Network Manager at a transportation company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Installation is super easy, stable operations, and has prompt and responsive customer service
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is easy to use and is stable. The SV1 functionality is a benefit."
  • "Some of the software stability could improve."

What is our primary use case?

We use it as a firewall for securing our HQ and branch.

What is most valuable?

The product is easy to use and is stable. The SV1 functionality is a benefit. 

What needs improvement?

A feature for bandwidth monitoring and the ability to have more bandwidth testing would be useful to include in future releases.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for just about a year.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 40,000 employees and the product is very scalable. The different hardware units are quite good and are an appropriate size for enterprise-sized businesses.

How are customer service and support?

They're very prompt and responsive, and very helpful. In our experience, they responded on the same day and the next day for fixes.

How was the initial setup?

The installation was super easy, we were up and running in less than 50 minutes.

What about the implementation team?

We did it the implementation ourselves. We used an in house team of four to do the deployment. 

What was our ROI?

Some of the software stability could improve.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend FortiGate to others.

I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Directorate at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
Real User
A user friendly solution that helps protect us against spam
Pros and Cons
  • "It is user friendly, and has all the features you need."
  • "I feel that the reporting needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for this solution is to protect ourselves against email spam.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution helps to protect us against spam and offers features like intrusion prevention.

What is most valuable?

The most important feature is that it's easy to use. It is user-friendly and has all the features you need. You can have IDS (Intrusion detection systems) and IPS (Intrusion prevention systems) in just one device. You don't need multiples. 

What needs improvement?

The reporting needs to be improved. Also, the VPN (Virtual private network) monitoring needs improvement.

Beyond these improvements, I cannot think of any additional features that I would like.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. We rarely have problems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Regarding scalability, we have bought a very large box, so it meets all of our requirements.

We have a big company, with fifteen hundred end points.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is excellent.

How was the initial setup?

I was not there when the initial setup was done.

Currently, we have five staff in charge of maintenance.

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

Each feature costs money, so it is important to study your needs.

What other advice do I have?

Before implementing this solution, you have to study your network first, and then consider your needs. Decide what features you need and what features you don't need.

It is important to know what is required from the device because they come in very different models. There are different features and each feature costs money, so you need to be prepared so that you can optimize your cost. You don't want to end up buying something that you won't use in the future.

I would rate this solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
770,428 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PeerSpot user
Network Security Coordinator at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
The VPN capabilities provide a reliable connection to our corporate network over low cost internet services.
Pros and Cons
  • "LinkGreat firewall capabilities"
  • "Stability and technical support are the two major issues I have found with Fortinet."

How has it helped my organization?

These devices allowed my organization to connect a network of gas stations and convenience stores nationwide. The VPN capabilities provide a reliable connection to our corporate network over very low cost internet services (basically, any Internet service locally available can be used for this connections).

We also leverage the NGFW, UTM and WLAN controller features to provide security for corporate network traffic, and secure, content-filtered guest internet access for customers in the convenience stores. All this at a relative low cost.

What is most valuable?

  • LinkGreat firewall capabilities
  • Great IPS and web filter for small remote locations, with VPNs for tunneling to the corporate network, makes this device a solid choice for many sites.

What needs improvement?

Stability and technical support are the two major issues I have found with Fortinet.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We’ve had cases of unexplained bugs that go away with a simple device reboot. Software updates usually help with these issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have personally found that Fortinet advertising can be misleading. The devices will usually fail way before reaching the capacity advertised in the data sheets, especially when you activate several of the features the device can handle. This is not a dealbreaker for me, especially because of the cost. But I would advise care when dimensioning the devices you’ll need.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Customer service in Fortinet is OK. Lately they've been making efforts in this area. They actually call you when licenses are about to expire which is a nice touch on their part.

Technical Support:

I would say technical support is 6/10. I’ve found tech support to vary, sometimes being decent, sometimes painfully inefficient. Much room for improvement here IMHO.

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

We still use Cisco for some cases. However, where we need the advanced security and UTM features, Cisco’s prices can be very restrictive. Fortinet is a much more cost-effective choice for those cases.

How was the initial setup?

Initial setup was very straightforward. Interface is very friendly and easy to comprehend.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before choosing this product, we also evaluated Cisco.

What other advice do I have?

Be careful with dimensioning. Don’t expect the device to handle ALL the features. Usually firewall, Web Filter and the WLAN controller work well. But if you need IPS, app control and AV, I would advise over-dimensioning the device a bit (taking Fortinet data sheets as the reference).

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Systems Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
Fortinet has a strong reputation at the high end, but for midsize shops there are more affordable options

I pulled our organization off Fortinet a year ago for three reasons - the high cost, the constant bugs in code that either blocked access that should be allowed or general failures during system updates, and the killer - a poor design on their clustering which caused configuration corruption to pass from the primary to the secondary.

Oh, let's not forget the static ram exhaustion that began the cluster failure to begin with. I can understand the limitation of static ram, but the decision to solder that in place (making replacement impossible) meant that particular unit has roughly a 4 year lifespan.

I am well aware that Fortinet has a strong reputation at the high end, but for midsize shops there are more affordable options that seem to need less hand-holding.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user4401 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user4401Developer at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor

I agree with the drawbacks you presented in the review. I would like to ask you, can you give me some examples of other options that are more affordable for midsize shops? Thank you.

TEDDY LLANO - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Lead at Yssy
Reseller
Top 10
Has good inspection and web security features and is useful for SD-WAN purposes
Pros and Cons
  • "The inspection and web security features are most valuable."
  • "There can be more security in hybrid implementations. When a customer has a hybrid environment where some parts are in the cloud, we need a consistent security solution for such scenarios."

What is our primary use case?

My company is a system integrator in Brazil, and we are also a partner. We mainly use it for SD-WAN purposes. It is being used in the public sector and the commercial sector.

In terms of deployment, some customers deploy it on-premises, and some customers deploy it on the cloud.

What is most valuable?

The inspection and web security features are most valuable.

What needs improvement?

In Brazil, the main problem that we have is related to the protection from various attacks and ransomware in the public sector and the commercial sector. The main focus in Brazil is to deploy a solution to counter-attack ransomware and other attacks.

There can be more security in hybrid implementations. When a customer has a hybrid environment where some parts are in the cloud, we need a consistent security solution for such scenarios. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a 10 out of 10.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Specialist of IT Solutions at InterNexa
Real User
Highly scalable, good support, and simple configuration
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the simple configuration."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate can improve the integration with Active Directory. Additionally, I would like to have a Cloud Controller, such as they do in the Cisco Meraki solution."

What is our primary use case?

I use Fortinet FortiGate for my customers to have a secure network.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the simple configuration.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate can improve the integration with Active Directory. Additionally, I would like to have a Cloud Controller, such as they do in the Cisco Meraki solution.

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?

I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support from Fortinet FortiGate is good.

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

I have used Cisco solutions previously.

How was the initial setup?

Fortinet FortiGate is simple to implement. We have five engineers and five analysts that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution.

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

The price of Fortinet FortiGate could improve, it is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

Overall Fortinet FortiGate is a good solution.

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
Head Of Technology at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Secure, good integration, and responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiGate has a very strong unified threat management system."
  • "If they could extend their fabric towards other vendor environments for integration, that would be great."

What is our primary use case?

We are a system integrator and Fortinet FortiGate is one of the products that we have implemented for our clients.

It is primarily used for VPN and remote access. More recently, we have been using it for SD-WAN.

How has it helped my organization?

This is a versatile solution and with it, we can offer our customers multiple functionalities. The Fortinet fabric goes across the entire enterprise.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the security and the integration with the entire Fortinet product line, from access points to switching.

FortiGate has a very strong unified threat management system.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see integration into other systems. That would be really great for me. The fabric works well only if you're using other Fortinet devices, but they're not exactly the best in terms of switching or access points. If they could extend their fabric towards other vendor environments for integration, that would be great.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for the past few years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is very scalable.

We have implemented it for 13 or 14 customers.

How are customer service and support?

I am familiar with technical support and they're very responsible. I haven't had any issues with them so far.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. The length of time required for deployment depends on the customer's environment and use cases.

What about the implementation team?

We handle the deployment and maintenance of this product for our customers. We use the Fortinet tools, such as FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer to maintain it.

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

Licensing is usually on a three-year period.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, this is a very good solution and in fact, a good starting point for a broader cyber security approach for the business.

I would rate this solution 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: Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Operations Director at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Reseller
Stable with an easy initial setup and good documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution can scale well."
  • "The support costs and licensing are sometimes so expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for edge protection as well as the VPN and SD-WAN.

What is most valuable?

The solution has many valuable features. We tend to use all of them.

The initials setup is pretty easy.

The solution offers very good documentation.

The solution can scale well.

We've been happy with the technical support we receive.

The product is reliable and stable.

What needs improvement?

The support costs and licensing are sometimes so expensive. They should work on their pricing model.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution since 2018. It's been a few years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. We don't deal with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very good. If you need to scale it as an organization, you can do so.

We have 100 users. They are largely network engineers, however, we have technicians and active users.

We do plan to increase usage in the near future. We have more projects coming up.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've used technical support in the past and we've had pretty good experiences. We're satisfied with the level of support we've received.

Their documentation is always good too. We've accessed cloud documentation via the portal and have found it to be helpful. The articles are very complete.

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

We previously used Juniper. We switched due to the host and the usability of Fortinet.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup isn't complex at all. We found it to be quite easy. It's straightforward.

The deployment took us about three to four weeks or so.

We use two people for deployment and maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

I handled the implementation myself. I didn't need the help of a reseller, integrator, or consultant.

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

The solution is pretty expensive. That said, we see the value of the solution as it provides great value to our organization.

We pay to license the product on a yearly basis.

I'm not sure of the exact amount we pay, however, as it is not an aspect of the solution I handle directly.

What other advice do I have?

We are customers and resellers of Fortinet products.

We work with both on-premises and cloud deployment models.

I definitely recommend this solution to other organizations. We've had a positive experience.

In general, I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten. If the pricing were better, I would rate it higher.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

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

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.