2021-01-11T20:16:00Z

How do I convince a client that the most expensive firewall is not necessarily the best?

EF
  • 9
  • 69
PeerSpot user
11

11 Answers

PP
Reseller
Top 5Leaderboard
2021-01-14T13:21:00Z
Jan 14, 2021

If you have a client that knows what a Fortigate and an ASA are you have a good client.


There are a couple strategies I would recommend. First show them market share of each product. Then explain the origin story of Fortinet. Then I would explain the fact that the security of any device is greatly dependent on the skills of the team managing it and that Fortigate is your teams security stack leader for security appliances and they are most familiar with them and find them a better overall solution.


Of course at the end of the day the final decision is the clients but price margin is all your decision. I've managed both devices and while I agree that Fortigate is a better solution I would be fine deploying either if a client felt strong about it. Hope that helps.

Product comparison that may be of interest to you
TS
Real User
2021-01-15T01:17:10Z
Jan 15, 2021

My clients are all very small, and pfSense works great for them. Other than past experience with ASA being difficult to configure without deep knowledge of the product, I don't know these products. Google Fortinet FortiGate and Cisco ASA came up with some interesting articles. The first on that list https://info.pivitglobal.com/r... makes FortiGate look pretty good.

JR
User
2021-01-13T21:42:05Z
Jan 13, 2021

Although it may seem simple to say, quality is price-related, but an expensive product is an expensive product and a quality product is a quality product.


Quality products are usually more expensive because they are related to the one who produces them, they are few people, more exclusive.


Expensive products are those for which a price is charged that does not meet the quality offered by some of the others for a lower price.


In short, there is no expensive or quality product, this is reflected in the needs they cover, if it is good product, because it covers my needs, it is an expensive product, even if its price is low.


You won't believe it, but this doesn't always happen, the cheap comes out expensive in the end.

JB
User
2021-01-13T18:03:49Z
Jan 13, 2021

Cisco makes great gear, but I hate Smartnet costs as a budget manager. Cisco is actively abandoning the ASA line of hardware. It was not their most successful product with an assortment of issues. 


We gave up on our 5510 and 12's long ago after bad updates and hardware failures forced us to change. 


We are now using Fortigate 200F's with no issues whatsoever. This was not a difficult choice for us.

EL
Real User
2021-09-14T09:39:16Z
Sep 14, 2021

Meh... Both of them are very VERY overrated!!!... Nothing more frustrating than a client with Google.... 

CB
Real User
2021-09-15T14:04:07Z
Sep 15, 2021

A firewall is something very personal, depend on the company, the kind of traffic, for example, a hospital doesn't need the same features as a university. One needs to implement DLP and another organization doesn't have this need. 


The same with web filtering, AV, ...

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Firewall vs. Fortinet FortiGate and other solutions. Updated: November 2023.
746,723 professionals have used our research since 2012.
SK
Real User
2021-09-15T04:08:16Z
Sep 15, 2021

You have to fetch case studies to convince the client technically (bitter truth, whatever is successful has its cost).  


Now the new era began - NGFW comes to the picture AI/ML-based only data sheets, then case studies only the key  


Every security appliance has its own cons and pros  (my observations only. 

KM
User
2021-09-14T20:46:33Z
Sep 14, 2021

I'd use Gartner Magic Quadrant's leaders, other competitve data, references. 


Look at attack data. Leaders are Palo Alto, Fortinet, Checkpoint... some things to look at.

BC
Real User
2021-09-14T20:23:41Z
Sep 14, 2021

Unfortunately, many clients today are of that opinion, and much of it is due to Marketing strategies and the stories provided by each of the product's manufacturers. 


However, that said, often, the most expensive product sometimes is the better product, but not necessarily the best to meet the requirements of the customer. 


Do your proper analysis and be prepared to show your customer why you are choosing the option you have. Explain why your team has chosen the one you have, and not the more expensive option. Far too often, we find that the customer feels the option we are presenting is too high a cost, even if it is not close to the price of the most expensive, and we simply remind them, they are not buying a router, they are purchasing a security appliance, and therefore it is a very good investment in their system's security, they do not require some of the features or benefits offered by the most expensive product, so you have made the best suggestion to take care of them at a fair price.    


If you can honestly recommend a product, you probably use it in your own operation, so remember to advise the customer of that.

DI
Real User
2021-09-13T04:55:57Z
Sep 13, 2021

How do I convince a client that the most expensive firewall is not necessarily the best? --> don't waste your time. 


In the client's eyes, you are not a trusted advisor. If you can manage both, just let them take the risk.

OB
Real User
2021-01-15T14:59:56Z
Jan 15, 2021

Netsecopen.org and gartner quadrant

Cisco Secure Firewall vs. Fortinet FortiGate comparison
We performed a comparison between Cisco Secure Firewall and Fortinet Fortigate based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below. Ease of Deployment: Users of Cisco Secure Firewall say if you are familiar with Cisco products, the deployment is easy. However, if you do not have experience using their products, it can be complex. In contrast, Fortinet Fortigate users overwhelmingly agree that deployment is easy and the...
Download Cisco Secure Firewall vs. Fortinet FortiGate comparison ReportRead more

Related Q&As