What is our primary use case?
We implemented FortiMail from Fortinet to enhance email security and protect our organization's personnel, particularly departments like HR and finance, who are often targeted by email attacks.
What is most valuable?
Content disarming and analysis are essential features in our email security setup. If an incoming email contains anything suspicious, such as malicious code, phishing materials, or potentially harmful content, FortiMail will first detect and neutralize the threats within the email before delivering it to the recipient. This ensures that the email is safe and poses no risk to the end user, providing peace of mind. Content analysis is another critical aspect. It involves scanning emails for elements like embedded images, links to suspicious websites, or any content that violates our security policies. Lastly, the impersonation detection feature is equally important. It helps identify cases where someone is trying to impersonate another person, such as a board of directors member or a key figure within the organization, in an attempt to send deceptive emails.
What needs improvement?
During our deployment and in our day-to-day operations, we've encountered certain challenges with our email security setup. When a user or administrator needs to locate a specific email, it can be a time-sensitive issue. If an email administrator receives a query from a recipient or end user about undelivered or suspicious emails, the ability to quickly and easily locate the email in question, along with details about why it wasn't sent, is crucial. We've faced difficulties in ensuring that our reporting system is efficient and delivers this information promptly for administrators to address the issue promptly. Another challenge we've experienced is complexity. The email security solution should ideally be user-friendly and intuitive and it should offer straightforward access to settings and features. We encountered situations where our users have found the tool overly complex and difficult to learn quickly. This ease of use and user-friendliness is something we believe could be improved in FortiMail.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for two and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Overall, FortiMail is a stable email security solution, but I did encounter a specific issue in the past. There was an instance when the appliance became inaccessible. This issue seemed related to the appliance's durability, as it entered a conserve mode due to performance concerns. Consequently, email traffic ceased to flow through the appliance during that time. To mitigate this problem, we increased the threshold for email traffic, ensuring that the appliance would not enter conserve mode and that emails would be delivered reliably even during peak loads.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While VM-based deployments offer scalability, hardware appliances have limited scalability due to their fixed resources. Your choice should align with your organization's present and future needs, as well as the flexibility you require to adapt to changing circumstances. It is important to note that scalability can also be influenced by subscription licenses. The type of licenses you've acquired may dictate what your system can handle, including the kinds of emails it can process and the CPU utilization allowed.
How are customer service and support?
During our deployments and while providing support, we often rely on Fortinet's technical support engineers. They have consistently demonstrated responsiveness and cooperation whenever we've needed assistance. When we open a support ticket, they promptly join the session and engage with us to perform troubleshooting steps. Their approach is commendable: first, they make a genuine effort to understand the issue and attempt to resolve it remotely, based on the provided logs and information. If, however, the issue persists, they take the initiative to set up an online remote session. During these sessions, they work closely with our team, engaging in debugging and various troubleshooting steps to pinpoint and resolve the problem. Once they've successfully resolved the issue, they provide us with a detailed breakdown of the case. This not only ensures the problem is resolved but also educates our team. We gain valuable insights into the problem-solving process and learn what to check first in case a similar issue arises. Fortinet's support is available around the clock, 24/7, and I'm highly satisfied with the quality and effectiveness of their support services.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process is straightforward and manageable. It is essential to grasp the network topology of the organization. Understanding the flow of incoming and outgoing email traffic is crucial. Once you've identified these paths, you can proceed to establish policies, rules, and profiles that align with this topology. This early stage ensures clarity in terms of what constitutes inbound and outbound email, and what specific settings need to be configured.
What about the implementation team?
While the initial setup primarily involves configuring interfaces, defining main profiles, and establishing policy rules, as the deployment matures and additional security measures like Azure Security, Trend Micro, SCF, CCIM, and NNX tool records come into play, the complexity may increase. Managing multiple domains and email servers requires careful segregation and configuration, which can be more intricate. I work as a third-party service provider for ProNet, a company based in Pakistan. We are proud partners of Fortinet, and our services extend to numerous clients in both the public and private sectors. In my role, I take on the responsibility of deploying various Fortinet products on behalf of the company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing depends on various factors, including the type of licenses and subscriptions you have procured. The cost structure can vary for small and medium-sized enterprises as opposed to larger organizations. The pricing model takes into account the flexibility required by different organizations, based on how they intend to use the product. It's essential to consult with the sales team or a technical representative to get accurate and up-to-date information regarding pricing, licensing options, and any specific cost-related queries.
What other advice do I have?
There are several compelling reasons why FortiMail is an excellent product. It is highly reliable, offering effective spam and email filtering, content analysis, and antivirus protection. The product's integration with FortiGuard, a comprehensive security database, means that it benefits from the latest threat intelligence and zero-day protections. It allows for extensive customization. You can tailor your security profiles and settings according to your specific needs, ensuring that your organization's email security is precisely configured. If you're already familiar with other Fortinet products like FortiGate (firewalls and web security), you'll appreciate that FortiMail shares a similar user interface. This consistency ensures a seamless experience for Fortinet users, making it user-friendly and efficient. The quality of support is a critical factor when deploying a security solution. FortiMail's support is known for being responsive, effective, and reliable. This support is essential for addressing any issues or glitches and ensures that your email security remains robust. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
