FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Reviews

There are numerous features and benefits depending on the specific use case. Fortinet offers comprehensive security solutions for various purposes. I can deploy different solutions and more. 

There is room for improvement in pricing. 

I have almost five years of experience with FortiGate NGFW. I work with the firewall for small businesses and enterprises. Currently, I'm using the enterprise version.

As for the models, I mainly use FortiGate 6800, T, 100C, 200S, and 200P.

I haven't experienced any stability issues with this product so far. It handles everything it needs to, including server requirements, client services, and computing, without any problems. I have deployed numerous firewalls, and until now, they have been incredibly stable. There haven't been any issues related to version compatibility either. So, I would say it's stable for me.

I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. 

Customer service and support are good. Every time I have reached out to them, they have been responsive and helpful. In fact, I have even shared news and deployment information on my LinkedIn to showcase their excellent support.

The initial setup was easy. There were no issues during the setup.

The time taken for deployment depends on various factors. For example, if I deploy it today, I might install it the following day. However, if there are any issues with the network architecture provided by the IT vendor, it may take more time to resolve those issues before completing the deployment. But in terms of deployment alone, without considering logistics, it can be done in a day or a few hours.

In our market, the pricing is a little expensive. While we can acquire a smaller package of Fortinet, it still comes at a high cost. So, I would say the pricing is on the higher side. However, when comparing it with other vendors, it's still more reasonable.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. A rating of ten would require even more efficient reporting and swift resolution of any breakout or resilience attack. If they can provide faster fixes and proactive responses, it would be perfect.

Our clients use the solution to ensure their environment is secured on all the layers. The application layer all the way to the networking. That's one of the main reasons they use the product in their environment.

It's a seamless product, and it's not buggy. The updates we receive from FortiGate are one of the most important features. The product is user-friendly and not complex.

The solution must improve the support provided for customers around the globe, considering the time differences in different places. The product could add some functionalities and features provided by its competitors to stay ahead in the market.

I have been using the solution for two years.

The product is stable. We haven't had issues so far. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

The solution is scalable in most cases. It all depends on the customer's requirements. We haven't yet come across a situation whereby scaling is not possible. Our clients are small, medium, and enterprise businesses. Currently, one of our customers is not able to reach the specific level of scalability that they require so far. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

The support is great. However, support needs to improve constantly. Even though they are good, they should try to stay ahead of the competitors.

Positive

The solution is easy to install. The ease of setup depends upon the customer’s requirements. I rate the ease of setup a ten out of ten.

The time to deploy the product depends on the clients’ requirements because we have to work hand in hand with the service provider. If we have to terminate a link on the firewall and everything from the networking perspective is all in place, it might just take a couple of minutes to deploy.

We need just need one to three engineers to deploy the solution. It depends on the magnitude of the client. The solution requires maintenance. More than three people are needed to maintain the product.

The product is a little bit expensive. The certifications cost $400. Other vendors provide it for an average of $200 to $300. The product has an annual licensing fee. Additional costs depend on the user's requirements.

People looking to use the product must ensure they have enough engineers who know how to work with it. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

The tool's most valuable feature is IPS. In my experience, I haven't encountered any issues with integration. It easily integrates with the FortiGate solution. However, verifying through documentation and assessing their support is necessary.

Its interface user-friendliness is good. When we present this interface to customers, they find it easy to understand and manage.

Support for courses available on the platform

I rate FortiGate's NGFW's stability a ten out of ten. 

The tool's scalability is good and it has helped our company. I rate it a ten out of ten. We have around 3 customers and 500~800 users. 

There has been a delay in support where I had to wait for a day to receive a response. I believe I might not have used the correct procedure, leading to inaccurate information. Consequently, I did not receive the prompt answer that I was expecting.

Positive

The Cisco Firepower is less stable compared to FortiGate NGFW. Cisco Firepower has a complex interface. 

The solution's deployment is easy. 

The tool's pricing is neither cheap nor expensive. Overall, I find it to be competitive in the market.

I recommend FortiGate NGFW because its interface is easy to understand, making firewall deployment and management straightforward. It has a good market reputation and offers information on cybersecurity, including news, threats, etc. I rate it a ten out of ten. 

We use FortiGate Next Generation Firewall first and foremost for the main site's security, remote sites, and establishing the connection between the firewalls they use. More recently, we have been using it when implementing SD-WAN.

The total ownership of equipment has several benefits when using one platform for administration. Training is then more focus-oriented to technology like Fabric. From the operations point of view, we have better savings by using this solution.

I like the common administration and the possibility of adding Fortinet defense systems.

I see problems with the licensing. If I have to add a new feature, we need to add a license. There may then be extra costs for our maintenance budget.

I have been using the solution for the past five years.

Fortigate is very stable.

FortiGate is a very scalable solution.

We used SonicWall. We switched to FortiGate looking for better security technology, and better fabric technology based on security. In this approach, FortiGate is still better than SonicWall.

With the initial setup, it's important to sit with the team to establish the application and the main issues to get the best possible script to implement in Fortinet equipment. We had to spend some time to implement it better.

Deployment could take one week, depending on the site, or even three weeks to implement the solution. Around four people were involved in the deployment.

We contacted an external company to provide some professional services through engineers who have better experience in certain kinds of implementations.

The pricing is better compared to other solutions like Check Point, Arista, or Cisco.

To anyone who plans on supporting this solution, refer to training resources in the Fortinet training center. There are people who have some experience that could provide some guidelines to people who start with basic issues and basic tasks, to then grow with experience by implementing some maintenance windows. I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall a nine out of ten.

We use the product for security and filtering purposes.

The product helps block multiple ports during ransomware attacks.

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) 's most valuable features are reporting and filtering.

The product's data guard feature should support a USB port when the internet connection is unavailable.

We have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for three years.

I rate the platform's stability a ten out of ten.

Our organization has 500 FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) users. We utilize the platform 24/7. I rate its scalability a ten out of ten.

The platform's initial setup process is easy. I rate the process a ten out of ten. It takes a couple of days. The deployment involves integrating it with SSO in FortiGate. It helps with filtering access to user accounts through Active Directory. One executive is required for deployment. Additionally, one executive is needed to take care of packet updates for maintenance.

We implemented the product with the help of our in-house team.

I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) an eight out of ten.

I use FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for network protection using its DMZ network.

The solution has helped our network security.

There are multiple features I have found to be valuable, such as encryption and integrated security features.

The management consoles can be improved. I have used them before, and they are not so good.

I have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for over two years.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten points for stability.

I rate the solution eight out of ten points for scalability. Over 200 people use it, some of whom are in IT.

I used Palo Alto more than a year ago at my previous job.

The initial setup was easy, I rate it a nine out of ten. Deployment took several days, involving one or two people. The steps involved in the process are design, configuration and implementation, testing and implementation, and also some fine-tuning.

I would rate pricing to be about four or five out of ten, it is reasonable.

I recommend this solution because the price is reasonable and the performance is quite good. Overall I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

The usability of the solution is its best feature. The product has a great UI. The UI is seamless and easier to navigate compared to other firewalls. The reporting and logging are good too. Additionally, Fortinet Security Fabric is another great feature.

Being a great product, some changes in the pricing would make it a great choice for even more organizations.

I have been using the solution for two to three years.

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

Currently, we have around ten customers. Our customers are mostly medium-sized businesses. We also have small and enterprise-level customers.

I rate the tool’s scalability a nine out of ten. FortiGate's VDOM is a great feature for scalability.

Support is good. A local organization provides us with first-level support. I have raised a few cases with them.

Positive

I rate the ease of setup a nine out of ten. Most organizations like to have everything deployed within the premises. The initial setup can be done within a few hours if the planning is done beforehand. The policies and other requirements are added gradually.

In our country, pricing is very important. The product is not cheap. Although companies do invest in one-time setup, retaining license renewal is not the same for every organization. I rate the pricing a five out of ten. Support should be purchased as per various levels and other licenses for security features, like Application Control and Web Filtering, should also be purchased.

Overall, it is a great technology to use. It is imperative to train employees to get the best out of the product and robust implementation. FortiGate has a great learning platform and commendable documentation for that which should be utilized. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

The main use case of FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is that it is used to search for a firewall whenever we need to connect multiple sites to a VPN. At times, the solution needs a web filter or a particular filter. With the IPS and the cloud protection on the gateway, we are also looking for a firewall that can act as zero-depth protection.

The solution's most important feature is that it will work on the app whenever we block the application order, making it a plus point for the NGFW firewall. The solution also works with all the other web protection aspects, because of which we get everything in a single box.

There are multiple firewalls, and I mainly worked with Sophos and FortiGate. To weigh the pros and cons, different types and aspects should be considered in different firewalls.

The support for FortiGate in the Indian region can be improved along with the scalability. The pricing of the solution is expensive, so it could be cheaper.

I have worked as a system integrator with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for five years.

We can say that the solution's scalability is moderate. It is not that easy, nor too hard. If the technician is sound, then he can understand the solution easily.

Our customers include small, medium, and enterprise businesses.

In India, support takes some time. If the call gets connected outside India, then it is very good. SonicWall has the best support, and Sophos also offers good support. For FortiGate, the support in the Indian region can be improved. 

As for the rating, I would say that FortiGate offers very good support. Once we get the support, it is very good. However, the support team is not connecting as easily as we require. If the issue is too critical, the process becomes more complicated for us. I rate the support an eight out of ten.

Positive

I mainly worked with Sophos and FortiGate. I have used different solutions depending on the customer's requirements. We can suggest a particular solution to a customer based on their needs. Every firewall solution has its own pros and cons, which we just bifurcate as per the customer's requirement.

The initial setup is easy if I am going to talk about Sophos' and FortiGate's installation. It is easy to install. There is not much complexity involved.

As for deployment, it depends on the customer's requirements. But the average time is 3 to 4 hours. At times, deployment takes 12 to 13 hours, but it depends on the model and the configuration.

It takes two engineers to deploy the product. One of them is the deployment engineer, and one is an architect.

The solution is deployed on-premises.

The solution is more expensive than Sophos. It could be cheaper. The licensing is on a yearly basis. We have had it for about three years. We must only pay extra for the license, additional requirements, and the hardware box.

I am fine with the solution's interface. The solution is easy to use. FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is a base product, and anyone can use it. I recommend it to those planning to use it.

There is not much maintenance for FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW). OEM provides the support. Whenever it becomes complicated or any issues come up, we can call OEM directly, and they are always available to help.

Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.