We use Fortinet FortiGate IPS to filter intrusions from the internet as the Edge firewall and to protect our server farm.
CEO at a computer software company with 1-10 employees
Helps us filter intrusions from the internet with good signature-based anomaly detection and zero-day protection features
Pros and Cons
- "We like signature-based anomaly detection and zero-day protection features."
- "Fortinet can add some Machine Learning and AI to improve its accuracy and give it an edge on IPS detection and protection."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
We like signature-based anomaly detection and zero-day protection features. For zero-day protection, we use Cloud Sandboxing, so whenever the zero-day threat occurs, it automatically sends it to its Cloud Sandbox. After getting information from Cloud Sandbox, then the intrusion is defined.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet can add some Machine Learning and AI to improve its accuracy and give it an edge on IPS detection and protection. They have some machine language learning but can still improve using AI.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for almost eight years.
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Fortinet FortiGate
December 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, as it can be verified from Gartner's report and previously on NSS lab test reports. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable, and I rate the scalability a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
For level 1 and 2 support, our technical team can handle these cases in-house. But for higher-priority cases, we use Fortinet technical support. They have a technical assistance center in India and escalate to France for complex or higher-priority problems. I rate the technical support in India a six out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
There is a lot of documentation from the vendor side for the setup, which is good, and we have some hands-on experience with the product. So with help from their technical assistance center and their system engineer, the setup is good.
The setup can be done in-house, but we have partners and colleagues with eight years of experience using the product, so we are comfortable with it.
The setup depends on customer requirements and the scope of the work. We rate the setup as difficult because it depends on the variety of servers. The more platforms there are the more signatures or IPS rules that need to be customized. So based on the requirements, we see the full list of servers and full features they want to protect, calculate the expertise level required and what needs to be deployed on the system to set it up. A mid-level consultant can deploy it, which can be completed within two to three days if the customer is clear on their requirements.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has a competitive price. I rate the price an eight out of ten compared to other IPS solutions. Fortinet is a bit higher in terms of price.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner / Integrator / Reseller
System Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to manage with good UI and an easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to set up."
- "Whitelisting could be better."
What is our primary use case?
At the moment, we are moving things around.
We were using the solution as a firewall, and for VPN access as well. We could do user creation on it and just allow users access.
What is most valuable?
It's very easy to manage things like the IPs or the URLs we need to whitelist.
In terms of the user, we need to create one or just provide access. We have separate groups, which is useful.
The UI is also very familiar. It makes the solution easy to access and we find it easy to do the things we need to do thanks to the user interface.
It is easy to set up.
What needs improvement?
Whitelisting could be better. We'd like to be able to automate more so we can whitelist in bulk. It would be ideal to have the ability in this tool or to have a tool that could plug in and allow us to do whitelisting in batches.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for more than a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is mature. It's been in the market for a long time. There are no bugs or glitches. The performance is good. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's quite reliable.
How are customer service and support?
I've only used technical support once or twice to deal with a few issues. They were helpful and responsive. Support typically answers very quickly, with results in minutes.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We're in the process of moving to Palo Alto.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very straightforward to set up. The deployment took a maximum of one week. After that, we had everything up and running.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm not aware of the exact cost involved in relation to licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a customer and end-user.
I've used the solution across two or three companies.
Before choosing this solution, I'd advise users to ensure its capabilities match with the company's needs.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. The UI is good, the solution is easy to implement, and it fits in with various environments. It's a good product.
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?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sr. Network Engineer at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Useful for intrusion prevention mechanisms and helps us avoid unwanted traffic
Pros and Cons
- "We use it to avoid unwanted traffic."
- "The customization is a little bit difficult."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for intrusion prevention mechanisms. If there is any unwanted traffic, we block it. We use it to avoid unwanted traffic. Most places in Oman use FortiGate firewalls, even the government sector, private sector, and ISP providers.
What needs improvement?
The customization is a little bit difficult because we have to customize everything. Typically, we will enable everything.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for more than five years. We are using the latest version, and it is deployed on-premises only.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
FortiGate tech support is very good because we get immediate support from them. For example, whenever we raise a ticket, we get an immediate response, and someone attends to help.
How was the initial setup?
It has an easy setup. Fortinet FortiGate IPS, by default, gives a default IPS. We can customize it so we can give the user what they need. It's a quick deployment process, we can configure the management, and it is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has an annual license. I don't know the specific price, but it's expensive and not a very cheap product.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution an eight out of ten. Regarding advice, the only problem is that they release many versions, similar to what Cisco does. Every two, or three months, they release new iOS versions. Sometimes, we have to upgrade, or it is not secure. Recently, we upgraded to a new version, and all the clients called us to upgrade to the new version too.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Security Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
An effective checkpoint for intercepting and blocking unwanted traffic
Pros and Cons
- "The solution effectively blocks unwanted traffic."
- "It would be helpful to have a better tool for migrating all policy rules using an automatic script."
What is our primary use case?
Our company uses the solution to prevent traffic that is not supposed to be traveling through our firewalls. When we find log issues, we easily fine tune the IPS to block that traffic so it cannot penetrate our environment.
We have 300 users in a hospital-to-hospital environment where traffic is transmitted through the firewall and intercepted by the IPS for monitoring.
What is most valuable?
The solution effectively blocks unwanted traffic.
What needs improvement?
It would be helpful to have a better tool for migrating all policy rules using an automatic script. The current tool does not place entire configurations in their desired locations. It takes time to manually configure for compatibility across different platforms or vendors.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We migrated from Cisco to the solution.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is simple and straightforward. Knowledge-based documents are available and useful for setups.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution in-house. We migrated from Cisco to the solution so it was more of a deployment situation.
We had some deployment challenges but managed to overcome them. It took an entire day to get the environment running because we could not use the scripting tool for naturals so had to do them manually.
There is no ongoing maintenance because the solution is not a device, but rather a software blade provided as a checkpoint within FortiGate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is based on a licensing model for each IPS in your environment. The solution is included as part of the IPS license and automatically updates to the latest version when firewalls are updated. We are currently on a three-year licensing model.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is a good tool to have in place. Most vendors provide a software blade with their firewalls but it is disabled because it uses too much CP or memory. It is important to enable the tool every time to prevent environments from being intruded by attackers or threats.
I rate the solution an eight 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.
Business Application Head at a venture capital & private equity firm with 51-200 employees
Useful dashboard, centralized viability, and speedy support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate IPS are the dashboard and reporting which give us very good visibility."
- "Fortinet FortiGate IPS could improve the VPN. There are times it is slow."
What is our primary use case?
We own some real estate and we're renting apartments for another company, and we provide them with services. For example, we provide internet and security. We are managing the tenant through the firewall and they have been performing very well from our side.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution is a security gateway for our environment. URL filtering and other features have helped the way our organization functions.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate IPS are the dashboard and reporting which give us very good visibility.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate IPS could improve the VPN. There are times it is slow.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate IPS for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate IPS are highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate IPS is good.
This solution is a firewall and anybody connected to the internet here, passes through the gateway. We have approximately 50 to 60 people in the building using the solution. We plan to increase the usage of the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Fortinet FortiGate IPS is very responsive, and quick.
I rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate IPS a five out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Check Point and Sophos.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate IPS is straightforward. The whole process took approximately one day.
What about the implementation team?
We use an implementor for the implementation of Fortinet FortiGate IPS.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is only a standard license cost to use the solution.
What other advice do I have?
We only need one administrator for the maintenance of the solution.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate IPS an eight 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 Cyber Security Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
User-friendly setup, beneficial APIs, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the APIs. They are the most widely known."
- "The support from Fortinet FortiGate could improve. They are not easily accessible when we need them. They could improve their response time."
What is our primary use case?
Fortinet FortiGate is used as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the APIs. They are the most widely known.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
All sizes of organizations can use this solution. All levels of a company are using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Fortinet FortiGate could improve. They are not easily accessible when we need them. They could improve their response time.
I rate the support from Fortinet FortiGate a three out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is very simple and user-friendly. The configuration for the solution is easy. The time it takes for the deployment depends on the environment of the company. It can take a week, but typically it takes three to four days.
What about the implementation team?
We have more than six certified engineers in our company that can do the deployment of the solution.
What was our ROI?
The customers have seen an ROI from using Fortinet FortiGate. They are satisfied with the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiGate is affordable. Most of our customers are on a three-year license to use the solution. All the features and support are included in the price.
I rate the price of Fortinet FortiGate a five out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate 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
Reliable, great pricing, and capable of expanding
Pros and Cons
- "The pricing on offer is excellent."
- "It could always be more secure."
What is our primary use case?
This is a Secure Web Gateway that protects you against various web attacks. It's used mainly for security purposes.
What is most valuable?
The solution is stable. It's reliable.
It can scale.
The pricing on offer is excellent.
What needs improvement?
It takes a long time to install the solution.
It could always be more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three or four years. I've used it for a while at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. Its performance has been good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is okay. It can expand well.
We have 200 people using the solution. We do have plans to continue to increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
I've never reached out to techncial support. I can't speak to their abilities.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also have experience with Cisco and Palo Alto. About five years ago, we were using Cisco. We changed due to the better pricing.
How was the initial setup?
I don't directly deal with the deployment. Someone else handles that process.
My understanding is the implementation takes a long time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is pretty reasonable. It's not like Cisco or Palo Alto, which are more expensive.
I'd rate the cost, in terms of affordability, a five out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I'm using the latest version of the solution.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. I'd likely recommend the solution to others.
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 Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Expandable and reliable with good local support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution can scale."
- "The interface could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for security reasons. It's our wall between the inside to outside. That's why we are using it. We use it for VPNs also. People who work outside of the office use the VPN through the firewall, for example.
What is most valuable?
The solution is quite stable.
The solution can scale.
We have good local support.
What needs improvement?
The interface could be better.
We would like the initial setup to be a bit easier.
It isn’t missing any features. We’re pretty happy with it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I’ve been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It’s very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While the solution is scalable, we don’t need to scale it for our operations.
We have about 80 people on the solution right now.
How are customer service and support?
We have a local company that assists us with support when we need it. They are pretty good.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is pretty easy to set up. However, you do need some previous knowledge. It helps if you understand the environment. It’s not hard per se, however, it can be a bit tricky. We’d like it if it was a bit easier.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I can’t speak of how much the cost of the license it. I don’t have any details in relation to the pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I am a customer and end-user.
I’m not sure which version of the solution we’re using.
It is a good solution. I’d recommend it to others.
Overall, it’s a good solution, and I would recommend it to others.
I would rate the solution 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.
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: December 2025
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