Fortinet FortiMail Reviews

It operates as an alternative mail server, particularly adept at receiving and rescanning messages before they reach the intended recipients.

FortiMail possesses notable strengths, and one key feature is its store-and-forward concept.

It could benefit from enhancing its functionality, especially in terms of advanced filtering. Introducing features such as AI-based and cloud-based filtering could significantly improve mail security. Fortinet should consider developing more robust protection mechanisms, particularly for cloud-based environments. Currently, users often refrain from placing Fortinet in front of Office 365 Exchange unless it's a cloud-based solution. Improving the upgrade process, making it more user-friendly, and simplifying the management of hardware components could enhance the overall user experience and appeal of Fortinet's email security solution.

I would rate its stability capabilities nine out of ten.

Regarding scalability, the challenge lies in the licensing model tied to the hardware appliance. The current setup necessitates choosing between a higher or lower capacity appliance, creating inefficiencies. For instance, if you opt for a smaller appliance designed for up to a hundred users and the client has fewer users, you end up paying for unused capacity. On the other hand, choosing a higher-level appliance for a larger user base may result in unnecessary excess capacity and costs. It would be advantageous if Fortinet could address this issue by offering more flexible licensing options. This way, clients could pay for the specific number of users they have without being constrained by preset appliance capacities. This adjustment would enhance the scalability and cost-effectiveness of Fortinet's email security solution.

Initially, when reaching out to Fortinet's tier-one support, we observed effective resolution of issues. However, at the entry-level, it seems that there's a repetition of updating tickets, and the problems persist. Having worked with Fortinet for an extended period, I've noticed a shift in the support dynamic. Either the personnel at the first level lack a complete understanding of the issues, or they are relatively junior, leading to extended resolution times for even minor concerns. Previously, their responsiveness was quick and efficient, with a maximum of 24 hours for a technical person to address an issue. However, recent changes in their approach may be contributing to the longer turnaround times. The process of logging a technical call and receiving a response has become somewhat extended, even for smaller issues. I would rate it six out of ten.

Neutral

I often recommend exploring alternative products that diverge from the appliance-based approach. One notable option is Marshal from Paradigm, which was previously known as NetIQ. Marshal operates as software deployed on a server, handling inbound scanning, and forwarding emails based on established policies. This on-premises solution ensures that emails undergo scanning before reaching the main server, providing a robust layer of security. Other alternatives include GFI MailEssentials, Mimecast, and FortiGuard. Each of these products has its unique features and pricing structures. I've had positive experiences with Enhanced Security, our own rebranded solution. This cost-effective option is specifically tailored for SME segments, running seamlessly for the past four years. It is AI-based, cloud-based and has demonstrated its compatibility with various email platforms, including online exchange servers, on-premises servers, shared hosting, and Google Suite. Users have found it to be a reliable and efficient choice for email security.

The initial setup of Fortinet is not suitable for everyone; it requires a solid understanding of how email systems function, making it less accessible for entry-level or junior technicians. Proper comprehension of mail concepts is crucial for a successful deployment. Incorrect configurations may lead to misleading outcomes, potentially causing disruptions in both incoming and outgoing emails. 

Upgrading the storage requires a more involved process, as it is not a simple plug-and-play scenario. Users must go through the entire setup again, which can be a cumbersome task.

The pricing is on the higher side.

While FortiMail provides a valuable option for those focused on transparent mail filtering or security solutions, it may not be the preferred choice for users accustomed to the features offered by platforms like Microsoft Exchange. In the SME segment, factors such as functionality, ease of use, and cost play a significant role. Many businesses in this category may find cloud-based solutions more appealing due to lower costs, simplified maintenance, and performance considerations. If an organization operates in the enterprise segment and has a substantial budget, considering Fortinet might be a viable option. However, for the SME segment, I would not recommend it due to the cost involved and the complexities associated with yearly renewals. Implementing Fortinet requires a level of technical expertise, particularly in understanding how mail servers function. Overall, I would rate seven out of ten.

We primarily use the solution to protect the mail of our customers. We have a big device installed in our data center and we offer managed services. Most of our clients have Office 365 and they need that protected. 

The antiphishing capabilities are very good. 

It has good antispam features. 

The solution is stable. 

It would be better if it were easier to install.

The solution doesn't scale easily.

I started using this solution for a couple of years.

We haven't had any issues with the solution. It is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

The solution is a bit scalable. However, that's based on the size of the hardware that's available at the outset. If you are planning to install dedicated hardware, you need to size the device to meet the needs. 

I've never dealt with technical support. That would be handled by another department. 

I also have some experience with Check Point. I've recently looked into comparisons between Check Point and Fortinet to show to a client. I find Check Point Harmony easier to set up.

The initial setup could be easier as it is a bit difficult. I'd rate the ease of implementation six out of ten.

We have hardware in our data center. For us, this is deployed on-premises; however, for our clients, it's available on the cloud. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. 

We're partners and resellers. 

We are using Fortinet FortiMail as our email gateway.

Before implementing Fortinet FortiMail, our organization struggled with a high volume of spam emails. However, since deploying this product, we have seen a complete eradication of spam and have been able to function more efficiently as a result. As a utility company in the capital city of Kenya, it is crucial that we are able to communicate effectively and avoid any unnecessary distractions, and this solution has allowed us to do just that.

The key benefits of this solution are its user-friendly interface and clear instructions, as well as the wealth of online resources and helpful health community available for support. These features make it easy for users to navigate and utilize the solution effectively.

The solution's pricing is flexible and can be adjusted for African utility companies. Microsoft often offers special pricing formulas for African governments and organizations and it is similar to Fortinet FortiMail. In my country, government institutions receive discounted pricing from Fortinet FortiMail.

I have been using Fortinet FortiMail for one and a half years.

The solution is stable. It has never crashed once in and the half years we have been using it.

The solution is scalable because we were able to increase the number of emails without any issues and we can continue using the solution without any problems. We have approximately 3,500 users using this solution.

Some examples of the technical support provided for the solution include addressing my initial setup questions and helping me navigate the steep learning curve. As a result, I was able to become more proficient in using the solution and the need for further escalation decreased.

I rate the support from Fortinet FortiMail a ten out of ten.

Positive

We did not use another solution prior to Fortinet FortiMail. However, our ISP did handle the anti-spamming for us.

The initial setup of the solution was easy to accomplish. The engineer took only a few hours to complete it, starting in the afternoon and finishing by 5:00 pm.

The solution was implemented by a third-party engineer from Fortinet FortiMail East Africa. After setting it up, he trained me on how to support it. In case of any issues, he was always available to provide assistance.

The solution's ROI can be seen in the decrease in spam emails, which previously caused the exchange server to shut down and disrupted communication with customers. This led to a decrease in monthly collections, but the implementation of the solution allowed for 24/7 communication and stabilized the end-of-month collections.

We paid approximately $30,000 for the solution. It is less expensive than some other solutions. We have one license that carries all the features that we wanted.

We evaluated Checkpoint. We chose Fortinet FortiMail because of its cost-effective pricing and ease of deployment and maintenance. The technical maintenance and troubleshooting were also simpler compared to Checkpoint.

I do the maintenance of the solution. It requires updates every few months.

If somebody wants a good solution that is cost-effective and works well, I would recommend Fortinet FortiMail.

I rate Fortinet FortiMail a nine out of ten.

Our primary use case for this solution is securing mail releases, as it serves as our central server. For example, multiple domains have multiple mail services. To authenticate the request coming from the mail service, we require security to implement Fortinet FortiMail and establish the mail request. All domains are added to Fortinet FortiMail, and the primary protection for all domains is done with Fortinet FortiMail. We deploy the solution on a private cloud.

In some of our research facilities, research teams use multiple mail services to research mail servers. This solution can be used in the local domains since Fortinet FortiMail can authenticate every mail server, thereby solving blacklisting issues. Typically this global blocklisting happens when our unauthenticated emails come from our domain and public APs. So, when unauthenticated emails come from the public AP, they blacklist the public AP. Through Fortinet FortiMail, we can perfectly authenticate each local mail service and mail release so that only authenticated mail goes out from our domain.

The anti-spam feature is very valuable. For example, recently, some recent spam mails were correctly blocked by Fortinet FortiMail. Additionally, the solution has an excellent user interface.

The solution could be improved by providing a virtual machine facility with a complete set of options in the VM setup and by enhancing the clarity of the information supplied for content filtering. Additionally, in the next release, we would suggest that Fortinet FortiMail be added as an add-on to Fortinet Firewall itself. It can be included as a module and added to the Fortinet Firewall.

We have been using this solution for eight years and are currently using the latest version.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable. We have between 5,000 and 10,000 users using the solution in our organization.

Our experience with customer service and support has been moderate. I rate it a six out of ten.

Neutral

The initial setup was difficult so we used Fortinet support to guide us through implementation. Deployment took three days.

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the exact licensing price as the accounting department handles it, but it is more expensive than most competitors.

I rate this solution an eight out of ten. The solution is good but can be improved by including a virtual machine facility with a complete set of options in the VM setup and enhancing the content filtering feature. My advice to new users of this solution would be to use Fortinet and FortiMail together because they are super tools when combined.

We use the solution to protect the network, Internet, and external checks. It is user-friendly and easy to use. The desktops are nice to understand.

The important feature is the application control, which makes administration much easier. It also has an intrusion prevention feature. There's also the wireless functionality, which works well with Huawei devices. 

The solution's pricing could be improved.

I have been using Fortinet FortiMail as an end user for three to four years. We are using V2000F of the solution.

The solution is quite stable. There aren't many additional advantages.

The solution is easy to scale. 100 users are using this solution.

The service is very good and timely. They always address the tickets on time, and they are reliable.

Positive

One advantage of FortiMail against Symantec is its ability to effectively block spam, viruses, malware, and malicious traffic. It provides comprehensive security coverage across all these areas.

The solution is easy to deploy and takes two to four hours for migration. We have about three experts for deployment and maintenance.

FortiMail reduces your overall security-related costs. It saved 60% time and 70% cost

The price of Fortinet FortiMail steadily increases every year. There is a possible ten percent increase. It's concerning because Fortinet is well-known, and even large companies like IBM use it. However, the yearly price hikes aren't favorable for consumers. 

The data loss prevention feature in Fortinet FortiMail is not as comprehensive as it should be to cover all data movements and types. It may require additional purchases or integration with solutions like Symantec to monitor and protect the entire range of data effectively.

Fortinet FortiMail is a reputable brand known for providing robust support. They consistently strive to offer effective solutions tailored to your IT infrastructure.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

The tool needs to improve its pricing policy. Also, it needs to be more user-friendly. I would want it to improve email security as well. 

I have been using the solution for two years. 

I would rate the tool's stability a nine out of ten. 

I would rate the solution's scalability an eight out of ten. 

The support takes one to two days to respond. 

Positive

The tool's distributor supported us with the deployment. The solution's deployment took around one day to complete. 

You need to pay additional fees for premium support. 

I would rate the tool a nine out of ten. This solution is good for small and medium enterprise companies. 

Fortinet FortiMail is sufficient for our use cases.

The user quarantine feature in the solution is good. Not all the solutions have user quarantine features since they mostly have system quarantine features. The integration with Active Directory is great. The solution's antispam is really very efficient, especially the greylisting. Recently, the protection against impersonation is doing a great job.

The solution lacks to provide more visibility when there is a problem, and it needs to be tracked. The solution should provide users with more visibility so that they can track a problem.

It has been only a very short time since I started using Fortinet FortiMail. I use it for my company and for our customers. My company has a partnership with Fortinet.

It is a stable solution.

Regarding scalability, we did not receive any case where we had to expand. I recommend the solution to businesses that range from small to medium, including those who do not have a very large environment. It is possible to scale it more since we have one enterprise where it is deployed at a large scale.

Fortinet's technical support is great. Usually, we do the first level of support. And when there is a really difficult problem, we raise tickets, and they are very good at handling such problems. I rate the technical support a nine out of ten.

Positive

It is easy to deploy.

Regarding the time taken for deployment, If it is in gateway mode, then it will not take more than two to three hours. If such necessities are not there in place, it will take more time.

We do the implementation. Also, we provide professional services since we sell the product with professional services.

The pricing is reasonable, and this is why small to medium enterprises are adopting it. Price-wise, the solution is not far from Microsoft ATP. So, it is affordable.

In fact, some vendors tried to work with us, but we found Fortinet to be very good.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We use Fortinet FortiMail primarily for our email security. We're also using the solution for its anti-spam, antivirus, and sandbox features.

Fortinet FortiMail has been beneficial to my company. In the past, there were a lot of SPAM and phishing attempts, but after Fortinet FortiMail was implemented, it gave better protection against SPAM, phishing attempts, and ransomware. The solution detects emails received from non-reputable sources. You can also finetune Fortinet FortiMail based on your requirements. For example, the solution used to quarantine even safe emails, but after finetuning it, Fortinet FortiMail now only blocks and quarantines unsafe emails.

Fortinet FortiMail has a lot of valuable features. It works great. It also has an antivirus feature.

Support for Fortinet FortiMail was also great when my team wanted to block some geographic IPs, but couldn't figure out how to do it. The support team provided clear communication on how to resolve that issue.

Another valuable feature of Fortinet FortiMail is SPAM filtering which tells you how many spammy emails you've received.

Based on my current use cases, I'm happy with Fortinet FortiMail.

What's missing in Fortinet FortiMail is some sandbox information for some of the emails. It's probably configuration-based, where it could be configured on some emails. For example, there was malware in some emails that weren't detected in some of the Fortinet FortiMail sessions, but it should have been configured from my company's end to better catch scam emails, but overall, the solution is okay.

At the moment, my company is okay with the current Fortinet FortiMail offerings, but in the past, because of a lack of understanding, my team wasn't able to quickly implement the geographical IP blocking feature. It was time-consuming to implement that feature, but that wasn't a fault of Fortinet FortiMail. The issue was from my team's end, but just by emailing the support team, that issue was resolved, so right now, there isn't any additional feature I'd like added to Fortinet FortiMail.

We started using Fortinet FortiMail just this year, in particular, in March.

Fortinet FortiMail is a stable solution.

Fortinet FortiMail is a scalable solution.

The Fortinet FortiMail team provided great support. On a scale of one to five, I'll give it the highest score, which is five.

Positive

Though I wasn't part of the team that installed Fortinet FortiMail, my impression was that the installation was straightforward because it had some documentation on how to do it, and it was easy, so you won't have much trouble installing Fortinet FortiMail. You just need to learn the dashboard first, which is normal for first-time users of any other application. The solution did have a very user-friendly GUI.

Fortinet FortiMail implementation didn't take long. You first put it on the testing platform with a test domain, then you implement it in a production environment, where you'll learn how to use it, and determine how to best put the solution in production. Next, you set up or orient email traffic to the platform, then let the admins and Fortinet FortiMail support team do the work in terms of finetuning the solution and figuring out how to implement it based on company requirements. Though I don't have exact information on how long the deployment took, it was just a short period. For example, for Fortinet FortiMail to be up and running, it took just a couple of days.

My company worked with Fortinet FortiMail support in implementing the solution in the test environment, then in production.

My company has a three-year license for Fortinet FortiMail, including the support, but I'm not so sure of how much the solution costs because I'm not part of the procurement team. What's more important to me is the functionality and stability of Fortinet FortiMail.

In terms of Fortinet FortiMail licensing, the cost is calculated based on company requirements. For example, it's based on the features you need for your environment, on capacity, how many CPUs you have, etc.

We evaluated other options before deciding on Fortinet FortiMail. We tested Fortinet FortiMail first, discussed it with others, then went with Fortinet FortiMail.

My company is using the latest version of Fortinet FortiMail.

Approximately six hundred to seven hundred people have mailboxes within the company, but in terms of Fortinet FortiMail usage, my company has five administrators for it. Two administrators deal with cybersecurity issues and security checks, then the other two administrators focus on the network, while a system administrator deals directly with product health. I'd say that there are three standard users of Fortinet FortiMail and two backup users.

I would recommend Fortinet FortiMail to others looking into implementing the solution for business purposes.

My rating for Fortinet FortiMail is ten out of ten.

My company is a customer of Fortinet FortiMail.