Fortinet FortiGate vs IBM Security Network IPS comparison

Fortinet and IBM are both solutions in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category. Fortinet is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4, while IBM is ranked #25. Fortinet holds a 17.1% mindshare in ID, compared to IBM’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Fortinet FortiGate

Read 574 Fortinet FortiGate reviews

76,928 Views
6,924 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

IBM Security Network IPS

Read 4 IBM Security Network IPS reviews

314 Views
254 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiGate

IBM Security Network IPS

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2025

IBM Security Network IPS and Fortinet FortiGate are both leaders in the network security industry. After data review, Fortinet FortiGate claims the advantage due to its rich feature set, while IBM Security Network IPS is notable for its pricing and support.

Features: IBM Security Network IPS focuses on robust intrusion prevention, vulnerability management, and minimizing network risk effectively. Fortinet FortiGate offers an extensive array of features such as integrated threat intelligence, versatile security functions, and comprehensive capabilities suitable for demanding security needs.

Room for Improvement: IBM Security Network IPS could benefit from simplifying its deployment process and enhancing integration flexibility. Improvements in detailed analytics for threat detection and advanced customization options would be advantageous. Fortinet FortiGate can enhance user interface intuitiveness and decrease deployment complexity. Additional focus on cost-effectivity could further strengthen its market position. Fortinet should also consider optimizing its long-term licensing fees to attract budget-conscious buyers.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate is acclaimed for its streamlined deployment process and exceptional customer service, making integration more seamless. Meanwhile, IBM Security Network IPS provides robust customer support, though its deployment process might require additional technical resources.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Security Network IPS is recognized for competitive pricing, which is appealing for those mindful of costs, offering solid ROI metrics. Fortinet FortiGate, though it may involve a higher upfront investment, presents strong long-term ROI due to its feature-rich offerings and efficient threat management. The decision hinges on balancing cost-effectiveness with the desired depth of security functionality.

To learn more, read our detailed Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Report (Updated: August 2025).

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Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

August 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

574

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (2nd), Firewalls (1st), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st), ZTNA (2nd), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)

IBM Security Network IPS

Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

25th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 17.1%, down from 19.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Network IPS is 0.6%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	17.1%
IBM Security Network IPS	0.6%
Other	82.3%

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

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Jacob_Koithra

Project & Program manager at Shell Grp

User-friendly and has a good blocking feature but is quite expensive

Defining the new security rules and policies sometimes becomes a challenge. Integration with other platforms becomes a challenge as well. I'd like to see more integration with other tools and technologies. XGS 7100 has an end of support for the 30th of December 2022. Many are losing support. All the products of the XGS, including XGS 3100, 4100, 5100, and 7100, support is ending in December 2022. We need to know what is the plan post that? Do we need to spend money on them? Will that be extended? There has been no communication on the website either. It's an expensive device.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Regionally, we are well covered. Technical support is good in this area."

"FortiGate improved our security. It's one of the best hardware firewalls."

"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."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a good solution because it has a range of options and a clear ecosystem."

"The solution is user-friendly and easy to operate."

"FortiGate has led to a reduction in our security budget."

"The firewall and VPN features are the most valuable in protecting our customers' networks."

"FortiGate has a very strong unified threat management system."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The most valuable feature is its simplicity."

"The initial setup is simple."

Cons

"It is somewhat expensive compared to other solutions such as Sophos."

"Technical support needs to be improved."

"I would like to see improvements in Fortinet FortiGate regarding the active-active scenario. The active-active scenario is supported but not recommended, whereas other vendors are implementing active-active without issues. Perhaps in the future, we could effectively use both firewalls to increase the throughput. If there are two boxes, they both should be able to work."

"I face difficulties integrating Fortinet FortiGate with Active Directory."

"The solution is very expensive."

"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."

"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."

"The support is not good because I generally search for solutions online. When I open a case, they usually identify it as a bug they are working on."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"I'd like to see more integration with other tools and technologies."

"In the future, I would like to see a hybrid option so that we can work both on-premises and in the cloud."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's very affordable."

"Fortinet FortiGate allows you to purchase licenses for hardware and software."

"The license is yearly. We pay for the top end. It's called 360."

"There is a need to pay for a license for the product."

"It's an expensive solution."

"Fortinet's pricing is more straightforward than other solutions. If Fortinet doesn't stick out when you're searching for a solution, you are a glutton for punishment. You only need to know two things when purchasing a Fortinet solution: your total bandwidth and bandwidth at the site. You need to estimate the future bandwidth with other solutions if your customer plans to upgrade."

"The tool's pricing is neither cheap nor expensive. Overall, I find it to be competitive in the market."

"It is an inexpensive solution."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The cost of operations is very low."

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Comparison Review

it_user216600

Senior Technical Consultant with 51-200 employees

Jan 3, 2016

Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate

I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	350
Midsize Enterprise	129
Large Enterprise	187

No data available

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too...

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What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know the firewalls change every 5 to 7 years as stated but you really do need to upg...

See all answers

What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...

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Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

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ExtremeCloud IQ vs IBM Security Network IPS

Compared 100% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

September 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

August 2025

Download IBM Security Network IPS product report

Also Known As

No data available

Security Network Intrusion Prevention System, IBM Security Network Protection, XGS, GX

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate excels in providing integrated VPN, firewalling, and Unified Threat Management (UTM) with centralized management and high availability. It supports remote access and comprehensive threat protection, making it a preferred choice for securing networks.

Fortinet FortiGate offers a robust security platform with features such as strong intrusion prevention, application control, and web filtering. Its integration with Active Directory and SD-WAN functionality provides scalable solutions for large networks. Users appreciate its ease of use through centralized management interfaces, ensuring robust security with flexible configurations. However, FortiGate could enhance its graphical interface and technical support responsiveness, address firmware bugs and costly licensing, improve logging, integrate better with third-party tools, and strengthen scalability and memory for log storage. Complexity in configuration and the need for intuitive features are noted challenges, and there's a demand for advanced security, zero-trust capabilities, and AI integration.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN: Secure remote access and connectivity.
Firewalling: Protects networks from unauthorized access and attacks.
UTM: Offers a comprehensive approach to threat management.
SD-WAN: Optimizes traffic routing for efficient network performance.
Web Filtering: Controls and monitors web access and ensures Internet security.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Centralized Management: Simplifies administration and monitoring.
High Availability: Ensures consistent security and network availability.
Scalability: Adapts to the needs of growing networks.
Comprehensive Threat Protection: Provides robust security measures.
Ease of Use: Minimizes the complexity of security management.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries like education, finance, and government. Companies use it for firewall protection, VPN, and SD-WAN capabilities, ensuring secure perimeter and data center security. It facilitates remote access management and traffic routing optimization, offering reliable security and connectivity solutions.

Fortinet

IBM Security Network Intrusion Prevention System appliances are designed to stop constantly evolving threats before they impact your business. This means providing both high levels of protection and performance, while lowering the overall cost and complexity associated with deploying and managing a large number of point solutions.

IBM

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

Equifax, Christian Hospital Centre

Buyer's Guide

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

August 2025

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