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Network admin at Penobscot Valley Hospital
Real User
An easy-to-use product that does a lot for you and allows you to be independent
Pros and Cons
  • "It does a lot for you for intrusion protection and as an antivirus. The threat management bundle is worth the money. You don't need another company to monitor your web traffic for you. You can do everything yourself on the firewall. You restrict your own black list for people on the firewall. You don't need to pay some other company for another product to do that for you. The firewall can do that for you. So, it's an easy-to-use product for people to be independent. They don't need to rely on other vendors to do what the firewall can do. They can do everything."
  • "I don't really have anything negative to say as far as Fortinet firewalls are concerned. If anything, they can support a user a little bit better. They can stop being so time-sensitive about how much time the support call has taken, and they can help you do it yourself."

What is most valuable?

It does a lot for you for intrusion protection and as an antivirus. The threat management bundle is worth the money. You don't need another company to monitor your web traffic for you. You can do everything yourself on the firewall. You restrict your own black list for people on the firewall. You don't need to pay some other company for another product to do that for you. The firewall can do that for you. So, it's an easy-to-use product for people to be independent. They don't need to rely on other vendors to do what the firewall can do. They can do everything.

The GUI is good. I'm really happy with the ease of use of the firewall. Fortinet's support is also great.  

What needs improvement?

I don't really have anything negative to say as far as Fortinet firewalls are concerned. If anything, they can support a user a little bit better. They can stop being so time-sensitive about how much time the support call has taken, and they can help you do it yourself.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've had different models of Fortinet since 2009. They all are physical appliances. I had 300As, and now I'm on 300Ds. I've got a remote site with a different model, which probably is 60F. They are great little firewalls, and for bigger size places, they have 300 models.

I don't have virtual appliances. I don't have a virtual infrastructure. I have an older virtual environment with Hyper-V, and the servers are not up-to-date. It was a money thing. So, it was better to go with the appliance itself.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I'm happy with what they got. It is a great product. Sometimes, you're going to get a lemon—the way it initially happened with FortiAuthenticator 300F—but that doesn't happen very often.

If there is a problem, the next business day, they send it and get the replacement, and they help me configure it.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
August 2025
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of its users, everybody uses the firewall because they're going out. That's our egress point. So, there are about 20 users for that. We have a dozen IPsec tunnels with which we connect to different companies. So, security is a big part of it. I also have a remote location with about 10 users who use a different firewall.

We probably won't be increasing its usage. Now that I got Authenticator, it nicely compliments the Fortinet firewall. The size of the company isn't going to grow any more than what it is. So, we're good.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is great, but it also depends on who you get for support. From the support perspective, they can help you do it yourself, which is always more beneficial to both parties. They can stop being so time-sensitive about the call duration and let a user help himself a little bit more.

It takes time to study this stuff, and I don't always have time to do it. So, I'm looking for a quick answer because I get interrupted all the time during work. I don't always have the time to study something and figure it out. So, I have to call them, but I don't always get somebody who really knows what they are doing. They don't know deep enough to help you. They're troubleshooting with you, and that's the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 support.

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

When I first got here in this job in 2007, they had Cisco ASA Firewall, but it was too cryptic. You had to enter all these CLI commands for a configuration. It also didn't do everything that Fortinet could do. It was very limited, and it wasn't easy to use. I know what I want to do, and I don't have to learn a special language in order to do it. I just want to be able to use some basic programming code that they have put into the firewall and use the GUI interface with it to actually visualize what I am looking at. Some of the Cisco products are not visual enough. That was one of the reasons I stayed away from it. Cisco is also very high-priced. They price themselves out of business a lot of times for equipment, but Fortinet is just great.

I've also used SonicWall before. It was okay, but it is better for bigger places. I was looking for a midrange-size firewall for a couple of hundred users, and I felt Fortinet was the right fit.

How was the initial setup?

Its deployment and maintenance are easy. 

What about the implementation team?

I pretty much used the support from Fortinet to do it. They're good about their support. I did it myself by being a nuisance to Fortinet. I kept calling them to ask questions. They had to remote on to it and see you do something you don't know how to do.

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

It was probably about $2,500 per firewall. It was all included. It included support, services, threat management software, and 24/7 FortiCare on it. Cisco products are more expensive.

What other advice do I have?

Fortinet has got great firewalls. They do everything. They do FortiTokens for two-factor. They do the IPsec VPNs, SSL VPNs. They have a great GUI for you to know, but you still got to know the CLI commands. 

I would rate it a 10 out of 10. It does its job, and it is easy to use. The support is great.

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
reviewer2735601 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Engineer at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
Response time and throughput have improved network efficiency

What is our primary use case?

We are currently using Fortinet FortiGate firewall instead of Cisco.

What is most valuable?

The best features of Fortinet FortiGate include good functionality, though the licensing cost is a bit higher. Their response time and throughput are very good advantages.

What needs improvement?

Some websites or proxies are not embedded in the correct category, and we need to update the Fortinet FortiGate database because numerous websites are appearing every day. Some websites are embedded in the wrong category which we can block, resulting in everything being blocked, so this database needs improvement.

The licensing cost should be more affordable than it is currently. The SD-WAN of Fortinet FortiGate needs improvement; when we create a group address, sometimes the rule doesn't work properly.

Regarding the Fortinet FortiGate database issues, some websites or categories that should be classified as proxy are in different categories. When we open that category due to some other website that needs to be accessed, some proxies are also opened. The FortiGate web filter categories need to improve their database for better control.

For how long have I used the solution?

I joined the current company two and a half years ago, and we have been using Fortinet FortiGate for about three or four years.

How are customer service and support?

I have only required technical support from Fortinet FortiGate once or twice in two and a half years, and I have had a good experience with them. Their technical team is very knowledgeable. Their response time is very good; whenever we open a case, they respond promptly.

One issue I encountered was with FortiToken, which we configured on the admin profile. While managing four firewalls, I discovered that FortiToken was not enabling due to an issue on one firewall. I opened a case, but it has not been resolved yet. Despite this, my overall experience with them has been very good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

In my previous company, we were using Sophos, which had better licensing costs compared to Fortinet FortiGate.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are not using enhanced SD-WAN Cisco SD-WAN; we are just using the SD-WAN for load balancing.

What other advice do I have?

We are using Ubiquiti for wireless. One drawback about UniFi is that it lacks BeamFlexing, which is available in Ruckus, and the AP radius or Wi-Fi signals are not as strong as Ruckus. However, UniFi is still a good option, though not as robust as Ruckus.

Fortinet FortiGate is quite expensive, but according to the Gartner report, it ranks second or third. My experience with Fortinet FortiGate firewall has been quite good.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate 9 out of 10 overall.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
August 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,576 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Moeed  Mahmood - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Chase Up
Real User
Top 5
Great for intrusion prevention, with a great pipe filter application
Pros and Cons
  • "The pipe filter application is an outstanding feature."
  • "The updates Fortinet provides are sometimes unstable."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for social network blocking and for unusual applications in our network as well as for intrusion prevention. We are a department store. 

How has it helped my organization?

This product has made it easier to secure our network. 

What is most valuable?

The pipe filter application is an outstanding feature. The hardware processors are also very impressive. In general, this is an easy-to-use application, with a user-friendly interface. If you have any issues, Fortinet has a support library where you can search for videos and documentation. If you want to configure anything and you're unsure about it, the solution is in the videos. If a single link fails, it automatically connects to a secondary one and that's saved me a lot of time as I would have previously had to deal with it manually. Fortigate blocks unusual traffic and therefore secures our network. Third-party integrations are good.

What needs improvement?

The updates Fortinet provides are sometimes unstable. We have to check everything thoroughly before any upgrade.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using this solution for seven years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. The processor, the microprocessor and the security processors are very intelligent so they can scale significantly and manage that well. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and easy to manage. There is no maintenance required. 

What was our ROI?

We've seen a return on our investment. 

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

This is a very comprehensive solution but the cost is quite high. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated several options before going with Fortinet. 

What other advice do I have?

I think this is the best solution of its kind on the market and I 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
Leif Thomas - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Information Systems at Ohio Art Co
Real User
Outstanding HA Failover capabilities and strong integrated protection with the security fabric
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution has helped our organization by having strong functions and a reliable firewall."

    What is our primary use case?

    This solution is configured as our primary gateway to the internet in and out of the network.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Fortinet delivers high-performance network security solutions that
    protects our network, users, and data from continually evolving threats.

    What is most valuable?

    The features I found most valuable are the high availability rollover/fail-over capabilities. The integration with other Fortinet products is worth a look at the lineup.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for about two years.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I would say that the scalability possibilities of this solution are first-rate.

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

    In the past, we have used Cisco and WatchGuard Firewalls.

    How was the initial setup?

    Our model of deployment is on-premises. I would say the initial setup process was complex. Integrating the security fabric with multiple firewalls, FortiClient, and FortiMail was slightly more complex than originally anticipated. The results are great.

    What about the implementation team?

    Our implementation strategy was to hire vendors with expertise. 

    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
    AhmedAboalassaad - PeerSpot reviewer
    Network & Security Team Head at Amiral
    Real User
    Highly reliable, effective profiles, and scalable
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the different types of profiling. It has been the most effective for me. The WAF and the antivirus profile are the most effective in network protection."
    • "Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. However, my issue is the performance only. When I use all the profiles, this affects the performance. From the beginning, I should have had a better sizing of the box."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Fortinet FortiGate mostly for a data center firewall.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the different types of profiling. It has been the most effective for me. The WAF and the antivirus profile are the most effective in network protection.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. However, my issue is the performance only. When I use all the profiles, this affects the performance. From the beginning, I should have had a better sizing of the box.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The coverage and scalability of Fortinet FortiGate are good.

    We use the solution for daily operations in the data center. There are hundreds of users that use the solution.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support from Fortinet FortiGate is great. When I have an issue with the support team, it is when I can't understand what they need and they do not understand. They then typically ask for a remote session which can help us receive the solution. Overall, the support team for Fortinet FortiGate is very good.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is very straightforward.

    I rate the initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate a four out of five.

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

    We pay for the solution annually.

    What other advice do I have?

    The sizing is very important for the Fortinet FortiGate because after designing you have to choose what size and what kind of FortiGate you will implement. Sometimes you need to implement profiling and this will take from your processing.

    In my area, this solution is recommended for many projects because it's very easy to do the implementation and troubleshoot and is highly stable. The integration between many devices, such as the FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager, is good and helps us. Fortinet FortiGate is recommended for any firewall design.

    I rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Team Leader Network & Security at Rogers Capital
    Real User
    Straightforward implementation and affordable
    Pros and Cons
    • "The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was straightforward."
    • "Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the logging and reporting. Additionally, the next-generation application's policies should be improved. When they were released they had bugs."

    What needs improvement?

    Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the logging and reporting. Additionally, the next-generation application's policies should be improved. When they were released they had bugs.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately 12 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Whenever we install a new release of an OS we should expect lots of bugs on the system that could break the system. Something that is working fine in the previous system, if we upgrade it, it could break it. Fortinet should work a lot on this to remediate it before releasing any OS. This includes any update and upgrade of FortiOS because I have seen issues when I upgraded, such as the memory and CPU jumping to 100 percent, and some or all functions were not operational. These bugs should be fixed in the firmware.

    If there is a need for some upgrade or update on an existing system then I will plan ahead, but if it is not stable I will not do it. We have new releases being tested now and once they are rated stable I will upgrade.

    How are customer service and support?

    I have found the support from Fortinet FortiGate very poor. I do not use them anymore because they are not very good. This is based on the support I have received from South Africa and India. However, the support from France I have heard was excellent. I only open support tickets for bugs.

    I would rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate a two out of five.

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

    I have previously used SonicWall, Sophos, Juniper, and Cisco Meraki.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was straightforward.

    The time it takes to implement a firewall a large and small firewall is the same. It does not matter the size of the firewall. The complexity comes from the network and the scope of work that we need to do for the customer on the network.

    If it is a large network, it will take us more time to deploy it, because there is more to configure. If it is a small network, it will take less time, but configuration-wise, it's likely the same.

    What about the implementation team?

    I have deployed Fortinet FortiGate on my own. I have never needed help from any third-party consultant, or integrator. I work as a consultant and integrator for other companies. I provide my service as a consultant.

    Fortinet FortiGate doesn't require a lot of maintenance if you deploy the system correctly, it will run well. However, you do need to have some security checks, auditing, and cleanup of the system, every month. It depends on the company policies. 

    If you already deployed the solution correctly you should not have an issue. Maintenance is required, we do have some customers that are doing morning checks on memory and CPU, it does not take much time.

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

    The license for Fortinet FortiGate is affordable in my country.

    What other advice do I have?

    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
    Ismael Abdelkader - PeerSpot reviewer
    Strategic Development Manager at Arrow Electronics
    Real User
    Simple to use and manage, helpful VPN and application control features, and it's constantly evolving
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable features are simplicity, management, and that it's constantly evolving."
    • "With the addition of some features, it is possible that FortiGate can be used in all verticals."

    What is our primary use case?

    I am a project manager and I have implemented this product in several different projects. The deployments are for enterprise clients, government agencies, and several universities.

    How has it helped my organization?

    This is a complete security solution that we can offer to our clients.

    It provides security EOT (Encryption of Things).

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features are simplicity, management, and that it's constantly evolving. 

    Different modules offer different functionality including the facility for web application control, VPN, and complete security integration.

    It is easy to integrate FortiGate with other products.

    What needs improvement?

    With the addition of some features, it is possible that FortiGate can be used in all verticals.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with FortiGate for 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    FortiGate is a very stable product.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I have implemented FortiGate in approximately 200 projects, and it is a scalable solution.

    It is primarily used by medium-sized and enterprise companies. Medium-sized companies normally have between 10 and 50 users whereas an enterprise will have more than 5,000.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support from Fortinet is very nice.

    I would rate them a five out of five.

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

    I work with several products from Fortinet including FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiSIEM. The selection of which products to use depends on the company.

    We work with what we refer to as the Fortinet fabric.

    We also have experience with products from Check Point and Palo Alto.

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

    Fortinet is competitive price-wise.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    One of our clients in space evaluated FortiGate in terms of pricing and integration, and they chose FortiGate.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer2304828 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Head of Research at a construction company with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    Dashboard management consolidates tools and saves time while enhancing threat remediation
    Pros and Cons
    • "Fortinet FortiGate has helped me reduce Mean Time To Respond, or MTTR, and helped my organization consolidate all of the tools in one application."
    • "In the scenarios coming from Sophos, it has not."

    What is our primary use case?

    I am working with Fortinet FortiGate and FortiMail.

    What is most valuable?

    I assess Fortinet FortiGate firewall as a one-stop shop that helps me secure and protect mission-critical data. Fortinet FortiGate also has products for protecting the edge. Everything can be managed through one dashboard, so I cannot quantify the time saved. Fortinet FortiGate has helped me remediate threats more quickly.

    What needs improvement?

    At the moment, I cannot think of any areas where Fortinet FortiGate could be improved. In future updates, I would like to see more RAM and lower prices.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have probably been using Fortinet FortiGate for eight years.

    How are customer service and support?

    I would rate support from Fortinet as a nine.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

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

    I did previously use other software before Fortinet FortiGate. I was using Cisco and Sophos.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation of Fortinet FortiGate was very easy.

    What was our ROI?

    In the scenarios coming from Cisco, Fortinet FortiGate has helped reduce my total cost of ownership. In the scenarios coming from Sophos, it has not.

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

    I would say I am average in my satisfaction with the licensing cost for Fortinet FortiGate. I am satisfied with the price-to-performance ratio that I get from using Fortinet FortiGate firewall.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I switched from Cisco and Sophos to Fortinet FortiGate because it is easier to manage.

    What other advice do I have?

    I have been using the Fortinet FortiGate firewall for a significant time and I am very happy with it. I have seen a lot of time saved for my company from using Fortinet FortiGate. Fortinet FortiGate has helped me reduce Mean Time To Respond, or MTTR. Fortinet FortiGate helped my organization consolidate all of the tools in one application. This product does not require any maintenance from my side. I would recommend Fortinet FortiGate to other organizations because it is a one-stop shop for all security features in Fortinet, and I can manage everything on the same dashboard. The vendor can contact me in case they have questions regarding my review. I wish to be anonymous at the moment.

    I would rate Fortinet FortiGate in general as a nine.

    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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    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: August 2025
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    Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.