Fortinet FortiGate vs VMware SD-WAN comparison

Cancel
You must select at least 2 products to compare!
Fortinet Logo
16,761 views|11,917 comparisons
VMware Logo
6,720 views|5,065 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Aug 1, 2023

We compared Fortinet FortiGate and VMWare SD-WAN based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Fortinet FortiGate reviewers generally agreed that the deployment was quick and easy. VMware SD-WAN users had mixed reviews on the setup and deployment, with some feeling it was complex.
  • Features: Fortinet FortiGate is highly regarded for its strong security features, scalability, and centralized management interface. VMware SD-WAN is commended for its dynamic multipath optimization function, automation, redundant circuits, and VLAN integration. 
  • Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiGate has room for improvement in its SSL VPN features, multi-factor authentication support, and filtering system. VMware SD-WAN be more customizable and improve its inter-cloud connectivity and visibility.
  • Pricing: Fortinet FortiGate users felt that the solution is costly, noting that each feature requires a separate license. VMware SD-WAN users had mixed opinions about the pricing. Some were unhappy that they were charged in dollars because the valuation of their currency fluctuates.
  • Service and Support: Fortinet FortiGate users mentioned that the software needed better and quicker support. VMware SD-WAN users were happy with the level of support.

Comparison Results: Fortinet FortiGate is highly regarded for its ease of use, extensive features, and affordability. However, it could benefit from enhancements in SSL VPN, multi-factor authentication, and filtering. VMware SD-WAN is praised for its efficient multipath optimization and robust cloud web security, but it needs improvements in customization, Broadcom routing support, firewall capabilities, and inter-cloud connectivity. The customer service and support for both products have received varied feedback.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate vs. VMware SD-WAN Report (Updated: September 2023).
745,775 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Q&A Highlights
Question: What are the biggest differences between Fortinet Fortigate and VMware SD-WAN?
Answer: I am not very familiar with Fortinet and I do not doubt that it is a good platform, however my experience with VMware SD-Wan has been excellent at a time like this when we are going through Covid-19 where through a VDI combination with SD- WAN provides a convenience in organizations to strengthen the capacities for a mobile and remote connection with high levels of flexibility, speed, performance, simplicity, scalability and above all security.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"Initial setup is straightforward. There weren't too many issues with setting it up. It takes one hour or so.""The most valuable features of the solution are SD-WAN, filtering testing applications, web filtering, and the new VPN.""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.""FortiGate is very simple to manage and easy to use.""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.""The pipe filter application is an outstanding feature.""The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the APIs. They are the most widely known.""The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are remote access, web filtering, and IPS."

More Fortinet FortiGate Pros →

"Initially, we had a scattered environment, but VMware SD-WAN helped us achieve centralization, which was beneficial.""I find the application-aware routing feature to be the most valuable.""VMware is the only SD-WAN solution that integrates with Azure Virtual WAN.""When extra capacity is needed, we can get it very quickly.""It can be used for load balancing and load sharing. It's easy to use and customizable.""It's scalable.""I have found the dynamic multipoint protocol(DNPO) most useful because it can tell you which is the best circuit to use for different types of traffic.""The product’s most valuable feature is DMPO."

More VMware SD-WAN Pros →

Cons
"Fortigate's hardware capacities could be improved.""When we cluster the two Fortinet FortiGate boxes together we have some issues.""I would like some automated custom reporting.""The process of configuring firewall rules appears excessively complex.""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 could benefit by simplifying some of their processes.""The cloud features and integration could be improved.""The logging details need to be improved."

More Fortinet FortiGate Cons →

"VMware SD-WAN could improve by having more partnerships with other vendors.""The only thing that I'm having issues with is on one of the sites, I can't see the location on the map.""VMware SD-WAN is complicated to configure.""There is room for improvement in the pricing.""Security is a challenge. I would like to see VMware add things like IPS, IDS, and web filtering. These features are the future of security, and most competing firewalls have them.""I would like to see more features added to increase visibility.""There is one feature that would set VMware SD-WAN apart from others solutions, and that is what I call inter-cloud connectivity. All the solutions regarding VMware are good because for example, If I go from my workplace to a retail office and I want to use my applications in the Cloud, that is possible. Perhaps we have customers who have their IT partial environments hosted in different cloud locations, such as Amazon and Azure, and the interconnection between the clouds, this is not possible. If it was possible it would be a market game-changer. Having the SD-WAN solution that is good at optimizing and facilitating traffic between different cloud providers would be great.""Better price model would be appreciated."

More VMware SD-WAN Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "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."
  • "The license is yearly. We pay for the top end. It's called 360."
  • "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."
  • "Licensing for Fortinet FortiGate is on a yearly basis. Pricing for it is a bit high. It could be cheaper."
  • "The licensing scheme of Fortinet is better than Cisco. It is more logical."
  • "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."
  • "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."
  • "There is a license to use Fortinet FortiGate."
  • More Fortinet FortiGate Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "There is only a standard fee for the solution."
  • "The licensing model of VMware SD-WAN could be improved, it is not always that competitive. The biggest concern is to be competitive against other solutions. However, the way that the licensing model is designed is not corresponding to the real use cases of my customers."
  • "Overall pricing could be lower. It is much more expensive than traditional hardware vendor pricing."
  • "The solution's price combines the license and the bandwidth you used."
  • "We pay about $500 USD, or 700,000 Korean won."
  • "The minimum cost is $10,000 a month to have a monitoring station set up."
  • "The price of VMware SD-WAN is less expensive than some solutions, such as Cisco."
  • "I would rate the product’s pricing a six out of ten since the license is costly."
  • More VMware SD-WAN Pricing and Cost Advice →

    report
    Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions solutions are best for your needs.
    745,775 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Answers from the Community
    Netanya Carmi
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: 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.… more »
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer: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 would… more »
    Top Answer:One of our favorite things about Fortinet Fortigate is that you can deploy on the cloud or on premises. It is a very stable, reliable, and consistent solution. We like that we can manage the entire… more »
    Top Answer:The product’s most valuable feature is DMPO.
    Top Answer:VMware SD-WAN provides competitive pricing. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.
    Ranking
    Views
    16,761
    Comparisons
    11,917
    Reviews
    100
    Average Words per Review
    480
    Rating
    8.4
    Views
    6,720
    Comparisons
    5,065
    Reviews
    20
    Average Words per Review
    453
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
    VeloCloud
    Learn More
    Overview

    Fortinet FortiGate is an innovative line of firewalls that aim to protect organizations from all types of web-based network threats. They come in a wide variety of product types. Fortinet FortiGate’s solutions are available in a large range of sizes and form factors and are key components of the Fortinet Security Fabric, which enables immediate, intelligent defense against known and new threats throughout the entire network.

    Fortinet FortiGate provides users with next-generation firewall solutions that provide proven protection with unmatched performance across the network, from internal segments to data centers to cloud environments. You can protect every part of your network without exception. Additionally, your protections can be managed from a single central location. This ensures that the task of protecting your network is infinitely easier to accomplish.

    Benefits of Fortinet FortiGate

    Some of the benefits of using Fortinet FortiGate include:

    • The ability to manage your firewalls from a centralized automated control console. Fortinet FortiGate’s FortiManager enables administrators to exercise control of their firewalls in a streamlined manner. Administrators have full visibility and control over their system from a single location. It utilizes automation that collects information in real time, which greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of running various types of workflows. Administrators can free up resources by automating the most basic tasks.
    • The ability to produce uniform, appropriate, and coordinated responses to threats across networks. Fortinet FortiGate’s FortiGuard feature generates system protections in near real time. This allows administrators to address threats to the system with custom-made solutions that can be uniformly enforced.
    • The ability to scale up your security to fit your changing security needs. Fortinet FortiGate’s design allows users to accelerate the transfer of data between users and escalate the number of users that are covered without compromising security of performance. This means that users can grow their networks and continue to collaborate without worrying about the system slowing down or coming under attack.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Fortinet FortiGate’s firewall solutions are cutting edge. They stand out from competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are the robustness and power of their firewalls. Fortinet FortiGate’s firewall provides users with many valuable features that allow them to maximize what they can do with the solution. These firewalls enable users to use a single piece of software to accomplish tasks that often require the use of multiple pieces of software.

    PeerSpot user Eric S., a Solutions Engineer and Consultant at a tech-services company, notes the robustness of this solution when he writes, "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.”

    PeerSpot user Jim M., a network admin at Penobscot Valley Hospital, notes the power of Fortinet FortiGate’s security software when he writes, "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.”

    VMware Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is a secure access service edge (SASE) platform that combines many types of software-based network technologies in an attempt to enable users to virtualize their wide area networks and reduce their reliance on hardware. In essence, this solution makes it possible for users to reliably access their applications from anywhere in the world by leveraging cloud technologies. Users can simply, efficiently, and completely control their network devices and traffic. It ensures that organizations are always able to use the best possible connection to their data centers. VMware SD-WAN steers traffic so that it is always using the most reliable connections and at the same time takes steps to remediate any problems that it detects in other network links. This guarantees that organizations can access high-priority applications at all times. 

    VMware SD-WAN Benefits

    Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by deploying VMware SD-WAN include:

    • Reduced cost of network management. Organizations that choose to employ VMware SD-WAN can manage their network at a cost that is 2.5 times less expensive than what it costs to use traditional WAN architectures. Its ability to both augment existing hardware and replace said hardware if the user chooses to do so is part of what enables users to reduce their overhead costs. 
    • Ease of deployment. VMware SD-WAN makes it possible for organizations to deploy it without having to rely on the assistance of technical experts. When the device - whether virtual or otherwise - is connected to the internet, it integrates with a central orchestrator that pushes the correct integrations to the device in question. This automates the installation process and makes it so that anybody can initiate and follow the deployment through to the end of the process. 
    • Easily segment networks to improve environmental performance. Users can divide their networks into multiple segments that share a single IP address. These networks can be incorporated into an organization’s IT infrastructure and enable it to run more reliably. One way it does this is by providing multiple potential channels for data to use to travel in the event that one of the data pathways is suffering from some kind of issue. 

    VMware SD-WAN Features

    • Centralized monitoring. VMware SD-WAN is monitored at all times by a centralized orchestrator. From one place, an organization can watch every part of its network. Instead of having to search for the data they need, it can all be found in one location.
    • Integration capabilities. VMware SD-WAN offers users the capability to integrate their network with the environment of their choosing. This enables them to connect their network to the IT environment that best meets their needs. It makes it easy for them to work with multi-cloud and hybrid environments.
    • Real-time data analytics. VMware SD-WAN can analyze network data in real time. This makes it easy for users to monitor their network’s performance. It also allows them to take steps to quickly remediate any issues that arise before they can become worse.

    Reviews from Real Users

    VMware SD-WAN is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Two major advantages it offers are its ability to automate the process of creating and maintaining a virtual local area network and its intuitive user dashboard.

    Sami I., principal cloud architect at Loihe, writes, “One of the solution's most valuable features is the VMware core automation stack at an SDDC. It includes NSX, the VMware virtualization layer for the networks (the LAN virtualization), which works extremely well with the VMware SD-WAN solution and is the primary advantage over all the others. None of the other vendors could integrate with the virtual LAN, making it quite complicated and virtualized to be fully automated.”

    Chih S., senior technical consultant at a tech services company,  says, “The product has a very good user dashboard that is simple to navigate.” 

    Offer
    Learn more about Fortinet FortiGate
    Learn more about VMware SD-WAN
    Sample Customers
    Pittsburgh Steelers, LUSH Cosmetics, NASDAQ, Verizon, Arizona State University, Levi Strauss & Co. Whitepaper and case studies here
    Redmond, Coca Cola, Roka Bioscience, MetTel, Deutsche Telekom, Rockford Construction,  The Bay Club, tru Independence, Triton Management Services, DevCon, AXPM
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider16%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization21%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Manufacturing Company5%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider46%
    Manufacturing Company21%
    Computer Software Company8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business48%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise30%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise32%
    Large Enterprise41%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business40%
    Midsize Enterprise26%
    Large Enterprise34%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise60%
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiGate vs. VMware SD-WAN
    September 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate vs. VMware SD-WAN and other solutions. Updated: September 2023.
    745,775 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Fortinet FortiGate is ranked 1st in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions with 113 reviews while VMware SD-WAN is ranked 3rd in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions with 25 reviews. Fortinet FortiGate is rated 8.4, while VMware SD-WAN is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate writes "Efficient, user-friendly, and affordable". On the other hand, the top reviewer of VMware SD-WAN writes "To fully utilize cloud vendors' hardware networking, Microsoft and VMware support everything". Fortinet FortiGate is most compared with Sophos XG, Cisco Secure Firewall, Netgate pfSense, Meraki MX and Check Point NGFW, whereas VMware SD-WAN is most compared with Cisco SD-WAN, Meraki SD-WAN, Cato Networks, Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform and Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform. See our Fortinet FortiGate vs. VMware SD-WAN report.

    See our list of best Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions vendors and best WAN Edge vendors.

    We monitor all Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.