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MURALI NIDAMANURI - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Director at VIPUN COGNITIVE SOLUTIONS PVT LTD.
Reseller
Top 5Leaderboard
Has good two factor authentication and client VPN for advanced threat protection across clouds and data centers
Pros and Cons
  • "The strengths of Fortinet FortiGate include network security, VPN, site-to-site tunnels, client VPN solutions, two-factor authentication for VPN clients, and SD-WAN for branch level. We have implemented these solutions for various customers."
  • "Regarding challenges, customers initially faced issues like internet dropping, but after firmware upgrades, everything worked well."

What is our primary use case?

My customers use Fortinet FortiGate for SD-WAN, network security, branch-to-branch communication, site-to-site channel communication, multi-layer protection, authentication, and antivirus solutions. They span various industries, including IT setups, chip-level designing, VLSI companies, software development, SAP implementation, manufacturing, and production groups.

How has it helped my organization?


What is most valuable?

The strengths of Fortinet FortiGate include network security, VPN, site-to-site tunnels, client VPN solutions, two-factor authentication for VPN clients, and SD-WAN for branch level. We have implemented these solutions for various customers.

What needs improvement?

Regarding challenges, customers initially faced issues like internet dropping, but after firmware upgrades, everything worked well.

I believe Fortinet should offer short and frequent training sessions, preferably in video format, whenever they introduce new features. These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

Long training sessions spanning one or two full days can lead to distractions and reduced focus due to continuous support calls. Therefore, providing brief and focused training snippets would be more beneficial for users.

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Fortinet FortiGate
July 2025
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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for six to seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Our customers are satisfied with the stability of Fortinet FortiGate. I would rate it as a ten out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is quite flexible and scalable, allowing us to scale up from sixty to a hundred units. However, there are limitations for extremely high production levels. I would rate its scalability an eight out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward and easy. I would rate it a ten out of ten for ease of setup. The deployment typically takes around two to three hours.

What was our ROI?

Operational costs for Fortinet FortiGate are pretty low because once it's configured, no changes are needed. In terms of ROI, clients have seen benefits. After switching from other brands to

Fortinet, they experienced fewer support calls. Initially, there were some support calls in the first one to two months, but after that, there were none. Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

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

The cost of Fortinet FortiGate is competitive and not expensive compared to other enterprise- grade solutions. On average, the license cost per year is around seventy percent of the firewall's purchase price.

What other advice do I have?

Regarding AI elements, I believe Fortinet has the capability to implement machine learning snippets for improved security and advanced configurations, but this should be integrated as part of their overall strategy.

I will advise to focus on configuring the admin tools and monitoring users and serial numbers effectively. 

As for rating the solution, I would give it a ten out of ten for being a very good solution.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Ahmed Ouda - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Consultant at Connect-Experts
Real User
Top 20
Can secure some sites and good ROI but challenges with web filter integration
Pros and Cons
  • "It's safe and secures my network and applications in some sites."
  • "I haven't configured or experienced any stability issues."
  • "I face difficulties integrating Fortinet FortiGate with Active Directory."
  • "I often ask for help from the local provider. I haven't found the required efficient help."

What is our primary use case?

I'm using it for web filter and then using it for VPN connection user to site, and I'm using it to make a virtual ID to link a real ID from the server to provider to my servers to publish servers.

What is most valuable?

I work with Fortinet FortiGate SD WAN. I configure the SD WAN to use two Internet service providers from two different service provider links. When one of them is down, the SD WAN goes down. I have to go to the SD WAN and remove this link from the SD WAN member. I confirmed that with the local provider and it's working. Sometimes, when a member of the SD WAN link is down, the SD WAN is down, and this is not the solution. I made the SD WAN for redundancy, however, when a member of the SD WAN link is down or I finish the quote of the Internet, all the SD WAN stops working and users experience problems.

What needs improvement?

With the web filter, when I go to post some websites under certain categories and open these categories, I experience some problems. 

Additionally, I face difficulties integrating Fortinet FortiGate with Active Directory. When I set preferences to use Active Directory users, it sometimes works and sometimes does not work. When I integrate Fortinet FortiGate with Active Directory and use this integration to make a web filter policy, the functionality is inconsistent. I have tried restarting the Active Directory domain controller and the firewall, but the problem persists. As a workaround, I use the MAC address of the user to define the settings.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't configured or experienced any stability issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's safe and secures my network and applications in some sites. However, I have significant problems when implementing web filters, which is a very problematic issue for me.

How are customer service and support?

I often ask for help from the local provider. I haven't found the required efficient help. Currently, I have problems connecting to some banking systems and departmental Texas portals. I have asked for help but haven't found assistance through the site or through the local provider. When trying to open a ticket, they reply with solutions that are not applicable to my situation.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I didn't have a firewall previously. That said, I did have a VPN gateway.

How was the initial setup?

I haven't configured or used the initial setup.

What about the implementation team?

I didn't choose or have knowledge about the implementation team.

What was our ROI?

The return on investment was good.

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

The setup cost was good. The Egyptian pound is declining, and upgrading Fortinet FortiGate yearly costs about $2000 USD, which equals one hundred Egyptian pounds. I maintain a business relationship with the vendor and receive support from them.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I considered switching to Sophos. Due to my previous experience with Fortinet FortiGate, I preferred to stay with Fortinet FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

The solution requires careful attention, and when problems occur, they typically don't repeat once resolved. 

I miss having local provider support here in Egypt. International support is difficult to obtain. Local support is preferable yet has become very expensive due to currency devaluation in Egypt. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

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. Partner
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Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
860,632 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Robert Wambani - PeerSpot reviewer
CTO at JabJabGroup
Reseller
Top 5
Our clients like its comprehensive protection and easy installation and management
Pros and Cons
  • "My clients appreciate it for its features. It is easy to install and manage, and it offers all-around protection, including web filtering, content filtering, IPS, and IDS."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate positively provides my clients' organizations with a high return on investment."
  • "Areas of improvement for Fortinet FortiGate include the need for more training and certification, especially when dealing with distributors globally, which presents challenges in product availability and delivery timelines."
  • "Areas of improvement for Fortinet FortiGate include the need for more training and certification, especially when dealing with distributors globally, which presents challenges in product availability and delivery timelines."

What is our primary use case?

The typical use case for the Fortinet FortiGate firewall for my clients is its ease of use. My clients are using Fortinet FortiGate as SD-WAN.

How has it helped my organization?

The effectiveness of Fortinet's unified SASE in providing consistent security policies is notable because there is one security profile from either the head office or the branch office, allowing your profile to move seamlessly with you wherever you go. You have end-to-end visibility, and you can look at the analytics. To me, that moves towards SASE.

What is most valuable?

My clients appreciate it for its features. It is easy to install and manage, and it offers all-around protection, including web filtering, content filtering, IPS, and IDS.

My clients find the next-generation firewall feature of Fortinet FortiGate to be particularly valuable. It provides internet security, network security, cloud security, ZTNA, and SD-WAN security. There is a unified agent for FortiClient. There is centralized management.

What needs improvement?

Areas of improvement for Fortinet FortiGate include the need for more training and certification, especially when dealing with distributors globally, which presents challenges in product availability and delivery timelines.

There should also be more training and certification.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have about 10 years of experience with Fortinet FortiGate.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I find Fortinet FortiGate to be a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable solution, as you can start small, maybe with FortiGate 40F, and then move to FortiGate 60F or FortiGate 80F, depending on your needs.

How are customer service and support?

It depends on who your distributor is. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

It is not straightforward, but the implementation is pretty good overall. Every site is different for me. There is no standard site. We have a few different issues here and there, but overall, it's pretty good and straightforward to install. Its integration is not difficult.

It is a matter of learning and understanding the reasons why people need Fortinet FortiGate.

What was our ROI?

Fortinet FortiGate positively provides my clients' organizations with a high return on investment. There is visibility into network operations, allowing us to identify network issues. It has advanced security features. You can achieve about 200% ROI over three years, while enhancing IT teams' productivity by about 50%. It simplifies security across branches and enhances hybrid and cloud security. There is even a feature where you can predict the application performance.

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

It's very competitive.

What other advice do I have?

Many users nowadays prefer agentless installations over installing agents on their devices, which presents challenges for endpoint security, especially concerning ZTNA, VPN, and endpoint protection.

I would 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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Henrique Ariel Arruda Gerhard - PeerSpot reviewer
Analista de segurança da informação at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
User-friendly interface simplifies security settings and improves detection efficiency
Pros and Cons
  • "Their web interface to manage it is excellent, even compared with other providers."
  • "With Fortinet FortiGate, we improved security significantly."
  • "One of the most important areas for improvement for Fortinet FortiGate is the limited resources for tests."
  • "One of the most important areas for improvement for Fortinet FortiGate is the limited resources for tests. I was limited to a few interfaces for one month, and it would be great if Fortinet could improve these features in their test versions."

What is our primary use case?

I used Fortinet FortiGate to protect some perimeters, and I used it a lot for detection, filtering, domain control, and security functions and features. 

I worked for a company that used Fortinet FortiGate to provide services to many customers across various industries and through different environments. Some companies ranged from five to 50 to 100 users, and others were double that size, and even more.

How has it helped my organization?

We improved a lot of our users' security, including malware from outbound internet. It reduced downtime and helped detect and block malicious actions. The realization of benefits was immediate.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are that it's simple to implement all necessary settings, and it's quite fast. 

Their web interface to manage it is excellent, even compared with other providers. 

With Fortinet FortiGate, we improved security significantly. It blocks a lot of malware from the internet and even between our hosts in different networks, thus enhancing our security and reducing any downtime by blocking problems that could stop operations.

What needs improvement?

One of the most important areas for improvement for Fortinet FortiGate is the limited resources for tests. I was limited to a few interfaces for one month, and it would be great if Fortinet could improve these features in their test versions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used Fortinet FortiGate for three years in total.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate the support with Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten. 

We had a few problems, and whenever we needed support, they attended to us in a few hours or days based on the severity level, resolving the problems with minimal impact on the environment.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

They were using SonicWall and pfSense before switching to Fortinet FortiGate.

Fortinet FortiGate is more user-friendly when it comes to the interface and setting every feature you need, and keeping it working as expected to protect the network, while SonicWall is too advanced and very laggy and confusing to use. SonicWall does not do anything better than Fortinet FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for clients was very straightforward, easy to implement, and required few steps to keep it working with Fortinet FortiGate. It takes about one day, around ten hours of work for small companies and normal offices to deploy Fortinet FortiGate. That said, it might take longer for bigger networks. However, it's not too much time compared to other companies or providers.

It required around two or three people who understand the network to deploy Fortinet FortiGate, along with one or two more for setting devices or any changes and tests to ensure everything is working as expected. The total was somewhere around five people or slightly less, depending on your knowledge about the existing network.

What was our ROI?

I cannot calculate the exact return on investment from Fortinet FortiGate. We evaluate it based on the impact of downtime when we have problems in the environment, however, the ROI is less than a year. 

Fortinet FortiGate helps save time and improve efficiency by aggregating logs that help us understand what's happening, thus improving our detection time and reducing operational errors. We reduced our time by approximately 30% with Fortinet FortiGate.

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

Fortinet FortiGate's pricing is comparable to others.

What other advice do I have?

I am currently working for another company and not using Fortinet FortiGate. The last time I used Fortinet FortiGate was on March 25th, just a few months ago. 

I work as a technical user in cybersecurity monitoring. My current company is a partner, however, I don't have any relation with sales. 

On a scale of one to ten, I rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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reviewer915354 - PeerSpot reviewer
presales manager at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Integrated security solution is effective but support can be better
Pros and Cons
  • "The combined license for the network, the next-generation firewall, and the integration with SD-WAN for all branches are what I consider to be the best features. It's effective for multi-branch customers."
  • "SD-WAN has had a positive impact by reducing the operational costs in terms of headcount and management."
  • "Performance on the box and technical support are areas where Fortinet FortiGate can be improved."
  • "In their datasheet, they put the throughput as huge, but once you enable all the features of the box, the performance is impacted dramatically."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for the data center firewall and perimeter firewall facing the Internet, which are my main use cases for Fortinet FortiGate.

What is most valuable?

The combined license for the network, the next-generation firewall, and the integration with SD-WAN for all branches are what I consider to be the best features. It's effective for multi-branch customers. 

SD-WAN has had a positive impact by reducing the operational costs in terms of headcount and management. It has had an impact on the network performance. It reduced the operational, Internet connection, and MPLS costs. With a combined solution, there is no need to put a specific firewall to secure the connection. It's like a single box.

What needs improvement?

Performance on the box and technical support are areas where Fortinet FortiGate can be improved. In their datasheet, they put the throughput as huge, but once you enable all the features of the box, the performance is impacted dramatically. In reality, it will be 20% to 30% of what they have mentioned in the datasheet.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have worked with FortiGate from a design perspective for almost ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable. They are providing a good number of ports; there's no need to put a switch to connect to the appliance itself.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate technical support from Fortinet a five out of ten. To escalate the case severity from three to one, you need to have the account manager engaged to accelerate and get the technical people involved. It's not like other competitors who have premium support 24/7.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We used to perform the same function by placing a router and a firewall to secure the connection. It required multiple vendors and multiple boxes, which was a huge engagement from the operational perspective and investment-wise. Now, a small firewall with SD-WAN features can handle the entire situation, including connection with the branch, encryption, and security.

How was the initial setup?

It's user-friendly deployment because they have an enhanced dashboard to manage and implement, not requiring the CLI or command line interface, which needs deep study. They have a GUI that is user-friendly and attractive.

What about the implementation team?

We are system integrators, and our delivery team implements the project for deployment.

What was our ROI?

Reducing the operation cost and reducing the internet connection and MPLS cost has been my evaluation of changes in return on investment after implementing Fortinet solutions for SD-WAN and hybrid workforce.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten overall.

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
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Luke_Smith - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Infrastructure Lead at Harmony Gold Australia
Real User
Top 20
Easy to use and provides good visibility of network traffic
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiGate is more feature-rich and has a broader range of hardware. T"
  • "The SD-WAN functionality is a bit overly complicated and not fully documented."

What is our primary use case?

It is just for firewalls and network security.

How has it helped my organization?

It's mostly compliance, like just meeting our security requirements to keep our data secure. We don't make money out of it. It just keeps our data safe.

I have FortiGate for SD-WAN and all access points here, which has helped with traffic shaping capabilities.

I also use AI (Rapid7) to improve my cybersecurity. 

What is most valuable?

It's easy to use and provides good visibility of network traffic.

What needs improvement?

The SD-WAN functionality is a bit overly complicated and not fully documented.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for six years. 

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and support are good. I can contact them online or over the phone.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

I have used Sophos XTM and Palo Alto.

FortiGate is more feature-rich and has a broader range of hardware. They offer switches, access points, firewalls, and the whole network stack, whereas a lot of others only do firewalls.

It's just a good value and the possibility of using those features. We haven't used FortiSwitches yet; we're investigating them at the moment, but we haven't ordered any yet.

How was the initial setup?

The SD-WAN was certainly tricky and took a while to figure out, but the rest of the security features were straightforward.

The deployment took us six months. 

What was our ROI?

It's hard to measure the return on investment, but it certainly helps us manage our security requirements easier than other solutions that I've used.

It's good value for the money.

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

It was worth the money overall. It's good value.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would 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.
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Service manager at Crescent Technologies
Reseller
Top 5
Centralized manageability streamlines operations but renewal pricing concerns persist
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted my organization, offering ease of management with no network disruptions; it works seamlessly."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is not a scalable solution, as they give you a number and each box comes with concurrent connections; if you need to expand, you have to change the box."

What is our primary use case?

The typical use case for Fortinet FortiGate is because of the user-friendly interface.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate's best features are the manageability part and centralized management. The community support available for Fortinet FortiGate is also a significant advantage. Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted my organization, offering ease of management with no network disruptions; it works seamlessly.

What needs improvement?

The room for improvement for Fortinet FortiGate is related to prices; the renewal prices have to be aligned with the customer's pockets, as at times they are very aggressive, leading to the possibility of changing vendors.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have experience of working with Fortinet FortiGate for more than 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have faced no trouble with the stability; it works seamlessly, and the support is good, as most of the time customers themselves can resolve issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is not a scalable solution, as they give you a number and each box comes with concurrent connections; if you need to expand, you have to change the box.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate technical support a seven on a scale of one to ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

Before Fortinet FortiGate, we used SonicWALL, Sophos, and GuardShield for our customers.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup varies from customer to customer, as we are a system integrator, having sold more than 500 plus boxes.

What about the implementation team?

We have expertise in integrating SD-WAN capabilities with FortiGate, but I'm not the right person to comment on it.

What was our ROI?

The ROI after implementing Fortinet solution means that while it is there, they have now become very expensive; for example, if I buy a product for 10 lakhs INR today, after three years they will ask for 15 lakhs, which is a major concern for customers.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to other organizations considering Fortinet FortiGate is to evaluate the features of other products as well, as Sophos also does a great job, but users may not adopt it due to its presence. 

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate overall as seven.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. reseller
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DineshKumar28 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager at Cognizant
Real User
Top 20
Effective threat prevention with responsive customer support
Pros and Cons
  • "It has a good UI and overall integration, including FortiGate Manager for controlling all firewalls from a single place."
  • "The anti-malware engine could use an upgrade."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall.

How has it helped my organization?

Fortinet FortiGate has been invaluable. It has helped save costs due to its various features, reliable performance, very good UI, low latency, and stability.

What is most valuable?

The Threat Intel engine in Fortinet FortiGate is highly rated for its effectiveness in threat prevention. It has a good UI and overall integration, including FortiGate Manager for controlling all firewalls from a single place.

What needs improvement?

The anti-malware engine could use an upgrade. It should automatically classify and sandbox malicious packets with more granular controls, including providing details like TV numbers.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Initially, we faced some issues with updates due to network factors needing to be white-listed in the proxy. These problems have since been resolved, and we are not facing any issues now.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

While I don't have a clear picture of scalability, we scale up in different regions based on the number of users and the amount of load. This is typically handled by architecture teams.

How are customer service and support?

Customer support is very responsive, addressing queries in a timely manner. I would rate the customer support ten out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We have also used Palo Alto Firewalls and Fortinet FortiGate. Fortinet FortiGate has a better UI and overall integration, including FortiGate Manager for single-place control over all firewalls.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward and easy, thanks to the support provided. I would rate the ease of setup ten out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

We had the help of the end-of-support team for the setup, which made the process quite straightforward and easy.

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

The price is reasonable for our company. The finance team handles the specifics regarding the license costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Palo Alto NG Firewalls before settling on Fortinet FortiGate.

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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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.