Jovan Jovanovic - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
A highly stable and scalable solution for security with easy setup
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiGate is a rapidly growing vendor with a wide range of ready-to-use products. Their delivery time is remarkably quick, usually between two to four weeks."
  • "FortiGate NGFW can improve technical support. The engineer who answers the technical support call, email, or phone call, whatever the medium may be. The response time is very bad."

What is our primary use case?

We are a distributor of Fortinet products. My role primarily involves importing these products and delivering them to our partners and resellers, who in turn sell them to the end customers.

What is most valuable?

FortiGate is a rapidly growing vendor with a wide range of ready-to-use products. Their delivery time is remarkably quick, usually between two to four weeks. They provide excellent support, especially when it comes to helping resellers who may encounter implementation issues with Fortinet. The technical presales and support teams are readily available to assist them. So, there are definitely several benefits to working with Fortinet.

The interface, pricing, and support are good. FortiGate release new patches and offers regularly. In the integration file, they don't have anything to add because they have a very wide portfolio and models in the next-generation firewalls. FortiGate has a variety of add-on license tools that can be applied to the firewall.

FortiGate should continue to push them to continue to grow up as they've been growing for the last eight years.

What needs improvement?

FortiGate NGFW can improve technical support. The engineer who answers the technical support call, email, or phone call, whatever the medium may be. The response time is very bad.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for eight years. 

Buyer's Guide
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't have broken devices to be repaired or replaced with new ones, so they are very stable while working.

I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the solution’s scalability a ten out of ten.

We have all types of business models and customers in our portfolio, such as the midsized business, enterprise, entry-level, and small businesses. We are working with all of that with all of the Fortinet solutions.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is very slow. The engineer who answers the technical support call, email, or phone call, whatever the medium may be. The response time is very bad. 

On the other hand, Cisco takes one or two hours to respond, while Fortinet takes a few days. This is an area that they could improve on a global scale.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution is easy, which is the most important feature for in-domain-wide resellers, partners, and customers. In the end, if you want to use Fortinet as a firewall administrator in your network, it is highly recommended because it is extremely easy to set up, especially for first-time users.  

Even if you have previous experience with Cisco or Check Point, setting up Fortinet is easy. It is a very user-friendly configuration.

I rate the solution setup a ten out of ten. It is very user-friendly.

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

FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall is cheaper than Cisco or CheckPoint or Palo Alto and more expensive than Barracuda or Sophos or any smaller brands. The prices fit right where they are on the global market.

What other advice do I have?

I advise you to buy it ASAP because it's a very good product.

From my experience as a distributor, some customers don't buy technical support on the devices. They buy only devices. I will advise them to buy the technical support of FortiCare service. In that case, they will have technical support by phone call, or by mail. They will have a replacement if anything is broken 24/7.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Engineer at Dejpaad
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Suitable for medium-range companies and user-friendly interface
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very user-friendly solution. Moreover, Foritgate offers good performance."
  • "There should be better customization in the IPS."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for protection. We have general use cases.

What is most valuable?

It is a very user-friendly solution. Moreover, Foritgate offers good performance, where it outperforms Cisco Firepower in various ways.

What needs improvement?

The solution doesn't cover all aspects of protection. There should be better customization in the IPS. The Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) and FortiGuard could benefit from enhancement. 

So, in future releases, I want to see improvements in IPS, particularly in terms of customization.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The firewall is very stable and reliable.

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. There's always room for improvement.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have around three to four customers using this solution.

How are customer service and support?

I can't use the technical support because of some sanctions in Iran. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup process is easy and very fast. The setup process is very fast, typically taking only one to two days.

What about the implementation team?

The purchasing process is straightforward, and then the normal deployment process. 

Moreover, a single person can handle the deployment and maintenance tasks.

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

There is a licensing fee; it is on a yearly basis. The pricing iss actually quite normally priced. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have used Cisco. I find impressive about Cisco is its powerful enterprise-grade solution, comparable to Fortinet firewall. FortiGate is not superior to Cisco, but it stands out for its user-friendly interface.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. It is a suitable solution for medium-range companies due to its well-designed user interface.

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
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
771,170 professionals have used our research since 2012.
ClaudeMualuko - PeerSpot reviewer
CyberSecurity Engineer at Computech Limited
Real User
Top 5
A highly scalable product with an amazing support team and a user-friendly interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution’s interface is pretty user-friendly."
  • "The product has to be upgraded every few weeks."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for multiple firewalls like edge and data center firewalls.

What is most valuable?

The solution’s interface is pretty user-friendly. It's easy to come up with policies and basic configurations. It is pretty straightforward.

What needs improvement?

Once in a few months, there is a vulnerability in the OS. The product has to be upgraded every few weeks.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our customers range from small to medium businesses. I rate the tool’s scalability a ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Support is amazing.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

I rate the ease of setup a nine and a half out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

On average, deployment takes two or three days. Usually, a person from the customer’s side and I deploy the solution.

What other advice do I have?

The product is a good choice. It will not be a headache for the IT team. It is very common on the market. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Alireza Goftari - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Scalable and easy-to-manage solution
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable solution compared to other vendors."
  • "Its load balancing feature could be easy to configure."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to protect our services published on the internet.

What is most valuable?

The solution is more reliable and easy to manage than Cisco Firewall Solutions. It provides a flexible interface for configuration.

What needs improvement?

The solution's load balancing feature could be easy to configure in terms of interface.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable compared to other vendors.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable for our medium enterprise.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is easy to access and configure in terms of GUI.

What about the implementation team?

The reseller for the solution helped us implement it.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Management Board Member and Network Engineer at NewLogics
Reseller
Top 5Leaderboard
A highly scalable solution that can be used for network security
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's application control is very powerful."
  • "The solution's stability should be improved because it is extremely unstable."

What is our primary use case?

We use FortiGate Next Generation Firewall mainly for network security.

What is most valuable?

The solution's application control is very powerful. Another valuable feature is the integration between the firewall and the switches we have. The FortiSwitch extended security fabric is one of the things that we like about the solution.

What needs improvement?

The solution's stability should be improved because it is extremely unstable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for eight years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a very scalable solution. Approximately 32 customers are working with the solution.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support team needs more improvement. The technical support team has a slow response and needs more experienced support agents to interact with the customers.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is easy and straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

Since it's a security solution, it needs considerable time to deploy. We need to analyze the network, the customer requirements, and the policies we need to add, which can take a couple of days.

For any security solution, there is no straightforward deployment process. It depends on the survey on the customer side and what we are doing for the customer. One security engineer is required for the deployment and maintenance of the solution.

What was our ROI?

Since FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a slightly expensive solution, the use case determines the ROI. However, since it's quite expensive for general usage, it has a lower ROI.

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

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is an expensive solution with a yearly subscription. There are no extra costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

The solution has a lot of features that we like. We don't need additional features because they compromise the solution's stability when they add more features. As a security gateway, we need to be much more stable than adding more features.

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall comes in two versions, namely, the hardware version and the cloud version. For the on-premises version, hardware is to be implemented on-site; for the cloud, it's a cloud security solution. So it depends on which version your customer is using. The licensing is very different for the on-prem and the cloud solution.

When it comes to complex solutions, I highly recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall.

Customers looking for SD-WAN and good application control should go for FortiGate Next Generation Firewall. Customers looking for high stability should avoid the solution.

Overall, I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
PS & Technical Manager at a integrator with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5
The solution is easy to deploy and provides good technical support, but it is not stable and hangs frequently
Pros and Cons
  • "User identification and application identification are valuable features."
  • "The product keeps hanging."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for security.

What is most valuable?

User identification and application identification are valuable features.

What needs improvement?

The product keeps hanging. One of our customers was unhappy because it didn’t work sometimes.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is not stable for small companies.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is scalable. Our customers are small, medium, and enterprise-level businesses.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I also work with Palo Alto and Cisco. Each product has its advantages and disadvantages. Palo Alto has a lot of features. It provides application identification features and big data analysis. Palo Alto is more stable than FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. It takes us some days to deploy the solution.

What about the implementation team?

We need about six people to deploy the solution. It is easy to maintain the product.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the solution to others. The product is for commercial clients like the oil and gas sector. It might not be suitable for banking. Overall, I rate the product a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Presales Manager at a computer retailer with 11-50 employees
Reseller
A reasonably priced product that can be used by small, medium, and enterprise-sized businesses
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiGate Next Generation Firewall can be described as the most complete solution."
  • "When considering the policy of the vendors, they do not offer much of a discount policy, making the licensing model an area that needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?



What is most valuable?

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall can be described as the most complete solution.

What needs improvement?

When considering the policy of the vendors, they do not offer much of a discount policy, making the licensing model an area that needs improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have experience with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for many years. My company is a reseller of the solution.


What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for small, medium, and enterprise-sized companies.

It is a scalable solution since Fortinet offers many other products.

How are customer service and support?

My customers are satisfied with the technical support provided by Fortinet.

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

In my opinion, the pricing of the product is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a good product.

I rate the overall product between eight to ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Ishtiaq Haider - PeerSpot reviewer
VP Sales/Pre Sales at Comstar - Information Systems Associates Ltd.
Real User
Top 5
A high performing Solution with a valuable GUI configuration feature
Pros and Cons
  • "The GUI configuration is its most valuable feature"
  • "The licensing model and pricing need improvement."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is being used as a firewall. 

What is most valuable?

The GUI configuration is its most valuable feature. 

What needs improvement?

The licensing model and pricing need improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for the last four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a stable solution. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. Fifty users are using the solution. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team is good, but we haven't reached out to them on our own. 

How was the initial setup?

FortiGate's initial setup is easy. The solution's deployment depends on the projects and the way clients use it. It takes approximately five days to deploy the solution. I rate the setup an eight out of ten.

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

It is an expensive solution.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall solution 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: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.