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reviewer2618586 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Infrastructure at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Enhance reporting and operational efficiency with detailed insights
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiAnalyzer's capability to provide detailed reporting based on various criteria is highly valuable."
  • "Like any hardware, it has finite scalability restrictions."

What is our primary use case?

I use FortiAnalyzer for reporting. It provides log management solutions for my enterprise, which is in the manufacturing sector.

What is most valuable?

FortiAnalyzer's capability to provide detailed reporting based on various criteria is highly valuable. It allows for better log management in my enterprise. The IPS functionality and the reporting capabilities of FortiAnalyzer also help in maintaining efficient operations.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have around three years of experience with Fortinet solutions.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution has been very stable.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate IPS
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate IPS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I must select the right size firewall to match my traffic flow rate. It is important to pick a large enough firewall to meet the site's specific needs. Like any hardware, it has finite scalability restrictions.

How are customer service and support?

I have been satisfied with FortiGate support. Even though I work through a managed provider, I believe FortiGate provides good support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

At my last company, I switched from Cisco to FortiGate due to performance and functionality.

How was the initial setup?

My service provider manages the setup, so I do not have direct experience with the initial setup.

What about the implementation team?

My implementation is managed by a third-party provider, and I do not handle equipment directly.

What was our ROI?

It is hard to measure, but the return on investment with Fortinet has been good with improvements in operational impact.

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

The hardware is competitively priced.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I switched from Cisco due to performance and functionality improvements with Fortinet.

What other advice do I have?

I never rate anything a perfect ten. There is always room for improvement in any product. I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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PeerSpot user
Jorge Martínez - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Engineer at Sencinet
Reseller
Top 5
Initial setup is very easy, but real-time connection with the cloud could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution’s initial setup is very easy."
  • "The solution's real-time connection with the cloud could be improved."

What is most valuable?

The solution’s initial setup is very easy.

What needs improvement?

The solution's real-time connection with the cloud could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS is a very stable product.

I rate the solution’s stability ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS is a very scalable solution.

I rate the solution’s scalability an eight or nine out of ten.

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

I have previously used Cisco.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is very easy. The solution was deployed by a network engineer or security engineer.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution’s initial setup a nine out of ten.

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

Fortinet FortiGate IPS is cheaper than other solutions like Cisco or Check Point.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the solution to other users.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate IPS
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate IPS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Group IT Manager at Direct Remit Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
The solution has an easy-to-use interface and can be used as a perimeter firewall
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate IPS has an easy-to-use interface and configuration."
  • "The solution’s stability could be improved because we sometimes faced some drops."

What is our primary use case?

We used Fortinet FortiGate IPS as a perimeter firewall in our data center and offices. Major offices with more than 50 people were using Fortinet FortiGate IPS.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS has an easy-to-use interface and configuration. The solution supports protocols like OSPF and BGP.

What needs improvement?

The solution’s stability could be improved because we sometimes face some drops. It was not due to the box, but it was due to some misconfiguration on our end.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Fortinet FortiGate IPS a nine out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS is a very scalable solution. We had very few users using the solution in our data center. Around 50 users use the solution in our offices.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is quite good.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is quite simple. We could transfer the configuration file from the earlier FortiGate, and we were up and running in a very short time.

What about the implementation team?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS was deployed in our organization through a vendor. Since Fortinet FortiGate IPS is very simple to use and very easy to configure, its deployment time is very less.

What was our ROI?

You can recover the investment of Fortinet FortiGate IPS in a short time. The solution is not that pricey.

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

Fortinet FortiGate IPS' licensing is quite simple to understand.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before choosing Fortinet FortiGate IPS, we evaluated Check Point. We chose Fortinet FortiGate IPS because Check Point was quite pricey.

What other advice do I have?

We used the latest version of Fortinet FortiGate IPS.

We require a basic network engineer for the deployment of Fortinet FortiGate IPS.

Overall, I rate Fortinet FortiGate IPS an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Mohamed Walid SEBAI - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Infrastructure Sector at Mezzo
Real User
Very stable with good network protection
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very stable."
  • "The solution is not scalable."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses the solution for network protection and we have 600 users. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is very stable. 

What needs improvement?

The solution is not scalable.

The solution is expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two 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 scalability is low so is rated a one out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

We receive support from a local vendor so have not needed the solution's technical support. 

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

We previously used Juniper. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is a little bit difficult so is rated a five out of ten. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution with a local vendor. 

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

The solution is very expensive so pricing is rated a one out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a ten out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Sachin Vinay - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant Manager-Networks at Amrita
Real User
Top 5
Has a good set of UTM features, great bandwidth shaping mechanism, and efficient algorithms
Pros and Cons
  • "Has a very user-friendly interface and doesn't require any prior knowledge."
  • "The system can slow down when inspections are carried out."

What is our primary use case?

We manage a university and we're dependent on Fortigate to monitor everything including our research activities. All our network related services are logged by Fortigate. I'm a network administrator and we are customers of Fortinet. 

How has it helped my organization?

Fortigate has been helpful in mitigating ransomware attacks and we receive notification of threats from the cloud services. 

What is most valuable?

We've found the most valuable feature to be the very user-friendly interface. The solution doesn't require any prior knowledge and that's not the case with other firewalls. Fortigate can mitigate all attacks, it can handle a lot. It has a good set of UTM features, a good bandwidth shaping mechanism, and other features. It has efficient algorithms and it competes well with Palo Alto and TechPoint. In terms of VPNs, it has an unlimited count, better than other solutions and it's included in the package. 

What needs improvement?

We sometimes have issues when carrying out inspections because the system slows down and our clients complain about it. The only other drawback is that we have to manually insert certificates for our clients. Most social networking sites have dependencies and to completely block them requires a deep inspection profile. For protection, we need to put the certificates in for all of our clients. It's a major drawback not having it embedded in the system. I would very much like to see Forticlient's new TNA technology included with the original license for Fortigate. It currently requires an additional license which is quite costly for us as a middle-size organization. We could include it with VPN for our clients. 

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?

This is a really stable product and one of the main reasons we've stayed with it for the past eight years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is completely scalable, we have over 8,000 users. Almost half of those are students and the rest are teaching staff and researchers. We also have 500 people involved as part of the system support team, IT engineers, and software engineers. The solution requires maintenance and regular upgrades and we have a 9-person team for that.

How are customer service and support?

I'm happy with the technical support although we don't require it much. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment took us around one month back when it was a software-based solution. We had to completely migrate all existing policies to Fortigate. We didn't use any third parties for the implementation. 

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

We purchase a license annually and it's a little expensive. We pay extra for SA. You need a decent budget for Fortigate but once you have that, it's completely scalable. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We previously used Palo Alto and had a ransomware attack they did not detect so we switched to Fortinet. Aside from that, we preferred Fortigate because it's so user-friendly. Admin can configure all the policies easily using the graphic interface in Fortigate. Palo Alto requires a specific application for all admin aspects and some of them can only be done with command line tools. It's really tough for normal admins to do day-to-day configuration.

We also tried Salesforce but felt that we were unable to depend on it for the entire system. We've implemented it for 2,000 people but it's not as user-friendly as Fortigate and without any expertise it's difficult to use. It's mainly command-line technology. It's time-consuming and budget-wise it can't compete with Fortinet. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution for a mid-level or enterprise organization and rate it nine out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
CEO at Merit Technology Solutions (Pty) Ltd
Reseller
Top 20
Positively influenced our security operations
Pros and Cons
  • "The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance on endpoint devices."
  • "There is room for improvement in being proactive about identifying and integrating new signatures."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet's intrusion prevention feature to ensure network security. This involves actively monitoring network activity for any suspicious behavior using predefined signatures and other detection methods. The goal is to proactively identify and block known threats to prevent any unauthorized or malicious activity on the network. The majority of our clients operate within the financial and retail sectors.

How has it helped my organization?

It seamlessly integrates with the existing network infrastructure, particularly from a firewall standpoint. This integration involves thorough inspection across all interfaces and segmentation layers via the firewall. IPS is utilized for both intercommunication and breakout communications, where it effectively detects and prevents outbreaks through its IP signature-checking capabilities.

It has enhanced the network security posture of our customers.

The performance and accuracy of FortiGate IPS have positively influenced security operations.

What is most valuable?

The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance on endpoint devices.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in being proactive about identifying and integrating new signatures.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with it for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It offers excellent stability. I would rate it ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have a diverse clientele, ranging from international enterprises to several private companies.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate customer service and support eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. I would rate it ten out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

We haven't faced any challenges with IPS regarding its deployment or management, it is straightforward. You simply add it to the policy where you want IPS inspection applied and roll it out centrally. This process is quick and can take between minutes to a maximum of an hour, depending on the number of sites involved.

What was our ROI?

When evaluating ROI based on exposures, it's challenging to quantify. However, there are definite improvements in enhancements and proactive isolation capabilities, particularly in outbreak prevention. These improvements could potentially lead to reductions in downtime, technical service requirements, and other associated costs.

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

The pricing is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

My first recommendation for any deployment is always to enable IPS. Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Consultant
PeerSpot user
Taha Turkestani - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior IT specialist at Saudia Airlines
Real User
Top 5
A stable and effective solution for controlling browsing traffic
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution effectively controls browsing traffic."
  • "The dashboard is not user friendly so is a bit complicated."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses the solution as a firewall for our tech network. 

We just added the solution and currently only use it to control browsing traffic and block social media. We have 100 employees and IT staff using the solution. 

What is most valuable?

The solution effectively controls browsing traffic. 

What needs improvement?

The dashboard is not user friendly so is a bit complicated. Training is important or you will suffer when completing tasks.

We would like the ability to divide users by position and assign different rules to each position. For example, managers are allowed to browse YouTube but employees are not allowed. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two months. 

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 solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We have not yet needed technical support. 

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

We did not previously use another solution. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward and took a few hours. 

What about the implementation team?

A third-party company handled our setup and implementation. 

Two administrators handle ongoing maintenance. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution and rate it an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Real User
Top 20
User-friendly, powerful, and has useful training certifications available
Pros and Cons
  • "I love the interface."
  • "The reporting was limited."

What is our primary use case?

I rent spaces for the company. I provide the services for the internet for that company, something like coworking. I need to create policies to prevent intrusions on my clients. I create the policies for each client, and I select the company and create the policy with the specific needs. After that, I apply it for the WLAN for that client. That way, I prevent intrusions on the network.

What is most valuable?

It meets my needs.

The product is very user-friendly.

It is quite scalable. 

I love the interface.

The power is great.

I have a limited embedded team in IT. I have one man on the team for 1,000 users. And this person can manage all the infrastructure due to the fact that the console is very easy, and the people are very happy with the results pertaining to that interface. 

Also, I have created VPNs for all my users to work from their homes. 

What needs improvement?

It is very complex. 

There are a variety of improvements that can be made. 

The reporting was limited. I had to use FortiAnalyzer to obtain a complete solution. The reports are very limited with the solution, basically. Once you implement FortiAnalyzer, you can create very, very detailed reports for all the networks.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two years now. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales well. It's not an issue at all if you need to expand. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good. I have additional support from my provider. My provider is a Platinum partner, and half of the technicians have Level 7 or 8 in Fortinet certifications. 

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

In the past, I was working with Cisco and Aruba, however, this was more power and the cost was great.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is a bit complex. However, I only need three weeks to create the machines' settings.

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

For two firewalls with IPS and two access points, FortiAnalyzer, with maybe ten switches, we pay maybe $4,000 a year.

We don't pay any additional costs.

What other advice do I have?

I use a lot of Fortinet devices. 

I'm a customer and end-user. 

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. 

Everything is good. The support is very, very expert. When you need help, all the people are ready to assist - and that is great. Only I recommended new users to take maybe the certification basics, NSE 1, NSE 2. It's free in the academy for Fortinet. Most problems you can fix with that information and that education, so it's very helpful to be knowledgable.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

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