We use it to secure our environment, ensuring no vulnerabilities or potential risks in our network configuration. Our goal is to enhance cybersecurity measures, safeguard our network, and ensure the integrity of our systems against potential threats and intrusions.
Head of IT Department at Tengri Partners Investment Banking
A comprehensive and user-friendly solution for securing networks against web-based threats
Pros and Cons
- "I am content with its user interface and functionalities."
- "It is essential to leverage its capabilities more professionally to achieve an even higher level of security."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
I am content with its user interface and functionalities.
What needs improvement?
There is a potential for enhanced protection. It is essential to leverage its capabilities more professionally to achieve an even higher level of security. I believe that if the cost were lower, it would be highly beneficial. While the gateway serves as a primary solution for the entire network, attention should also be given to endpoint devices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for approximately five years.
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Fortinet FortiGate
October 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is incredibly reliable. I would rate it eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It provides excellent scalability abilities and I would rate it eight out of ten. There are around fifty individuals actively using it.
How are customer service and support?
They provide exceptional support. I would rate it eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When comparing Fortinet to Cisco, Fortinet stands out as a more user-friendly and practical solution. It seems especially well-suited for smaller network environments, making it the preferred choice for our small work network. The switch was prompted by the wealth of features Fortinet offers, coupled with its ease of management and deployment. The diverse interfaces and comprehensive reporting, including statistics and other relevant information, further contribute to its appeal.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment duration is variable and relies on the development level and installation complexity. Initially, it may take only a few hours. However, to enhance security and stability, the process might extend to a few days or even a week. For a simple network, a single individual should be sufficient to manage it effectively.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
While slightly more affordable than competitors, it remains relatively expensive due to its inclusive subscription. It operates on a subscription basis. You pay solely for this subscription, without any additional custom costs for support or other services. The subscription encompasses support, updates, and all associated features.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate it nine 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

Head of IT at ArcelorMittal
Robust and secure product with a valuable SD-WAN feature
Pros and Cons
- "It has a valuable SD-WAN feature and provides good performance."
- "They should make the product user-friendly and enhance the security features."
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a robust and secure product compared to Sophos. It has a valuable SD-WAN feature and provides good performance. Along with that, it has efficient bandwidth and policy management features as well.
What needs improvement?
They could provide bandwidth concentrators and traffic filtering features. They should make the product user-friendly and enhance the security features.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for ten years. At present, we use the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the product's stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the product's scalability an eight out of ten. It is suitable for small to large enterprises.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the product's initial setup process a seven out of ten. It takes a few hours or a few days to complete.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. Its one-year license cost is competitive with three and five-year licenses offered by other products.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the product to others and rate it a nine 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. Implementer
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
October 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
869,832 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Specialist at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Feature-rich, affordable, and has good performance
Pros and Cons
- "It works very well. It has a lot of different functionalities. Its cost is also fine for our customers."
- "In some cases, its initial setup could be hard for customers."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers use these devices as security devices, and we sell these devices to our customers. We also use it ourselves. We have the entire lab, and we use some of the functions in our local network.
How has it helped my organization?
It protects our customers' networks from viruses and threats.
What is most valuable?
The firewall, IPS, and VPN functions are the most valuable features. The antivirus functions are also good.
It works very well. It has a lot of different functionalities. Its cost is also fine for our customers.
What needs improvement?
In some cases, its initial setup could be hard for customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have 10 to 12 years of experience with these devices.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Their devices are quite stable. We have not had any problems with the operating systems or maintenance of subscriptions. It is a robust device.
How are customer service and support?
In most cases, they work very fast. It also depends on the device they are supporting. In the case of FortiGate, we do not have any complaints, but when we had to buy the FortiADC solution for one of our customers, we faced quite a few difficulties with technical support. I do not know why, but it could be that some devices are supported by different teams in Fortinet. We had difficulties with FortiADC, but we have not had any problems with FortiGate. I would rate their support for FortiGate a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We worked with Cisco and Check Point firewalls. We worked with Cisco ASA for a long time. We worked with it for about five years, and we were happy with it, but it was old-fashioned. We went to Fortinet and started working with this company.
FortiGate has good security functions and high-level technical documentation. Their documentation is very easy to understand.
FortiGate's performance is also better than Cisco ASA. It has 10 VDOMs. It is a great function because you can add virtual functions for different groups in your network. It is quite useful.
How was the initial setup?
It is deployed on-premises. Our customers prefer to deploy not only Fortinet devices but all security devices on-premises. They rarely use cloud licenses. Some customers only buy it from us, and for some customers, we also set it up.
Its setup is easy for us, but not every company wants to use our service for setting it up because of the cost. They prefer to install it themselves. In some cases, it could be hard for them.
In terms of the implementation strategy, we first try to understand what problem a customer wants to solve by using FortiGate. We collect a lot of information about a customer's network, such as protocols and devices being used. We try to prepare this device in our local lab. We preload the device and send it to the customer, and then we finalize the installation in the customer's building.
We have very technical staff, and we do not have difficulties with installations. We have had situations where customers do not have much experience with it, and then we recommend them to go for certain features such as IPS, antivirus, etc.
The deployment duration depends on the size of the environment, but generally, it does not take more than one or two months.
What about the implementation team?
Generally, two to three people are required for the deployment.
For maintenance, our customers have technical staff. They regularly check and ensure that all the functions are working. We are glad to help them if they need any help.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI. We have bought a lot of these devices, and we have had a good experience with them. It has saved us a lot of money.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is quite affordable for our customers. There is a separate cost for IPS, antivirus, web filtering, and other features. They have a great choice of licenses. You can go for the license that you want, which is quite useful.
You have to buy a support license for FortiCare. In most cases, people buy the UTM bundle that comes with IPS, web filtering, and FortiCare.
What other advice do I have?
They are on the right path. They have improved a lot over the past 10 years. Fortinet is one of the leaders in security devices along with Cisco, Palo Alto, and Check Point.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine out of ten. It is stable. It has quite a lot of features, such as IPS, VPN, etc. It is affordable for our customers. It is a good choice.
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. Reseller
Network Manager at a tech company with 1-10 employees
Offers a unified view, and is user-friendly, but the support has room for improvement
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate SD-WAN facilitated a smooth transition for our customers between their two internet service providers, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity without any downtime."
- "The support we receive when we need to upgrade is not satisfactory and has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We implemented Fortinet FortiGate SD-WAN for a small company that had two internet service providers. The goal was to configure the two links to operate independently, ensuring that they don't share the load. This way, when one link reaches a certain threshold, we can seamlessly switch to the other without any issues.
How has it helped my organization?
We have FortiManager, which enables us to have a unified view for monitoring and managing our devices centrally, as well as dispatching policies.
The solution enables us to consolidate tools and applications and manage them all through FortiManager. You can configure your SD-WAN from Forti Manager, which gives you management functionality.
The interoperability of the solutions is good because it allows for compatibility with brands other than Fortinet, and we don't encounter issues with it.
FortiGate SD-WAN facilitated a smooth transition for our customers between their two internet service providers, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity without any downtime.
The solution has helped us remediate threats more quickly by enabling real-time monitoring of both links, providing complete visibility into our end links. You can monitor both links on one platform. It's just one single pane of glass where you watch in real-time what is happening. It's easy to manage that way. It helps you to easily remediate issues.
As long as our policies are granular we are able to use the solution to reduce our MTTD.
The solution has helped to reduce our MTTR from what used to be five minutes down to 45 seconds.
The solution has helped to reduce the number of help desk tickets because it is now extremely rare for both links to be down simultaneously.
SD-WAN, regardless of the OEM being used, is a beneficial technology that is increasingly adopted by businesses due to its positive impact on business security. It allows us to maintain uninterrupted operations without concerns about past issues.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The support we receive when we need to upgrade is not satisfactory and has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and we have not had any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good, but they take a long time to respond and resolve the issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have also used Cisco, whose systems are robust and rarely experience downtime. However, with Fortinet, their licensing is highly competitive in terms of pricing. Cisco is primarily geared towards enterprise-level companies, but the learning curve for Cisco is higher compared to Fortinet.
Fortinet's price is very competitive compared to when you look at other brands of equal functionality. The hardware and licensing are compared to the others. It's also simple to use.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. I did the deployment and didn't have any issues with it. It took one day to complete.
What was our ROI?
The solution provides value and, therefore, offers a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality. Fortinet FortiGate is more affordable both in terms of hardware and licensing, in comparison to its competitors.
What other advice do I have?
I give Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
I recommend FortiGate SD-WAN because it is easy to implement and simple to use.
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.
Information Technology Infrastructure Manager at SVP
Easy to set up but needs better pricing and more helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The setup is easy."
- "Technical support is not helpful."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is primarily used as a border firewall as well as for internal LAN segregation, internal IPv4 policy management, a VPN for end users, and IPSec tunnels.
How has it helped my organization?
Before we implemented this solution, we had only one firewall and old Linux IP tables with no graphical user interface.
What is most valuable?
There is no one feature that stands out as most valuable compared to another. All features are correct and no extra items are needed.
What needs improvement?
The price of licensing could be better. The security of the FortiOS needs improvement, and features are available only in CLI. They could be available also in GUI.
Features like forward traffic capture or NAC in the VPN should take into consideration both Linux devices and Apple devices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for more than ten years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is okay.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is not helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously worked with Check Point, Palo Alto, Cisco, Watchguard, and PFsense.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is easy. Support is not helpful.
What about the implementation team?
We handled the initial setup in-house.
What was our ROI?
The solution is very expensive.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of licensing is too high.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not previously evaluate other options before choosing this solution.
What other advice do I have?
Other Fortinet products are not the best, and Fortinet should take care as this will influence brand reputation.
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.
Founder at Prosight
They're easy to manage and more affordable than competing solutions, but there are some stability issues
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate firewalls are easy to manage through a user-friendly web interface. They also have advanced features like DDoS and DLP. However, I wouldn't recommend enabling all of these features on one device because it can cause performance issues."
- "We sometimes have issues with FortiGate's routing table in the latest firmware update. We had to downgrade the device because our customers complained about bugs."
What is our primary use case?
The use case varies depending on the customer, but we use all of FortiGate's features, including policies, web filtering, routing, etc.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate firewalls are easy to manage through a user-friendly web interface. They also have advanced features like DDoS and DLP. However, I wouldn't recommend enabling all these features on one device because it can cause performance issues.
What needs improvement?
We sometimes have issues with FortiGate's routing table in the latest firmware update. We had to downgrade the device because our customers complained about bugs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet for nearly ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate FortiGate an eight out of ten for stability. It is less stable than Palo Alto Networks and Check Point firewalls because there are lots of bugs in the latest firmware.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I rate Fortinet's support a seven out of ten. We had to open several tickets due to the firmware bugs. We don't have an issue with the support team. It's more of a problem with the testers and developers.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have also used Palo Alto and Check Point firewalls. Fortinet firewalls are cheaper and easier to manage. Palo Alto is more complex and harder to use, but it's more stable than FortiGate. Palo Alto doesn't didn't have as many models for small and medium-sized enterprises.
How was the initial setup?
FortiGate is easy to deploy. The deployment time varies depending on the customer's network topology. How many policies does the customer require, and what kind of license do they have? FortiGate is easier than Palo Alto Networks and Check Point and takes less time.
We typically start by analyzing the customer's topology and understanding their requirements, including policies, routines, etc. We implement the device once we know what the customer needs. One engineer is usually enough to deploy FortiGate in a small or medium-sized environment.
An enterprise project requires a more detailed analysis of the network requirements before implementation. That can take two or three days. Once we understand the network, it may take another two or three days to configure the device and one or two days to implement it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet has more device options that are affordable for small businesses than Palo Alto, and its enterprise-level models are also cheaper. Palo Alto also has a separate license for VPN connections and SD-WAN, but FortiGate offers these standard features.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven and a half out of ten. I deducted a few points because of the device's capacity, stability, support, and routing table issues. I strongly recommend FortiGate if a customer wants to use SD-WAN. Before implementing, you should understand the network's topology to minimize unwanted issues.
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
Group Manager, Information Technology at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Offers good security and ease of use and integration
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to use and update the software version. It is also useful for integration with other Fortinet products, because my office and company use Fortinet solutions."
- "Fortinet FortiGate is considered the best in the European market for security reasons."
- "At the moment, the main concern is the pricing and the type of licensing."
- "At the moment, the main concern is the pricing and the type of licensing. Fortinet offers different types of licensing, and my idea is that the best approach is to have only one, two, or a maximum of three types of licensing."
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use and update the software version. It is also useful for integration with other Fortinet products, because my office and company use Fortinet solutions. We are also using Fortinet FortiManager and FortiMail.
Fortinet FortiGate is considered the best in the European market for security reasons. I wouldn’t want to change to any other firewall.
What needs improvement?
At the moment, the main concern is the pricing and the type of licensing. Fortinet offers different types of licensing, and my idea is that the best approach is to have only one, two, or a maximum of three types of licensing.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very easy to use, and I don't have any issues at the moment. I also don't anticipate having any issues in the future.
There has not been any impact on my network performance by implementing SD-WAN.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have only used Fortinet FortiGate.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated some options that could be tested in the future, but at this moment, I only use Fortinet FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet is currently one of the five top players for security firewalls.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: May 22, 2025
Flag as inappropriateCorporate Marketing Executive at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reliable with enhanced threat detection with effective content filtering
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate's threat detection capability is excellent."
- "I would like to see improvements in some of the hard drive features on FortiGate so that we can generate reporting within a single box."
What is our primary use case?
We are using the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall, and we are also providing this solution to our customers.
How has it helped my organization?
Customer is investing in this solution. We have observed a reduction in order value costs, approximately one lakh rupees per order, which contributes to reducing overall security costs.
What is most valuable?
In our territory, the most usable features include WAP content filtering, which is more utilized than IDS, sandbox license, and multiple internet connectivity. These are the primary features we are offering as a solution.
FortiGate's threat detection capability is excellent. Compared to other solutions, FortiGuard Lab has a very high capacity to detect malware and malicious content.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements in some of the hard drive features on FortiGate so that we can generate reporting within a single box.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for the last ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's reliable and works well within our needs.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable. That said, you must change the hardware to scale in capacity.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has improved over the last two or three years, as Fortinet now operates 24/7 support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have also worked with SonicWall. Compared to SonicWall, FortiGate allows us to make a DNS server, which SonicWall cannot do. SonicWall offers the advantage of providing a free reporting solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is very aggressive in India as India is a rapidly growing market, the original equipment manufacturer offers competitive pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated other solutions like SonicWall and Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
For very small companies, with five to ten users and where cost is a concern, I would not recommend going with FortiGate.
If only cost is a concern, then it would not be recommended. It is a little bit expensive - the entry-level model is the FZ FortiGate. At the same time, Sophos XZ 86 is an entry-level model, which is more suitable for very small networks.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner

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Updated: October 2025
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