Senior ICT Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Reseller
Competitively priced, user-friendly security solution with good technical support, but has issues with scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "User-friendly and affordable security solution that's recommended for SMB customers. This solution has good technical support."
  • "Scalability for Fortinet FortiGate needs to be improved. SD-WAN security for this solution also needs some improvement."

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate is user-friendly. When it comes to firewall enterprise security and email security, this solution is at the top. It's better and it's affordable. If you compare it with some other email security like Mimecast and similar solutions, those products are better than Fortinet, but here in the Fiji region, Fortinet FortiGate has better service. In some other regions, this solution may not be doing well, but in Fiji, it's working out well. Fortinet has so many customers in Fiji.

What needs improvement?

What I'd like to be improved in Fortinet FortiGate is for it to have advanced WAF functionality. Even in FortiADC, WAF functionality is not supported for advanced attacks, e.g. mobile bot attacks. Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve its WAF function.

SD-WAN is also good in this product, but it still needs improvement, particularly in security. We saw some attacks last year, so they need to improve on that.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with Fortinet FortiGate for eight years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are some issues with the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate. Certain products and models need to be scalable, but they're not. For example, if you go with 400F, they only have two SFP+ ports, while the F5 has four ports.

When you're expanding the number of users for this solution, they'll ask you to replace the model, and this can be a big cost to customers, which could affect scalability.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
June 2024
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How are customer service and support?

We are happy with the technical support for this product, because the Fiji region is supported by New Zealand, where support for Fortinet FortiGate is better.

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

Fortinet FortiGate is an affordable solution, but when expanding the number of users, they'll ask you to replace the model, so that's an added cost.

Pricing for this product is comparatively lower than other products. If you compare it with Forcepoint, Cisco, and other products, Fortinet FortiGate pricing is reasonable, and that includes all the service and support we need. Whenever we need support as a partner, they're able to deliver that support to us, unlike with F5 where there's premium support and standard support, which means you'll have to pay F5 extra.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Cisco and Forcepoint solutions.

What other advice do I have?

We are an IT infrastructure company, and we are dealing with one of the banks here. They need a solution which they'll use for application delivery, load balancing, and as their web application firewall.

We are a reseller and partner of Fortinet, but only for their firewall product, e.g. FortiCloud WAF, not FortiADC. We've also been working with Fortinet FortiGate.

The solution we're looking for which will be implemented for our customer, e.g. a bank, is a solution with basic functionality, e.g. FortiGate. It will only be used for two or so web applications. If our customer needs a bigger functionality, then I would propose a different solution: F5. For the government, we always propose F5.

My advice to people who want to implement this solution is simple: It's an affordable product for the SMB customer, but for customers with bigger environments, I would recommend that they go for other products with premium support.

My rating for Fortinet FortiGate is seven out of ten, if you consider the Fiji market.

We saw that Fortinet is working towards the ZTNA model, e.g. SASE, and also working towards zero trust products, which is good. They're also improving slowly in privileged access management, e.g. they don't have one, but they're trying to introduce it by the end of the year.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Managing Director with 51-200 employees
Real User
Secure, reliable, and support included
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is stable. It's used across all the countries, this is the way most multinationals run their system."
  • "Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall solution and once it's deployed, you can rest assured that your system is secure."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate to filter information, to ensure that we secure our network. Additionally, it's for overall security and to ensure that no information is leaking out.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall solution and once it's deployed, you can rest assured that your system is secure.

Since we have been using Fortinet FortiGate, we've not had anyone breaking into our network. We've used some penetration tests, and the system is very secure. However, the security of the network is dependent on the personnel itself.

For example, if you have a phishing email, you click on it, it takes you to the wrong server, and you put your credentials there, they can use those credentials to attack your system. In terms of somebody trying to break into your network without having the necessary credentials, Fortinet FortiGate is very good.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by being more secure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is stable. It's used across all the countries, this is the way most multinationals run their system.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

If the business expands into other geographical zones, we will need to expand the network and secure it. This is when we will expand the use of Fortinet FortiGate. However, because of this pandemic, businesses are slowly getting back to normal. 

I don't think that expansion will come up in the next one or two years. Maybe in the next three years once they start to pick up their business, then there might be such an expansion or increase in hardware needed.

How are customer service and support?

Each of the devices is licensed every year and in case you have a serious critical issue we can contact the support from FortiGate directly. We contact them every once and a while but not often. We have to purchase a license that allows us the support to use them.

The support could be faster to come out with a solution.

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

We were using Cisco previously.

How was the initial setup?

The Fortinet FortiGate deployment is not difficult. It's not simple, but it's easy for someone to learn. The whole process took approximately three hours. Cisco solutions are more difficult to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

We have experts in-house with experience and we did the deployment in-house. They used the deployment resources internally to deploy it.

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

The solution requires a license annually, it is not a user license, you can have as many users as your want. I must renew the license regularly per device.

The support is included in the license.

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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
June 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2024.
772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Ahmad Aloqlah - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager at GlobalTech
Real User
Powerful firewall with a user friendly interface and content filtering
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the interface, which is very user friendly. We are utilizing most of the features, like content filtering. The firewall is powerful."
  • "The renewal price and the availability could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is mainly for firewalls. We tried FortiClient as well and FortiToken, but we mainly use it for the firewall.

The solution is deployed on-prem. We are using the latest version.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the interface, which is very user friendly. We are utilizing most of the features, like content filtering. The firewall is powerful.

What needs improvement?

The renewal price and the availability could be improved. We faced a lot of delivery issues because of the pandemic situation. We are a customer, but sometimes we have sister companies, so we deliver or order a few extra boxes. In these cases we are facing some delays, like three or four months. There are a massive delays in deliveries and they're saying that it's from the vendor itself. I don't know how long this will last or if it's just temporary.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for six to seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. The only issue is the renewal price, which is always higher compared to the purchase price.

We have two people for maintenance from network and security.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have up to 100 users, and we are pretty satisfied. It's stable. We have never had to scale up because of the newest model. We go with C, E, then F, but at the same level, we never had to upgrade the hardware itself to a higher or a bigger model.

How are customer service and support?

We raised a few tickets and issues, and they replied to us. It was pretty good. We have never faced any problems with getting our issues resolved.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward. We didn't face any issues.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented through a reseller and it took couple of days. There were some modifications and configurations that took more time, but the core configuration took a couple of days.

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

The renewal price is always higher compared to the purchase price.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Fortinet is one of our top products, our main products. They have 75% market share, so we cannot ignore the fact that they are in the market, but I need an alternate solution. I don't want to depend on only one vendor, so I think Sophos will be a good option for us.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Presales Manager at rayat
Real User
Makes it easy to create policies and integrates with Active Directory
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration with Active Directory is one of the good features. Most of the customers are now looking for the Single Sign-on feature. So, being able to integrate Active Directory with the firewall is useful. It is also easy."
  • "Its reporting and pricing need improvement."

What is most valuable?

I like its interface. It is a simple solution. As compared to Sophos, its interface is easier. It is easy to create a policy, and you can easily understand it. 

The integration with Active Directory is one of the good features. Most of the customers are now looking for the Single Sign-on feature. So, being able to integrate Active Directory with the firewall is useful. It is also easy.

What needs improvement?

Its reporting and pricing need improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Its stability is good. It has 90% stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Its scalability is good.

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

It is more expensive than Sophos. Fortinet is overall more expensive than Sophos. The small range of Fortinet, such as 60F and 80F, is more expensive than the small range of Sophos. Sophos is cheaper. In addition, if you jump from 80F Series to 100F Series, the price doubles.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a nine out of 10.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Manager GIS at epfam
Real User
Good UI, feature-rich, and very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "Its user interface is good, and it is always working fine."
  • "Its filtering is sometimes too precise or strict. We sometimes have to bypass and authorize some of the sites, but they get blocked. We know that they are trusted sites, but they are blocked, and we don't know why."

What is most valuable?

Its user interface is good, and it is always working fine.

What needs improvement?

Its filtering is sometimes too precise or strict. We sometimes have to bypass and authorize some of the sites, but they get blocked. We know that they are trusted sites, but they are blocked, and we don't know why.

In terms of additional features, I don't have any requirements. It is okay for me. I do lots of things, and I still don't know everything about FortiGate. If I need something, it might already be there in FortiGate. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for one and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. We didn't have any problems in one and a half years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We just have one firewall, and we are too small to have redundancy or something like that. In the future, we would like to have a second unit. We have lots of problems locally with the internet fiber. It is not very good, and ADSL is bad. So, first, we have to stabilize and upgrade our connection, and later, we will try to have redundancy, but it is not necessary at this time.

How are customer service and support?

I never contacted them.

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

When I came here, Netgate was installed. My IT department and my IT subcontractor explained to me that FortiGate was better than the previous solution. We changed it one and a half years ago, and it has been working well.

What about the implementation team?

It was an IT subcontractor who did the implementation. Our experience with them was very good.

What was our ROI?

It is too early for an ROI, but I have no problems with it. Everything is good.

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

I had to pay for the license for the firewall, but it is guaranteed to have updates. I expect a good service for it. It was about €1000 for a year, and there was no additional cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When we tried to find something better, our IT subcontractor recommended FortiGate or Stormshield. I tried to find a subcontractor at my location for both, but I could only find a subcontractor for FortiGate, so I chose FortiGate. I wanted to have a local subcontractor. There are some products for which we don't need local support, but for some of the products, such as a firewall, we prefer to have local support.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others to find a local contractor. That's because it is a product that can do a lot of things. If you don't know it well, you can make mistakes. Because I learned how to use it, I can now modify or update it. I can do some of the things in FortiGate, but when starting with it, it is better to have someone locally to guide you and do the initial setup.

It is a good and very useful product for me. It is very stable, which is the only thing that I want from a firewall. I would rate it a nine out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at KSB MIL Controls Limited
Real User
Easy to use with good customization and an easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very, very easy to use."
  • "The integration with third-party tools may be something that they should work on."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for a firewall plus as an overall UTM. We do not, however, use it as an SD-WAN.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very, very easy to use.

The user interface is very nice.

The product seems to offer pretty good customization.

The configuration of the product has been very straightforward and simple.

The reporting on offer is quite good.

The initial setup is straightforward as well.

We've found the pricing to be pretty good.

Technical support from the partner has been very helpful.

What needs improvement?

The integration with third-party tools may be something that they should work on. We haven't actually tried to implement that, however.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with the solution for close to ten years. It's been at least a decade at this point. It's been a while.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any issues with the solution's stability. It's very reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. I can't recall experiencing bugs or glitches at all over the time I've used it. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution seems to be pretty good. We haven't had any issues in that respect.

Currently, our organization has about 125 users on the product.

How are customer service and technical support?

While I don't have a direct line to Fortigate, I have used our partner support. They have been excellent and we are quite satisfied with the level of service we receive from them. They are knowledgeable and responsive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex at all. I found it to be very straightforward. This was due to the fact that we had this solution procured along back in 2007 or 2008, as a smaller firewall, a FortiGate 60C.

We don't have anyone that handles maintenance full-time. It's an on-call situation. If we have issues or need maintenance, we raise a ticket and it is dealt with.

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

The pricing of the solution is fair. We don't find it to be overly expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I've never looked at other products and therefore would not be able to really compare this solution to anything.

What other advice do I have?

We are just customers and end-users of the product. We don't have a business relationship with Fortinet.

I'd recommend the solution. It's very simple and easy to use. On top of that, it offers peace of mind.

Overall, I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Director Information Technology at a hospitality company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Reliable perimeter firewall with reasonable total cost of ownership over five years
Pros and Cons
  • "We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well."
  • "The logging details need to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet as a perimeter firewall. The solution is deployed on-premises.

What is most valuable?

The best feature is the ease of use. I think it's pretty much a well-rounded product. It has more features than we use, but a lot of products are like that. We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well.

What needs improvement?

The logging details need to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been working with Fortinet for about 18 months. We are running the current version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't had a need to scale it, so it provides directly what we need it for.

There are approximately 2,800 users in my organization. The solution doesn't require a lot of staff for maintenance.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is very good. On a scale of one to five, I would give them a four.

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

We previously used Check Point. We switched because the devices became in the end of support and then we got pricing on the replacement models, and the pricing was a little bit ridiculous for what we needed so we looked into Fortinet. 

Fortinet said that they could migrate from Check Point for us or help build an easy migration from Check Point to Fortinet. It wasn't that easy at the end of the day, but it all got done. 

The switch was really down to pricing and the functionality that we required, so the decision was made to go with Fortinet because of that and ongoing maintenance costs.

How was the initial setup?

It wasn't complex. It was time-consuming because there were so many rules that had to be set up. We were migrating away from Check Point and going to Fortinet. 

Deployment took six weeks.

What about the implementation team?

Deployment was completed with a consultant.

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

The license is yearly. 

We pay for the top end. It's called 360. We get signatures for blacklist. We get signatures for a whole host of different bad actors that search the internet.

It covers the hardwares, software, and it covers the subscriptions to the signatures because the box uses three or four different types of signatures for interrogating inbound and outbound traffic.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10. 

It does everything we need it to do. We're quite happy with it. It's very reliable. We haven't had any problems with it. We had a few teething problems that everybody has when you first use something new. Everything works, and the majority of time we don't even know it's there, which is the best power for an IT appliance that you can buy.

My advice is that if you haven't tried it, you should try it and see if you like it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CEO at Acme Technologies
Reseller
Good application control, web filtering, and anti-spam features, affordable price, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "Customers are more inclined towards FortiGate because of application control, web filtering, and anti-spam features. The support from the FortiGate team is good, and price-wise, it is affordable."
  • "They are doing good, but they can improve the distributor assignment. The availability of the product and the timeline of delivery are the main things. The distribution should be swift, and the distributor should not reach out to end customers directly. They should work as a distributor. There should also be one more local distributor. Currently, there is only one distributor in Pakistan, and the rest of them are in UAE. It is difficult to work with only one distributor. Sometimes, you don't get along with the same distributor, and that's why they should have one more distributor. Their licensing should also be improved. The activation or renewal of the product should be done from the date of renewal, not from the date on which the license expired."

What is our primary use case?

We are selling FortiGate 60E and 200E. I mostly look after imports and finance, and my sales team and my corporate manager look after the business. Currently, we are buying renewals for our customers from a local distributor.

What is most valuable?

Customers are more inclined towards FortiGate because of application control, web filtering, and anti-spam features. The support from the FortiGate team is good, and price-wise, it is affordable.

What needs improvement?

They are doing good, but they can improve the distributor assignment. The availability of the product and the timeline of delivery are the main things. The distribution should be swift, and the distributor should not reach out to end customers directly. They should work as a distributor. There should also be one more local distributor. Currently, there is only one distributor in Pakistan, and the rest of them are in UAE. It is difficult to work with only one distributor. Sometimes, you don't get along with the same distributor, and that's why they should have one more distributor. 

Their licensing should also be improved. The activation or renewal of the product should be done from the date of renewal, not from the date on which the license expired.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is 100% stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We have more than a thousand users. 

How are customer service and technical support?

The support from the FortiGate team is good. My engineers never complained that they are facing any problem with Fortinet in terms of support.

How was the initial setup?

It is very easy to install. It is way easier than Cisco.

The deployment duration varies from customer to customer. It depends on what features they want to utilize, what is their scenario for IP addressing, and what security level they want to implement. It also depends on the policy and the planning of the technical teams. My engineers and the customer's engineers sit together, and they plan the activity and take care of everything. After that, they decide what to implement and how long it will take. Sometimes there are physical, logical, or IP addressing problems, so it all depends on the customer and our implementation planning. I have three guys for deployment. 

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

Its price is affordable and lesser than Cisco. Cisco is expensive.

In terms of licensing, there is only one issue. If a customer's license has expired a month ago and they do the renewal after one month, Fortinet renews the license from the start of the previous month. The activation of the product is done from the previous month, not from the date of renewal. The customers usually shout and complain that because they are paying today, the renewal should start from today. The support contract renewals or licensing should be renewed from the date of renewal, but Fortinet starts from the day it had expired. It is a loss for customers. They might have had some problems because of which they did not take the license one month before. Fortinet should work on this. Cisco doesn't do this. Cisco always starts from the day they apply for the license.

What other advice do I have?

We plan to keep selling this solution. Fortinet has launched new partnership levels. They have removed the silver partnership. We were a silver partner previously, and we have now become a premier partner or something like that. So, we have to improve our partnership on new levels.

I would definitely recommend this solution. We always support customers and recommend buying Fortinet. It is a better, more stable, and relatively cheaper product than Cisco. We supply Cisco only when a customer forces us to go for Cisco.

I would 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: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.