GuillermoRoman - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Manager at Tech Mahindra Limited
Real User
Expandable and reliable with good local support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution can scale."
  • "The interface could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for security reasons. It's our wall between the inside to outside. That's why we are using it. We use it for VPNs also. People who work outside of the office use the VPN through the firewall, for example.

What is most valuable?

The solution is quite stable.

The solution can scale.

We have good local support.

What needs improvement?

The interface could be better.

We would like the initial setup to be a bit easier.

It isn’t missing any features. We’re pretty happy with it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve been using the solution for two years.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate IPS
April 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It’s very stable. 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?

While the solution is scalable, we don’t need to scale it for our operations.

We have about 80 people on the solution right now.

How are customer service and support?

We have a local company that assists us with support when we need it. They are pretty good.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is pretty easy to set up. However, you do need some previous knowledge. It helps if you understand the environment. It’s not hard per se, however, it can be a bit tricky. We’d like it if it was a bit easier.

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

I can’t speak of how much the cost of the license it. I don’t have any details in relation to the pricing.

What other advice do I have?

I am a customer and end-user.

I’m not sure which version of the solution we’re using.

It is a good solution. I’d recommend it to others.

Overall, it’s a good solution, and I would recommend it to others.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Broadcast Engineer
Real User
Top 5
Good web interface, great functionality, and has helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "You have access to CLI in case you have no web access."
  • "The learning curve is a bit higher."

What is our primary use case?

This is an appliance. It is hardware. It's for intrusion detection mainly. It can do routing and switching yet focuses mainly on detection and prevention. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the fact that one device can do multiple tasks, such as both routing and firewalling.

It had a good web interface.

You have access to CLI in case you have no web access. 

Technical support has been helpful overall, even though we haven't used them much. 

What needs improvement?

It's a bit more complex to configure in comparison to Cisco.

The learning curve is a bit higher. 

It's not the least expensive solution on the market. 

How are customer service and support?

We've only had a few issues and everything was solved very fast. We are satisfied with the level of support on offer. 

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

I've also used Cisco. These solutions are not quite the same. 

I've also used MicroTik, which is slightly less expensive. 

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

The pricing is okay. In comparison, MicroTik offers better pricing yet has the same functionality. Therefore, it is a bit more of an expensive option.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer. We have the drives in our server room.

I'd rate the product eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate IPS
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate IPS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,740 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Security Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
An effective checkpoint for intercepting and blocking unwanted traffic
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution effectively blocks unwanted traffic."
  • "It would be helpful to have a better tool for migrating all policy rules using an automatic script."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses the solution to prevent traffic that is not supposed to be traveling through our firewalls. When we find log issues, we easily fine tune the IPS to block that traffic so it cannot penetrate our environment. 

We have 300 users in a hospital-to-hospital environment where traffic is transmitted through the firewall and intercepted by the IPS for monitoring. 

What is most valuable?

The solution effectively blocks unwanted traffic. 

What needs improvement?

It would be helpful to have a better tool for migrating all policy rules using an automatic script. The current tool does not place entire configurations in their desired locations. It takes time to manually configure for compatibility across different platforms or vendors. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. 

How are customer service and support?

I have not needed technical support. 

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

We migrated from Cisco to the solution. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is simple and straightforward. Knowledge-based documents are available and useful for setups. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution in-house. We migrated from Cisco to the solution so it was more of a deployment situation. 

We had some deployment challenges but managed to overcome them. It took an entire day to get the environment running because we could not use the scripting tool for naturals so had to do them manually. 

There is no ongoing maintenance because the solution is not a device, but rather  a software blade provided as a checkpoint within FortiGate. 

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

The pricing is based on a licensing model for each IPS in your environment. The solution is included as part of the IPS license and automatically updates to the latest version when firewalls are updated. We are currently on a three-year licensing model. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution is a good tool to have in place. Most vendors provide a software blade with their firewalls but it is disabled because it uses too much CP or memory. It is important to enable the tool every time to prevent environments from being intruded by attackers or threats. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten.  

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Network administrator at PISystems
Real User
Top 10
Provides efficient features for malware analysis, but its pricing needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The product has an inbuilt IPS software. We can configure it to block specific anonymous attacks that are happening."
  • "They should provide us with a CSV number for patch updates. It will help us block specific signatures as well."

What is our primary use case?

We use the FortiGate IPS solution to analyze malware. When we receive attacks, we analyze the IPs.

What is most valuable?

The product has an inbuilt IPS software. We can configure it to block specific anonymous attacks that are happening.

What needs improvement?

They should provide us with a CSV number for patch updates. It will help us block specific signatures as well.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS for four years. We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable, but we need to monitor IPs as new patches are released daily. Attackers will use these new patches to develop new attack methods and signatures. We need to ensure that our FortiGate IPS is up-to-date with the latest patches. We can get the logs and see if anything we have detected is suspicious. It includes programs, applications, files, or anything else. We investigate suspicious activity and act appropriately, such as blocking IP addresses or updating policy analytics.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable. I sometimes have enterprise clients, but my client base is mostly small businesses. We have to implement the entire setup for them. In addition to the endpoint solution and firewall, we need to create IP addresses for users and define their services. Then, we can protect these resources from FortiGate by enabling the IPS upgrade.

How are customer service and support?

There is a customer support portal number. We can create a case there and upload our details. They provide support services instantly.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. The default CSV is already updated so that we can block those threats. We have to update the block list from the policy settings.

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

The product is expensive. I rate its pricing a six out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

Enterprises use Fortinet FortiGate IPS because it protects government or critical infrastructure networks. For small businesses, IPS may be sufficient. Overall, I rate it a six out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
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PeerSpot user
Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at Eureka Forbes Ltd
Real User
Effective logging method, easy to understand, implement, and maintain.
Pros and Cons
  • "It's simple to operate and use."
  • "The most important feature to have is zero trust, which is lacking in Fortinet FortiGate IPS."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS utilizes the main firewalls.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate IPS is a very good firewall. We don't have any complaints, it is doing its job correctly.

The functionality is good.

It's simple to operate and use.

There are various firewalls on the market, but we found Fortinet to be the most appropriate for the structures we have in place for our company. It is simple to comprehend, run, and maintain. The logging method is effective; it provides us with a clear picture of how threats are deflected or avoided.

What needs improvement?

When everything is taken into account, the migration is quite painless. I believe that improvements will continue to come from the fact that as threat vectors get more complex around the world, advanced threat protection and deep packet inspection will become increasingly vital. That is where technology needs to advance much more quickly.

The most important feature to have is zero trust, which is lacking in Fortinet FortiGate IPS.

Zero trust is something that has to be embedded and I would still like to see how Fortinet approaches it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate IPS for a couple of years.

This solution is updated on a regular basis.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The Fortinet FortiGate IPS is an extremely stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I can't speak to scalability because we are getting started with virtual machine-based firewalls. We are transitioning to FortiGate VM.

In our organization, we have 3,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. They are made up of experienced professionals.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward.

This solution is maintained by one person. We are using AMC services, which includes multiple people, but we have only chosen one.

What about the implementation team?

During the deployment phase, we always utilize the assistance of an integrator. Working with them was a good experience for us.

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

The licensing costs are very competitive.

There are no fees in addition to the licensing costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When evaluating the solution, we wanted to make sure that it was simple to use, operate, and simple to maintain.

We have done a lot of research because we're bringing in the cloud version. We considered other vendors, but because we already had an on-premises Fortinet with a robust backend monitoring system, we decided that extending Fortinet into the Cloud was the best solution.

Gaining a good understanding of the simplicity of cloud migration will take about two months. It's not so much the implementation as it is the services that support it.

Before proposing a solution, it was critical that they have a progressive awareness of what we have and that they comprehend our requirements.

Because Fortinet was involved, we were reassured that they were acting in our best interests.

We also utilize the VPN with Fortinet, but we intend to go to zero trust in the future, eliminating the need for this dependency.

What other advice do I have?

We are expanding our Fortinet for our cloud security. The VM will be implemented in our public cloud, which is where we operate.

I wouldn't say it's specific to FortiGate; it applies to all firewalls. You should consider the simplicity of the task at hand, as well as the convenience of deployment, maintenance, and, most crucially, the availability of qualified personnel to carry it out. These are the reasons we chose Fortinet.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate IPS an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer at PTC (Public Telecomuncation Corporation)
Real User
A string firewall that is easy to learn and simple to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is very easy."
  • "While the security is good, we'd always prefer if it was even better to ensure protection."

What is our primary use case?

We have a Cisco ASA firewall. We have it at the border of the network in front of the internet. With FortiGate, we put it in the middle, then it works behind our server farm to protect our server farm from attacks, from viruses.

What is most valuable?

It is a strong firewall. 

The product offers many features. 

There has been no attack on our servers after we configured the FortiGate IPS. No more attacks are coming. We are very secure.

The initial setup is very easy.

I have found the solution to be stable. 

It's possible to scale the solution. 

What needs improvement?

So far, everything has been good for us. We haven't had any issues. 

While the security is good, we'd always prefer if it was even better to ensure protection.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have three years of experience with the solution. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable product. 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?

The solution can scale well. 

We have five engineers using the solution. 

A lot of medium and even small companies use the solution in our country.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

If we run into issues, we can contact support. They are helpful and responsive. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We used Cisco ASA IPS as our old IPS. It was old, and we needed a newer product. We also liked the FortiGate support of the UTM feature. It allows for the inspection of Layer 7 in a more effective way than Cisco ASA. It is advanced. FortiGate is very, very advanced.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It is not a complex process. 

The deployment is quick. It only takes a couple of minutes.

We have two people that can handle any maintenance tasks. 

What about the implementation team?

We search for details and watch videos and are able to handle the process by ourselves. It's a solution that's easy to learn.

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

We bought the solution three years ago, and it came with five days of training from the local company. It cost us around $73,000 for three years. 

It's expensive, however, compared to Cisco, it's not too expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm an end-user.

We are using the latest version of the solution. 

I'd recommend the product to others. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Seshi Dumpa - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Security Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 5
Easy to use, beneficial security reports, and useful blocking
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features are the UTM package which provides internet blocking restrictions and load balancing. Additionally, the solution is easy to use and the security reporting is good. The security fabric which they have launched Fortinet FortiGate IPS, it's very good in terms of giving details."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate can improve performance. There was a huge challenge in terms of CPU and memory where the IPS engine would keep triggering. There were random spikes of overutilization in the CPU and memory resources. They have to work on CPU and memory stability considering these IPS engines. A few versions were very unstable."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate is used as an inline intrusion prevention tool to detect and scan ongoing connections and data. It will take action, either by blocking or intimating in real-time.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features are the UTM package which provides internet blocking restrictions and load balancing. Additionally, the solution is easy to use and the security reporting is good. The security fabric which they have launched Fortinet FortiGate IPS, it's very good in terms of giving details.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate can improve performance. There was a huge challenge in terms of CPU and memory where the IPS engine would keep triggering. There were random spikes of overutilization in the CPU and memory resources. They have to work on CPU and memory stability considering these IPS engines. A few versions were very unstable.

The current Fortinet FortiGate IPS package has only standard options. If they could work around optimizing those packages for different needs it would be better. There might be a media company, or banking organization, which needs a different set of signatures and different bundles on priority. If they could segregate that in terms of organization and needs, or at least institutional-wise segregation, that could be great. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Fortinet FortiGate within the past 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate could improve the stability, we used different versions and they were unstable over time which caused an overall device error.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate is a challenge. However, the cloud version is easy.

How are customer service and support?

I have had to use the support a number of times when we had overutilization of resources.

I rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate a six out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was easy. This is a common feature across Fortinet devices.

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

There is a license required to use Fortinet FortiGate with all the features. It has to be updated with the threats on an ongoing basis for the signatures to prevent threats and a license is needed to receive those security updates.

The price of the solution is worth it for the features.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others would be to have Fortinet FortiGate optimized. It is a good tool to be switched on and used in a live production environment. It is important to optimize rather than directly use the pro package, the full IPS package provided by the vendor. 

Fine-tuning the solution according to the organization's needs will help in optimizing the utilization of CPU and memory because the whole bundle has too many features which might not be needed for the organization. Enabling the solutions and running it on the first default mode and then optimizing it using the customized package, would help a lot in stabilizing the device.

I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
CTO at itecks
Real User
Top 10
It can prevent and log malicious intrusions, tries, and attempts
Pros and Cons
  • "It does not require a lot of maintenance."
  • "The prevention mechanisms and implementation are not easy."

What is our primary use case?

We have to use Fortinet for the data center. We filter all the entries and all the requests towards servers in the data center, so we've set up Fortinet to receive all the requests and check them before sending them to the servers.

What is most valuable?

The fact that Fortinet FortiGate IPS can prevent and log malicious intrusions, tries, and attempts is great. We can replace them and check the logs to see what happened.

What needs improvement?

The speed of the detection could be improved. The prevention mechanisms and implementation are not easy and could be better. In addition, filtering and IDS could be added.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used this solution at my organization for over ten years. The biggest version we have is the 500E. But we have 60E and a lot of mid-range SMB firewalls, including DC ones using 500E. It is deployed on-premises.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have no issues with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We escalated a lot of technical issues during the deployment. I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

We completed the deployment by ourselves, and it took a lot of time to deal with the main data centres. The deployment took us more than nine months. We have 100 people using Fortinet FortiGate IPS in our organization, and our clients have more than 5000 users. It does not require a lot of maintenance.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We went with Fortinet FortiGate IPS because they're the best according to Gartner.

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution an eight out of ten. Regarding advice, prepare and ensure that the Fortinet product you choose is suitable for your situation and use case.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate IPS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate IPS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.