I'm primarily using the solution for security purposes, and also for managing the network for various companies. I am deploying it for uniting management statuses, in order to be able to manage everything inside and to control security policies. It can fight against attacks to the system or for email searches. It is basically a central management security appliance.
Project Manager at Expertsys Technologies Inc.
Good pricing, good technical support, and fairly user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "The pricing is excellent. It's much less expensive than Cisco."
- "The initial setup is complex."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
We find it's good for managing the network and offers good defense against attacks.
Technical support is great. It's really fast.
Overall the solution is pretty user-friendly. It has a good dashboard and is pretty easy to navigate.
The pricing is excellent. It's much less expensive than Cisco.
What needs improvement?
The only thing is sometimes you have to learn with CLI. For those not familiar with CLI it can be an issue. It would be ideal if we could avoid using CLI. If you make a mistake in the command line, it's harder to detect. It would be much better if they had a user-friendly GUI.
The initial setup is complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. You don't have to worry about bugs or glitches. I tend to wait and not upgrade to the latest version right away to ensure this is the case.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. If you need to expand it, you can. We have it at a variety of networks and sites with no problem.
We have 120 users that are connected to a minimum of 80 computers and a minimum of 15 servers, which is great. The solution is working and it is still stable even across all of these devices and servers. We have multiple networks inside as well, so we are not only on one network. We set them separately, which is why the initial setup for us was quite complex. We're through with that though.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is pretty good. they're pretty knowledgeable and responsive, especially when you get to the Level 3 techs.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used CheckPoint. Unfortunately, they didn't have a very good service, especially in technical support, and therefore we decided to switch.
How was the initial setup?
For our organization, the initial setup was not straightforward. It was pretty complex. That's due to the fact that we had many networks to set up and many sites to take into account.
What about the implementation team?
We set up the solution ourselves, although we did work closely with Fortinet as part of their bundle package.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is paid on a yearly basis.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Palo Alto. They didn't have the complete solution we wanted. Neither did Juniper, which we also looked at. We looked into possible having Cisco, however, Cisco is too expensive.
When we looked at Cisco, we also evaluated Meraki, which is a part of Cisco. It did not have what we needed either.
What other advice do I have?
We are using the 200E in our environment. We had 200D before.
We're not using the latest version of the solution, which is 6.4. I like to wait on new versions to see if it is stable before deploying it. I like to take my time and avoid headaches where possible.
I would recommend the product to other organizations. It's got great bundle options which make it a very good choice - and it's much cheaper than Cisco.
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.

Technology Consultant at Netwiser
The secure web gateway module and the application control module are valuable
Pros and Cons
- "The secure web gateway module and the application control module are valuable. HA operations are very easy."
- "Web security solutions can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for the network security operations of our customers. We've many different use cases, such as client security, server security, or DMZ sites.
What is most valuable?
The secure web gateway module and the application control module are valuable. HA operations are very easy.
It's a very easy and simple solution for implementation and integration. I don't have any problems with this solution.
What needs improvement?
Web security solutions can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good. It's generally used in only one place as a standalone, but sometimes, it's used at multiple locations.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good. I'd rate it an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used Palo Alto, which is a good solution for a firewall, and their application signatures are very good.
How was the initial setup?
I was sometimes involved in its deployment. Its deployment was simple for me. It was very simple and easy. It took five to six hours.
It does require maintenance. There are probably one to two people required for its maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is normal. If I compare it with other vendors, such as Palo Alto, it's normal. Palo Alto is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend it to other people. It's good, and in our country, this product is very popular in our sector. It's easy and cheapest.
Overall, I'd 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. Reseller
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Fortinet FortiGate
August 2025

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Quality Trainer at MOH
Stable, good local support, but security features lacking
Pros and Cons
- "The Fortinet FortiGate local partners were good. I did not have direct contact with Fortinet support."
- "Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the protection, it did not prevent us from being attacked. Additionally, Fortinet FortiGate could provide more features for WAF devices. I should not have to purchase two solutions, it would be a benefit to combine these features into one solution."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a central firewall for our ministry, but nowadays we are preparing to join every site we have to our main data center. Fortinet FortiGate firewall will not satisfy our needs.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the protection, it did not prevent us from being attacked. Additionally, Fortinet FortiGate could provide more features for WAF devices. I should not have to purchase two solutions, it would be a benefit to combine these features into one solution.
The main challenge to IT is hacking, and damaging the network software. Anything that can make a threat to our servers, accounts, VC, from an email or internet connection. We need all companies to make investments to improve the facilities of these devices in order to provide a one-package solution to protect our servers, and systems from any hacking, ransomware, virus, any command, or any other threats. They need to improve all the security features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. The main risk was the devices and systems that the end-users are using, whether inside or outside the network. The VC was not secure enough. This causes some threats to our headquarters servers.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate has limited scalability capabilities. You can't expand these devices. For example, if I was to go from 150 users to approximately 5,000, the CBU capability of the device would not suffice.
How are customer service and support?
The Fortinet FortiGate local partners were good. I did not have direct contact with Fortinet support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was very complex because our connection to other sites that were using different network topology and ISP providers. We have faced a very complex situation. The company takes approximately three to four months in order to make our system stable. Nowadays, we are going to make our provider and network with one subnet to make it easier to maintain, manage, and monitor any attack and threats from any device anywhere. This will allow us to access devices, ports, and switches to be able to take the right action.
Our network was very complicated and we are using different operating systems, databases, applications, and video.
What about the implementation team?
We used Fortinet's local partners that helped maintain our financial and management systems.
We have one to two people that do the maintenance of Fortinet FortiGate.
What was our ROI?
I have not seen a return on investment using Fortinet FortiGate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have the full version of Fortinet FortiGate and we are on a three-year contract with a commitment of five years.
What other advice do I have?
We will be replacing two of our Fortinet FortiGate devices and will move to a solution with better specifications.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven 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.
IT Manager at SICOM LTD
Good pricing, scalable, and helpful for controlling the traffic
Pros and Cons
- "We were looking for the VPN feature and controlling the inflow and outflow of all the traffic within the site and across the sites. We are also using it for the VPN and VLANs."
- "It can be a little bit more user-friendly in terms of policy definition and implementation. It seems a little bit complicated, and it could be simplified."
What is our primary use case?
It controls the inflow and outflow of all the communication between different sites and so on.
We are using its latest version.
What is most valuable?
We were looking for the VPN feature and controlling the inflow and outflow of all the traffic within the site and across the sites. We are also using it for the VPN and VLANs.
What needs improvement?
It can be a little bit more user-friendly in terms of policy definition and implementation. It seems a little bit complicated, and it could be simplified.
When there is a change in the IP address from the ISP, there is some disruption in the service. So, we try to do it when we have the least number of people working, which means very late at night. So, for the time being, it is working fine.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for nearly a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Apart from the disruption in the service because of the IP address change, it has been quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are implementing it phase by phase. Initially, we had one VLAN, and then we added more. So, it is quite scalable, and we haven't had issues with it so far. It has been recommended by the vendor that the model that we have would meet our requirements for the time being. In two or three years, depending on how we expand and how many more resources are required, we might have to look at another version of the device.
How was the initial setup?
It was the vendor who did the initial setup. It was done within the time range that was allocated for the setup. My guess is that it was straightforward.
We are still in the process of implementing the solution. The commissioning has not yet been done. What we had previously is now changed to a new solution and a new way of doing things, and this is still in the implementation phase. Our implementation is being done phase-wise. We do things and tune it until we are happy with it, and then we go to the next phase. So far, it's working fine.
What about the implementation team?
We have a relationship with the vendor. We discussed what we wanted to do and finally, we selected the product, and after that, it was installed and configured on our premises.
We have a small team of three or four people for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its pricing is fine. It is on a yearly basis. Other than the licensing fee, there is no extra fee.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it 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
Engineer at Cyber Sea
Is affordable and easy to deploy, and has good license management features
Pros and Cons
- "The license management is very valuable. You can get a new license each year, or you can enroll every two to four years. You can get the logs, and you will get the information on the risk in your network and the entire organization. With this information, you can take action on your actives, computers, or devices. You can bring your own device as an SSE."
- "The firmware needs improvement because there are bugs when a new release comes through. Sometimes, the configuration changes, and it's a bit harder to see where the fail is. The first time that you have the firmware, it tends to have some issues, and it's better to wait a bit to update the equipment."
What is our primary use case?
The use case for this product has to do with security and visibility. When you are inside the business and when there are different departments and branches, it is used for the visibility of some packets. It can also be used for SSL inspections, to check if the SSL is right and that it is not phishing.
What is most valuable?
The license management is very valuable. You can get a new license each year, or you can enroll every two to four years. You can get the logs, and you will get the information on the risk in your network and the entire organization. With this information, you can take action on your actives, computers, or devices. You can bring your own device as an SSE.
The simplicity of the deployment and the digitization of risk are other valuable features that Fortinet provides.
The cost is low.
What needs improvement?
The firmware needs improvement because there are bugs when a new release comes through. Sometimes, the configuration changes, and it's a bit harder to see where the fail is. The first time that you have the firmware, it tends to have some issues, and it's better to wait a bit to update the equipment.
All the development of the firmware should be fixed before the update at the page level.
API tokens need to be improved, particularly with regard to integration with other cloud solutions. In other words, proxy flow and API integration need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't had any problem with the stability of the product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. You can merge other Fortinet products well with this solution.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
The deployment and maintenance can be done by one person.
What about the implementation team?
I did it myself. To create all the policies and configurations needed by the customers, it usually takes me two days or a week at the most if the project is harder.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is really low. It's cheap in comparison to the cost of Cisco or CheckPoint, for example.
What other advice do I have?
If you want to get this product, first you must evaluate the number of people who will use it, and then choose the product that will best fit your needs.
I would rate this solution at eight on a scale from one to ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Systems Engineer at Vernity
Flexible, integrates well, and offers good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "It's an easy solution to set up."
- "The stability could be a bit better."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is mostly used for the connection with VPN clients. We use the solution for network security and network segmentation.
What is most valuable?
It's a flexible solution. The security that it's providing is a valuable aspect of the product.
FortiGate integrates well with other equipment such as FortiSwitch, FortiIB, and more, and delivers one pane of glass for the management of those devices.
It's an easy solution to set up.
Technical support has been good.
What needs improvement?
The configuration option availability is not 100% from the website of the FortiGate web management site. When we log on to the web interface on FortiGate, we do not have everything under this web solution. If we need some specific configuration or need to do some specific configuration, we need to do additional things on the CLI.
The stability could be a bit better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for at least the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, there are some areas in which they need to improve. There are different versions and we understand from past implementations which will work best according to our client's needs. The wrong one may not be as stable as they would like.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Some clients may increase usage in the future. FortiGate is fast becoming a very popular solution and its use will likely grow in general.
How are customer service and support?
In general, technical support is helpful. We are quite happy with the level of support on offer.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is pretty simple and straightforward. It's not overly complex or difficult.
The length of time it takes to deploy really depends on the size of the project.
While we do assist the client with the implementation, they tend to handle the maintenance on their end.
What about the implementation team?
Typically we, as integrators, will assist the client with the initial setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The overall costs are pretty typical. It's not overly cheap or overly expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I work as an integrator and maybe 60% of my work is around FortiGate. My company is a Fortinet partner and integrator.
If companies are thinking about the security of their network, they should consider FortiGate as a gate to the internet. I would highly recommend it to others.
For small or mid-size businesses, I'd rate the solution 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
Senior Supervisor at MEPEQ
Robust, easy to use, and has excellent technical support that is quite responsive
Pros and Cons
- "The performance is good."
- "I would like to see better pricing in the next release, as well as a simplification of the installation."
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall that protects all network data. We use it as our primary firewall in the office.
What is most valuable?
The performance is good.
It is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see better pricing in the next release, as well as a simplification of the installation.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable product.
In our company, it is the main gateway for the internet, and we have less than 100 users.
Deployment is faster per user. Each one has a laptop or a PC, as well as a mobile phone, so we have less than 100 devices per user, but with mobile phones and Internet access, that number can rise to more than 100.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted technical support many times, they are very important and they are very good. They follow up on all of the cases that we have opened.
The response time is great.
They also always have an updated version of the firmware.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I now have UniFi Switches for our WiFi access point. We began using UniFi to replace Cisco Linksys Ethernet switches.
I am also working with QNAPS for network connections.
For virtual meetings, we use Google Meet. Some of our customers use Webex but we mainly work with Google Meet.
In our company, we have Kaspersky, as well as Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
It's not straightforward. You must have at least the knowledge and the settings. It's not that simple.
The length of time it takes to install is determined by the configuration you have inside. It could take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours.
In our company, I am responsible for the solution's maintenance and deployment.
What about the implementation team?
We had the assistance of a consultant at first.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis.
It would be better if it could be made a little less expensive.
It will be more expensive for the first year, then it will gradually decrease by a certain amount per year or something along those lines.
We have the full license that included all of the features and support.
Aside from the licensing fees, there are no other costs.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a nine 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.
Senior Technical Support Engineer at a agriculture with 1,001-5,000 employees
I can manage all of my on-prem devices from the cloud
Pros and Cons
- "I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud."
- "I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate."
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate covers multiple schemes. I am using the firewall for basic protection. The work console and access console are powerful tools.
What is most valuable?
I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud.
What needs improvement?
I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using FortiGate for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is a highly stable system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate covers everything we need. Our company has looked into changing our firewall, but I recommended this solution because it meets all our requirements. Currently, we have between 150 to 200 users covered by the platform.
How are customer service and support?
Fortinet technical support is nice.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up FortiGate isn't complicated. I handled the installation myself, but we have two technicians responsible for maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a yearly subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I rate FortiGate eight out of 10. I'm from Egypt, and FortiGate has a vast share of the security market in this country. Fortinet isn't the leader in routing or switching, but they have a nice share in security.
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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