Fortinet FortiGate Reviews

We are using Fortinet FortiGate firewall as a data center firewall.

Two aspects I'm happy with regarding Fortinet FortiGate firewall are the easy user interface and its resilience during power interruptions. We experienced two power interruptions where the firewall got disconnected from electricity, but it resumed working normally without any issues. 

The firewall provides enhanced security for our network, and as administrators, we are satisfied with the friendly interface. We are particularly pleased with the Fortinet FortiGate firewall's ability to provide network and security convergence.

We have been using it for three years.

It is scalable.

We did not use any solution before Fortinet FortiGate.

The price-to-performance ratio that we get from using Fortinet FortiGate firewall is very good.

The pricing is affordable. We are satisfied with the Fortinet FortiGate firewall.

I would highly recommend Fortinet FortiGate firewall. We feel more secure after implementing it. We are securing the whole network with the Fortinet FortiGate firewall, not specifically the data. 

On a scale of one to ten, I rate this solution a nine.

We are a systems integrator in Paraguay, and my task is usually to configure Fortinet FortiGate as a perimeter firewall and provide all the security features to our clients.

Some of the best features of Fortinet FortiGate include the next-generation firewall features. Before Fortinet FortiGate, we usually used Juniper, which is very good for routing and switching, but in security, Fortinet FortiGate is far better than Juniper, especially with deep inspection and data leak prevention. We have nearly every financial institution in Paraguay as a client, putting special focus on preventing leaks of credit card numbers.

The field I’m interested in is the courses we provide to our clients. The PDFs available in the learning system are fantastic. The features they implement are exactly what everyone is looking for. To me, Fortinet is very good and useful.

From my perspective, every day is a new opportunity for improvement. I believe that the continual improvement is Fortinet’s best feature. I’m very happy with their ability to consistently improve.

I've been using this solution for about ten years.

Fortinet FortiGate is stable. Based on my experience, whenever we faced an attack, many other brands, including Juniper, often had vulnerabilities. However, Fortinet consistently delivered the best performance and effectively stopped any threats.

Since we are a small country, our clients usually have minimal security requirements due to relatively slow network speeds. The entry-level versions of Fortinet FortiGate are good enough for our top clients.

We work with both enterprise and SMB clients. We are also an Internet provider. We provide the connectivity and the equipment to bring security to the client. We have all kinds of clients.

I would rate Fortinet's customer service or technical support as an eight out of ten. We have many skilled technicians for Fortinet FortiGate configurations. We only require support for a very advanced feature. People representing Fortinet here in Paraguay are very friendly and work well with us.

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was easy. The setup is easy because most companies don't have complex requirements and just need a basic firewall to shield against external threats and filter internal connections, making the basic configuration good enough until they ask for advanced features.

I cannot say definitively about the return on investment with Fortinet FortiGate because I have always been in the technical field, but most of our clients are very happy since threats were stopped, generating confidence in the Fortinet brand among our clients.

I do not consider it an expensive solution. It's not cheap, but it's not expensive, especially compared to Cisco, which is the de facto standard here in Paraguay. Cisco suppliers often set high prices, allowing us to enter the security field easily, thanks to our pricing.

Another team handled the SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate. I know that FortiGate can do that. From my knowledge, it is for the balance between two ISPs, but I don't know about performance tests.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

We are using it for the data center firewall and perimeter firewall facing the Internet, which are my main use cases for Fortinet FortiGate.

The combined license for the network, the next-generation firewall, and the integration with SD-WAN for all branches are what I consider to be the best features. It's effective for multi-branch customers. 

SD-WAN has had a positive impact by reducing the operational costs in terms of headcount and management. It has had an impact on the network performance. It reduced the operational, Internet connection, and MPLS costs. With a combined solution, there is no need to put a specific firewall to secure the connection. It's like a single box.

Performance on the box and technical support are areas where Fortinet FortiGate can be improved. In their datasheet, they put the throughput as huge, but once you enable all the features of the box, the performance is impacted dramatically. In reality, it will be 20% to 30% of what they have mentioned in the datasheet.

I have worked with FortiGate from a design perspective for almost ten years.

It's a stable solution.

It's scalable. They are providing a good number of ports; there's no need to put a switch to connect to the appliance itself.

I would rate technical support from Fortinet a five out of ten. To escalate the case severity from three to one, you need to have the account manager engaged to accelerate and get the technical people involved. It's not like other competitors who have premium support 24/7.

Neutral

We used to perform the same function by placing a router and a firewall to secure the connection. It required multiple vendors and multiple boxes, which was a huge engagement from the operational perspective and investment-wise. Now, a small firewall with SD-WAN features can handle the entire situation, including connection with the branch, encryption, and security.

It's user-friendly deployment because they have an enhanced dashboard to manage and implement, not requiring the CLI or command line interface, which needs deep study. They have a GUI that is user-friendly and attractive.

We are system integrators, and our delivery team implements the project for deployment.

Reducing the operation cost and reducing the internet connection and MPLS cost has been my evaluation of changes in return on investment after implementing Fortinet solutions for SD-WAN and hybrid workforce.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten overall.

We put FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) after the ISP; we use the internet, and before we put our server through the internet, we put FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) as a firewall in our internal network.

We follow ISO 27001, which includes web filtering, spam, and IPS functionality.

We sometimes face challenges if we have new server configurations and need to consider compatibility with FortiGate.

We hope that FortiGate uses AI to carefully identify something abnormal, and we believe that will be helpful.

The multi-threat protection feature helps us secure our organization.

We understand that FortiGate cannot be standalone without others, such as FortiManager, so for small businesses, if FortiGate can provide something similar to FortiManager, it will be better.

I have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for about nine years.

I would rate the stability of FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) as a nine.

I would rate the scalability as a nine also.

I would rate the technical support as a seven.

The installation of FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is actually moderate; it depends on the needs, so it's not so easy but it's not so difficult.

The installation requires a couple of days, and actually, it takes about one day because some parameters need to be set, especially if there are a lot of users.

I have a person in charge of that.

From a cost perspective, I think it's quite reasonable, not so cheap, but I think it's quite similar compared to others.

Two people are involved in the maintenance.

We use many FortiGates. We are using the 60F and 100F, which are the newest versions.

Our staff handles maintenance ourselves; we are not using a third-party service.

About 30 people are using this product in our organization.

We are payroll outsourcing consultants, so basically they calculate payroll.

I would recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) to others.

I would rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) in general as an eight.

I use Fortinet FortiGate's data center solution, and I use the AI and ML-enhanced FortiGuard services within FortiGate.

The best features of Fortinet FortiGate are the integration of SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet Unified SASE. I utilize Fortinet FortiGate's data center solution, and I use the AI and ML-enhanced FortiGuard services within FortiGate.

The ease of use related to Fortinet FortiGate and FortiNAC is a bit complex when implementing and supporting cases related to a FortiGate firewall. The software contains bugs, particularly in SSL VPN from all the firmware starting from version 7.6.3; the SSL VPN is not found in this version. If customers update the firewall firmware to 7.6.3, they might experience issues with the SSL VPN. In FortiNAC, there are issues with the passive agent on an endpoint. I currently conduct lab tests in my company to apply the FortiNAC agent on my endpoint, but I encounter issues with this application.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for three years and FortiNAC for one year.

I do not have information about the license costs for Fortinet FortiGate.

I have experience with Fortinet FortiGate and FortiNAC. I need to apply some labs in my company to finalize the project, so I can identify the disadvantage points to share. The interface of Fortinet FortiGate is simplified and easy to use. 

On a scale of 1-10, I rate this solution a 7.

We use Fortinet FortiGate for network segmentation. We protect from the outside world and make segregation with the outside world. With Fortinet FortiGate, we primarily focus on network segmentation.

The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the price-quality ratio. It's a very good fit as it's not very expensive and offers extensive functionality. It functions effectively as a firewall, performing its intended purpose compared to the competition. When activating the Unified Threat Protection, users gain access to FortiGuard. The SASE possibility is also interesting even though we do not currently use it.

It's not only about the product itself. It is also the team around Fortinet. We receive substantial help from Fortinet, which is very valuable as they assist us in choosing the right solutions. If we need configuration assistance, they can send specialists who help design the solution. The value comes from both the FortiGate firewall itself and how the team supports you.

One area for improvement involves FortiAnalyzer, specifically regarding the SOC part and log interpretation. Sometimes interpretation is very difficult. They send an extensive amount of logs, and when putting that in a SOC or SIEM, payment is based on gigabytes sent. We send many unnecessary items, resulting in unnecessary costs.

We decided to reduce the logs and now send only half of what we had before after determining what was unnecessary. They should improve what needs to be sent to the SIEM. The logs should be lighter. In the log structure, there are many unnecessary columns, resulting in a large amount of redundant data. They should improve the way logs are sent to the SIEM.

We have been using Fortinet for more than ten years. 

Fortinet FortiGate is stable overall when choosing a release that has been tested. We have observed more vulnerabilities on Fortinet, however, this indicates that as the product becomes more successful, it becomes a larger target for hackers. This issue exists with every major vendor.

The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate for our organization is one of the best aspects, as they use the same OS for everything. This means you can find your way back and upgrade without changing everything in terms of configuration. Scaling up infrastructure is not problematic as it doesn't require a major migration.

Based on my experience with their support, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate eight out fo ten. Sometimes it takes more time if the issue is complicated. Overall, the support is good.

We've always used Fortinet; we were working with someone else who was also using Fortinet.

I personally participated in the initial setup and deployment of Fortinet FortiGate a very long time ago. Currently, I am more involved in management than operations, so I no longer follow this aspect.

Fortinet FortiGate is deployed on-premises in my organization.

The return on investment with Fortinet FortiGate is measured in terms of security. A firewall can be nice, however, if it is poorly configured, it will result in poor value for money. 

Return on investment for a firewall is about performing its intended function. Without one or with poor configuration, you can lose substantial money. The return on investment is reflected in the level of protection provided.

I am aware of the pricing of Fortinet FortiGate through our purchasing service. I have access to the list price and know the discounts. The price-quality ratio is very good, and we have an excellent representative who helps us secure good pricing.

I evaluated other options before choosing Fortinet FortiGate through a tender process. They met all the feature requirements and testing criteria. The dedicated ASIC provides very good performance, which was initially the key factor for our needs. We continue monitoring what Palo Alto and Cisco do, but we maintain a partnership agreement with Fortinet.

I have experience comparing Fortinet's SD-WAN with Cisco's solution. We currently don't work with SD-WAN, having returned to an MPLS network since we own the network and cables. 

We don't integrate SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate in our network yet since we own our whole network, including all the cabling and optical fibers in the region. While SD-WAN is a good feature, it's not necessary for our use case. 

Regarding Fortinet Unified SASE, implementation may come in the future. 

We don't use Fortinet FortiGate's data center solution. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. 

The typical use case for Fortinet FortiGate is because of the user-friendly interface.

Fortinet FortiGate's best features are the manageability part and centralized management. The community support available for Fortinet FortiGate is also a significant advantage. Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted my organization, offering ease of management with no network disruptions; it works seamlessly.

The room for improvement for Fortinet FortiGate is related to prices; the renewal prices have to be aligned with the customer's pockets, as at times they are very aggressive, leading to the possibility of changing vendors.

I have experience of working with Fortinet FortiGate for more than 10 years.

I have faced no trouble with the stability; it works seamlessly, and the support is good, as most of the time customers themselves can resolve issues.

Fortinet FortiGate is not a scalable solution, as they give you a number and each box comes with concurrent connections; if you need to expand, you have to change the box.

I would rate technical support a seven on a scale of one to ten.

Neutral

Before Fortinet FortiGate, we used SonicWALL, Sophos, and GuardShield for our customers.

The initial setup varies from customer to customer, as we are a system integrator, having sold more than 500 plus boxes.

We have expertise in integrating SD-WAN capabilities with FortiGate, but I'm not the right person to comment on it.

The ROI after implementing Fortinet solution means that while it is there, they have now become very expensive; for example, if I buy a product for 10 lakhs INR today, after three years they will ask for 15 lakhs, which is a major concern for customers.

My advice to other organizations considering Fortinet FortiGate is to evaluate the features of other products as well, as Sophos also does a great job, but users may not adopt it due to its presence. 

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate overall as seven.

Fortinet FortiGate is used just to manage our network because our network is managed by another company. I work in a small to medium-sized industry.

Fortinet FortiGate is used to prevent security failures. Since implementing the solution, we have seen improvements in security and in the distribution of our network.

In my opinion, Fortinet FortiGate could be improved by making the appliance smaller than what we have here, as it is pretty big.

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for three or four years.

Fortinet FortiGate is better for large enterprise networking compared to MikroTik because we have about 100 people using our network, and we have had few problems compared to the time we were using MikroTik, which didn't work for us as well as the Fortinet FortiGate 200D does.

We never have any issue or problem that hasn't been solved in two or three hours. The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with. Fortinet FortiGate does not require a lot of maintenance.

Positive

We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for three or four years, and before that, we used MikroTik. We switched to Fortinet FortiGate because the company that provides service for us started to work with Fortinet FortiGate as a partner, and they showed it to us. We liked it, and we started to use the Fortinet FortiGate solution.

The initial setup for Fortinet FortiGate was pretty easy, and they completed it in one hour and a half.

Two people worked to support us on Fortinet FortiGate. One of their job roles was manager, and I don't know the other role.

My advice for people thinking about using Fortinet FortiGate is that you have to try to understand your necessities first. Make a comparison with other players in the market and have a good company to manage the equipment if you don't have the competence to do it yourself, preferably a third company that does this for you. 

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

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.

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.

The flexibility and ease of configuration are the most valuable features.

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.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for over three years.

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.

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.

On the few occasions that we have needed to use technical support, we have found them to be responsive.

Positive

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We are using it for security purposes. We have deployed it across multiple locations where we are already using it.

The security features are valuable, particularly the ransomware attack protection features. Fortinet FortiGate provides excellent security against ransomware attacks.

It contains every feature that is required. The things we require are already sorted out, so there isn't any scope for improvement as far as our requirements go. However, its price can be better.

We have been using it for more than one and a half months.

It's stable. I would rate it an eight out of ten for stability.

It's scalable. I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability.

I am handling all the operations. We have multiple staff members at multiple locations.

Coming from a technical background, there hasn't been any requirement to speak with customer care representatives. The manual provided covers everything comprehensively.

Neutral

I have experience with Sophos, Fortinet FortiGate, and SonicWall.

We purchased it through our vendor. Our company doesn't prefer to make purchases through online shopping platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart.

We have seen a return on investment of more than 20%.

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

I would recommend it to others. I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten. There isn't a need to compare it with anyone else because Fortinet FortiGate is at the top of the market.