capture the market, fix the order, and meet the requirements or opportunities is also important. As an integrator, we don't have any issues with it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Date published: 2023-04-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
FirasHamdan from
Reliable with lots of features and good security
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security purposes and for UTM web profile applications.
What is most valuable?
There are a variety of features on offer.
It helps protect endpoints.
The wireless control is helpful.
It is scalable and extends well.
The solution is stable and reliable.
Technical support is helpful and responsive.
What needs improvement?
The pricing could always be better. It is very expensive.
We'd like to see Fortgate include WAF services.
The maintenance of the product can be a bit difficult.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is pretty stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable product.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good. They are easy to work with. We've been satisfied with the level of support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used Sophos and CyberArk. Sophos has a few more services, such as WAF services.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is moderate. It depends on the client's requirements.
We typically can deploy the solution within two or three days. We have a security engineer that handles the initial setup.
It does require some maintenance, and that can be a bit difficult.
What about the implementation team?
We implement the solution for our clients.
What was our ROI?
We have witnessed a bit of an ROI, even though it is an expensive solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is quite pricey.
What other advice do I have?
I am an end-user and work in configuration and support for a partner.
I'm working with the latest version of the solution.
Overall, I would rate the solution ten out of ten. I am very satisfied with the product as a whole. I'd recommend the solution to others. It's easy to start working with it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-04-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mahmut Catak from
The software interface is user-friendly
What is our primary use case?
We are security consultants who deploy FortiGate at 30 to 40 companies. Our clients vary in size, with one to five locations.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate has a user-friendly software interface.
What needs improvement?
The latest version of SD-WAN firmware is unstable. We have to use version 6.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The latest firmware isn't stable, so we use an older version.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I rate Fortinet support nine out of 10. We don't typically need support, but we have opened a few tickets. Our local support in Turkey isn't helpful, so we usually open a case with Fortinet's global support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use SonicWall, but we also deploy FortiGate for many clients.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up FortiGate is straightforward. I recently migrated from SonicWall to FortiGate at five locations in one day. After deployment, we maintain the Fortinet products for our clients, which includes upgrading the FortiGate firewalls according to best practices. A five-person networking team is responsible for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't know the exact price, but I think FortiGate is expensive. However, it isn't the most expensive solution. Check Point costs more.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Date published: 2023-04-15T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ubeyd Kara from
They're easy to manage and more affordable than competing solutions, but there are some stability issues
What is our primary use case?
The use case varies depending on the customer, but we use all of FortiGate's features, including policies, web filtering, routing, etc.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate firewalls are easy to manage through a user-friendly web interface. They also have advanced features like DDoS and DLP. However, I wouldn't recommend enabling all these features on one device because it can cause performance issues.
What needs improvement?
We sometimes have issues with FortiGate's routing table in the latest firmware update. We had to downgrade the device because our customers complained about bugs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet for nearly ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate FortiGate an eight out of ten for stability. It is less stable than Palo Alto Networks and Check Point firewalls because there are lots of bugs in the latest firmware.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I rate Fortinet's support a seven out of ten. We had to open several tickets due to the firmware bugs. We don't have an issue with the support team. It's more of a problem with the testers and developers.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have also used Palo Alto and Check Point firewalls. Fortinet firewalls are cheaper and easier to manage. Palo Alto is more complex and harder to use, but it's more stable than FortiGate. Palo Alto doesn't didn't have as many models for small and medium-sized enterprises.
How was the initial setup?
FortiGate is easy to deploy. The deployment time varies depending on the customer's network topology. How many policies does the customer require, and what kind of license do they have? FortiGate is easier than Palo Alto Networks and Check Point and takes less time.
We typically start by analyzing the customer's topology and understanding their requirements, including policies, routines, etc. We implement the device once we know what the customer needs. One engineer is usually enough to deploy FortiGate in a small or medium-sized environment.
An enterprise project requires a more detailed analysis of the network requirements before implementation. That can take two or three days. Once we understand the network, it may take another two or three days to configure the device and one or two days to implement it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet has more device options that are affordable for small businesses than Palo Alto, and its enterprise-level models are also cheaper. Palo Alto also has a separate license for VPN connections and SD-WAN, but FortiGate offers these standard features.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven and a half out of ten. I deducted a few points because of the device's capacity, stability, support, and routing table issues. I strongly recommend FortiGate if a customer wants to use SD-WAN. Before implementing, you should understand the network's topology to minimize unwanted issues.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-05-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer2129880 from
Is easy to integrate and configure with our ERP and other applications
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate to prevent intruder connections to our internal network.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate's unified view around network operations and security operations is good.
The solution is easy to integrate and configure with our ERP and other applications. I am satisfied with the integrated application protection provided by Fortinet FortiGate.
The Fortinet FortiGate 60E Series resolved the bottleneck problem and CPU usage that was previously experienced with the 60D Series. Now, our employees can check their emails without encountering any bottleneck issues, and the CPU usage remains stable at around 50 percent.
We are satisfied with the ability to remediate threats more quickly.
We are pleased with the amount of time saved in detecting our mean time.
What is most valuable?
The signature database and zero-day detection are Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
The Fortinet FortiGate 60D Series poses a problem by causing a bottleneck when several users access their emails simultaneously, as the device consistently consumes 90 percent of the CPU resources.
The reporting could be improved. Currently, without the additional reporting module, we only have access to basic reporting. However, reporting is crucial for network security, and it should be included as a standard feature.
The price and technical support have room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for three years.
How are customer service and support?
The local vendor support needs improvement.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, I have utilized few other brands of NG Firewalls, which offer certain advantages. However, when comparing their price and performance to that of Fortinet FortiGate, Fortinet proves to be a strong competitor.
How was the initial setup?
The time required for a basic deployment is roughly three weeks, whereas a full deployment involving customizations and optimization of rules and policies may take up to two and a half months.
What was our ROI?
We experienced a return on our investment, however, when it comes to security, it is challenging to determine a precise value.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is high compared to some of the other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
We saw time to value within the first month of using Fortinet FortiGate.
We deployed Fortinet FortiGate in one location and the maintenance was mostly handled by internally and sometimes a third party.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-05-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Anand Navik from
Good threat prevention capabilities, good price, and very easy to deploy and manage
What is our primary use case?
We have deployed this firewall for many companies. Our clients are financial and medical companies.
How has it helped my organization?
It enabled our clients to reach locations and access their applications easily with no latency. It provided ease of access.
What is most valuable?
Its threat prevention capabilities are most valuable.
It's a user-friendly firewall. Most of the tasks are very simple. It's simple to configure and troubleshoot this firewall.
What needs improvement?
The improvement is related to logs. Instead of the CLI, we should be able to have more insights into the logs of the firewall in the GUI.
I faced a lot of issues when I was trying to deploy the firewall through FortiManager. The firewall is stable, but FortiManager is too buggy, and it doesn't work properly. It gives too many errors.
There are some issues with Fortinet SD-WAN. It's quite complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for more than four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable. We have plans to increase its usage.
How are customer service and support?
Most of the time, they are helpful, but there are times when they don't resolve an issue right away. They take the log, and then they take their time to give input on the issue. Most of the time, they take one or two days to get back after analyzing the logs. Instead of that, they can just schedule a session to resolve the issue right away because sometimes the issue impacts the production environment, so we need to resolve that issue as soon as possible. Overall, I'd rate them a six out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have worked with other firewalls. Fortinet FortiGate is better than Palo Alto and Check Point firewalls. It's more user-friendly.
How was the initial setup?
I have deployed it for a bank at a core level. On the perimeter, there was a Palo Alto firewall, and at the core level, we deployed the FortiGate firewall at DC and DR locations. After that, we deployed SD-WAN. We replaced the MPLS switch with the Fortinet SD-WAN device, so the whole branch traffic comes to the SD-WAN box, and from there, it comes to the FortiGate firewall, and then it goes to the Palo Alto firewall for the internet access and resource access. While migrating branches from MPLS to SD-WAN, we did require a maintenance window.
There was no difficulty. It was very user-friendly. I have had many difficulties with the Check Point firewall. I have deployed major projects on the FortiGate firewall. I migrated more than a thousand branches on Fortinet SD-WAN and implemented FortiGate super massive firewalls at DC and DR locations. There were no complexities. Only at one location, I had an issue related to SD-WAN, but my query was resolved by Fortinet's local team.
It's an on-premises firewall for the DC and DR locations. I have never worked on cloud projects, but if there is any opportunity to deploy it on the cloud, I will do it. I have only done on-premises deployment.
What about the implementation team?
I am an implementation engineer. I deployed and configured the whole firewall. I also troubleshot any issues. When I had any queries, they were clarified by Fortinet's engineers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its pricing is good. It's average or normal as compared to Palo Alto and Check Point firewalls.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I didn't evaluate other options.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend this firewall to others. Most of the time, when I do PoCs, I recommend Fortinet FortiGate. It's quite easy to manage and deploy.
I'd rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-05-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
EhabAli from
Scalable, user-friendly, and affordable
What is our primary use case?
There are various use cases for Fortinet FortiGate, including firewall protection for internet access, data centers, branches, and SD-WAN. We use the firewall in multiple locations throughout our network, taking advantage of its many features, such as the promising CDR feature and security profiles like the WAF filter and application DNS security. We deploy these features in different parts of the network. Additionally, some customers use Fortinet FortiGate in the cloud to safeguard their cloud servers within platforms like Microsoft tenants.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly and affordable.
What needs improvement?
In the past, NSS Labs was utilized to test files and verify the numbers and datasheets. It would be beneficial to have an organization or testing lab that can verify the numbers in our datasheets since changes are frequently made, which can be inconvenient for review. For instance, when comparing different competitors such as Forcepoint, Palo Alto, and Check Point, the throughput or numbers in the datasheet may be lower than the actual numbers. Conversely, Fortinet typically reports very high numbers, but they cannot be replicated in the real world. Therefore, it would be advantageous for them to partner with a neutral testing organization such as NSS Labs to validate these numbers, thus providing more credibility and comfort to everyone regarding the accuracy of the datasheets.
For the migration, everyone has a firewall in use and I am selling Fortinet. Typically, I am replacing another firewall. Previously, there was a tool available to convert configurations from one firewall, such as Palo Alto, to Fortinet, but this tool is no longer free. If it could be made free again, it would be very beneficial. This tool shows a lot of promise and is very good. Making it free would help many companies deliver their products in a more efficient and integrated way. It would also be more valuable to include the tool with the firewall package or license instead of having to pay extra for it. Paying extra puts more pressure on small companies to deliver the firewall and complete the configuration, especially if they have hundreds or thousands of policies. It is very painful to move through these policies line by line.
The stability has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes there are issues with the throughput and related factors. Improper handling of these can lead to a memory surge, a well-known bug that can cause the entire system to freeze. When this happens, the system appears to be running but no traffic is processed, causing disruptions to applications, users, and overall internet connectivity. This can be confusing because the firewall appears to be functioning correctly. Typically, the solution is to restart the firewall. However, when we contact support, they require logs before restarting, which can be challenging in urgent situations. As a result, we prioritize quick resolution over troubleshooting. This is a common drawback of the operating system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I give Fortinet FortiGate's scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
While the technical support offered online and on-site is generally effective, there may be occasions when we need to escalate an issue to a higher level due to its complexity.
I initially sought assistance from level-one support, but they were unable to resolve my issue. Eventually, they informed me that the problem would be addressed in a future patch. However, within a day or two, a level three engineer intervened and provided me with an update to resolve the issue. He explained that it required a command line configuration, as it couldn't be done through the graphical user interface. I was impressed with the level-three engineer's expertise and problem-solving skills. It taught me that if we persist and communicate our needs, we can achieve our desired outcomes.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. We need to determine whether the firewall will be positioned in an active-standby or active-active configuration. Based on this decision, we will choose the appropriate license. If the firewall is intended for use with the Internet, we will need to include features such as a full DNS filter. However, if it is being used in a data center, these features may not be necessary. Additionally, we need to consider the speed of the interface, 1G or 10G, and the expected amount of network traffic to properly size the firewall model and ensure proper throughput. This is the initial phase of the process. Once the firewall has been deployed, it is a matter of connecting it and configuring policies.
One person can easily deploy multiple Fortinet products through the firewall including Forti Analyzer for the logs, Forti Manager, and Forti Mail.
What about the implementation team?
We implement the solution for our clients.
What was our ROI?
We have experienced a positive return on investment by utilizing Fortinet's products. For instance, their website features a calculator for SDR, which enables us to measure the actual ROI in dollar amounts. We input our current expenses, the products we intend to purchase, and our connectivity plans, along with a few other details. At the end of the process, we receive data that indicates the amount of money we will save, such as two hundred thousand, for example. This provides us with clear and precise figures on our savings, making it an excellent tool.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price for the solution is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
When purchasing a firewall, stability is non-negotiable. For small to medium businesses, Fortinet's affordability and ease of deployment make it a suitable option. However, for enterprise-level businesses, Palo Alto or Check Point would be preferred for their robust clients and immediate updates, despite the higher cost.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-04-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mike Kajubi from
A reliable and practical solution that assists us in our day-to-day operations
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for basic network security and people accessing through VPN.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate is a reliable and practical solution that assists us in our day-to-day operations.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate's reliability is valuable.
What needs improvement?
I would like some automated custom reporting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has met our requirements. We have around 40 users.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used DrayTek before switching to Fortinet FortiGate which has more features.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Palo Alto Networks, but the cost of the solution and support were higher than Fortinet FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
The maintenance requires one person.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-04-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Guy DEKESSUEDEM from
An easy to handle product that has good user interface
What is most valuable?
The tool is a nice product and easy to handle. The software's user interface is also good. You can easily implement remote access in the solution.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements in the product's application rules.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the tool since 2015.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I did not contact the tool's technical support team because it is very strong and stable.
How was the initial setup?
The tool is easy to deploy.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-04-19T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Leif Thomas from
Outstanding HA Failover capabilities and strong integrated protection with the security fabric
What is our primary use case?
This solution is configured as our primary gateway to the internet in and out of the network.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet delivers high-performance network security solutions that
protects our network, users, and data from continually evolving threats.
What is most valuable?
The features I found most valuable are the high availability rollover/fail-over capabilities. The integration with other Fortinet products is worth a look at the lineup.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for about two years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would say that the scalability possibilities of this solution are first-rate.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In the past, we have used Cisco and WatchGuard Firewalls.
How was the initial setup?
Our model of deployment is on-premises. I would say the initial setup process was complex. Integrating the security fabric with multiple firewalls, FortiClient, and FortiMail was slightly more complex than originally anticipated. The results are great.
What about the implementation team?
Our implementation strategy was to hire vendors with expertise.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-03-30T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Andrei Vaskin from
Feature-rich, affordable, and has good performance
What is our primary use case?
Our customers use these devices as security devices, and we sell these devices to our customers. We also use it ourselves. We have the entire lab, and we use some of the functions in our local network.
How has it helped my organization?
It protects our customers' networks from viruses and threats.
What is most valuable?
The firewall, IPS, and VPN functions are the most valuable features. The antivirus functions are also good.
It works very well. It has a lot of different functionalities. Its cost is also fine for our customers.
What needs improvement?
In some cases, its initial setup could be hard for customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have 10 to 12 years of experience with these devices.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Their devices are quite stable. We have not had any problems with the operating systems or maintenance of subscriptions. It is a robust device.
How are customer service and support?
In most cases, they work very fast. It also depends on the device they are supporting. In the case of FortiGate, we do not have any complaints, but when we had to buy the FortiADC solution for one of our customers, we faced quite a few difficulties with technical support. I do not know why, but it could be that some devices are supported by different teams in Fortinet. We had difficulties with FortiADC, but we have not had any problems with FortiGate. I would rate their support for FortiGate a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We worked with Cisco and Check Point firewalls. We worked with Cisco ASA for a long time. We worked with it for about five years, and we were happy with it, but it was old-fashioned. We went to Fortinet and started working with this company.
FortiGate has good security functions and high-level technical documentation. Their documentation is very easy to understand.
FortiGate's performance is also better than Cisco ASA. It has 10 VDOMs. It is a great function because you can add virtual functions for different groups in your network. It is quite useful.
How was the initial setup?
It is deployed on-premises. Our customers prefer to deploy not only Fortinet devices but all security devices on-premises. They rarely use cloud licenses. Some customers only buy it from us, and for some customers, we also set it up.
Its setup is easy for us, but not every company wants to use our service for setting it up because of the cost. They prefer to install it themselves. In some cases, it could be hard for them.
In terms of the implementation strategy, we first try to understand what problem a customer wants to solve by using FortiGate. We collect a lot of information about a customer's network, such as protocols and devices being used. We try to prepare this device in our local lab. We preload the device and send it to the customer, and then we finalize the installation in the customer's building.
We have very technical staff, and we do not have difficulties with installations. We have had situations where customers do not have much experience with it, and then we recommend them to go for certain features such as IPS, antivirus, etc.
The deployment duration depends on the size of the environment, but generally, it does not take more than one or two months.
What about the implementation team?
Generally, two to three people are required for the deployment.
For maintenance, our customers have technical staff. They regularly check and ensure that all the functions are working. We are glad to help them if they need any help.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI. We have bought a lot of these devices, and we have had a good experience with them. It has saved us a lot of money.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is quite affordable for our customers. There is a separate cost for IPS, antivirus, web filtering, and other features. They have a great choice of licenses. You can go for the license that you want, which is quite useful.
You have to buy a support license for FortiCare. In most cases, people buy the UTM bundle that comes with IPS, web filtering, and FortiCare.
What other advice do I have?
They are on the right path. They have improved a lot over the past 10 years. Fortinet is one of the leaders in security devices along with Cisco, Palo Alto, and Check Point.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten. It is stable. It has quite a lot of features, such as IPS, VPN, etc. It is affordable for our customers. It is a good choice.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Reseller
Date published: 2023-07-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Darrell Elias from
Enables me to easily see the events and make a decision about next steps
What is our primary use case?
It's mainly used to secure our clients' network access because they do not have any servers. The only things we have connected to the FortiGate firewall are access points, CCTVs, and a printer. It's just used for web browsing and internet access.
How has it helped my organization?
It definitely helps with intrusion prevention. When managing a firewall, you need to create policies to dictate the traffic flow within your environment. And once you enforce a policy, it has an intrusion prevention assistant that you can activate, so it's not just acting as a firewall.
Like most next-generation firewalls today, it helps control network traffic. I don't have any problem managing the network traffic within our network. It's very easy to access and manage.
FortiGate has also helped reduce the risk of cyberattacks. If such an attack happened, the main consequences for us would be data breaches, where some of our company's most important information might be leaked and used by other people. That would endanger our production and security.
And with the System Events page, I can easily access and see the events that are happening within the device and the network. It's easy to track if something has happened and, based on that, make a decision about the next step that I should take. I can see if it is severe or if it is just something that is not critical but more than a nuisance. Even in that case, I have to think about the steps that I will take to prevent it from happening again.
Mostly, it's about protecting the internet access of our end users in the production area of our company. It protects us during our web browsing and from internet-related activities.
What is most valuable?
The feature I like most is the SD-WAN. It allows you to manage more than one ISP at the same time. And there is a high-availability mode, so if one of your ISPs is down, you still have a backup.
It also provides us with visibility because we are able to track the IP addresses, as well as the type of device, OS, vendor name, and the name of the devices.
In addition, Fortinet Security Fabric helps us meet regulations and compliance requirements.
The built-in APIs enable us to integrate with different vendors, such as TP-Link and Luigi. We did not have any problems with the integration. It's very easy to configure and connect. This helps reduce deployment time, but that has more to do with network knowledge than with the product. If you're familiar with basic networking, it would be easy for you to understand the application of a certain device and integrate it with the API of your choice.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Fortinet FortiGate for about 10 months.
How are customer service and support?
I would like to see improvements in the support from Fortinet. Here in the Philippines, whenever we have problems with a Fortinet product, we mostly ask for support from distributors and resellers and not directly from Fortinet.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I don't know why our company acquired FortiGate because I'm not the account manager. I'm just the technical person who installed the product. But I can assume they just looked at other companies that are securing their networks and decided to secure their internet access like those companies do.
How was the initial setup?
Including the reconfiguration of the network setup, the deployment took at least five days. But the actual deployment of the device only took one day. There were four people involved.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I have no idea what the difference in pricing is if you buy it from a reseller or distributor compared to Fortinet, or even if Fortinet gives that option. The pricing is justified. It's a little pricey, but what you pay for is what you get.
What other advice do I have?
I can't say how much it has reduced MTTR because I have not experienced any issues with FortiGate.
When I first built the FortiGate firewall, it enabled me to learn more about the network security field.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Reseller
Date published: 2023-11-30T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1959201 from
Promptly addresses security threats and vulnerabilities commonly found in the modern technology world
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for end-to-end advanced firewall protection.
Fortinet FortiGate is deployed both on-premises and in the AWS and Azure clouds.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate makes it extremely easy to manage the entire security system independently of our enterprise. In our company, we operate multiple networks, each with its own distinct layers of networking. Whether it is a small or large company, each network will consist of various layers, including the first, second, and third layers, as well as Wi-Fi access points. Additionally, we have different access switches, distribution switches, and core switches. FortiGate allows for direct management of all these options, which is one of its core advantages.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate is highly user-friendly and promptly addresses security threats and vulnerabilities commonly found in the modern technology world. Additionally, Fortinet offers the latest versions to cater to the needs of enterprises. They provide a range of firewalls, suitable for both small-scale businesses and larger enterprises. Overall, we are quite satisfied with their performance, and it has been working well for us so far.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet should focus on enhancing the capabilities of FortiGate by consolidating its various products, such as FortiGate Cloud, FortiManager, and FortiAnalyzer. Currently, these multiple products often confuse users and clients. It would be beneficial if Fortinet could offer a comprehensive integrated solution instead of separate products that cause user confusion. By providing an integrated solution, users would have access to all features and functionalities within a single window, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple windows. This approach would greatly improve the user experience.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is extremely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate can easily scale using the cloud firewall option.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is exceptional. They are consistently available and prompt in their responses, regardless of the region from which we open the ticket.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Cisco at my previous company and my new company uses FortiGate. FortiGate is better than Cisco. Where Cisco requires a person with great networking or programming knowledge, FortiGate does not. We can manage everything from its user interface. It provides comprehensive security fabric management, including Forti switches and access points. Additionally, FortiGate serves as a gate for our home, allowing us to monitor who enters and exits. Therefore, if we compare it to Cisco, monitoring the entire traffic becomes much easier.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. Fortinet provides step-by-step instructions in its documentation. The Fortinet engineers and support team are always available to assist, but even for a non-technical person, the deployment is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing depends on the FortiGate model we are using, ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 US dollars. We are using the FortiGate 600E, and its price falls within the midrange. The most expensive part is the renewal of the license subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Fortinet FortiGate offers a cloud trial that organizations can use in a test environment to evaluate the solution before making a purchase.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-06-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Abdallah Rukab from
Helps secure the internal network and perform unified threat management, forward filtering, and application control
What is our primary use case?
I use Fortinet FortiGate to secure the internal network and perform unified threat management, forward filtering, and application control. This is crucial for the organizations and products I collaborate with on projects. The solution effectively addresses high availability through SD-WAN load balancing. Additionally, we rely on Fortinet FortiGate to resolve remote access issues for our clients.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate has helped improve our reporting analysis, ease of management, and enhance the security of our environment.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate's ease of management is the most valuable feature.
FortiGate offers numerous features that are designed to assist end users in gaining a clear understanding of the activities occurring within their network.
What needs improvement?
The non-error conserve mode has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of FortiGate an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the scalability of FortiGate a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support has improved compared to the last few times I used it.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I had previously used a different solution but switched to Fortinet FortiGate due to its better price and ease of use.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. Depending on the customer's requirements and environment, the deployment can take anywhere from one day to a couple of weeks and can be completed by a single person.
What about the implementation team?
We implement the solution in-house.
What was our ROI?
I achieve approximately a 30 percent return on investment with FortiGate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet FortiGate is reasonably priced.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Fortinet FortiGate is primarily utilized by medium to large organizations, although it can also be employed by small ones.
In terms of maintaining the solution, updates are typically performed to address bugs.
I highly recommend Fortinet FortiGate to others.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-06-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Özden Aydin from
The secure web gateway module and the application control module are valuable
What is our primary use case?
We use it for the network security operations of our customers. We've many different use cases, such as client security, server security, or DMZ sites.
What is most valuable?
The secure web gateway module and the application control module are valuable. HA operations are very easy.
It's a very easy and simple solution for implementation and integration. I don't have any problems with this solution.
What needs improvement?
Web security solutions can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good. It's generally used in only one place as a standalone, but sometimes, it's used at multiple locations.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good. I'd rate it an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used Palo Alto, which is a good solution for a firewall, and their application signatures are very good.
How was the initial setup?
I was sometimes involved in its deployment. Its deployment was simple for me. It was very simple and easy. It took five to six hours.
It does require maintenance. There are probably one to two people required for its maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is normal. If I compare it with other vendors, such as Palo Alto, it's normal. Palo Alto is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend it to other people. It's good, and in our country, this product is very popular in our sector. It's easy and cheapest.
Overall, I'd rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Reseller
Date published: 2023-06-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
William Nogueira from
Helps reduce our mean time to remediate and our security risk, and provides good visibility into our environment
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is our primary security solution for network communication. It enforces segregation between the IT and OT networks. All communication, integrations, and other traffic between IT and OT must pass through the FortiGate, which inspects and controls it.
FortiGate also serves as our VPN concentrator. Both internal users and partners connect their VPNs to FortiGate. We manage the entire VPN process, including access control and security policies.
All web traffic within the organization flows through the FortiGate for inspection and security controls. We leverage FortiGate's UTM capabilities, including web filtering, intrusion prevention, and application control.
While we have several websites running behind FortiGate, they are primarily static content sites with limited business activity. Therefore, we utilize the basic WAF functionality within FortiGate instead of a dedicated WAF device. This approach has proven effective for our needs due to the low volume of transactions and sensitive data on these websites.
FortiGate also manages communication between our internal IT units. With five units in operation, efficient inter-unit communication is critical. FortiGate ensures secure and controlled data exchange between these units.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate provides us with both visibility and segmentation for our industrial devices. This allows us to achieve good segmentation and also gain a clear view of the assets that reside behind them. Now, if I need to find a specific asset within our industrial environment, I can simply access Fortinet and check the assets listed there. Additionally, FortiGate utilizes sensing technology that identifies the type of each device, further enhancing our overall visibility.
FortiGate helps a lot to reduce the risk of cyberattacks that could disrupt our production.
FortiGate enables centralized management of our organization's network and security operations, providing comprehensive visibility into our environment for proactive threat detection and mitigation.
The effectiveness of our response to a production disruption depends on the affected environment. Some environments have sufficient redundancy to continue operating without the system, while others require immediate intervention. To address this variability, we utilize a strategically deployed FortiGate across all environments. This firewall enforces pre-defined rules to manage traffic and data flow effectively, ensuring that disruptions are minimized and operations continue smoothly.
FortiGate provides us with actionable data, enabling us to make informed decisions. The visibility it grants into the devices operating within our environment empowers us to take timely action and safeguard them.
All our OT traffic traversing to and from our IT environment passes through our Fortinet FortiGate firewall, which helps to reduce our operational expenses.
The security fabric helps reduce our mean time to remediation.
Fortinet has helped us take a more serious approach to cybersecurity.
What is most valuable?
The Intrusion Prevention System and the web filtering are both working well. The Deep Packet Inspection is also functioning properly, allowing us to see all network traffic, including encrypted data. I find the DPI to be a valuable and user-friendly feature. Additionally, the logs are clear and easy to understand. Having worked with Cisco and Check Point in the past, I can confidently say that these logs are on par with those of other leading security solutions. They greatly aid in troubleshooting, investigations, and general network monitoring. Overall, I am impressed with this solution's web filtering capabilities and robust IPS functionality. It is both easy to manage and deploy, making it a valuable tool for our network security.
What needs improvement?
While FortiGate offers a wide range of security features, I sometimes feel that the platform could benefit from more extensive improvements. Given the multitude of functions it provides, I wonder if the developers have enough time to adequately refine each aspect. However, for our specific needs, FortiGate currently performs adequately.
The debugging and troubleshooting has room for improvement.
I would like to see greater integration with third-party solutions. For instance, one example would be integrating Endpoint Protection with FortiGate, such that if an issue arises with Endpoint Protection, an action could be automatically triggered on FortiGate.
I am concerned about Fortinet's ability to help us meet regulatory compliance because its optimal functionality requires deploying all solutions within the mesh as Fortinet products. This raises questions about the compatibility and integration of non-Fortinet technologies within the Fortinet Security Fabric.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support responds quickly.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have worked with Cisco, Check Point, and Palo Alto. I worked with Cisco for ten years and I find Fortinet FortiGate to be a better solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is fair for what we get with FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Although we currently don't use any Fortinet devices designed for extreme environments, we are planning to test a few Fortinet switches in such conditions. This initial experiment aims to assess their performance and suitability for our harsh environment. If the switches perform well, we may consider switching our current supplier. While we don't frequently change our OT networks, prioritizing long-term stability has been our main objective, and we've achieved that so far. However, since Fortinet is our network supplier, testing their switches and confirming their reliability is a prudent step for when we need to update our switches.
Potential users should understand their needs before purchasing the solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-12-14T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Taha Turkestani from
Has robust security features, comprehensive threat protection, intuitive user interface, and seamless integration
What is our primary use case?
We use it for managing access to our data center, regulating the communication tools employed among servers, and ensuring overall security.
What is most valuable?
Its performance in fulfilling our requirements has been satisfactory. The graphical user interface is straightforward to navigate.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement related to the logging and reporting aspect. It was somewhat challenging as I delved into the logs during an incident. Navigating through the logs to trace the specific information we needed, as well as generating the corresponding report, proved to be less intuitive. In comparison, when considering Sophos XG, which we also use, the logging and reporting functionality is notably more efficient.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with it for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It offers good stability capabilities.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately two hundred users within our company.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate its customer service and support ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What was our ROI?
Its performance justifies the cost, there is a prominent ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is very reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I would highly recommend it. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten due to the reporting and logging issues.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-01-08T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Syed Ali Waqas from
Provides centralized management, enhanced visibility, and reduces cybersecurity risks
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate as our security and routing solution.
We implemented Fortinet FortiGate to enhance our security posture by blocking and restricting access to certain websites and securing our VPN traffic.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate offers enhanced visibility and segmentation for our industrial devices, a crucial process when some machines utilize systems demanding high-level security.
We have implemented Fortinet Security Fabric on our VM infrastructure, and it has provided great service in helping us meet regulations, governance, and compliance requirements. This is important to us because Fortinet Security Fabric connects to our sandbox, allowing us to scan shares across all clusters and enabling FortiGate to resolve any online issues.
Fortinet FortiGate has enhanced our organization's security by enabling secure VPN access and restricting access to social media sites, thus ensuring that employees can focus on their work. We saw the benefits of FortiGate within weeks of the deployment.
FortiGate helps reduce the risk of cyberattacks that could disrupt our production by isolating the affected traffic and creating a log for us.
It also helps to centralize the management of our network and security operations.
The centralized management allows us to access all of our firewalls and policies using a single interface.
Fortinet provides actionable data to help us make informed decisions about the actions to take. For example, if one of our firewalls goes down, the solution helps us rectify the issue by providing details on the problem and how to address it.
By consolidating the numerous individually connected batches, FortiGate helped us reduce operational expenses associated with the extra costs they incurred.
Fortinet FortiGate has helped us mature our approach to cybersecurity for protecting our industrial equipment. Their knowledge and daily webinars on email security and virus prevention have empowered us to stop attacks and maximize our efficiency.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are SD-WAN, application control, IPS control, and FortiSandbox. These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.
What needs improvement?
The graphical user interface of Fortinet's FortiGate product does not function well with text-based interfaces. This functionality should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While Fortinet FortiGate firewalls are scalable, upgrading to a new version or adding hardware requires purchasing a new license to migrate the old backup to the new firewall.
How are customer service and support?
While the technical support team is knowledgeable, their response time to support tickets is concerning. It typically takes them 48-72 hours to respond, which significantly disrupts my work.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
While we previously used the open-source PSS firewall, it lacked the layered security architecture offered by Fortinet FortiGate.
We migrated to Fortinet FortiGate for its superior control, in-depth scanning, and ability to minimize cybersecurity risks, features not offered by other firewall solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment is easy. The solution can be installed by following the on-screen prompts, and the policies can be implemented through the interface dashboard.
Deploying the system takes one full business day. We begin by gathering user requirements from each department, as they have varying policies. The policies are implemented department-first, followed by branches. Finally, VPNs are generated for remote users. Two people are required for the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house.
What was our ROI?
Since implementing Fortinet FortiGate, we have observed an increase in user productivity, which translates to a positive return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
While Fortinet FortiGate has a higher price point compared to Sophos XG, its user-friendly interface justifies the cost. Additionally, its fixed pricing structure eliminates concerns about surprise fees.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
After evaluating Sophos XG and finding its interface overly complex for our needs, we opted for the user-friendly interface of Fortinet FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
We have one person that deals with maintaining Fortinet FortiGate.
We have 1,100 users in multiple cities and departments using FortiGate.
The Fortinet FortiGate 60F is a good choice for organizations to begin evaluating firewalls.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.customer
Date published: 2024-01-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jose Gisbert from
Is flexible, easy to configure, and provides good visibility into our devices
What is our primary use case?
Our organization utilizes Fortinet FortiGate for SD-WAN. All business units within our organization connect to the SD-WAN, which is constructed using Fortinet devices.
The primary reason we implemented Fortinet FortiGate was to enhance connectivity. Our previous reliance on MPLS resulted in low bandwidth and high costs. By transitioning to SD-WAN devices and leveraging common ISP connections, we have achieved two significant goals: substantial cost savings and increased flexibility in configuring device communications across our various plants.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate offers us the capability to provide visibility into and segmentation of our industrial devices. We are currently implementing this for the LAN, and we are migrating firewalls to Fortinet FortiGate devices. In this process, we are separating the operational network from the IT network.
Knowing that some of Fortinet's devices can be used in harsh environments that's nice to have. But that's something that is not needed right now just because we are only using them in very few places. These devices are specifically used to prevent intrusions in harsh environments.
These devices help to control network traffic with OT-specific protocols. The LAN firewalls we have implemented are purchased with the functionality of network-specific modules to enable the management of network traffic with OT-specific protocols.
The approved offerings help us achieve our budgetary goals. We are adapting the budget to align with the devices provided by Fortinet. We are doing this because we can utilize Fortinet. Therefore, all of our budgets should take this into account as well.
The decision to utilize Fortinet stems from its ability to integrate with our preferred vendors. We have plans to implement both ClearPass and Nozomi as part of our OT cybersecurity strategy, both of which offer API-based interfaces for connecting to FortiGate devices. This interoperability is crucial for our organization.
The combination of FortiGate and FortiManager provides a comprehensive overview of all the firewalls we manage. It is very convenient to have everything centralized in one place.
FortiGate has helped reduce the risk of cyberattacks that could disrupt our production which is one of our primary goals.
We were not affected by any cybersecurity attacks that would have impacted our production operations. However, we have a comprehensive plan in place to address such incidents. FortiManager enables us to block essential protocols and implement security measures across all business units if we detect a security breach in one area. This centralized approach ensures that the security measures we implement are consistently applied throughout the organization.
FortiGate has aided in centralizing the management of our network and security operations. The impact of this on the operational efficiency of our industrial network depends on how we organize it. Centralized management has significantly simplified management tasks. However, we require a dedicated team capable of addressing the diverse needs of different plants and business units, implementing necessary changes, and resolving any issues that arise. A single point of contact facilitates this process. In this regard, we have not only improved operational efficiency but also consolidated our management structure, reducing the need for multiple teams scattered across different countries.
FortiGate provides us with actionable data that helps us make informed decisions about the appropriate actions to take. Additionally, we utilize FortiAnalyzer to analyze the type of traffic we are experiencing, potential issues, and other relevant information. Furthermore, we monitor CPU memory, bandwidth, and other metrics associated with various IP connections using Fortinet devices. This monitoring is conducted across multiple firewalls. By employing these tools, we can ensure that any changes we make are the correct ones and are made for the right reasons.
The implementation of Fortinet's Security Fabric has significantly enhanced the security of our industrial control system. Previous solutions were unable to effectively manage the diverse protocols employed in this environment, resulting in operational and technological limitations. However, with the introduction of the new security fabric, we are now able to address these challenges and achieve a more robust security posture.
The Fortinet Security Fabric helps us reduce our mean time to remediation. With all its tools and centralized management, it's much easier to identify and resolve issues, leading to improved overall security posture.
Fortinet helped mature our approach to cybersecurity for protecting our industrial equipment.
What is most valuable?
The flexibility and ease of configuration are the most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
Overall, we are satisfied with the product. However, we encounter occasional capacity issues. The FortiAnalyzer, being a hardware appliance, has limited expansion capabilities. As our organization has grown, we've outpaced the FortiAnalyzer's performance. The inability to scale the FortiAnalyzer to match our growth necessitates the purchase of new hardware. This is an area that could be improved. If we anticipate reaching the size of six countries within the next five years, investing in a solution that can accommodate such growth would be more cost-effective than repeatedly purchasing new hardware. The ability to scale the FortiAnalyzer in tandem with our growth would be a significant improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for over three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is now stable. We experienced some difficulties in the beginning, possibly due to some bugs we encountered. However, for approximately the past six months, we have been closely monitoring various ratings for FortiOS versions. As a result, we are currently running only on mature versions. Since then, we have observed that the device is significantly more stable than before.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability for the FortiManger and the devices themselves is a nine out of ten but for the FortiAnalyzer it is a six out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
On the few occasions that we have needed to use technical support, we have found them to be responsive.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used different solutions such as Cisco, Watchguard and Sophos in different countries, and one of the reasons we switched to FortiGate was to standardize what we used in all the countries.
The FortiManager is one of the biggest advantages they have. From a single management point, we can manage all the devices connected to the support manager. This is something I haven't seen before. So, in that sense, I would say that the most important difference between FortiGate and other vendors is the FortiManager.
How was the initial setup?
Due to the extensive network, the deployment spanned several months; however, on a site-by-site basis, each deployment was completed within a few hours. We had a minimum of two people per country involved in the deployment with 1-2 people from Central IT.
What about the implementation team?
It was a mixed team vendor - in-house. The vendor expertise was really good and I would rate it on a 9 out of 10.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiGate's pricing falls within the mid-range when compared to other leading firewall solutions. While it's more expensive than Sophos, it's more affordable than Palo Alto.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate eight out of ten.
We have FortiGate deployed across multiple locations with 120 firewalls.
I suggest testing FortiGate. For organizations looking for an affordable solution, with good management and initial management, Fortinet FortiGate is the right choice.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-16T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Will Alfaro from
Nice GUI, easy to configure, and has a reasonably priced licensing model
What is our primary use case?
I primarily administrate the solution as a firewall. It's a perimeter solution. We filter content in order to ensure protection. We use it to publish services on-premises.
What is most valuable?
The GUI is good.
It's a basic firewall and it's a simple configuration. It can be ported very easily to our unit.
All of the licenses are included. We don't need to buy more licenses per pack of users. It is cost-effective.
What needs improvement?
We'd like to see what they will do when AI attacks are generated. They will need to ensure their prevention continues to be exceptional.
The solution isn't missing any features. Maybe they could make some features more accessible, such as a way to translate directions between two networks that share the same subnets.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. It is a robust unit.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable. You can grow as you need. If you need more, you can use a model to upgrade to the next model.
We don't have users per se; I provide the service to clients.
How are customer service and support?
I very rarely contact technical support. If I need to scale, they have very knowledgeable sources and solid workbooks. The resources they offer ensure I always have a solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've worked with SonicWall and Cisco. Fortinet offers a good license model. It's also very clean in terms of configuration. It offers high performance. It is a bit more expensive compared to SonicWall, however, if you take everything into consideration, the pricing is quite reasonable.
How was the initial setup?
We have a FortiGate appliance. We are using the 2000F version of FortiGate and running the license for FortiOS.
First, we design our network, then we update policies.
Fortinet makes the process very easy. I try to make it more efficient by replicating policies using the GUI.
How long it takes to deploy depends on the complexity. I have 20 or so subnets and some services and I can manage the deployment in two to three hours.
It is not difficult to maintain the solution.
What about the implementation team?
I'm able to handle the deployment myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing model is very good. It's less expensive than Check Point.
What other advice do I have?
I'm an independent consultant.
Users have to understand the size of the network. That would dictate the model you need. You also need a qualified technician to configure the unit.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's very easy to use.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-10-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Luis Teran from
Is affordable and easy to deploy, and has good license management features
What is our primary use case?
The use case for this product has to do with security and visibility. When you are inside the business and when there are different departments and branches, it is used for the visibility of some packets. It can also be used for SSL inspections, to check if the SSL is right and that it is not phishing.
What is most valuable?
The license management is very valuable. You can get a new license each year, or you can enroll every two to four years. You can get the logs, and you will get the information on the risk in your network and the entire organization. With this information, you can take action on your actives, computers, or devices. You can bring your own device as an SSE.
The simplicity of the deployment and the digitization of risk are other valuable features that Fortinet provides.
The cost is low.
What needs improvement?
The firmware needs improvement because there are bugs when a new release comes through. Sometimes, the configuration changes, and it's a bit harder to see where the fail is. The first time that you have the firmware, it tends to have some issues, and it's better to wait a bit to update the equipment.
All the development of the firmware should be fixed before the update at the page level.
API tokens need to be improved, particularly with regard to integration with other cloud solutions. In other words, proxy flow and API integration need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't had any problem with the stability of the product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. You can merge other Fortinet products well with this solution.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
The deployment and maintenance can be done by one person.
What about the implementation team?
I did it myself. To create all the policies and configurations needed by the customers, it usually takes me two days or a week at the most if the project is harder.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is really low. It's cheap in comparison to the cost of Cisco or CheckPoint, for example.
What other advice do I have?
If you want to get this product, first you must evaluate the number of people who will use it, and then choose the product that will best fit your needs.
I would rate this solution at eight on a scale from one to ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-05-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1336140 from
Great routing, layer three throughput, and firewall management capabilities
What is our primary use case?
I use it for a VPN. I use it as a gateway between locations. That's what I use it for.
They're Point-to-Point Networks, Metro Ethernet Networks, and over across the internet. We set it up with an AD VPN tunnel in between the various connections.
We use it for interconnectivity between the various sites to provide VPN tunnels. In contrast, service providers, even on Metro Ethernet and Point-to-Point Networks, cannot provide a secure connection between two points.
How has it helped my organization?
We've actually replaced 30 or more Cisco routers that were doing these VPN connections, and we replaced them with the FortiGates in order to provide Point-to-Point connectivity. It increased throughput on the various links, and it increased security.
What is most valuable?
Their VPN connection, their routing capabilities, their layer three throughput, and their firewall management capabilities that limit access from one VLAN to another are all the most valuable aspects for us.
The solution is stable.
It can expand easily.
Support is helpful.
The product is significantly cheaper than, for example, Cisco.
The user productivity has been good as they can, for example, transfer files easier. There is no slowdown.
What needs improvement?
In their IPS Web Security Gateway, the reporting functions need to be a little bit more user-friendly for how to get the reports from it. That's one of the reasons why we don't use that function.
With the reports, you can see it, and you can get good feelings so upper management can go, "Oh, wow. That looks pretty." However, it's very basic.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We've been able to scale pretty well. It's not a problem of you need to expand.
End users will be passing through it. Most of the accounting passes through it to various other locations. We have about 1,500 people on the product, technically.
We do have plans to increase usage. We have not completed the entire County yet. We've done 80% and still need to action the last 20%.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used to use Cisco. We switched to FortiGate due to its throughput, ease of use, and cost.
How was the initial setup?
Our needs are a little bit more complex than others. That said, overall, I would say it's about average in terms of the ease of setup. We got to do a VPN tunnel across, and it was AD VPN, it was something brand new.
When I set things up now, it's pretty straightforward. When I first started, it was different as I'd never seen the technology before. When I first started, I'd never seen this technology, I didn't have a clue. Others may be in the same boat.
Now that we're familiar with technology, this is very easy to set up. We've deployed 30 of them. I've got junior engineers that can follow my instructions and set up the FortiGate, and we're up and running. It gets easier over time. We've been doing this over the last two years.
We have up to two people needed for deployment and maintenance tasks.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment is completely done in-house. We didn't have any outside assistance.
We did use Fortinet's tech support when we came into some problems. However, we didn't use any extra vendor.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing is renewed every three to five years. They are less expensive e than Cisco. It has reduced the overall cost of maintaining a Cisco environment.
It's a package deal. There are no extra costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not look into other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I'd advise potential users to just implement the right size for you and what your needs are.
I'd rate the product nine out of ten.
We are just a customer and end-user.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-10-04T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ehab.Fawzy Mohamed from
A next-generation firewall solution with a useful FortiManager feature
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for VPN. We connect the branches together for the HQ. That's why we are using the VPN, and we publish some of the websites in the HQ, and the users can access that website from outside with the two-factor authenticator and a token key. We are using FortiGate to control the connection between the branches. But, for the software, we are using this to collect the data to extract reports.
What is most valuable?
I like FortiManager.
What needs improvement?
Improvements depend on your specific needs. Currently, it meets my requirements. Whenever I need something, Fortinet improves and updates the software for me.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for about ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
On a scale from one to five, I would give its stability a five.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable. If you are familiar with it, you can work from anywhere and do whatever you want. It is very easy to scale. We have about 500 users in our organization. It is not only engineering and not IT because we publish many websites from HQ to other branches. End-users use the Fortinet username and password to log in with two-factor authentication and the token.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good.
On a scale from one to five, I would give technical support a five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy. We had two third-party members and four of my team members implement this solution. It took us five to six days to install and deploy both the software and hardware. For the software alone, it took us about two days to implement. You need two people to manage and maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We had a third-party company help us with this implementation. They came and did the first setup, and after that, I followed the technical support from Fortinet.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing costs are acceptable. I think it's cheaper than Cisco. We pay for the license on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-10-14T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Gilles Mousnier from
Good UI, feature-rich, and very stable
What is most valuable?
Its user interface is good, and it is always working fine.
What needs improvement?
Its filtering is sometimes too precise or strict. We sometimes have to bypass and authorize some of the sites, but they get blocked. We know that they are trusted sites, but they are blocked, and we don't know why.
In terms of additional features, I don't have any requirements. It is okay for me. I do lots of things, and I still don't know everything about FortiGate. If I need something, it might already be there in FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for one and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. We didn't have any problems in one and a half years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We just have one firewall, and we are too small to have redundancy or something like that. In the future, we would like to have a second unit. We have lots of problems locally with the internet fiber. It is not very good, and ADSL is bad. So, first, we have to stabilize and upgrade our connection, and later, we will try to have redundancy, but it is not necessary at this time.
How are customer service and support?
I never contacted them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When I came here, Netgate was installed. My IT department and my IT subcontractor explained to me that FortiGate was better than the previous solution. We changed it one and a half years ago, and it has been working well.
What about the implementation team?
It was an IT subcontractor who did the implementation. Our experience with them was very good.
What was our ROI?
It is too early for an ROI, but I have no problems with it. Everything is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I had to pay for the license for the firewall, but it is guaranteed to have updates. I expect a good service for it. It was about €1000 for a year, and there was no additional cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When we tried to find something better, our IT subcontractor recommended FortiGate or Stormshield. I tried to find a subcontractor at my location for both, but I could only find a subcontractor for FortiGate, so I chose FortiGate. I wanted to have a local subcontractor. There are some products for which we don't need local support, but for some of the products, such as a firewall, we prefer to have local support.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others to find a local contractor. That's because it is a product that can do a lot of things. If you don't know it well, you can make mistakes. Because I learned how to use it, I can now modify or update it. I can do some of the things in FortiGate, but when starting with it, it is better to have someone locally to guide you and do the initial setup.
It is a good and very useful product for me. It is very stable, which is the only thing that I want from a firewall. I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-12-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Amar Patil from
Secure, performs well and easy to manage
What is our primary use case?
Most organizations use the Fortinet firewall as perimeter security at the gateway level.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate has threat protection, antivirus, and even SSL encryption and decryption. So FortiGate is primarily used for security purposes. And a few customers also use this firewall for web filtering and application control. So these are the two features for which people use FortiGate.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate is primarily a gateway, but customers also use web filter threat protection and application control. And some people use it as a special VPN for remote access. I recently deployed one virtual firewall where they're only using the FortiGate firewall for VPN. I can't say one feature is the most valuable because it's a bundle solution. So no one uses FortiGate for just one single feature.
What needs improvement?
Currently, FortiGate is providing SSL VPN. But they're missing some features that are available in Palo Alto's SSL VPN. Palo Alto provides a compliance check along with the VPN, and they have a very broad checklist. So Palo Alto's global protection can scan and check multiple things, and we can choose what access users can have based on compliance with policies. So I think this is one area where FortiGate can improve. Also, multi-factor authentication isn't native to FortiGate. If you want to incorporate multi-factor authentication, you have to add a secondary or third-party solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using FortiGate for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Before version 6.0, FortiGate's firewall performed well enough, but lately, they've introduced so many features. After that, its stability has been somewhat lacking. This is because they're constantly updating their firmware. So it was pretty stable, but nowadays, it's not that stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't worked on the scalability side because most of the time, the pre-sales tools are relatively bigger devices. So right now, I haven't faced any issues with scalability. They have some larger devices for the data center. So if we talk about their hardware, I think they're capable of handling around 10,000 to 15,000 people on a single device. But if you go with the virtual environment, I don't think there is a problem. Fortinet has a single OS that we can deploy on whatever hardware capacity we want to configure over there or through virtualization.
How are customer service and support?
Fortinet support is good. They resolve tickets relatively fast. So we've had no issues with that. And I don't know about other regions, but in my region, the salespeople working with Fortinet are strong. They're aggressively working on the sales part. So in the Pune region and the rest of Maharashtra, they're winning more contracts, and people are using FortiGate Firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The management console is pretty simple, so anyone who understands networking can initially deploy the solution. But you need some good hands-on experience for advanced configuration. The amount of time required to deploy depends upon the project and also the organization. So it takes around four to five days to deploy a smaller device. And for the largest device, it takes around a maximum of two months. We do the deployment on our own. So we have a sales team, a pre-sales team, and a deployment team. Our sales team gets this and handles the sales end. After that, we come into the picture. So we do the whole migration, as well as the new implementation and everything. It should take no more than two people to deploy. If we want to migrate from one Fortinet device to another, then we use the command line. They have some script in their firmware, and we can migrate the script directly from the older firewall to the new one. So it isn't too complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm somewhat aware of the pricing, but most of the time, the pre-sales staff only defines their requirements. And we get the licenses at the time of implementation, then register and activate them. But I think Fortinet has multiple packages. They sell licenses for a period of one, three, or five years. They also have special add-on licenses for various things. So, for example, if you want to get a security rating for the firmware configuration and everything, you need to purchase an additional security license. And if you want to do some IoT-related security, you also need to purchase separate licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I rate FortiGate eight out of 10 based on the performance, stability, performance, management, rights, and features. So most people lack SSL encryption and the certificate part. Those servers are running behind the FortiGate firewall. And most of the people I've seen are not using SSL encryption over there. And even for internet purposes, they're not using deep scanning. So my suggestion to people thinking about using FortiGate is to prepare a plan before implementation and implement those things in inbound inspection and outbound inspection. This is recommended. And also, if you have multiple band links, then you must use SD-WAN. They have SD-WAN options in the FortiGate firewall. It's a pretty good feature. So you can use that to improve your stability and performance.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-11-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Kirubel Markos from
User-friendly setup, beneficial APIs, and reliable
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is used as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the APIs. They are the most widely known.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
All sizes of organizations can use this solution. All levels of a company are using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Fortinet FortiGate could improve. They are not easily accessible when we need them. They could improve their response time.
I rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate a three out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is very simple and user-friendly. The configuration for the solution is easy. The time it takes for the deployment depends on the environment of the company. It can take a week, but typically it takes three to four days.
What about the implementation team?
We have more than six certified engineers in our company that can do the deployment of the solution.
What was our ROI?
The customers have seen an ROI from using Fortinet FortiGate. They are satisfied with the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiGate is affordable. Most of our customers are on a three-year license to use the solution. All the features and support are included in the price.
I rate the price of Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-09-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
David Oparinde from
Secure, reliable, and support included
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate to filter information, to ensure that we secure our network. Additionally, it's for overall security and to ensure that no information is leaking out.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall solution and once it's deployed, you can rest assured that your system is secure.
Since we have been using Fortinet FortiGate, we've not had anyone breaking into our network. We've used some penetration tests, and the system is very secure. However, the security of the network is dependent on the personnel itself.
For example, if you have a phishing email, you click on it, it takes you to the wrong server, and you put your credentials there, they can use those credentials to attack your system. In terms of somebody trying to break into your network without having the necessary credentials, Fortinet FortiGate is very good.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by being more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable. It's used across all the countries, this is the way most multinationals run their system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
If the business expands into other geographical zones, we will need to expand the network and secure it. This is when we will expand the use of Fortinet FortiGate. However, because of this pandemic, businesses are slowly getting back to normal.
I don't think that expansion will come up in the next one or two years. Maybe in the next three years once they start to pick up their business, then there might be such an expansion or increase in hardware needed.
How are customer service and support?
Each of the devices is licensed every year and in case you have a serious critical issue we can contact the support from FortiGate directly. We contact them every once and a while but not often. We have to purchase a license that allows us the support to use them.
The support could be faster to come out with a solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using Cisco previously.
How was the initial setup?
The Fortinet FortiGate deployment is not difficult. It's not simple, but it's easy for someone to learn. The whole process took approximately three hours. Cisco solutions are more difficult to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We have experts in-house with experience and we did the deployment in-house. They used the deployment resources internally to deploy it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution requires a license annually, it is not a user license, you can have as many users as your want. I must renew the license regularly per device.
The support is included in the license.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-07T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1255635 from
Supports many architectures, has a lot of features, and is useful for multi-tenant environments
What is our primary use case?
We use it for a multi-tenant virtualized environment for public cloud services. We provide cloud services for the public sector.
We have two clusters with the latest version, and we also have two clusters that I would like to replace with the latest version. We have support from the vendor, and we're going to buy two new clusters.
How has it helped my organization?
We have all the solutions from Fortinet, and it integrates very well with all of them. I'm very satisfied with its integration with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer.
What is most valuable?
The multi-tenancy feature is most valuable. It integrates very well with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer.
They are flexible in terms of installation. They support many architectures. They can operate with most major public cloud providers. It is a trend now to use hybrid solutions.
It has a lot of features, and it is reliable.
What needs improvement?
Their software support needs improvement. I would prefer to have better support for bug fixes. Sometimes, we open a ticket, and it is very difficult to get a solution. Specifically, we are not at all happy with their support for load balancing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution since 2015.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We're happy with its performance. I would rate it a 10 out of 10 in terms of performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are happy with its scalability. Its users are administrators. Our administrator team has about six people. The environment is set up as a multi-tenant, so each tenant has its own administrator for configuration.
It has been used every day since 2015. It is a core appliance for us.
How are customer service and support?
Their support needs to be improved. We're not at all happy with their support. It sometimes becomes very difficult to get a solution. We are not satisfied with their support for load balancing. The support we have for Cisco firewalls is much better. I would rate them a seven out of 10.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also have a Cisco solution in operation.
How was the initial setup?
Its initial setup is normal. It is not too complex.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment takes place with the help of an integrator. We have an integrator to help us deploy and install all the solutions. They analyze all the features that we need to use, and then we discuss and finalize the solution before starting with the installation.
We have five to six people in the network team.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI with this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing scheme of Fortinet is better than Cisco. It is more logical.
What other advice do I have?
Before buying, I would advise thinking about the exact features that you need to avoid expenses. You must understand very well what you need for your daily operations and then decide on the features to buy.
Overall, we're very happy with their firewalls, but when we have issues or bugs, there are some difficulties in finding the resolution. In terms of features, we haven't found any problems. It has many features, but when we use a feature and it has some bugs, I expect better support.
I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Tushar Joshi from
Great support, easy to handle, and stable
What is most valuable?
It is quite easy to handle.
What needs improvement?
Its reporting can be improved. Sometimes, I don't get proper reports.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is quite good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is quite scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is great. I would rate them a five out of five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we were using a different solution, and as compared to that solution, it is very easy to handle.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Raghunath Venkatesh from
A good product with good security that's simple to use
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security.
What is most valuable?
The security on offer is very good.
It's very simple to use.
They have a very good technical center.
It's, overall, a very good product.
The solution is stable.
The initial setup is straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The scalability could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. The reliability is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can be scalable. However, it could be better. You are limited by the hardware.
We have more than 100 clients using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
I've dealt with support in the past. I've also dealt with Palo Alto support. I find them to be very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also used Check Point and Palo Alto. Fortinet, however, scores very high against security threats, when you compare the three.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is great. It's not complex or difficult. It's pretty simple, pretty straightforward.
We installed it within a day with no issues. It doesn't take much time.
We have five to six technicians that can handle deployment and maintenance responsibilities. We are all engineers that are managed centrally.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You do need to purchase a license in order to use the product.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution to other companies that want to try it out.
I'd rate it at an eight out of ten. We don't have any real challenges with it at the moment.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-02-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Hariom Kumar from
Easy to set up and configure with good technical support
What is our primary use case?
We primarily sell FortiGate to clients. We have customers such as pharmaceutical companies and hospitals that require the security on offer. It is a great firewall.
What is most valuable?
With many companies dealing with users now working from home, definitely a great feature is the SSL VPN. With that, a user can control everything from their own devices and get connected to the servers even if they are off-site.
The initial setup is easy. It's not overly difficult.
The solution offers very good security.
It's a good firewall. It's very easy to configure.
What needs improvement?
We require troubleshooting and those kinds of things. We have to worry about debugging. It would be ideal if they had some sort of GUI interface for troubleshooting and diagnostics. That would be much better. FortiGate has only CLI-based diagnostic capabilities. Sometimes it's become very difficult to do all this troubleshooting.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been handling security solutions lie FortiGate for ten to 15 years at this point. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are some bugs you have to deal with. There's some troubleshooting that needs to be done.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution isn't scalable per se as it is hardware. However, you can always buy more hardware to expand it if you need to.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. You get very good support from this product overall. We're quite satisfied with their level of service.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation process is not complex. It's an easy solution. It's not complex setting everything up.
What other advice do I have?
We are resellers of security products.
New users should be aware that this solution offers very good security. The different level of security we have in Fortinet, in general, is good. They can use various security products to help protect their organizations.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Implementer
Date published: 2022-02-03T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1127952 from
A simple-to-configure and stable product with VPN concentrator and competitive pricing
What is our primary use case?
We are using it in our data center. It is being used at the perimeter of our data center to protect the applications that we have inside the data center. We are at the beginning of its installation in our data center. We have recently installed a new cluster for IPS functionality, and we have to check if this cluster does the job.
We are using its latest version.
What is most valuable?
The simplicity of the configuration and the stability of the product are most valuable. The VPN concentrator is very useful.
What needs improvement?
It is quite new for us, and we need to go more in-depth into the monitoring tools. It provides different features that we need to do what we want. So far, it is okay for us. In terms of improvement, in the future, they can provide a faster implementation of features. Some of the features are first available in other solutions. Fortinet sometimes takes a little bit longer than other solutions, such as Check Point, to implement new features.
For how long have I used the solution?
It is quite a new product for us. We started using it only about six months ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is okay for us. Since we have put this new cluster, we haven't had any problems or crashes. It's okay for us from this point of view.
We got this firewall just less than a year ago, and we hope to see good performance in three or four years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are around 10,000 people in our company, and they are all using FortiGate because they all need to go through this cluster of firewalls.
How are customer service and support?
I have not yet interacted with them. That's because we didn't encounter any important issues. When we have any technical questions, our partner has been able to answer our questions. So, I don't have any experience with Fortinet support.
How was the initial setup?
It is straightforward at the beginning.
What about the implementation team?
We worked with a partner. Usually, when we have a project, we do the initial setup with this partner. After that, we are able to manage the firewall without any outside help.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its pricing is competitive with other solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We chose it after comparing different solutions on the market.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this product. It is very easy to use. We are happy to use this product.
I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1784364 from
The hardware is reliable, and it provides best performance per dollar spent and ease of licensing and management
What is our primary use case?
We're a Fortinet partner and reseller. We work with FortiGate models 40 through 600, and our customers have hybrid and on-prem deployments. The cloud providers are Microsoft Azure and Wasabi.
Its use cases are related to increasing the security posture, SD-WAN implementation, simplified management and licensing, and cost savings.
What is most valuable?
It increases security posture and is helpful for firewall reporting, intrusion protection, web filtering, and SD-WAN implementation.
The hardware is reliable. There are no surprises in terms of performance or add-on pricing.
What needs improvement?
The cloud management and automation capability could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is excellent.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is very good. There are 100 to 3,000 users, and they are knowledge workers with different roles, such as engineers, lawyers, accountants, etc.
How are customer service and support?
Their technical support is very good. I would rate them a four out of five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Most of the customers replaced Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
It is straightforward for someone with Fortinet experience. If you don't know anything about Fortinet, you can take it out of the box and plug it in.
Its deployment is usually on a location-by-location basis. Each location often takes one day for the implementation of a new data service. One person is usually enough for its deployment and maintenance.
What was our ROI?
I don't know the numbers, but it typically results in a 20% to 30% reduction in data communications costs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet costs are 25% lower than the high-cost provider. There is an equipment cost and a recurring monthly cost for licenses and technical support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Most of the customers look at Cisco, Cisco Meraki, Palo Alto, and Fortinet. They go with Fortinet because of the best performance per dollar spent and ease of licensing and management.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise sizing the equipment appropriately to support future growth. You should look for a four to six-year life of a server. You should compare vendors for price versus performance, ease of management, ease of use, and completeness of features.
I would rate it a nine out of 10. We've had a good experience with it. There were no surprises.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner.
Date published: 2022-03-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1285998 from
Affordable, reliable, and scalable
What is our primary use case?
In my previous company, which was a silver partner, we installed 300 and 301 for a few use cases. The most selling product at that time was FortiGate 100E.
What is most valuable?
I'm pretty happy with its reliability. It is also very scalable.
What needs improvement?
They have to just improve its performance when we enable all UTM features. When you enable all the features, the performance of FortiGate, as well as of Sophos and SonicWall, goes down.
For how long have I used the solution?
I worked with this solution for four years in my previous company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. When you compare it with Palo Alto, it is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
They are very knowledgeable and helpful.
How was the initial setup?
Based on what my engineers told me, it is easy to install. It is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is affordable. Palo Alto is much more expensive than Fortinet.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-01T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Walid Semrani from
User-friendly security solution that is very stable
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate for controlling traffic and policies for web caching, user profiles, IPS, antivirus, etc.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate has a strong security topic which allows all of the Fortinet devices to communicate and share information which makes their security more powerful.
What needs improvement?
I would like reporting to be improved and should offer a lot more tools to monitor the products.
For how long have I used the solution?
My company has been using FortiGate for about four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Support is very responsive and their staff is well trained.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was so easy! FortiGate has everything facilitated for deployment and we are able to do everything from their web interface.
What other advice do I have?
This solution has a very user-friendly interface.
I would rate this a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2022-02-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Bi Smith from
Easy to use with a lot of security features right out of the box
What is our primary use case?
I am a reseller of the FortiGate solution and we use it as a firewall to protect the parameter of the network.
What is most valuable?
The SD-WAN is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
I think that the infrastructure for the VPN could be improved. The way that it is bundled also made it difficult to use and sell as it is too expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate for three years.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. It is easy to use, and there are a lot of security features right out of the box. For those who do not need the enterprise VPN, it is an excellent product.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ali ALI from
Reasonably priced, but the scalability has limitations, and is unreliable
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is being used in our company.
What is most valuable?
The interface is very good.
What needs improvement?
There are limited features.
Scalability could be improved.
The issues with the IOS are that they occasionally hang. They are not as reliable as they once were.
When there is an issue with IOS, new updates are introduced, but the updates also have a lot of issues.
Performance and technical support are the main issues with this solution.
When compared to Cisco ISE, the device administration is not very good.
Fortinet is not very good at firewalls when compared to Cisco. Cisco offers full administration control, TripleA, SQT, they use TACACS security protocols, and they have much more control. Cisco's approach is superior.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for four or five years.
This year, we're removing the Fortinet and switching to Cisco ISE to cut security.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are issues with the stability of this solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are limitations to scalability.
How are customer service and support?
When compared with Cisco, the technical support is not very impressive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. It is not complex.
When compared to Cisco, it is very easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is lower than Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate is not a bad option.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a five out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1779540 from
Straightforward implementation, priced well, and effective proxy mode
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall used for network security.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate has helped our organization because it provides us with all features that are existing in all the other firewalls, they have a great firewall. Fortinet firewall gives you all the controls you need to control and inspect your traffic from malicious attacks.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the ability to work in proxy mode, which other solutions, such as Palo Alto cannot. There are some features that are better that come at no extra license or subscriptions cost, such as basic SD-WAN. The DLT is useful, other solutions have the same feature too, such as Palo Alto.
Fortinet FortiGate can be deployed in the cloud, they have a full portfolio for security. You are able to integrate other Fortinet solutions together to take full advantage of their security portfolio.
The Fortinet FortiGate documentation library and full resources can be reached easily. You can search and find a solution to a problem you might have. Additionally, the overall solution is highly user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having better visibility. Palo Alto has better visibility.
When using Fortinet FortiGate you sometimes have to use the CLI to do some configurations which can be sometimes more difficult than using a GUI that other solutions can use, such as Palo Alto.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 40 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good in Fortinet FortiGate. If there are bugs or problems the issues are fixed quite quickly with updates. Palo Alto has a similar level of stability, they support their appliance from updates to the OS.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate has good scalability. You can deploy it in multiple areas and in multiple deployment modes such as firewall, inter-firewall, or core firewall. Fortinet FortiGate has appliances on multiple series that have different performances. You can choose multiple areas or multiple sites.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used the support from Fortinet FortiGate. I have solved the issues I have had from using my own experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Palo Alto previously.
When comparing Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto, they are equivalent to each other. However, Palo Alto is the Gartner Magic Quadrant leader and is easy to deploy. It would be difficult to describe the advantages or disadvantages because they are very similar.
How was the initial setup?
Fortinet FortiGate has simple ways some of the features can be configured, such as VPN and routing protocols. You need additional effort to do it using Palo Alto. Palo Alto has a more detailed required configuration and this is why extra effort is needed.
I would rate the implementation of Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
The process of implementation is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiGate can be better than others solutions because Fortinet sometimes helps you with the prices. They help the customers buy the solution by providing them a discounted price for good technology to protect their environment from multiple exploitations and network attacks.
Fortinet FortiGate as a less expensive solution than Palo Alto.
I would rate the price of Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other firewall solutions.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet firewalls are a great new generation firewall. Since we are in these pandemic times with the increasing number of remote workers, you need one solution to protect against the additional breaches on a day-to-day basis. This means you need a great SD-WAN solution. Fortinet FortiGate helps by preventing these attacks because it is a secure solution and you have full visibility of the scalability of the traffic. The solution takes the appropriate actions paths based on the FLAs
Fortinet FortiGate is an excellent choice for you to implement as an SD-WAN solution.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-26T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1247301 from
Complete, stable, and easy to use
What is our primary use case?
I use FortiGate for perimeter security, web filtering, and antivirus purposes.
I use two different models. I use 90D and 200E.
What is most valuable?
I like several features that this product has, such as antivirus and internet navigation inspection. It is also simple to use.
What needs improvement?
It is very expensive, and their support is not very good. I hope that their technical support will be better in the future.
In terms of new features, it is a complete product. I don't expect any new features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is not very good for such an expensive product. I expect better support. You can find a lot of documentation on Fortinet's website, but their technical support is not very good.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to deploy and use. It didn't take more than a day.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed it ourselves. We have our own team. There are three people in our organization who directly use this product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive. You need to pay for the subscription every year, which is very expensive. The subscription includes technical support and hardware exchange in case of failure.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-26T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Shaik Sayeed from
Beneficial user interface, provides multiple engines, and high availability
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate can be deployed on the cloud, hybrid, and on-premise. We use a combination of private and hybrid for the deployment.
We are using Fortinet FortiGate for parameter security, network isolation, and web filtering.
What is most valuable?
The most useful functionality of Fortinet FortiGate is the user interface, multiple engines, and their cloud with the latest integrations. Additionally, the Security Fabric tool is very good.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate can improve by integrating the web application firewall and the DDoS protection part of the solution. Having a WAF feature, web application firewall, and proxy together would be a good benefit.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is highly stable. It has high availability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate is very good.
We have customers with 1,000 users using this solution and others with 100.
Engineers use this solution and all the end-users are connected to it. The whole organization is using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very helpful. We had a very good experience with them.
How was the initial setup?
The initial installation is straightforward, and the full process takes one to two days.
What about the implementation team?
We have our own team that does the implementation of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The support subscription for the solution is annual. You are paying for support and there are two levels of support, professional and advanced.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer940329 from
Stable security solution with easy integration, ease of use, and good product support
What is our primary use case?
Our use case for Fortinet FortiGate is that it's a firewall for managing our security.
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable in Fortinet FortiGate is its easy integration.
It's also able to individually manage users.
I also like the VPN aspect of this solution.
It's a product that's easy to work with, especially when you work from home, e.g. you're able to integrate it easily with the users.
What needs improvement?
Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved. There's an aspect in reporting that I'm trying, but what I noticed is if you logged into the VPN, there's an effect on the reporting in terms of bandwidth, that needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've dealt with Fortinet FortiGate for the last four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We didn't have any issues with the stability of Fortinet FortiGate.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We find Fortinet FortiGate scalable, because currently, we have 150 users of it, and it could handle up to 1,000 users. It's good for growth.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support for this solution is really good.
The first time we were using it, we called support and reported an issue, and saw that support was really good. There's nothing I can complain about regarding technical support for Fortinet FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
The setup for Fortinet FortiGate was easy, because we had it done by another company. It was a construction company that we had this set up for, but I can't remember their name.
What about the implementation team?
Another company implemented this solution for us, and they also took us through the training and it was okay.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you compare Fortinet FortiGate with Sophos and other firewall products available in the market, this solution is affordable. If you really want to use Fortinet FortiGate, you'll find that it's affordable.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate works well for me. I have not encountered any issues that required me to recommend an action or request if this solution could be improved. It suited the needs of the organization I'm using it in, so I didn't really find an area that needs to be improved, because this solution works very well for us.
My advice to others looking into implementing Fortinet FortiGate is that they need to do their research. They need to find out exactly why they need to use this product and for what purposes, because there are so many options for users. They really need to know what they want for their organization before they implement Fortinet FortiGate. They also need to think about the type of files they require, how many users will use this product, and what they intend to do with it.
If I could give Fortinet FortiGate a score of 11 out of 10, I would. It's very good. It's a ten out of ten for me. It's a really good solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1254792 from
Useful resources, low price, and reliable
What is our primary use case?
We use both newer and older models of Fortinet FortiGate.
Fortinet FortiGate is used for protecting the perimeter network. Our customers require a solution that secures the network traffic or the communication with the central site.
The communication between the remote site and the central site is with the VPN and we need to analyze the traffic to assure security. Additionally, we use antivirus and IPS for protection. We can see the traffic when applying these objects with security.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the ease of use and there are several operating systems that can include the hardware capacities. In the newer releases, the resources were more useful because they were included in the operating system.
What needs improvement?
The platform's interface could improve.
The client and the Fortinet FortiGate have good integration, but there are times it doesn't work as it should. The union with the two technologies, endpoint, and firewall, doesn't work well. There are some things that do not work.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a good solution for new clients.
I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are times Fortinet FortiGate can not be scalable.
We have 20 people using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good. However, there are some problems with the new technology for the new version of the operating system that the support does not know much about.
We have had two or three cases when we had a problem and the support was very good and responsive. We had an immediate response.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation of Fortinet FortiGate is very easy. The equipment is simple to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
There is little maintenance required, and what needs to be maintained is easy to do.
Most projects required one engineer. If the project requires several branches, with simultaneous deployments, we can need more than three engineers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiGate is the lowest in the market.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-02-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1232469 from
Secure, priced well, and the interface makes it simple to manage
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate to protect our company network. We have a wireless plan (WLAN) environment.
What is most valuable?
The user interface is very good.
FortiGate is very simple to manage and easy to use.
This is a secure solution.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate should have a better way of detecting and managing the system memory because otherwise if the memory is too low, a system restart is required.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate and other products in the Fortinet suite for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is used on a daily basis and in general, stability is okay.
There were two instances where the memory was full and the WLAN was blocked. The system had to be restarted. This may not have been a problem directly related to FortiGate. It may be that I didn't have enough to support the product. Perhaps a larger model would solve this issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 80 employees that are protected by FortiGate. We have approximately 20 that work in the office, with a total of about 50 PCs.
It has not been necessary to scale beyond that.
How are customer service and support?
I have never been in touch with technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to FortiGate, we were using Cisco for our firewall and our switches were from HP. Every five or six years, we upgrade our devices. The last time, we decided to buy Fortinet products because of a suggestion from our vendor.
Our vendor suggested Fortinet because the security is good, it's simple to use, and the price is good.
What about the implementation team?
I have an external technician that manages FortiGate for the company. This person was responsible for the initial setup.
I do simpler network changes myself, such as altering ports on the firewall or the switch.
What was our ROI?
I am very satisfied with this investment. It's a good device and works very well to protect us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is not a cheap solution but it isn't expensive, either. It's a good solution for the right price.
What other advice do I have?
FortiGate is regularly updated and my last update was within the past couple of months.
In our company, we have not needed to use any special features, so it is difficult to consider what new features I might want to see in the future.
Overall, this is a very good solution and I personally haven't had any problems with it. I would recommend that my colleagues buy Fortinet devices because they are good.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer930837 from
Has UTM capabilities, integrates well with other Fortinet solutions, and is quite easy to deploy
What is our primary use case?
We have been using it for our internal infrastructure, but mainly, we are providing it as a service to our customers.
In one of the use cases, a customer is using FortiGate, and they also use FortiAP. To collect the usage and monitor the traffic, they use FortiAnalyzer. So, they have FortiGate, FortiAP, and FortiAnalyzer. It is not a very big deployment. It is a midsized company with less than 50 people.
What is most valuable?
The UTM feature is quite good. FortiAP is easy to deploy because both Fortigate and FortiAP are under the same brand. Otherwise, you need to do more work on the configuration.
What needs improvement?
Price, of course, can always be more competitive or better.
If a customer has a requirement for firewall, security, WiFi, and analytics, it is good if we can propose a solution from the same vendor, but we have found that no distributor in Hong Kong has sufficient knowledge to deploy Network Access Control (NAC) solutions. They have a wide range of products, but apart from the popular ones, such as a firewall or an AP, there is not sufficient support here in Hong Kong for NAC solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is reasonably stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our customers are mainly small to medium businesses. I really didn't have a chance to scale it up. We have a customer with two subsidiaries on the same floor. They are changing from traditional features to SD-WAN features. Based on what I heard from my colleagues, migration work is quite smooth, and there are no big issues.
How are customer service and support?
I'm not doing hands-on work for the projects, but from my colleagues, I haven't heard of any delay or incompetency in support.
How was the initial setup?
It is quite easy. The duration depends on the complexity. If you are using a firewall from one brand and WiFi from another brand, then you probably would need more time to do the setup. Overall, the saving is around 25% in terms of labor hours.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Their licensing costs are annual. The UTM feature license along with their support is called FortiCare. We include that as a part of the annual maintenance cost. Palo Alto or Juniper also have an annual subscription charge for UTM.
Price, of course, can always be more competitive, but it is not the most expensive product. The price-performance ratio is quite high for FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others as well as to our existing customers who are not using FortiGate. I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-02-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Qaiser Abbas from
Security solution with good stability, scalability, and a quick setup
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is used for its firewall solutions, VPN firewall, IDS, IPS, and antivirus.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement for Fortinet FortiGate is that their support needs to be more customer friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been dealing with Fortinet FortiGate for five years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate has been stable since the beginning.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Sometimes we face issues with Fortinet support. The support team needs to be more customer friendly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and installation for this product is good. It's very straightforward. It's nice because you can quickly set it up.
How long the installation takes will depend on the customer, e.g. It'll be based on their requirement, because not all customers have the same requirements. Every customer has a different requirement.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented this product ourselves, because we are a partner of Fortinet.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our customers can choose between a one-year or a three-year contract with Fortinet FortiGate.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated WatchGuard, Cisco, and Palo Alto firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
We are dealing with a lot of firewalls, e.g. Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Cisco, and Palo Alto.
We deployed Fortinet FortiGate via a mixture of on-premises and cloud deployment.
We have customers using different versions of this solution, e.g. some using older versions, and some using the newest version. We have hundreds of customers using it.
We are satisfied with this solution.
We have a team of five to six guys who are managing the deployment and maintenance of Fortinet FortiGate, and they are all network engineers.
We recommend Fortinet FortiGate to others who want to start using it.
My rating for Fortinet FortiGate is eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-02-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer947427 from
Beneficial centralized management and scalable
What is our primary use case?
I am using Fortinet FortiGate as a perimeter internet firewall.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the FortiManager for centralized management.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve if it had a cloud-managed solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is approximately 80 percent stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate is good.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Fortinet FortiGate is terrible. They can improve.
The presales, account management, and post-sales are the three worst things about Fortinet.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used other solutions such as Cisco, Check Point, and Palo Alto.
The solution I would recommend largely depends upon the environment it is being implemented. We tend to mix and match firewalls, but Check Point tends to be, easier to manage, but more expensive. Their support is much better than Fortinet's when it comes to pre-sales and post-sales.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiGate is better than Cisco, Check Point, and Palo Alto. In terms of pricing, it's probably a better-priced firewall solution overall.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:partner
Date published: 2022-02-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jans Lien from
Secure, beneficial load balancing, and useful management UI
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for a UPP solution. For example, DNS filtering, IPS, and VPN access.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is load balancing. It can provide central management and VPNA. Additionally, it has enhanced our security environment.
The management UI is more user-friendly than Cisco's solution.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding FortiAnalyzer to its solution, we should not have to use another solution. FortiAnalyzer can provide more detailed information.
I hope that Fortinet FortiGate provides a software define network(SDN) solution. and provide the interface for the user. If we have the SDN interface we can develop our system to manage Fortinet devices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be scalable.
Our company is across many locations. For example, Europe, South America, America, China, Taiwan, and Asia. At this moment all of the sites are using Fortinet FortiGate. There are approximately 10,000 users that are using Fortinet FortiGate.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Juniper. I did prefer the Juniper OS but not anymore because the Junos firewall seems not to be very stable. Since Juniper had stability issues is why we went with Fortinet FortiGate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license to use Fortinet FortiGate.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions, such as Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Hamada Elewa from
Reliable, good support, and scalable
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate as a transparent firewall, it is covering the LAN. Whereas, I have a Cisco firewall, which is covering the internet outside. We have two layers of security. FortiGate focuses on the LAN traffic, which is outgoing from the servers in the LAN.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve to be on par with its competitors, such as Palo Alto and Sophos. They are the market leaders. Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve its capabilities. However, we are happy with Fortinet FortiGate.
Fortinet FortiGate should provide firewall certifications training for NSE 1, 2, and 3.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be scalable.
How are customer service and support?
We were satisfied with the technical support from Fortinet FortiGate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The main reason we chose Fortinet FortiGate was that the price was better than the competition.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated many other firewall vendors, such as Juniper, Sophos, Palo Alto. and SonicWall.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend to everyone that wants to implement Fortinet FortiGate to always have a support contract.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
I do not give a score of ten to any vendor because there is always room for improvement.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2022-02-18T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1776702 from
Good security, stable, and scalable
What is most valuable?
The network security and cloud security are most valuable.
What needs improvement?
Its price could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been dealing with this solution for hardly two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We have 10 clients who are using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have never contacted them.
How was the initial setup?
It is a little complicated. It took four months.
What about the implementation team?
We have a team of about 20 people for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price could be better.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-18T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1777323 from
Simple initial setup, mature features, and responsive support
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is used to secure internet gateways.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are it is one of the most mature firewalls in the UTM bundle.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding enhancements to FortiMail, FortiSOAR, and FortiDeceptor.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solutions. Other solutions, such as Palo Alto, Cisco, and Forcepoint are less stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For scalability, you must define your needs before implementing Fortinet FortiGate. You must know specifications, such as throughput, the number of sessions, and the SSL. Overall it is not scalable.
How are customer service and support?
We had some simple questions for the support and they were able to respond within a few hours. I was satisfied.
I rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is extremely simple. Customers that have never used it can manage it with ease after a few days.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet FortiGate gives you most of the features in one license.
The activation of the license and support could improve. When I order Fortinet products, I have one year to activate my license and support. If this year passed without activating this license and support, I will lose it. If I ordered three years, I will lose all of the years. I must reorder them again, which is not reasonable. For example, if I have to activate my license in six months but didn't activate it during the six months, they should activate automatically. They should not remove the license. They should activate automatically after the grace period.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-17T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Alexandros Tzampazis from
Useful web filtering, beneficial remote access, and straightforward setup
What is our primary use case?
I am using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are remote access, web filtering, and IPS.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having more capabilities for troubleshooting VPN connections. For example, I do get some feedback about the current status, but I could use some history and logging of important events. The information is logged in our Syslog server, but I could use that information from the device. If they could provide a GUI to have some more insight on what's going with my VPN would be useful.
The way Fortinet FortiGate handles the phase two connection of a VPN setup could be better. For example, if I have to make a phase two traffic selector input, I cannot add more ports. For example, on a specific IP address pair, if I have an IP address pair source and destination, then I can only add one port. I'm not sure if I can do that through the command line, but on the GUI, I cannot, and this is a problem. I have to select another IP address pair to allow another port and this means new traffic selectors and a new set of tunnels. This causes more tunnels to need troubleshooting.
I would like to be able to pass more diverse information through the same tunnel, and it doesn't seem to be possible if you want to limit the traffic through the tunnel and not allow all protocols between the same IP address pair. If we want to limit the ports, then I find there is a problem.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately a year and a half.
How are customer service and support?
We have a contract with a Fortinet partner, and they're very good at providing support. We don't have the communication directly with Fortinet.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used a Cisco firewall, the 5520 model. It was not a next-generation firewall and did not have IPS integrated, and it was quite difficult to manage and to find features and implement them. Fortinet FortiGate is very good at this.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not have first-hand experience with the rice of Fortinet FortiGate, but I have heard the price was reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1219629 from
Reliable, simple implementation, and helpful support
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiGate for our security needs in an organization. You can have application and transport-based security. It functions according to the needs of the customer and there are additional add-ons that can be provided. Overall it is a good product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good in Fortinet FortiGate.
We have approximately 2,000 users using Fortinet FortiGate.
How are customer service and support?
The solution from Fortinet FortiGate is very good. Our experience has been very good.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation of Fortinet FortiGate was simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If the price of the license in Fortinet FortiGate was less expensive it would be better.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Yassin Hassan from
I can manage all of my on-prem devices from the cloud
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate covers multiple schemes. I am using the firewall for basic protection. The work console and access console are powerful tools.
What is most valuable?
I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud.
What needs improvement?
I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using FortiGate for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is a highly stable system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate covers everything we need. Our company has looked into changing our firewall, but I recommended this solution because it meets all our requirements. Currently, we have between 150 to 200 users covered by the platform.
How are customer service and support?
Fortinet technical support is nice.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up FortiGate isn't complicated. I handled the installation myself, but we have two technicians responsible for maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a yearly subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I rate FortiGate eight out of 10. I'm from Egypt, and FortiGate has a vast share of the security market in this country. Fortinet isn't the leader in routing or switching, but they have a nice share in security.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-03-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Silvia Ihensekhien from
Useful dashboards and reasonably priced
How has it helped my organization?
It gives a good overview of the security posture
What is most valuable?
The dashboard I have found the most valuable in Fortinet FortiGate.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate is not very easy to use. The navigation could be improved to make it easier to use. Instead of double clicking the items FortiGate needs to click the "details" button to get the configurations or record details
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far the solution is quite stable
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
They provide different products and features and can be added if you needed
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This is the first solution we used since we moved to Cloud
What about the implementation team?
We used a partner to do the implementation of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable for an SME.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight 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
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1249359 from
Easy to use with a nice console but needs to offer container security
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use the solution as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very user-friendly.
The collection of the integration of multiple nodes makes everything very easy. The fact that you can push, directly, one element, and you can leverage the distribution of the policy very well has been great.
Honestly, the console is done very well. It's easy to use.
From a strategic point of view, I've seen, in recent years, a big challenge from Fortinet to recover some kinds of space with respect to the other two biggest players, Check Point and Palo Alto. That has happened much more since the beginning of the next generation file. I found Fortinet recovered much market space in the last year.
What needs improvement?
I'm not sure if it's something that they already have or are developing something, however, we need some dedicated features for container security. Other vendors have developed some kind of specific product to protection. Containers now are very common, especially in the cloud. It's an area that needs to be addressed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've worked with the product for three or four years, more or less.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been great. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have more than 10,000 people o the solution. The scalability capabilities are enough. We haven't had a problem at all.
How are customer service and support?
It would be hard to rate technical support due to the fact that, up until now, we've never had to deal with them.
That said, from talking with colleagues, my understanding is that they are good, and they offer standard levels of support in line with other competitors.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've also used Palo Alto and Check Point.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward, however, we have knowledgeable teams. We also use Fortinet to check the configurations and make sure everything is supported during implementation.
It's pretty standard to deploy. We're also familiar with Palo Alto and Check Point and there is not much of a difference between the three.
What about the implementation team?
We managed, with my team, the setup. We also engaged with Fortinet in terms of professional services in order to check the installation and offer some support.
That said, we have many people on our team certified with the biggest firewalls and security infrastructure vendors.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's very difficult to discuss pricing as we have generally, in terms of pricing, at the end of the day, we have leveraged deals the existing contracts the client had in place. The client uses various technology vendors. I can't say that one is cheaper than the other. It's all in the same ballpark when you are speaking about comparable products.
What other advice do I have?
We are partners with many vendors, including Fortinet.
Likely our engineers would know what version of the solution we are on. I don't follow those details.
I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. It's stable, easy to set up, and easy to use. However, I have yet to see all of the features in play.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jim Morrill from
An easy-to-use product that does a lot for you and allows you to be independent
What is most valuable?
It does a lot for you for intrusion protection and as an antivirus. The threat management bundle is worth the money. You don't need another company to monitor your web traffic for you. You can do everything yourself on the firewall. You restrict your own black list for people on the firewall. You don't need to pay some other company for another product to do that for you. The firewall can do that for you. So, it's an easy-to-use product for people to be independent. They don't need to rely on other vendors to do what the firewall can do. They can do everything.
The GUI is good. I'm really happy with the ease of use of the firewall. Fortinet's support is also great.
What needs improvement?
I don't really have anything negative to say as far as Fortinet firewalls are concerned. If anything, they can support a user a little bit better. They can stop being so time-sensitive about how much time the support call has taken, and they can help you do it yourself.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've had different models of Fortinet since 2009. They all are physical appliances. I had 300As, and now I'm on 300Ds. I've got a remote site with a different model, which probably is 60F. They are great little firewalls, and for bigger size places, they have 300 models.
I don't have virtual appliances. I don't have a virtual infrastructure. I have an older virtual environment with Hyper-V, and the servers are not up-to-date. It was a money thing. So, it was better to go with the appliance itself.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I'm happy with what they got. It is a great product. Sometimes, you're going to get a lemon—the way it initially happened with FortiAuthenticator 300F—but that doesn't happen very often.
If there is a problem, the next business day, they send it and get the replacement, and they help me configure it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of its users, everybody uses the firewall because they're going out. That's our egress point. So, there are about 20 users for that. We have a dozen IPsec tunnels with which we connect to different companies. So, security is a big part of it. I also have a remote location with about 10 users who use a different firewall.
We probably won't be increasing its usage. Now that I got Authenticator, it nicely compliments the Fortinet firewall. The size of the company isn't going to grow any more than what it is. So, we're good.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is great, but it also depends on who you get for support. From the support perspective, they can help you do it yourself, which is always more beneficial to both parties. They can stop being so time-sensitive about the call duration and let a user help himself a little bit more.
It takes time to study this stuff, and I don't always have time to do it. So, I'm looking for a quick answer because I get interrupted all the time during work. I don't always have the time to study something and figure it out. So, I have to call them, but I don't always get somebody who really knows what they are doing. They don't know deep enough to help you. They're troubleshooting with you, and that's the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When I first got here in this job in 2007, they had Cisco ASA Firewall, but it was too cryptic. You had to enter all these CLI commands for a configuration. It also didn't do everything that Fortinet could do. It was very limited, and it wasn't easy to use. I know what I want to do, and I don't have to learn a special language in order to do it. I just want to be able to use some basic programming code that they have put into the firewall and use the GUI interface with it to actually visualize what I am looking at. Some of the Cisco products are not visual enough. That was one of the reasons I stayed away from it. Cisco is also very high-priced. They price themselves out of business a lot of times for equipment, but Fortinet is just great.
I've also used SonicWall before. It was okay, but it is better for bigger places. I was looking for a midrange-size firewall for a couple of hundred users, and I felt Fortinet was the right fit.
How was the initial setup?
Its deployment and maintenance are easy.
What about the implementation team?
I pretty much used the support from Fortinet to do it. They're good about their support. I did it myself by being a nuisance to Fortinet. I kept calling them to ask questions. They had to remote on to it and see you do something you don't know how to do.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It was probably about $2,500 per firewall. It was all included. It included support, services, threat management software, and 24/7 FortiCare on it. Cisco products are more expensive.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet has got great firewalls. They do everything. They do FortiTokens for two-factor. They do the IPsec VPNs, SSL VPNs. They have a great GUI for you to know, but you still got to know the CLI commands.
I would rate it a 10 out of 10. It does its job, and it is easy to use. The support is great.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-08T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Eric TOURE from
Scalable and stable tool for securing networks, with good SD-WAN, VPN, and URL filtering functions
What is our primary use case?
I use Fortinet FortiGate to secure the network.
What is most valuable?
The features I found most valuable in Fortinet FortiGate include their SD-WAN features and their VPN. They are good and very useful. My remote user and I are using them all the time. The URL filter is also good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started using Fortinet FortiGate five years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I'm satisfied about the stability of this solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution wasn't complex at all.
What about the implementation team?
This solution was implemented in-house. I was the one who implemented it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing for Fortinet FortiGate is on a yearly basis. Pricing for it is a bit high. It could be cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
Deployment of Fortinet FortiGate took one to two days, because I needed time to put my existing environment and what we have, and what we intended to do with our network, to convert it into the Fortinet FortiGate system.
We were on another platform which was a concurrent platform and it wasn't a good one, and it was our first time to go on Fortinet FortiGate, so we had an issue and it took me a few days to deploy.
Maintenance of this solution requires two people. The number of users of Fortinet FortiGate in our organization depends on whether it's direct or indirect. If indirect, it will be all the users we have in the organization, but if it's direct, it could be just the administrator. If indirectly, it'll be a hundred users on our actual site, and 2000 to 3000 users on the other site, all done remotely.
I didn't have to contact Fortinet's technical support, so I can't evaluate their level of responsiveness. I was able to make all the configurations I wanted, without needing to contact support. This solution is good for me.
I'm rating Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
I'm recommending this solution to be deployed for a new user. I'm really happy with it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1197741 from
A scalable and stable solution
What is our primary use case?
We are a sister company of Fortinet FortiGate. Our organization has more than 3,000 users.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements with the antivirus and IPS as they are not working properly all the time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for twelve years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is very scalable.
What other advice do I have?
Prior to choosing Fortinet FortiGate you should make sure you select the right box. Be sure of the capacity and have a capacity plan before installation. I suggest you do a failover and redundant together, compact boxes together.
I would rate this solution an 8 out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ed Sexton from
Represents a really scalable way of delivering perimeter network security and is a solid proposition for the mid-market
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortigate, and we have a relationship with Fortinet. We are working with the Fortigate 100F firewall. It is mainly for firewalling, but we would also use them for network demarcation as a DHCP or NAT router. We're also working with our Fortinet account manager to try and push further forward using an SD-WAN controller.
In terms of deployment, it comes through to the build lab. We configure it and then ship it to our customers. We are reviewing how to obviously do zero hands with FortiCloud, but what we've done so far has been conventional configuration and shipping.
What is most valuable?
Fortigate represents a really scalable way of delivering perimeter network security, some level of layer 7 security, WAF, and also a way to create a meshed ADVPN solution.
What needs improvement?
Usually, we sell the bundle with the UTM or threat management piece with IPS, IDS. Other providers, such as Palo Alto, are ahead in terms of safe functionality. So, for me, delivering truly safe service is probably something that still needs to be improved.
Anything they can bring around safe service would be brilliant. At the end of the day, when we talk to customers about deploying, split tunneling, and looking at endpoint security, remote access or safe type of features would be useful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been selling Fortinet technologies for over 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. It is quite straightforward. Moving from, for instance, legacy 200D to 100F has proved not to be an issue. It is quite straightforward.
How are customer service and support?
I am not a hundred percent sure. Our third-line guys deal with them quite a lot. In terms of escalation, for example, when one of my customers had a query about secure authentication on the portal, it has taken some time to get feedback from the vendor or the manufacturer. So, I am unsure. I've not had a great experience, but I can't really answer that one properly.
How was the initial setup?
It is reasonably straightforward if you've got the management portal in terms of FortiCloud. With that, migrating from one firewall, as it reaches the end of support, to an upgraded firewall is fairly intuitive. You should be able to easily reverse out a script and configuration and apply that to the new firewall, following proper governance as a managed service.
We're a managed service provider, so we would probably put two to three PS engineer days to follow the appropriate protocol. From a lead time perspective, a new high availability firewall deployment should not take more than 10 working days from the config test, deployment, and failover test perspective.
What other advice do I have?
If you are a mid-market business, Fortigate presents a solid proposition for the mid-market. If you are getting to enterprise-level, for me, Palo Alto is still a more viable product when you get up to what I call financial services, enterprise-level service customers.
I would rate it an eight out of 10 for its ease of deployment and its ubiquitous approach to network security.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-22T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Rehan Rauf from
Great URL filtering with a next-generation firewall that can do internet routing
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for mid to large enterprise companies with around 500,000 users. We are resellers of this solution based in Pakistan and we have a partnership with Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
I like the security that Fortigate offers; it has great URL filtering with a next-generation firewall that can do internet routing, plus give us advanced layer seven application control. It offers good features.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see training provided for new features and upgrades, it's not currently available. They really need to work on their support. There's a huge market for enterprise business right now and Pakistan is focusing on network security. Fortinet lacks local premium support.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using this solution for six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a good, stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable for enterprise companies.
How was the initial setup?
We have two or three local engineers that help us with deployment.
What other advice do I have?
My one piece of advice would be to spend time planning, rather than just purchasing a product and proceeding to deployment. It's important to research the features, read their community postings regarding bugs because it's something that might hit them in the future.
I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-22T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ismael Abdelkader from
Simple to use and manage, helpful VPN and application control features, and it's constantly evolving
What is our primary use case?
I am a project manager and I have implemented this product in several different projects. The deployments are for enterprise clients, government agencies, and several universities.
How has it helped my organization?
This is a complete security solution that we can offer to our clients.
It provides security EOT (Encryption of Things).
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are simplicity, management, and that it's constantly evolving.
Different modules offer different functionality including the facility for web application control, VPN, and complete security integration.
It is easy to integrate FortiGate with other products.
What needs improvement?
With the addition of some features, it is possible that FortiGate can be used in all verticals.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiGate for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have implemented FortiGate in approximately 200 projects, and it is a scalable solution.
It is primarily used by medium-sized and enterprise companies. Medium-sized companies normally have between 10 and 50 users whereas an enterprise will have more than 5,000.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Fortinet is very nice.
I would rate them a five out of five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I work with several products from Fortinet including FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiSIEM. The selection of which products to use depends on the company.
We work with what we refer to as the Fortinet fabric.
We also have experience with products from Check Point and Palo Alto.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet is competitive price-wise.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
One of our clients in space evaluated FortiGate in terms of pricing and integration, and they chose FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Implementer
Date published: 2022-02-22T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Girgis Hady from
Works very well as a perimeter firewall, comes with many useful features, and is easy to manage
What is our primary use case?
We are using FortiGate as a perimeter firewall.
What is most valuable?
It is our perimeter firewall. URL filtering, IPS, and antivirus features are most valuable.
It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team. It is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box.
What needs improvement?
Their support can be improved in terms of the response time and the quality of support.
There are some tiny bugs that sometimes affect the operations. In the past revision of it, there was a bug. Because of the bug, we had to downgrade the version. It happened only with the last revision.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been very stable over the past two years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have no problem with scalability. When I need to add any device, I just find and add it to the network. I have no issue with the count of devices. I can buy a license and add whatever devices I need to add. Currently, I have no issue with the scalability of this firewall, but if I reach the maximum limit, I need to exchange the box or just add licenses. We currently have about 1,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted them many times. My experience with them was good, but their support can be improved overall. I would rate them a three out of five.
How was the initial setup?
It was very simple.
What about the implementation team?
There was a partner supporting us. Our experience with them was very good. I would rate its setup experience a four out of five.
For maintenance, we currently have a team of two people, but it may be extended to three or four.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has been two years. I don't remember the actual price, but it was affordable.
We buy the boxes and then use the license for three years.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this product. It is a very good product to be used as a perimeter firewall.
I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1784964 from
Secure, good integration, and responsive technical support
What is our primary use case?
We are a system integrator and Fortinet FortiGate is one of the products that we have implemented for our clients.
It is primarily used for VPN and remote access. More recently, we have been using it for SD-WAN.
How has it helped my organization?
This is a versatile solution and with it, we can offer our customers multiple functionalities. The Fortinet fabric goes across the entire enterprise.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the security and the integration with the entire Fortinet product line, from access points to switching.
FortiGate has a very strong unified threat management system.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see integration into other systems. That would be really great for me. The fabric works well only if you're using other Fortinet devices, but they're not exactly the best in terms of switching or access points. If they could extend their fabric towards other vendor environments for integration, that would be great.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for the past few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is very scalable.
We have implemented it for 13 or 14 customers.
How are customer service and support?
I am familiar with technical support and they're very responsible. I haven't had any issues with them so far.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The length of time required for deployment depends on the customer's environment and use cases.
What about the implementation team?
We handle the deployment and maintenance of this product for our customers. We use the Fortinet tools, such as FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer to maintain it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing is usually on a three-year period.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, this is a very good solution and in fact, a good starting point for a broader cyber security approach for the business.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-02-24T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Raphael Haroun Ikyagh from
Security solution that protects our internal network, but it could be more secure
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for security and to protect our internal network from the internet.
This solution is deployed on-premise.
My company has 300 people at HQ. We have about 60 users in practice and 10-15 users per branch.
What is most valuable?
I am satisfied with the solution for now.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more secure and stable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet for over four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability could be improved.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable. It's an SD-WAN application, so on every site we have a FortiGate firewall there.
How are customer service and support?
I think there is a third-party vendor that is helping with technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not been exposed to working with any other firewall except the FortiGate. At one point, our network was strictly on Cisco routers and switches. At that time, I was not exposed to having access to the security aspect of that, so I couldn't say which devices would be used for protection.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup is straightforward. There weren't too many issues with setting it up. It takes one hour or so.
What about the implementation team?
We used a consultant.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You need to pay a license for this solution. Our licensing is now done in our subsidiary.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.
Compared to Cisco, I think the Cisco routers are actually more stable.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-23T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ibidapo Ibrahim from
Includes many valuable features, is extremely stable, and scalable
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate for the protection of our perimeter, VPNs, web filtering, application filtering, and general edge protection.
How has it helped my organization?
I received four tickets a year when I joined my current company, and what the solution has really done is enabled the SD-WAN feature. This has given us more value and reduced the amount of time spent on the manual management of our edge device. We are now able to set our SLAs and be on autopilot.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of the solution are SD-WAN, filtering testing applications, web filtering, and the new VPN. The new web flash is especially noteworthy because it supports Google and the single sign-on for our VPN activities.
What needs improvement?
The routing capability on the FortiGate devices has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for three and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. To scale our firewall we only need to add more hardware. We currently have over 2,000 users.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Mikro Tik before the organization decide to switch.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. As long as we know what we are doing the deployment can be completed within one business day.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed by a partner and two people were required. We completed the configurations ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is flexible. We pay for our device and our subscription according to our needs.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a ten out of ten.
One interesting and critical thing about Fortinet is the add-ons they have included with their firewalls, such as SD-WAN, which would cost a lot of money with other providers but is included with Fortinet's firewall.
When looking for a solution that can better optimize our connectivity and also keep providing security along the website for our branch offices, Fortinet FortiGate is the best solution. The solution is worth every cent. I use FG-61E and for the size of the device it has been very stable for the three years with only occasional reports to apply updates. Fortinet FortiGate has been very responsive to vulnerabilities that have been released. Our business is 24/7 and we don't have leaks. Our servers are always available.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-03-02T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Lenos Jacob from
Straightforward to setup, good support, and offers good visability
What is our primary use case?
We are system integrators, and this is one of the products that we implement for our clients.
The primary use case of this solution is as a firewall, with advanced capability features for sandboxing, for preventing ransomware and other related threats.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the possibility of having one fabric for switching on security.
They have the feature where the fabric and the security fabric can be extended. That gives us visibility as a single pane of logs for many of the activities.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see a more intuitive dashboard.
Technical support can improve in knowledge sharing and they can implement better.
The dashboard appearance needs to be more refined. It has to be smoother and more customer-friendly.
As the cloud is more prominent and more are moving towards the cloud, people are used to certain ease of doing things, and less complicated.
I understand that a firewall is a technical product, but we can try to make it a better customer experience which will increase usability with good results.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. We have not experienced any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable product.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is fairly good. We are able to get our message through, they look into our issues and provide us with a solution without any hassle.
I would rate technical support a seven out of ten.
To be better, they would need responsive pre-set activities to be more refined. They need to be in a position to give more modular solutions or more pre-defined solutions that are present.
How was the initial setup?
We did not have any problems with the implementation.
The initial setup was straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Indian market is different than the European and American markets. When you compare, they need to be a bit more aggressive on pricing.
What other advice do I have?
We would recommend this firewall at any given point in time.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-10-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
AhmedAboalassaad from
Highly reliable, effective profiles, and scalable
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate mostly for a data center firewall.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the different types of profiling. It has been the most effective for me. The WAF and the antivirus profile are the most effective in network protection.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. However, my issue is the performance only. When I use all the profiles, this affects the performance. From the beginning, I should have had a better sizing of the box.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The coverage and scalability of Fortinet FortiGate are good.
We use the solution for daily operations in the data center. There are hundreds of users that use the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Fortinet FortiGate is great. When I have an issue with the support team, it is when I can't understand what they need and they do not understand. They then typically ask for a remote session which can help us receive the solution. Overall, the support team for Fortinet FortiGate is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is very straightforward.
I rate the initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for the solution annually.
What other advice do I have?
The sizing is very important for the Fortinet FortiGate because after designing you have to choose what size and what kind of FortiGate you will implement. Sometimes you need to implement profiling and this will take from your processing.
In my area, this solution is recommended for many projects because it's very easy to do the implementation and troubleshoot and is highly stable. The integration between many devices, such as the FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager, is good and helps us. Fortinet FortiGate is recommended for any firewall design.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-09-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Adeel Razzaq from
Highly reliable, reasonably priced, and worth the money
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet for administration over local users that need to connect with our wireless. We have users that come from different domains, and there are certain limits and restrictions that need to be implemented.
How has it helped my organization?
There is not much visible improvement, but it's a stable and reliable environment. We did not see anything critical in the production environment.
What is most valuable?
Reliability is the best feature. We faced some issues when we were setting it up, but the service, portal, and administration are good.
What needs improvement?
There is some development gap. We had experienced bugs in their operating system. When we were planning to upgrade it, there was no patch available for a bug, and the support team was saying that they need to work on that. That's the part they should work on.
There are some complex administration tasks in their administration portal. That needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
It has been around two years since we set it up.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable. We have 1,500 to 2,000 people across the world. We have multiple regions and multiple sites.
How are customer service and support?
We contacted them for a few cases. I would rate them a seven out of ten. They could be better at finding solutions.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This was the first option, but we'll try Cisco as well for our Wi-Fi setup for the next one to two years.
It was a management call to go for this. They know what is best for their business.
How was the initial setup?
I was not exactly involved in its initial setup, but at a later stage, I had to jump into that. I was more into Cisco setup.
Overall, the setup was easy. There was a portal, and most of the things were similar to other hardware we use, such as Palo Alto. We found some bugs during the setup, and there was not much support available from the Fortinet support team
In terms of maintenance, there are upgrades available roughly every quarter.
What was our ROI?
It's worth the money.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price range is quite acceptable and normal.
What other advice do I have?
It's excellent. The services, administration, and reliability are up to the mark. They just need to improve it a bit.
I would recommend it if you want to set it up for your business. Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-05-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
EhabAli from
Efficient, user-friendly, and affordable
What is our primary use case?
There are various use cases for Fortinet FortiGate, including firewall protection for internet access, data centers, branches, and SD-WAN. We use the firewall in multiple locations throughout our network, taking advantage of its many features, such as the promising CDR feature and security profiles like the WAF filter and application DNS security. We deploy these features in different parts of the network. Additionally, some customers use Fortinet FortiGate in the cloud to safeguard their cloud servers within platforms like Microsoft tenants.
Our customers are using Secure SD-WAN for connecting different branches. For example, oil and gas companies have different branches all over Egypt, which are not in the main city, so they need a secure connection and stability for certain protocols, such as voice and things like that. They also need visibility. They need to understand which applications are consuming SD-WAN.
Some of the customers are also using SD-WAN for load balancing. For SD-WAN, you need at least two internet connections, so some of the customers are using it as a load-balancing technique. Overall, there are a lot of features for which customers are using SD-WAN.
How has it helped my organization?
For our customers, Secure SD-WAN is very useful for giving the right priority to the applications and controlling the proper use of the application.
Secure SD-WAN's interoperability with other systems and applications in the environment is very good. The integrated application protection provided by Secure SD-WAN is also good. There is a very good integration with all the applications and portfolios. We don't integrate the firewall with the application itself, but it does what is needed to control and reroute the traffic.
Secure SD-WAN has a lot of benefits. There is a calculator on Fortinet's website. When you feed the right information to that calculator, it tells you how much money you will save by acquiring SD-WAN. The first benefit is that you're going to save money. Instead of buying multiple ISP connections, MPLS, and other such things, you can use the normal internet and apply SD-WAN on it, so you can save a lot of money. You also don't need to increase the bandwidth. SD-WAN helps with the routing of your traffic and the optimum use of your links. It's efficient and secure, and it saves you a lot of money, and of course, there is the security of the firewall that's applied on SD-WAN. If we're comparing it with other vendors like Cisco, you are not getting the firewall features.
It's very efficient. There is a lot of visibility. It reduces the number of incidents. If there is any problem, you can immediately log in to the firewall, and you will know if there is a notification about bandwidth consumption or any other issue, or if there is any drop in connectivity. It makes the operation very easy. It makes it easy for the teams to respond to incidents and manage issues. SD-WAN helps to remediate threats more quickly and efficiently because, with SD-WAN, there are a lot of applications going through different links, so if you can know which link an application is using and what's on the link, you can make the right decision in a very fast way to fix it. It provides both visibility and efficiency.
It reduces your mean time to detect (MTTD). In the new version, which is version 7.x, of the FortiGate firewall, through the main dashboard, you can know what is going on. If you've done the dashboard and you're putting these statistics in front of you on a screen, once you look at it, you'll know what's going on and what's the problem. It, of course, will give you the tools and the right information to reduce the time to solve.
It's hard to say whether it has reduced help desk tickets because it's more on the operational side, but it helps them a lot. The operations team is not handling the firewall. It's either the network team or the network security team. Generally, once it's up and running, it just works. It's different from having an antivirus or something else that can be changed from day-to-day activities. With this one, once you turn it on, the service will be stable unless you have a problem with your internet. It doesn't cause a lot of problems.
In terms of helping to future-proof business, from a partner perspective, it gives you a lot of flexibility to enhance the customer network. It opens a lot of doors for sales, for a new business, and for new potential. That's from the partner side. From the customer side, you can save money and solve a lot of problems. If you need to connect with a few branches all over the country, it's efficient. You don't need to travel for five to ten hours to reach the second branch. If you have proper SD-WAN technology and it's connected in a good way with good vendors, you can save a lot of time, effort, and money. You can have proper connectivity between branches as if the guy you are talking to is next door. So, SD-WAN gives a lot of benefits at the vendor level, partner level, and customer level.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly and affordable.
When it comes to Secure SD-WAN, ease of use is valuable. The visibility and reporting are also valuable. A cool thing is that SD-WAN is free of charge with the Fortinet firewall. You can just use it just by using the Fortinet appliances that you already have in the branches. You cannot have appliances from different vendors. Fortinet customers can use the feature in a very easy way. It takes one click to integrate with the firewalls. It's very very easy to deploy. You don't need to build anything.
What needs improvement?
In the past, NSS Labs was utilized to test files and verify the numbers and datasheets. It would be beneficial to have an organization or testing lab that can verify the numbers in our datasheets since changes are frequently made, which can be inconvenient for review. For instance, when comparing different competitors such as Forcepoint, Palo Alto, and Check Point, the throughput or numbers in the datasheet may be lower than the actual numbers. Conversely, Fortinet typically reports very high numbers, but they cannot be replicated in the real world. Therefore, it would be advantageous for them to partner with a neutral testing organization such as NSS Labs to validate these numbers, thus providing more credibility and comfort to everyone regarding the accuracy of the datasheets.
For the migration, everyone has a firewall in use and I am selling Fortinet. Typically, I am replacing another firewall. Previously, there was a tool available to convert configurations from one firewall, such as Palo Alto, to Fortinet, but this tool is no longer free. If it could be made free again, it would be very beneficial. This tool shows a lot of promise and is very good. Making it free would help many companies deliver their products in a more efficient and integrated way. It would also be more valuable to include the tool with the firewall package or license instead of having to pay extra for it. Paying extra puts more pressure on small companies to deliver the firewall and complete the configuration, especially if they have hundreds or thousands of policies. It's very painful to move through these policies line by line.
The stability has room for improvement.
When it comes to Secure SD-WAN, everything is fine. They are going the right way. SD-WAN is very promising. They can provide the SD-WAN solution separately, but they will not take this approach because even the smallest firewall can support the features, so there is no need to have a separate service or appliance. They are following the right steps, and there is nothing to be improved. Feature-wise, I'm really satisfied with the new release, and the features they have added. For now, it's fine.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for seven years, and I have been using Secure SD-WAN for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Secure SD-WAN is stable, but when it comes to the firewall, sometimes there are issues with the throughput and related factors. Improper handling of these can lead to a memory surge, a well-known bug that can cause the entire system to freeze. When this happens, the system appears to be running but no traffic is processed, causing disruptions to applications, users, and overall internet connectivity. This can be confusing because the firewall appears to be functioning correctly. Typically, the solution is to restart the firewall. However, when we contact support, they require logs before restarting, which can be challenging in urgent situations. As a result, we prioritize quick resolution over troubleshooting. This is a common drawback of the operating system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I'd rate Fortinet FortiGate's scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
While the technical support offered online and on-site is generally effective, there may be occasions when we need to escalate an issue to a higher level due to its complexity.
I initially sought assistance from level-one support, but they were unable to resolve my issue. Eventually, they informed me that the problem would be addressed in a future patch. However, within a day or two, a level three engineer intervened and provided me with an update to resolve the issue. He explained that it required a command line configuration, as it couldn't be done through the graphical user interface. I was impressed with the level-three engineer's expertise and problem-solving skills. It taught me that if we pers...
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-05-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Eric-Smith from
A reliable and consistent solution that allows us to manage the entire network from one interface and supports on-premises and cloud deployments
What is our primary use case?
We are a managed services company, and we are also a partner with Fortinet and Cisco Meraki. The firmware that I just started using is 6.4.4. Most of the FortiGates that I sell are 60E and 60F. For some of our larger customers, I have got a handful of FortiGate 80, 100, and 200.
Fundamentally, its primary purpose is security at the edge of the network. I have got some clients who are starting to use the SD-WAN feature for a multi-location setup. I have got other clients who are using a lot of IPSec tunnels. I also have some clients who, with the increase in remote workers, are taking advantage of the FortiClient product that ties in. They are using that for remote VPN connections.
How has it helped my organization?
We are a managed services provider, and I would say that it has improved the way our client's organization functions. I would also hope that it is seamless for them. They don't even know it. The biggest improvement for us is that it allows us to do more with a smaller staff.
What is most valuable?
One of the nice things about FortiGate is that it can be deployed on the cloud or on-premises. You can actually do both. That's the biggest reason why I stick with this solution as opposed to something like Cisco Meraki. Another nice thing is that I can log directly into a FortiGate or get to it through their FortiCloud access products. They're pretty reliable and consistent.
One of the reasons why I started using the product was their single pane of management. I can deploy their line of firewalls in conjunction with their switching and access points, and I can manage the entire network from one interface. I don't have to log into one interface for the firewall, another one for the access points, and another one for the switches. These firewalls have access point controller functionality built right into the system, so I don't even have to purchase additional devices to manage them.
What needs improvement?
FortiLink is the interface on the firewall that allows you to extend switch management across all of your switches in the network. The problem with it is that you can't use multiple interfaces unless you set them up in a lag. Only then you can run them. So, it forces you to use a core type of switch to propagate that management out to the rest of the switches, and then it is running the case at 200. It leaves you with 18 ports on the firewall because it is also a layer-three router that could also be used as a switch, but as soon as you do that, you can't really use them. They could do a little bit more clean up in the way the stacking interface works.
Some use cases and the documentation on the FortiLink checking interface are a little outdated. I can find stuff on version 5 or more, but it is hard to find information on some of the newer firmware.
The biggest thing I would like to see is some improvement in the switch management feature. I would like to be able to relegate some of the ports, which are on the firewall itself, to act as a switch to take advantage of those ports. Some of these firewalls have clarity ports on them. If I can use those, it would mean that I need to buy two less switches, which saves time. I get why they don't, but I would still like to see it because it would save a little bit of space in the server rack.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution since 2007.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
If you have the firmware version 6.4.3 and are using FortiLink in VLAN, it has trouble with tunneling networks for a wireless network. It won't give it a route to the internet. I found it just last week. There was a version back in 6.2 where it required 12 characters for the password of a wireless network on Web 2.0 as opposed to the traditional eight characters. The problem came when you wanted to edit it. If you upgraded to that firmware from a previous version, it wouldn't let you save any changes without changing the password, making it a requirement. That was kind of problematic for a while, but for the most part, it has been pretty stable and responsive.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easy to scale as long as you start with the right firewall. Our clients are of different sizes. We have clients with the home office with two or three employees. One of the clients has about 26 locations in all four time zones and about 400 employees.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't used their official tech support, which is actually a good thing. The reason I haven't used their official tech support is that they have a support mechanism in place. I have direct access to a local sales engineer, and when I have problems, I call him up on the cell phone. Based on that, they definitely support their partners 100%. They are definitely channel driven, and it shows.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have deployed SonicWall, WatchGuard, Cisco ASA, Rockies, and Palo Alto. The biggest reason I went with Fortinet is that it felt like it has got Palo Alto type of functionality at a much more reasonable price point.
I spent seven years working at the state level education, and budgets were tough. We had SonicWall subscription services. I could replace them with the brand new FortiGate with a three-year subscription for the same cost. That really changed things. The single pane of management that they have was just the frosting on the cake.
How was the initial setup?
It is pretty simple. For example, I just set up a new network with a 100E, and I have got four stackable switches. It will run a network with 23 access points. I set up all the VLANs, routing, rules, and other things. It won't take more than four hours of work. I am getting ready to box up and ship it out. It will be plug and play once it gets to the site.
What other advice do I have?
Take the training. They've got free training that is available online, and there are different levels for technical training. It is crucial. If you sign up as a partner, which doesn't cost you anything, the training is free. If you want to go for the test and get certified, you got to pay for the test, but the actual training materials are available to every partner for free. I would say that definitely take advantage of those. When you have new employees as network engineers, make this training a part of the routine.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten. I have been using it for years, and I do try to evaluate it on a regular basis and continue to stick with them. I just don't have a lot of bad things to say about them. Aside from their product, I'm a also fan of their company and how they do business, which makes it easier to do business with them. I don't necessarily appreciate the business practices of some of their competitors. It is nice not to have to worry about that.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mohamed Abdel Hassanein from
Very user friendly solution with cumbersome licensing structure
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for Fortinet FortiGate is for the center firewalls. We use the VMware server. That seems good and acceptable to the customers.
What is most valuable?
The features that I have found most valuable are that it is good to use, and most importantly, the pricing. The customer especially likes the discount when they trade up or something like that.
What needs improvement?
In terms of the product, we don't have anything to improve. But I have a concern about the FortiGate team here in Egypt, because there is an opportunity that we are working on and when we opened it and did the deal installation, it was rejected. When I talked to the FortiGate team here in Egypt, they told me they know about the deal, but they rejected it.
Additionally, they could make some modifications in the license. There are some license issues. Not every feature must have a separate license. There must be some kind of synergy between the license so we don't have to pay for every individual license that we would like to have.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for around one year now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In m company there are around seven technical engineers required for deployment and maintenance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, our biggest customer using it has 500 people.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't worked with the technical support. I did face some admin problem with the team here in Egypt.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are a partner with Sophos, with Palo Alto, and with WatchGuard. So we have a lot of competitors for FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was easy. The most important thing is the management software with the license for accounts that need an additional license. But it is also acceptable.
The initial setup takes a while. It seems to take some time longer than usual due to the customer's onsite preparation of the required information. Overall it takes around five to seven working days.
What about the implementation team?
We are a partner, and a technical team qualified for implementing.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is also an issue here. Maybe we get a massive discount on the product, but the renew cost is higher. In addition there are some admin issues. When I receive a request for a renew for a customer, the local team here only deals with the company that makes the primary deal, and refuses to give us a quotation. So we may lose the opportunity, or we may go with the vendor with their native product.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend the product. I think it's good and they're doing well on the roadmap. But again, for the team they have to take better care of the local partner.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a seven.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2020-12-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MOHAN SUKUMAR from
Helped reduced our cybersecurity risks, is user-friendly, and stable
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate to safeguard our online users, who are primarily students, around the clock.
Over the past seven years, we've utilized Fortinet FortiGate to address a wide range of security challenges. Initially, we implemented a firewall to secure our network perimeter. Subsequently, we sought to protect internal network segments. Next, we implemented application-level security measures. And most recently, we've implemented selective service controls to manage access to applications like Google services, WhatsApp, and video conferencing platforms. These measures have addressed evolving security needs over time. Currently, we're focused on enhancing authentication and remote access security. To achieve this, we're implementing security tokens to verify user identities and ensure authorized access.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiGate enables us to comply with regulatory governance and compliance requirements.
FortiGate is one of the security solutions we have implemented to enhance and protect our network infrastructure, including devices, across the campus for all users. Specifically, FortiGate has shielded us from Internet security threats, application threats, and unwanted websites or access to unauthorized web services. For instance, access to classified websites is restricted based on user permissions. This has resulted in a cleaner network environment, not just from a security standpoint but also in terms of overall network performance. Secondly, FortiGate has significantly alleviated the burden on network administrators and server managers. The product has proven to be highly reliable.
It has effectively reduced our risk of cyberattacks. We have experienced a very small number of incidents, primarily due to configuration loopholes. However, FortiGate has been successful in preventing intrusions from the Internet. It has effectively thwarted hacking attempts, making it a valuable tool for our computer and network security.
We operate in an educational setting and do not rely solely on online connectivity. Therefore, an internet outage would only impact academic activities. While some internet services are utilized within our campus primarily for business purposes, they are not entirely internet-dependent. Consequently, the impact of equipment failure is minimal. In the event of equipment malfunction, we have established contingency plans and alternative facilitating services in place. Additionally, our devices are designed for high availability, with two devices functioning as a backup in case one fails. We have not experienced any device failures to date.
It has streamlined the management of our network and security operations. While the machine itself doesn't provide an out-of-the-box solution, its effectiveness hinges on the expertise and security knowledge of its users. Therefore, engineering and security proficiency are paramount to maximizing the benefits of FortiGate.
FortiGate offers a lot of reporting logs and reports. By continuously monitoring these resources, we can gather sufficient information to take immediate action and implement necessary changes. However, the effectiveness of this approach hinges on having dedicated personnel to review and respond to the provided insights. The device itself cannot act autonomously without human intervention and analysis.
FortiGate has helped us reduce our mean time to remediation by 60 percent. Its user-friendly interface facilitates rapid issue resolution.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is an extremely user-friendly product. In terms of security, we have not experienced any security flaws or loopholes, and it has proven to be quite stable. Additionally, we have not experienced any downtime, which is of utmost importance.
What needs improvement?
The log analyzer, for instance, is a product being developed as a common solution for multiple FortiGate devices. Consequently, the log analyzer's functionalities are not fully integrated into the individual FortiGate products. I would prefer to have more detailed logs within the FortiGate products themselves rather than relying on a separate tool.
While Fortinet claims to offer a comprehensive network solution, it falls short in addressing computer application issues, particularly server security. Fortinet's capabilities are primarily focused on network security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for over seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a fixed configuration that depends on the number of nodes and devices.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Fortinet and its vendors is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment can be completed in a few days. Two to three people are involved in the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In the Asian economy in which we operate, FortiGate is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate eight out of ten.
I'm not involved in the operation of industrial devices. We do, however, have devices that are part of laboratories, and they may be flagged during searches because we belong to the education sector. In any case, FortiGate provides protection, and I wouldn't know the extent of visibility there because it's primarily concerned with providing security for those devices. If they are connected to the network, alright.
We have around 1,500 users and over 3,000 devices that utilize FortiGate.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-12-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
administ2171925 from
Helps reduce our cybersecurity risks, enhances security, and performs well
What is our primary use case?
We utilize the Fortinet FortiGate firewall to safeguard our network and provide secure VPN access from external locations.
We implemented FortiGate because we needed a firewall to protect our data.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate helped us meet our ISO requirements.
In the time we have been using FortiGate, we have not had any security breaches.
FortiGate has reduced the risk of cyberattacks that can disrupt our production. Since implementing FortiGate we have not dealt with any such attacks.
I'm unsure whether centralized FortiGate management enhances efficiency, but our experience with it has been exceptional. We haven't encountered any issues, and the operational aspects have been seamless. Additionally, there was no downtime, which is crucial for our operations.
Our Fortinet security fabric has enhanced security across our industrial control system. By safeguarding our production environment and ensuring the security of VPN access granted to individuals, we have achieved comprehensive data protection. We have not experienced any incidents that would have occurred if our firewall was inadequate.
FortiGate does a lot of research, and the product is regularly updated, especially in the ransomware area. I know of a couple of other companies around us that had some ransomware incidents, but we never have. From that perspective, FortiGate has helped mature our approach to cybersecurity a lot.
What is most valuable?
The email protection and VPN features are the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
The process of configuring firewall rules appears excessively complex. While FortiGate offers greater functionality than other firewall solutions, its user interface could benefit from simplification.
I would like the log viewing process to be improved to provide a clearer understanding of the logs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of FortiGate ten out of ten. We have never had any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We used the limit of our FotiGate firewall which was around 150 users and we never noticed any performance issues.
I would rate the scalability of FortiGate eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our decision to switch from FortiGate to Sophos was solely driven by the seamless integration with our existing Sophos antivirus system. Had this integration not been an advantage, we would have maintained our FortiGate system.
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment was straightforward due to our understanding of the product and its operation. It was completed in one day by a team of two.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of FortiGate is comparable to that of most other firewall solutions and is more affordable than Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate eight out of ten.
Except for the firmware updates we have to do now and then, there is no other maintenance required for FortiGate.
We had FortiGate deployed in one location in a big server room. We have 150 users.
I would recommend FortiGate to anyone. FortiGate is an out-of-the-box firewall with good pricing and excellent features.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-12-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
James-Jiang from
Reduces our remediation time and our operational expenses
What is our primary use case?
We utilize Fortinet FortiGate appliances at six branch offices, one data center, and one DLP site. Our network is driven by SD-WAN, and we employ FortiGate as our firewall, FortiEDR for endpoint protection, and FortiSwitch for alerting on all layers of the network.
For me, the best practice is to deploy on-premises for data centers. However, for small branch offices with over ten to twenty staff members, I can deploy the devices remotely. We can provision our cloud and push the configuration to those devices from the cloud.
How has it helped my organization?
The visibility that FortiGate provides into our devices is crucial for network segmentation. I want to see the output in a specific way. The traditional approach has shifted slightly, as I'm accustomed to Cisco networking equipment. Typically, we have a call feature, but I'm currently using all the call features for internal routing. However, with FortiGate, most security subnets are segmented and protected behind the firewall. This allows me to lock down or secure sensitive subnets, such as HR or departmental information. I can log in from there, and all other subnets for client users require centralized access. This means that all traffic must go through the firewall, enhancing security.
FortiGate enabled us to achieve compliance with governance requirements. The FortiGate, along with fabric security and checkpoints, essentially act as regulatory checkers, reviewing our security practices against industry best practices and guidelines. If they identify any discrepancies, they alert us, allowing us to develop and implement mitigation plans to address the issues. For instance, if our SSH configurations don't meet security standards, such as algorithm or cipher requirements, FortiGate will notify us, enabling us to take corrective action and regain compliance.
We utilize API calls for FortiGate, including those related to our PRTG monitoring system. Additionally, we employ HVAC calls and leverage another MDR solution from Arctic Wolf to trigger specific events on the FortGate. This API functionality enables us to generate API keys and seamlessly integrate with API features across various platforms.
Integrating FortiGate into our environment is straightforward. Our transition from Palo Alto to FortiGate was seamless, utilizing our existing policies and migration tools. FortiGate also provides provisioning capabilities for defining branch office configurations. As long as branch office devices can access the internet to communicate with Fortinet Cloud, we can remotely implement provisioning for these devices, offering greater convenience for small branch offices.
The built-in APIs streamline integrations with other vendors, reducing deployment time. They effortlessly generate API keys upon logging into the Fortinet network, facilitating the deployment of our PRTT monitor tools. These tools seamlessly integrate with each other, fostering rapid deployment. Most platforms, including Cisco Meraki, Palo Alto, and Check Point, now adhere to industry standards and support API calls.
FortiGate has been instrumental in mitigating the risk of cyberattacks that could potentially disrupt our production operations. I am particularly impressed with Fortinet's cloud-based FortiGuard service, which continuously updates our systems with the latest zero-day attack protection, significantly reducing the threat landscape within our industry. Given the energy industry's heightened vulnerability to cyberattacks, we have implemented measures to restrict access to our network based on geolocation IP addresses. This includes restricting access from countries such as Russia and China, further safeguarding our environment from potential threats. Additionally, FortiGuard's regularly updated list of malicious websites provides an invaluable layer of protection for our industry.
In the event of a production-disrupting attack, we can utilize FortiManager to remotely isolate and mitigate the threat by shutting down specific subnets or networks. We can easily navigate through the unpacked data, and upon detecting a suspicious event, we can initiate automation or SOAR processes to notify the Cloud Service Provider team with whom we have been collaborating. Additionally, we can establish traffic alerts. For instance, since not all users access the AD server simultaneously each month, if we observe such suspicious behavior, we can remotely shut down that network, thereby minimizing our risk exposure.
FortiGate provides us with actionable insights to guide our decision-making regarding the appropriate actions to take. We generate 20 gigabytes of log data daily, which we utilize to establish a baseline for network traffic on our servers and compare it to our generated report. This approach allows us to set a threshold for the read volume of 20 gigabytes of FortiGate data attempting to reach a server from an external source. If this threshold is exceeded, an alert is triggered, prompting us to take corrective action. The centralized monitoring of our environment provides significant value.
Security is not a single, isolated element. It encompasses the entire network infrastructure, including firewalls, routers, switches, endpoints, and even mobile devices. The Fortinet Security Fabric seamlessly integrates these components to provide comprehensive protection. It generates detailed logs, including those from access points linked to FortiSwitch. The FortiSwitch, fully integrated with the FortiGate Fabric, relays security alerts to the FortiViewer in the SOC. This centralized view provides complete visibility into the network, including SSIDs, wireless networks, subnets, and devices protected by FortiClient. The Fortinet Security Fabric tracks individual devices connected to the network, including compromised laptops. FortiClient triggers alerts and sends them to FortiCloud, which also receives logs from the EMS server and the firewall. These logs are consolidated in the FortiAnalyzer and forwarded to the cloud-based log server for analysis. This comprehensive approach to security ensures that all potential threats are identified and addressed promptly.
FortiGate has contributed to a reduction in our operational expenses. Prior to adopting Fortinet, we utilized Palo Alto for firewalls and Cisco for call switches. However, as we began using Fortinet, we gradually transitioned to their products. Currently, we employ FortiGate for our firewall, FortiSuite, and FortiAP Access Points, phasing them in one at a time. This approach has effectively minimized downtime and lightened our workload by enabling centralized management through a single pane of glass.
FortiGate has significantly reduced our time to remediation. We can now check logs from servers, firewalls, switches, access points, clouds, and even devices from different brands, all from a single centralized location. This has greatly reduced the time required for threat hunting and security event investigation.
Fortinet has been instrumental in enhancing our cybersecurity approach to safeguard our industrial machinery. We rely on some heavy equipment that is critical to our industry's operations. To protect this equipment, we have isolated it on a single subnet and implemented strict access controls, allowing only authorized users and MAC addresses to access the network. This ensures that only internal staff can operate the equipment unless authorized maintenance personnel are present. The high level of security we have implemented is essential because our industry's operations are closely tied to the core applications of our industry. We are committed to safeguarding our equipment and preventing any potential risks.
What is most valuable?
I appreciate FortiGate's flexibility, which allows for centralized management through FortiManager. Additionally, its integration with FortiAnalyzer, which can be deployed in the cloud, enables centralized monitoring of all firewall logs.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet needs to overhaul its documentation. Our current reliance on outdated documentation has resulted in significant time wastage. While we can locate the necessary documentation, the constant daily revisions necessitate meticulous identification of the relevant documents to prevent the use of outdated information that could jeopardize our environment. At the very least, Fortinet should classify its documentation to clearly indicate the applicable version, as our attempts to do so manually are becoming increasingly tedious.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for over three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is stable. I have not encountered any performance issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The speed of Fortinet's technical support is significantly faster compared to Palo Alto. I recall an instance where I experienced an issue with Palo Alto, and it took an hour to connect with a real technician from Palo Alto. However, when I call Fortinet, it takes a maximum of two minutes to get a knowledgeable individual to address my concerns. Considering the stark contrast in service levels, imagine having a network issue with Palo Alto and having to wait an hour for support. Conversely, with Fortinet, we can receive proper assistance within two minutes. The difference is immense. This is the one aspect I find lacking in Palo Alto.
The reason I don't give Fortinet's support a perfect score is that I've worked in this field for many ...
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-12-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Taimoor Khan from
Helpful support, good UI, and provides excellent visibility
What is our primary use case?
We've deployed FortiGate on some customer premises. We've also deployed other Fortinet products, such as FortiMail and FortiManager. We often bundle Fortinet devices. We use FortiGate as a firewall. It is for security and protection.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has helped our clients secure their network efficiently. It offers security across multiple sites and helps monitor traffic effectively.
What is most valuable?
It's very good and very stable for businesses. It works very well.
The UI is better than the alternatives.
We like using Fortinet devices. They integrate well with one another.
Fortinet provides good visibility and segmentation.
Fortinet's devices are purpose-built to operate in various environments. It operates well across clouds. We can run Fortigate as an MSP.
It helps with intrusion prevention specific to various environments. It provides us with details about the traffic for better monitoring.
FortiGate has helped reduce the risk of cyberattacks that might disrupt our client's production.
The product provides policies for strict monitoring to make the network secure. If something hits against a policy, it will be blocked.
What needs improvement?
We'd like to see the product offer higher discounts to users. They should offer special pricing to premium partners and customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
The company has been using the solution for the last five or so years. I've maybe used it for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability depends on the FortiGate model. You need the right model for the amount of GB traffic. If a customer deploys a smaller model on more traffic, there may be issues. Otherwise, it handles traffic well. Overall, it's a stable solution. I'd rate stability nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our clients are quite sizable. One of them is one of the biggest telecoms in our country. We also have smaller customers that deal with smaller FortiGate models. We have a variety of customers of different sizes from around the country.
It's a scalable solution. I'd rate it nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. They offer very accurate solutions. We learn a lot from them. We're happy with their level of service.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
We typically deploy the solution to our client's VMs. The deployment sometimes takes about a month. We have a team of 12 people who work on the FortiGate side.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Their services are good, and we are happy to work with them, however, the pricing could be cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
We're a Fortinet partner.
If we have the option of which firewall to choose, whether Fortinet, Cisco, Juniper, et cetera, we will choose Fortinet. We're very comfortable with their devices. We have a very skillful team, and we've become very comfortable with Fortinet. They have good support as well.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-12-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Viraj Fernandopulle from
Includes built-in APIs, is easy to deploy, and provides good insight into our network
What is our primary use case?
For IPS, IDS, traffic management, SDWAN, high availability, we leverage Fortinet FortiGate as a virtual appliance to secure our data center, internal office infrastructure, and site-to-site VPNS Site to client VPNS for our internal lab controls, rather than using physical Fortinet FortiGate hardware.
We implemented Fortinet FortiGate as part of our compliance requirements to address the high volume of intrusion attempts we were experiencing. This solution provides us with a insight on Intrusion to block these attacks and gain insights into who is trying to access our network. Essentially, we aim to understand the nature of incoming and outgoing network traffic.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate offers visibility into the types, brands, versions, and users of connected devices. This visibility is crucial for our industrial devices, as their reliable operation is essential to our business.
Fortinet Security Fabric empowers us to comply with regulations, governance, and compliance requirements across regions like the US and Europe, ensuring smooth operations for our global business.
FortiGate's built-in APIs enable us to integrate with the vendors of our choice.
Fortinet's FortiGate is easy to deploy in our environment thanks to its well-written and easy-to-follow documentation.
FortiGate is a highly benchmarked product that improves efficiency and adds value to our organization.
Although we don't see a benefit overnight, we gradually see the benefits of FortiGate over the years. It has provided a lot of insight into our organization's activities.
FortiGate significantly helped reduce the risk of cyberattacks that could disrupt our production. This has protected us against financial losses.
Fortinet has its management suite so it helps to centralize the management of network and security operations in our company. This helps us easily manage the issues and solutions that are required.
Fortinet FortiGate provides us with actionable data to inform our decisions about the most appropriate course of action. It delivers insights into resource consumption and compromised hosts, helping us identify the source of unauthorized login attempts. This comprehensive view allows us to understand what's entering our network.
Fortinet Security Fabric improved security across our industrial control systems.
Fortinet FortiGate helped reduce our mean time to remediate.
Fortinet FortiGate helped to mature our approach to cybersecurity for protecting our industrial equipment. The level of detail we can see regarding incoming traffic and ongoing activities is quite high. This detailed visibility extends to host configuration and other such aspects, providing us with valuable insights. As a result, Fortinet can provide a clear understanding of how to manage our network and quickly mitigate any issues that may arise.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.
What needs improvement?
Ideally, I'd like to see most CLI configuration options exposed in the GUI to avoid manual command typing. However, there should be a more user-friendly approach than simply replicating everything in the GUI. Alternatively, some users might prefer scheduling tasks through commands for automation.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for over 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate ten out of ten. As long as we configure FortiGate properly.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support has improved over the years.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used an open-source firewall, but we were looking for a solution that was more proactive, easier to manage, and continuously improved. FortiGate was a major competitor at the time and has since become one of the market leaders.
How was the initial setup?
Initially, there was a learning curve during the deployment. We did have the help of local vendors.
If our policies are already in place, we can have the solution up and running in less than a day using a script. However, if we need to determine our policies while implementing the solution, it can take over a month to complete.
What was our ROI?
Fortinet FortiGate mitigates an excessive amount of manpower requirements because it is easy to manage and this helps contribute to a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price varies yearly and there could be additional costs to help manage the infrastructure.
In certain markets, if an organization subscribes to their internet service they get a Fortinet firewall included in the cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated some of the leading brands. At the time we found FortiGate easier to administrate and handle. The interface was intuitive and the solution was affordable.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate nine out of ten.
Fortinet FortiGate is one of the most user-friendly security appliances I've encountered. It has a gentle learning curve, and even beginners can configure it effectively. However, for a successful deployment, it's crucial to have a well-defined network layout, documented initial requirements, and a clear configuration strategy. While physical documentation isn't mandatory, a well-organized approach is essential. This includes using clear and consistent naming conventions for commands and rules, along with detailed descriptions within the configuration itself. This makes it easy for anyone to understand the overall logic and navigate the configuration from start to finish. It's important to note that my approach to policy management might involve unique syntax. This includes how I structure policy sets and identify which ones consume the most resources. Understanding how policies interact with other aspects, like implementation and rule execution, is also crucial. Ultimately, a well-defined naming standard is the foundation for a clear and maintainable configuration.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.customer
Date published: 2024-03-06T00:00:00-05:00