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Infrastructure Engineer at a tech consulting company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
Provides comprehensive security and time savings
Pros and Cons
  • "It's comprehensive and time-saving. It covers several areas regarding security."
  • "It's a good product that significantly enhances security and protects organizational data."
  • "Improvements for Fortinet FortiGate could be made by making it easier to implement on networks and simpler to add users and accounts that utilize this solution. That's basically the only challenge that I see."

What is our primary use case?

The typical use cases for Fortinet FortiGate revolve around its security capabilities, as it has a number of features that clients see as necessary for a security solution. This helps them protect various platforms on their networks and infrastructures.

I am involved in implementation as a partner.

What is most valuable?

It's a good solution. I've not interacted much with it. I know a few features, and it's a nice one.

It's comprehensive and time-saving. It covers several areas regarding security.

What needs improvement?

Improvements for Fortinet FortiGate could be made by making it easier to implement on networks and simpler to add users and accounts that utilize this solution. That's basically the only challenge that I see.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have one to two years of experience working with Fortinet FortiGate.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. While there are issues during implementation, once everything is properly configured, it remains stable. The implementation process can affect users, but those issues get sorted out. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I find the scalability of this solution to be very good because it allows for easy expansion. You can add more users as needed, which makes it flexible.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate the technical support from Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I normally apply the licensing as a partner, but I am not involved in procurement. 

What other advice do I have?

It's a good product that significantly enhances security and protects organizational data. Therefore, I would recommend considering using it.

I would 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
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IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1
Real User
Top 5
Firewall functions have improved security with threat prevention and VPN capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of the FortiGate firewall include SSL inspection, VPN functionality, and threat intelligence features for preventing threats."
  • "The most valuable features of the FortiGate firewall include SSL inspection, VPN functionality, and threat intelligence features for preventing threats."
  • "There should be more testing before releasing software since it can be a little buggy sometimes when new features come out after updates."
  • "There should be more testing before releasing software since it can be a little buggy sometimes when new features come out after updates."

What is our primary use case?

I use the FortiGate firewall for ordinary firewall functions, including SSL inspection, VPN, and site-to-site VPN.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the FortiGate firewall include SSL inspection, VPN functionality, and threat intelligence features for preventing threats. These features are essential and provide significant functionality for our organization.

What needs improvement?

There should be more testing before releasing software since it can be a little buggy sometimes when new features come out after updates.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the FortiGate firewall for many years.

How are customer service and support?

I am satisfied with Fortinet support. Usually, it is fast and provides advice effectively.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of FortiGate was an easy process. It took about three months for a full deployment across the entire organization.

What was our ROI?

The FortiGate firewall provides good value for the money. It usually is cheaper than the competition, contributing to cost savings.

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

The pricing of the FortiGate firewall is good. It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Palo Alto is an alternative solution. While it may be better for filtering and category white-listing, especially in areas like banking, it is more expensive than FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate FortiGate an eight out of ten. 

For some use cases like banking, Palo Alto may perform better due to its filtering capabilities.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Fortinet FortiGate
September 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
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Syed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewer
Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions
Real User
Top 5
Provides centralized management, enhanced visibility, and reduces cybersecurity risks
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are SD-WAN, application control, IPS control, and FortiSandbox."
  • "The graphical user interface of Fortinet's FortiGate product does not function well with text-based interfaces."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate as our security and routing solution.

We implemented Fortinet FortiGate to enhance our security posture by blocking and restricting access to certain websites and securing our VPN traffic. 

How has it helped my organization?

Fortinet FortiGate offers enhanced visibility and segmentation for our industrial devices, a crucial process when some machines utilize systems demanding high-level security.

We have implemented Fortinet Security Fabric on our VM infrastructure, and it has provided great service in helping us meet regulations, governance, and compliance requirements. This is important to us because Fortinet Security Fabric connects to our sandbox, allowing us to scan shares across all clusters and enabling FortiGate to resolve any online issues.

Fortinet FortiGate has enhanced our organization's security by enabling secure VPN access and restricting access to social media sites, thus ensuring that employees can focus on their work. We saw the benefits of FortiGate within weeks of the deployment.

FortiGate helps reduce the risk of cyberattacks that could disrupt our production by isolating the affected traffic and creating a log for us.

It also helps to centralize the management of our network and security operations.

The centralized management allows us to access all of our firewalls and policies using a single interface.

Fortinet provides actionable data to help us make informed decisions about the actions to take. For example, if one of our firewalls goes down, the solution helps us rectify the issue by providing details on the problem and how to address it.

By consolidating the numerous individually connected batches, FortiGate helped us reduce operational expenses associated with the extra costs they incurred.

Fortinet FortiGate has helped us mature our approach to cybersecurity for protecting our industrial equipment. Their knowledge and daily webinars on email security and virus prevention have empowered us to stop attacks and maximize our efficiency.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are SD-WAN, application control, IPS control, and FortiSandbox. These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.

What needs improvement?

The graphical user interface of Fortinet's FortiGate product does not function well with text-based interfaces. This functionality should be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

While Fortinet FortiGate firewalls are scalable, upgrading to a new version or adding hardware requires purchasing a new license to migrate the old backup to the new firewall. 

How are customer service and support?

While the technical support team is knowledgeable, their response time to support tickets is concerning. It typically takes them 48-72 hours to respond, which significantly disrupts my work.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

While we previously used the open-source PSS firewall, it lacked the layered security architecture offered by Fortinet FortiGate.

We migrated to Fortinet FortiGate for its superior control, in-depth scanning, and ability to minimize cybersecurity risks, features not offered by other firewall solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment is easy. The solution can be installed by following the on-screen prompts, and the policies can be implemented through the interface dashboard.

Deploying the system takes one full business day. We begin by gathering user requirements from each department, as they have varying policies. The policies are implemented department-first, followed by branches. Finally, VPNs are generated for remote users. Two people are required for the deployment.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house.

What was our ROI?

Since implementing Fortinet FortiGate, we have observed an increase in user productivity, which translates to a positive return on investment.

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

While Fortinet FortiGate has a higher price point compared to Sophos XG, its user-friendly interface justifies the cost. Additionally, its fixed pricing structure eliminates concerns about surprise fees.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

After evaluating Sophos XG and finding its interface overly complex for our needs, we opted for the user-friendly interface of Fortinet FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

We have one person that deals with maintaining Fortinet FortiGate.

We have 1,100 users in multiple cities and departments using FortiGate.

The Fortinet FortiGate 60F is a good choice for organizations to begin evaluating firewalls.

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.
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reviewer2235570 - PeerSpot reviewer
Production director at a media company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
We have managed functionalities quickly and easily and see potential for improvement with AI integration

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate as edge protection for the customer site. Right now, we are trying FortiNAC before deploying it for our customer. We link Fortinet FortiGate Firewall to our SIEM solution. We have a cybersecurity department, and we aggregate all the logs of the firewall, the proxy, the PC, virtual machine, and other systems.

What is most valuable?

The interest of the Fortinet FortiGate appliance is the ability to manage quickly and easily the different functionalities. It's easier to use rather than Palo Alto, for example. AI should be a good improvement. The only difficulty that I have today with the Fortinet FortiGate is that on the Forti appliance, there are many functionalities.

What needs improvement?

As we are trying FortiNAC right now, there is some improvement needed on the product. For the rest, perhaps having more packages would be beneficial. We do not use FortiManager for our own usage. We have developed some scripts using Ansible and we automate everything.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for more than 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The question concerns failures on the appliance or security breaches.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Not all functionalities are scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The access to the support is good. When specific information or professional services support is needed, the professional services are very expensive.

How would you rate customer service and support?

How was the initial setup?

Most of the time we are implementing the UTP service.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation is handled by my team. They are involved in the deployment for the customer and use it day by day. We have three people dedicated to the security part on the Fortinet FortiGate and roughly eight people working on it in the security team.

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

The cost reduction potential exists but is difficult to quantify.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Fortinet is increasing its value in this area. It's easier to use compared to Palo Alto.

What other advice do I have?

The functionality is acceptable but nothing really impressive. For some customers, we are using Fortinet FortiGate, FortiNAC, FortiAnalyzer. FortiMonitor is used for one customer. For FortiMonitor it's FortiAnalyzer. We don't use FortiAnalyzer on AWS. For both, we need the approval of the head office.

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this solution between seven and eight.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
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reviewer2078835 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Analyst at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5
Offers granular application control and cost efficiency
Pros and Cons
  • "The impact of SD-WAN on the network performance has been significant."

    What is our primary use case?

    It is a next-generation firewall used to create policies to allow and deny any traffic. I have used Fortinet FortiGate in the finance sector previously, and we are now using it in the manufacturing side.

    What is most valuable?

    In my opinion, some of the best features of Fortinet FortiGate include its ability to block specific applications. For example, if I want to block someone from using Facebook videos, I can disable or use its application control features to block access. Facebook has many components such as video features, chat features, and VoIP calling features, and I can block any of these features to be more granular.

    SD-WAN is an excellent feature where you can route the traffic to other WAN links without manual interruption. Technically, you cannot put two default routes on any firewall, but SD-WAN is a feature we can use to divert our traffic from one ISP to another. The impact of SD-WAN on the network performance has been significant. Previously, when we didn't have Fortinet FortiGate, we had Cisco routers where we used manual routing, and if one of the primary links was down, we had to do manual routing. With Fortinet FortiGate, it's much easier as we don't have to do anything; it's already configured, and if something happens, our configuration automatically changes the link and diverts the traffic when one of the links is down.

    What needs improvement?

    Fortinet FortiGate can be improved by being more stable because when we look for logs or open a case, we always find a bug and then we have to upgrade it. However, since it's a cost-effective solution, we are satisfied.

    For how long have I used the solution?

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

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Fortinet FortiGate is stable, but it has some bugs, so you have to upgrade it. I would not say it has all the capabilities, but it's good for a manufacturing site.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Fortinet FortiGate is pretty scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    I would rate Fortinet FortiGate's support at a seven out of ten because whenever I open a case with their support, I have to explain everything and clarify the background. They take some time—at least a day—to see what's happening with the firewall. The agents aren't much experienced in providing solutions, but it's better than Palo Alto's support, which is the worst.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

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

    Previously, we had Palo Alto firewalls which were expensive—the contracts were particularly expensive. Fortinet FortiGate is not that expensive and is more affordable when comparing pricing. Nowadays, firms usually look for cheaper models and solutions, so Fortinet FortiGates are good, but for financial sectors, Palo Alto is better.

    The main differences between Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are that Palo Alto has more features and functionality compared to Fortinet FortiGate. Palo Alto can be slow, but Fortinet FortiGate is fast. With Palo Alto, we have to commit and it takes five minutes for the configuration to push, which isn't the case with Fortinet FortiGate.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward. The upgrade process is also straightforward.

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

    It's cost-effective.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten. If you are looking for a cost effective solution and want to avoid the risk, go with the Fortinet FortiGate.

    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.
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    GOUTHAM KRISHNA P S - PeerSpot reviewer
    Senior Information Security Analyst at channelnext
    Reseller
    Top 5Leaderboard
    Provides advanced threat protection and helps ensure compliance
    Pros and Cons
      • "I would rate Fortinet support a six out of ten. The immediate response is not that good, particularly when raising a critical or P1 ticket; they lag in the immediate response."

      What is our primary use case?

      My customer's main use cases for Fortinet FortiGate are mainly for threat blocking, compliance requirements, firewall functionality, and basic security.

      How has it helped my organization?

      It's focused on defending against advanced threats and providing better throughput. Additionally, it can accommodate both enterprise companies and independent users. Bandwidth is one of the issues, but there are many benefits. Overall, it's a solid solution that is scalable in terms of throughput.

      What is most valuable?

      The best features of this tool include threat protection, email filtering, and web filtering. FortiAnalyzer's integration with the firewall and FortiSASE is beneficial. The integration helps detect the most advanced threats, such as APTs. 

      Fortinet FortiGate stable solution has made systems more compliant in the cyber industry for several customers.

      What needs improvement?

      They can improve the backend functionality of Fortinet FortiGate, particularly how the policies work in a real-time environment. Improving this aspect can ensure that policies work effectively.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been working with this solution for around one year.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      The stability can be rated as eight out of ten.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Fortinet FortiGate has very good scalability in terms of bandwidth, throughput, and everything else. It's scalable without any problems.

      How are customer service and support?

      I would rate Fortinet support a six out of ten. The immediate response is not that good, particularly when raising a critical or P1 ticket; they lag in the immediate response. They can improve on that front, especially in their support service.

      How would you rate customer service and support?

      How was the initial setup?

      The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.

      What was our ROI?

      My customers have seen ROI with Fortinet FortiGate. The investment they made has provided returns.

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

      I'm not sure about the exact license cost, but generally, it's a reasonable price. If the hardware or the machine is advanced, it will be expensive. However, for medium-sized machines or hardware, it maintains a reasonable price.

      What other advice do I have?

      I recommend that those who want to use Fortinet FortiGate need to plan ahead. If they are upgrading or expanding their user base in their company, they should purchase a one-level higher version. It would provide good throughput and withstand the number of users in their company.

      Fortinet FortiGate can be a bit expensive, but the price is reasonable. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

      Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
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      Ayman Said - PeerSpot reviewer
      Infrastructure System's Manager at ICAPP (Americana Group)
      Real User
      Top 5Leaderboard
      User-friendly firewall with effective threat prevention and seamless SD-WAN management
      Pros and Cons
      • "The most effective features for threat prevention are the IPS, content filter, and SD-WAN capabilities."
      • "I would like to see more AI features included in future updates, as that would add significant value."

      What is our primary use case?

      We are using FortiGate IPS as a firewall, as an intrusion prevention system (IPS), and as a content filter. Additionally, we use it for SD-WAN, which is very important for us.

      How has it helped my organization?

      FortiGate IPS has made managing our cybersecurity framework easier. It is user-friendly, easy to implement, and helps in threat detection and prevention. Also, SD-WAN management by FortiGate has ensured seamless internet connectivity by automatically switching between lines during provider interruptions.

      What is most valuable?

      The most effective features for threat prevention are the IPS, content filter, and SD-WAN capabilities. The user-friendly nature of FortiGate IPS compared to our previous products, like Cisco and SonicWall, is also valuable.

      What needs improvement?

      I would like to see more AI features included in future updates, as that would add significant value. Additionally, the pricing of FortiGate is relatively high compared to other products like Cisco and SonicWall. An area for improvement is in their support services, which could be more responsive and quicker to resolve issues.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      We have been using FortiGate IPS for more than nine or ten years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      FortiGate IPS is very stable.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      I think it is very scalable. I would rate its scalability as nine out of ten.

      How are customer service and support?

      In the past, direct support from Fortinet was not very satisfactory, as it took a lot of time to resolve issues. However, we now receive excellent support from our partner. They are amazing and provide very good support.

      How would you rate customer service and support?

      Neutral

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

      We previously used SonicWall and Cisco. Compared to those products, FortiGate IPS is easier to use and more user-friendly.

      How was the initial setup?

      The initial setup was straightforward and easy to implement. It took only a few hours to deploy.

      What about the implementation team?

      The implementation was done by a different team, but we supervised the process. We used third-party services for the implementation.

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

      The pricing is relatively high compared to other products like Cisco and SonicWall. This is a point that could be improved, as FortiGate is expensive.

      Which other solutions did I evaluate?

      We evaluated SonicWall and Cisco before choosing FortiGate IPS.

      What other advice do I have?

      I recommend FortiGate IPS because it is very user-friendly, easy to install, and effective in threat prevention. More AI features in future updates would add more value.

      I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

      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.
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      MURALI NIDAMANURI - PeerSpot reviewer
      Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
      Reseller
      Top 5Leaderboard
      Has good two factor authentication and client VPN for advanced threat protection across clouds and data centers
      Pros and Cons
      • "The strengths of Fortinet FortiGate include network security, VPN, site-to-site tunnels, client VPN solutions, two-factor authentication for VPN clients, and SD-WAN for branch level. We have implemented these solutions for various customers."
      • "Regarding challenges, customers initially faced issues like internet dropping, but after firmware upgrades, everything worked well."

      What is our primary use case?

      My customers use Fortinet FortiGate for SD-WAN, network security, branch-to-branch communication, site-to-site channel communication, multi-layer protection, authentication, and antivirus solutions. They span various industries, including IT setups, chip-level designing, VLSI companies, software development, SAP implementation, manufacturing, and production groups.

      How has it helped my organization?


      What is most valuable?

      The strengths of Fortinet FortiGate include network security, VPN, site-to-site tunnels, client VPN solutions, two-factor authentication for VPN clients, and SD-WAN for branch level. We have implemented these solutions for various customers.

      What needs improvement?

      Regarding challenges, customers initially faced issues like internet dropping, but after firmware upgrades, everything worked well.

      I believe Fortinet should offer short and frequent training sessions, preferably in video format, whenever they introduce new features. These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

      Long training sessions spanning one or two full days can lead to distractions and reduced focus due to continuous support calls. Therefore, providing brief and focused training snippets would be more beneficial for users.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for six to seven years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      Our customers are satisfied with the stability of Fortinet FortiGate. I would rate it as a ten out of ten for stability.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Fortinet FortiGate is quite flexible and scalable, allowing us to scale up from sixty to a hundred units. However, there are limitations for extremely high production levels. I would rate its scalability an eight out of ten.

      How was the initial setup?

      Setting up Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward and easy. I would rate it a ten out of ten for ease of setup. The deployment typically takes around two to three hours.

      What was our ROI?

      Operational costs for Fortinet FortiGate are pretty low because once it's configured, no changes are needed. In terms of ROI, clients have seen benefits. After switching from other brands to

      Fortinet, they experienced fewer support calls. Initially, there were some support calls in the first one to two months, but after that, there were none. Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

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

      The cost of Fortinet FortiGate is competitive and not expensive compared to other enterprise- grade solutions. On average, the license cost per year is around seventy percent of the firewall's purchase price.

      What other advice do I have?

      Regarding AI elements, I believe Fortinet has the capability to implement machine learning snippets for improved security and advanced configurations, but this should be integrated as part of their overall strategy.

      I will advise to focus on configuring the admin tools and monitoring users and serial numbers effectively. 

      As for rating the solution, I would give it a ten out of ten for being a very good solution.

      Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
      PeerSpot user
      Buyer's Guide
      Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
      Updated: September 2025
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      Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.