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.
Network Administrator at Chase Up
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?
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.
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.
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.

Director, Information Systems at Ohio Art Co
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.
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.
Head of Infrastructure Sector at Mezzo
Very stable with good network protection
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very stable."
- "The solution is not scalable."
What is our primary use case?
Our company uses the solution for network protection and we have 600 users.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable.
What needs improvement?
The solution is not scalable.
The solution is expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is low so is rated a one out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
We receive support from a local vendor so have not needed the solution's technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Juniper.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is a little bit difficult so is rated a five out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution with a local vendor.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is very expensive so pricing is rated a one out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
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.
Team Leader Network & Security at Rogers Capital
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
Strategic Development Manager at Arrow Electronics
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
Security Engineer at Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
Secure, performs well and easy to manage
Pros and Cons
- "The management console is pretty simple, so anyone who understands networking can initially deploy the solution."
- "Currently, FortiGate is providing SSL VPN. But they're missing some features that are available in Palo Alto's SSL VPN."
What is our primary use case?
Most organizations use the Fortinet firewall as perimeter security at the gateway level.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate has threat protection, antivirus, and even SSL encryption and decryption. So FortiGate is primarily used for security purposes. And a few customers also use this firewall for web filtering and application control. So these are the two features for which people use FortiGate.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate is primarily a gateway, but customers also use web filter threat protection and application control. And some people use it as a special VPN for remote access. I recently deployed one virtual firewall where they're only using the FortiGate firewall for VPN. I can't say one feature is the most valuable because it's a bundle solution. So no one uses FortiGate for just one single feature.
What needs improvement?
Currently, FortiGate is providing SSL VPN. But they're missing some features that are available in Palo Alto's SSL VPN. Palo Alto provides a compliance check along with the VPN, and they have a very broad checklist. So Palo Alto's global protection can scan and check multiple things, and we can choose what access users can have based on compliance with policies. So I think this is one area where FortiGate can improve. Also, multi-factor authentication isn't native to FortiGate. If you want to incorporate multi-factor authentication, you have to add a secondary or third-party solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using FortiGate for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Before version 6.0, FortiGate's firewall performed well enough, but lately, they've introduced so many features. After that, its stability has been somewhat lacking. This is because they're constantly updating their firmware. So it was pretty stable, but nowadays, it's not that stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't worked on the scalability side because most of the time, the pre-sales tools are relatively bigger devices. So right now, I haven't faced any issues with scalability. They have some larger devices for the data center. So if we talk about their hardware, I think they're capable of handling around 10,000 to 15,000 people on a single device. But if you go with the virtual environment, I don't think there is a problem. Fortinet has a single OS that we can deploy on whatever hardware capacity we want to configure over there or through virtualization.
How are customer service and support?
Fortinet support is good. They resolve tickets relatively fast. So we've had no issues with that. And I don't know about other regions, but in my region, the salespeople working with Fortinet are strong. They're aggressively working on the sales part. So in the Pune region and the rest of Maharashtra, they're winning more contracts, and people are using FortiGate Firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The management console is pretty simple, so anyone who understands networking can initially deploy the solution. But you need some good hands-on experience for advanced configuration. The amount of time required to deploy depends upon the project and also the organization. So it takes around four to five days to deploy a smaller device. And for the largest device, it takes around a maximum of two months. We do the deployment on our own. So we have a sales team, a pre-sales team, and a deployment team. Our sales team gets this and handles the sales end. After that, we come into the picture. So we do the whole migration, as well as the new implementation and everything. It should take no more than two people to deploy. If we want to migrate from one Fortinet device to another, then we use the command line. They have some script in their firmware, and we can migrate the script directly from the older firewall to the new one. So it isn't too complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm somewhat aware of the pricing, but most of the time, the pre-sales staff only defines their requirements. And we get the licenses at the time of implementation, then register and activate them. But I think Fortinet has multiple packages. They sell licenses for a period of one, three, or five years. They also have special add-on licenses for various things. So, for example, if you want to get a security rating for the firmware configuration and everything, you need to purchase an additional security license. And if you want to do some IoT-related security, you also need to purchase separate licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I rate FortiGate eight out of 10 based on the performance, stability, performance, management, rights, and features. So most people lack SSL encryption and the certificate part. Those servers are running behind the FortiGate firewall. And most of the people I've seen are not using SSL encryption over there. And even for internet purposes, they're not using deep scanning. So my suggestion to people thinking about using FortiGate is to prepare a plan before implementation and implement those things in inbound inspection and outbound inspection. This is recommended. And also, if you have multiple band links, then you must use SD-WAN. They have SD-WAN options in the FortiGate firewall. It's a pretty good feature. So you can use that to improve your stability and performance.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of Research at a construction company with 501-1,000 employees
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.
Last updated: Aug 14, 2025
Flag as inappropriateCEO at Merit Technology Solutions (Pty) Ltd
Positively influenced our security operations
Pros and Cons
- "The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance on endpoint devices."
- "There is room for improvement in being proactive about identifying and integrating new signatures."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet's intrusion prevention feature to ensure network security. This involves actively monitoring network activity for any suspicious behavior using predefined signatures and other detection methods. The goal is to proactively identify and block known threats to prevent any unauthorized or malicious activity on the network. The majority of our clients operate within the financial and retail sectors.
How has it helped my organization?
It seamlessly integrates with the existing network infrastructure, particularly from a firewall standpoint. This integration involves thorough inspection across all interfaces and segmentation layers via the firewall. IPS is utilized for both intercommunication and breakout communications, where it effectively detects and prevents outbreaks through its IP signature-checking capabilities.
It has enhanced the network security posture of our customers.
The performance and accuracy of FortiGate IPS have positively influenced security operations.
What is most valuable?
The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance on endpoint devices.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in being proactive about identifying and integrating new signatures.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with it for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It offers excellent stability. I would rate it ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have a diverse clientele, ranging from international enterprises to several private companies.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate customer service and support eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. I would rate it ten out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
We haven't faced any challenges with IPS regarding its deployment or management, it is straightforward. You simply add it to the policy where you want IPS inspection applied and roll it out centrally. This process is quick and can take between minutes to a maximum of an hour, depending on the number of sites involved.
What was our ROI?
When evaluating ROI based on exposures, it's challenging to quantify. However, there are definite improvements in enhancements and proactive isolation capabilities, particularly in outbreak prevention. These improvements could potentially lead to reductions in downtime, technical service requirements, and other associated costs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
My first recommendation for any deployment is always to enable IPS. Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Consultant

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Updated: October 2025
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