Fortinet FortiExtender Review

We primarily use the FortiExtender for a mobile connection with sites where there is no wireless connection. 

The redundancy and the functionality of the SD-WAN connection that gives us the possibility to connect via smartphones is the solution's most valuable feature. The load sharing is also very good.

The solution is extremely user-friendly.

The engineering of the solution has some negative points, especially in terms of troubleshooting. It's difficult to troubleshoot when we have a problem. It's not like other products like Cisco or Palo Alto which make troubleshooting much easier.

The solution should offer better monitoring, like Palo Alto, which uses the monitoring feature to help you find a problem. Palo Alto also offers a packet tracer to give you the opportunity to test your configuration before you use it. That way, you can try a configuration you are not sure about it. Fortinet, in my opinion, can do more at this point.

The stability is good. There aren't too many bugs in the OS, so it maintains good stability.

The solution offers decent scalability. At this point, we don't plan to increase usage.

Support is good. Occasionally we reach out if we have troubleshooting issues, and they are always helpful.

I previously worked with Cisco. I also work with Palo Alto and Check Point. We switched mostly due to the price difference. With Fortinet, it's cheaper and we don't sacrifice quality. It's also easier to use than say, Check Point, which was a difficult product for us. It took too much time to learn its intricacies.

The initial setup is very easy. FortiExtender is one of the easiest products I've worked with. Deployment took about 30 minutes, but we took some time in advance of the setup to understand the architecture. The solution, in general, is very easy to install and configure. It takes about two people to deploy the solution.

Our team handled the implementation ourselves. If we had questions, we would work with the Fortinet team as well.

You have an option to license the solution for one, three, or five years. There aren't any extra costs over and above the licensing fees.

There's no need for maintenance with this product. Occasionally something may need troubleshooting. If it's something the team can't handle, you can always call Fortinet's support team.

I'd advise others to test the solution. It's a very good product with the possibility to use it as a firewall. You should learn it before you use it so that you know its features and its full potential as a solution.

I was very impressed when I used it for the first time.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.