I have deployed FortiGate with multiple organizations such as universities, government institutions, healthcare, and ISP providers. I have worked with FortiGate models 30-500 series and I have deployed the 3200D model for one of the broadband service providers located in India, Namely Sikka Broadband.
Solution Architect at Brillbean Ventures Pvt ltd
Good security, performance, and traffic inspection
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus."
- "Improvement is needed in the Web Filter quotas to restrict users with allocated quotas."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
I have installed the FortiGate 500 and 400D to replace a Sophos firewall in a main corporate office. This implementation provided improved network performance.
This solution made it easier to connect all of the branches together via an IPsec VPN and remote users with SSL VPN.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus.
Using the FortiGate security solution provides comprehensive visibility and advanced layer 7 security, including threat protection, intrusion prevention, web filtering, and application control. They face a major complexity hurdle managing these point products with no integration and lack of visibility.
Thie solution provides a high-performance inspection of clear-text and encrypted traffic.
The FortiOS Operating system is robust, and the WAN load-balancing very much transparent.
What needs improvement?
Improvement is needed in the Web Filter quotas to restrict users with allocated quotas.
It would be an improvement to add a feature for active users to change/reset their own passwords.
Fortinet renewal prices for all models are too high, so they should offer discounts for customers on renewal.
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Fortinet FortiGate
August 2025

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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for almost seven years.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Consultant at WorldNet ICT Solutions Limited
Provides good security features, and generating FortiCloud reports is helpful to us
Pros and Cons
- "The security features are about the best that I've seen anywhere."
- "Technical support for this solution can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for our company firewall.
What is most valuable?
This solution has many good features. The security features are about the best that I've seen anywhere.
I really like the fact that I am able to generate FortiCloud reports.
What needs improvement?
FortiWAN was supposed to help in doing intersite linking, but we've realized that most of the ISPs use BGP. FortiWAN supports OSPF but does not support the BGP protocol. This is a problem for us because without BGP they are not doing anything, and we've had to pack them up. I would like to see the BGP protocol supported on FortiWAN.
Technical support for this solution can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution since 2017.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of this solution is fantastic.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've been in contact with technical support a few times and it is good. It might be better, but as far as I'm concerned, it's good.
How was the initial setup?
The challenge for the initial setup was at the ISP level. We have the Fortinet firewall running, but between the various sites, we wanted to implement FortiWAN. It didn't work because of the BGP issue.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for this solution is good.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I recommend.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,576 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network & Hardware Administrator at Nile Projects & Trading Co.
SD-WAN allows me to better manage and load balance our traffic
Pros and Cons
- "It blocks the vulnerabilities that can negatively impact us."
- "I would like to have logs, monitoring, and reporting for a month without extra fees."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for securing and controlling our company, as well as to improve VPN services.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has helped us by controlling our incoming and outgoing traffic. It blocks the vulnerabilities that can negatively impact us.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the SD-WAN because I can manage many lines and load balance them all.
What needs improvement?
I would like to have logs, monitoring, and reporting for a month without extra fees.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for more than eight years.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Fortigate
Network Engineer at Concentus
An intuitive user interface for our SOHO edge protection solution
Pros and Cons
- "This solution has solid UTM features combined with a nice GUI."
- "The Web-filter in this solution is not very good."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for edge protection in SOHO and K-12 environments.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiOS has a very good, intuitive GUI.
What is most valuable?
This solution has solid UTM features combined with a nice GUI.
What needs improvement?
The Web-filter in this solution is not very good. Perhaps because Fortinet does not want to compete with its own dedicated solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three years.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
President at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
A solution that impresses our customers and saves them money in the long run
Pros and Cons
- "This is a quality product with ok support, and it is better than the competition we've tried."
- "FortiOS is not simple."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use for this solution is as an SMB boundary firewall, and we now use their Security Fabric.
How has it helped my organization?
This is a quality product with ok support, and it is better than the competition we've tried.
What is most valuable?
Security Fabric makes VLANs a breeze. It impresses customers, as well as saves them money over the long run when comparing apples to apples.
What needs improvement?
FortiOS is not simple. Too many people think it should be simple to use, but the complexity of the product makes that impossible.
For how long have I used the solution?
Seventeen years.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support for this solution is ok.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Has a friendly GUI and CLI to access its many features
Pros and Cons
- "The features that we have found most valuable are the SSL VPN and the User Portal."
- "This product could be improved with Active directory integration and better handling in IPsec and GRE Tunnels."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution for our firewall, Application Control, QoS, IPSec, and SSL VPN.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has a very friendly GUI and CLI as compared to other vendors.
What is most valuable?
The features that we have found most valuable are the SSL VPN and the user Portal.
What needs improvement?
This product could be improved with active directory integration and better handling in IPsec and GRE Tunnels. There are not enough recent online materials to assist in integration with Cisco for VPN, GRE, and IPSec.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Our experience with this solution is that it is stable and reliable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We found the user interface to be better than what is found in other products.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Analyst at Aloo Telecom
A stable product that allows us to offer several services in a single box
Pros and Cons
- "We have been able to offer several services to customers in a single box."
- "I use the FortiGate 60D model and realized the 300Mbps bandwidth limitation. Because it is a product that offers many services, I think it could have greater bandwidth capacity."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is the provision of services to our customers, the end users.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has improved our organization a lot. We have been able to offer several services to customers in a single box.
What is most valuable?
The firewall is a valuable feature because it offers more security for end customers. The HA function is fantastic, as the link switching time is almost imperceptible. It also offers dedicated IP, all in one box.
What needs improvement?
I use the FortiGate 60D model and realized the 300Mbps bandwidth limitation. Because it is a product that offers many services, I think it could have greater bandwidth capacity.
For how long have I used the solution?
Trial/evaluations only.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My impression of the stability is very good. It is very difficult to have to replace the equipment due to lack of resources.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I found this product to be good for scalability. It offers several features, among them I can mention Application Control, Antispam, QoS and others.
How are customer service and technical support?
I found the technical support team to be careful and committed to delivering what we needed.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to using the FortiGate solution, I used the MikroTik RB1100AHx2e. I found that the FortiGate 60D offered more security.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was straightforward and easy, and the equipment has a good command line interface.
What about the implementation team?
We were given all the support that we needed for implementation. The vendors were fantastic.
What was our ROI?
The return is inevitable when you have equipment that offers stability and quality in services.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Before choosing a piece of equipment you have to take into account the cost-benefit offered by each one. Sometimes it is not worth paying a very cheap price to have a minimum level of security.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our evaluation of the MikroTik RB1100AHx2e revealed that it lacks antivirus software and has no lock for botnet control centers.
What other advice do I have?
There is a VOIP feature that by default is enabled on the Fortigate 60D. This greatly increases the CPU usage, which causes bad behavior in the equipment. This feature should be disabled and if necessary, the user can re-enable it.
The FortiGate 60D is a fantastic piece of equipment.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT System Administrator at emirates hospital
Enables us to control our internet usage with the web filter for application features
Pros and Cons
- "The most important features with FortiGate are the web filter and application controls. We can control our internet usage and use the web filter for application purposes."
- "Some features of Fortinet FortiGate are actually fee enabled that are inconvenient for deploying in production. Other issues relate to isolation with Cisco products and your server."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate mainly for web filtering and site-to-site VPN connectivity. We establish filters based on the type of application for filtering purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
With Fortinet FortiGate I can do over forty enlaces. We give all of the log-based runtime support to every user and the web traffic coming in. Also, we can enlace all of the security projects from our two servers with the other forty enlaces.
What is most valuable?
The most important features with FortiGate are the web filter and application controls. We can control our internet usage and use the web filter for application purposes. All branch FortiGate devices are integrated with FortiAnalyzer and easy to download and monitor the logs from all other locations. It's easy to change the configurations using CMD-SSH. FSSO is also another good feature.
What needs improvement?
It is mainly our own application of FortiGate that we need to improve. If you compare FortiGate to any other products, all of the other products have more signatures. I couldn't find that many signatures available in the application.
Some features of Fortinet FortiGate are actually fee enabled that are inconvenient for deploying in production. Other issues relate to isolation with Cisco products and your server.
Fortinet should make it so that we are not able to use analytics from Cisco at the same time that FortiGate is installed. We are not able to do real-time network monitoring.
For the next release, FortiGate should be improved to support these issues. For the setup, you need to prepare a lot for that before engaging the deployment.
I learned a lot about FortiGate from books. That should be important in preparation. Fortinet should implement these changes, then we would be able to do more.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is good. The only issue is that in the VPN, I have seen many times that there is no stability in the VPN configuration and VPN connectivity. That is our only issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If we implement Fortinet to Fortinet connections, then the solution works fine and there are no issues. If we connect with any other vendor like Cisco, Palo Alto, or these kinds of devices, I can see sometimes that the connectivity issue is there.
From IIS, the I/O packet works and connectivity is ideal. Connectivity is fine, but the title clock unnecessarily comes in and sometimes it doesn't reach the destination.
We use Fortinet FortiGate in twenty to twenty-five locations at the time, although we are basically focused on healthcare industry requirements.
For the deployment and maintenance, we have two people we are using right now. Regarding maintenance and deployment, we employ experts in network and security support.
We don't have any plans to increase usage of Fortinet FortiGate. We only use it in 25 locations.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have evaluated Fortinet FortiGate's technical support and it is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The normal VLAN interface configuration with the LAN configuration is fine. There is no problem with that.
Our deployment took a maximum of half an hour to forty-five minutes. It only took this much time for the entire configuration including the LAN and policy configuration.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use an integrator or consultant. Our security engineers completed the configuration.
What other advice do I have?
In terms of rating, Fortinet FortiGate will come in with an eight out of ten. We are satisfied with the product overall.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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Updated: August 2025
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Good performance.