Fortinet FortiGate Reviews, Competitors and Pricing

it_user206346

Security Consultant at Webernetz.net - Network Security Consulting

Jul 14, 2015

Cisco ASA vs. Fortinet FortiGate vs. Palo Alto vs. Juniper SSG

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user69816

Network Manager at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees

Dec 1, 2013

Fortigate is Hard to Beat for the Money

Fortinet has been a darling of the stock market ever since its IPO in 2009 as its stock price has accelerated over recent years. Its stock performance has mirrored the adoration that its line of security devices consistently receive. Fortinet is the current UTM market leader, boasting a 20% market share. Fortinet is now expanding out of its core SMB strength and into the large enterprise market where the increasing performance of its solutions are making it attractively priced.

In Gartner’s latest Unified Threat Management Magic Quadrant (UTM) Fortinet is listed at the top of the leader quadrant. Says Gartner, “We believe attributes that contributed to the leadership position include Fortinet’s high awareness in the industry, in Gartner client’s short-lists and in competitive situations; Fortinet’s aggressive price/performance.”

A UTM or Unified Threat Management device is a firewall that includes other features as well. The Fortinet UTM package includes gateway firewall, anti-virus, web filter, intrusion protection, application control, VPN, email filtering and WAN optimization. Think of it as the “Everything Box.”

There line of UTM security appliances is called the Fortigate series. It offers an appliance to meet every type of network, from the home office to large enterprise networks, as well as Managed Security Service providers. Its smallest unit, the Fortigate-20C, also serves as a wireless router and offers four internal switch port in addition to a WAN port. At the top of the food chain is its new 5000 Series chassis based network appliance. It supports two, six, or fourteen FortiGate-5000 series network security blades, and allow you to scale security and customize your unique environment. These large units are ideal for virtual infrastructures as they can control up to 3,000 virtual domains.

The admin console for the Fortigate is browser based. Sometimes, browser based can have a cheesy rudimentary look but not with the Fortigate. Navigating the Fortigate is simple with its expandable menu. The admin console opens up to a Dashboard which displays a series of widgets that the administrator can populate according to their needs. It also comes with a command line interface which can be accessed through the admin console itself or through Putty.

Like all UTM appliances, the Fortigate units do some things better than others. Its web filtering is certainly more than suitable for most environments but if you are looking for super high granularity with a complicated array of user based filtering and exceptions, you probably would be better suited with a dedicated filtering appliance. The same probably holds true for its email filtering as well.

With this in mind though, what IT professionals are looking for first and foremost in a UTM device is security, and this is what Fortinet does best. Configuring the firewall of the Fortigate is a breeze. Simply create your firewall objects, consolidate them into groups if possible, and then create your policy rules. You can right click on any of your policies to view a separate context menu that will allow you to do things such as delete, move or edit the policies.

Integrating the other core components with your firewall policies is a snap. Simply apply the various UTM services you desire to the designated policies. For example, you would enable email filtering only to the rule configured for email traffic. You would then configure web filtering for the rule regarding your HTTP and HTTPS traffic while you would apply anti-virus to both rules.

Backing up and restoring your Fortigate configurations is as simple as clicking a single link and can be completed in less than a minute. Fortinet is continually releasing new builds and updates for all of its models. Simply download these firmware upgrades to any local device and click the update link and browse to the downloaded updates. You can revert back to an older firmware release at any time. Some of the more robust Fortigate models can be clustered into active-active or active-passive configuration.

Fortinet recently released version 5 which among other things includes Mobility Management. This feature does not include an additional license and is ideal for those organizations who allow BYOD devices.

If you browse some of the UTM discussion boards out there, you will find the phrase, “can’t beat it for the price” when discussing the Fortigate. The combination of its strong UTM features with a very affordable price point should certainly put Fortinet on the short list for any organization shopping for a new UTM appliance.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user3483Senior Consultant at Unify Square

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Jan 9, 2014

Great review Brad.
Only for the part related to upgrades from one version to another, I think you are a bit too optimistic :-)

Sometimes the update (and rollback) are not devoid of hassles (including parts of the configuration that not always work "as they are" in the new firmware).

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Issam-Kawash

Sales project manager at Saraha

Mar 30, 2022

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Simple implementation, reliable, but security could improve

Pros and Cons

"All of the features of Fortinet FortiGate are useful and the security protection is good."

"The security of Fortinet FortiGate could improve."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate is used for the overall protection of companies.

What is most valuable?

All of the features of Fortinet FortiGate are useful and the security protection is good.

What needs improvement?

The security of Fortinet FortiGate could improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We have 11 clients using this solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate is straightforward.

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

Fortinet FortiGate allows you to purchase licenses for hardware and software.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated Cisco solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others, it is a good solution.

I rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven 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

reviewer940329

ICT Systems Administrator at a philanthropy with 11-50 employees

Feb 15, 2022

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Stable security solution with easy integration, ease of use, and good product support

Pros and Cons

"Security management tool that's easy to integrate and easy to work with. No issues found with its stability and scalability."

"Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved for Fortinet FortiGate."

What is our primary use case?

Our use case for Fortinet FortiGate is that it's a firewall for managing our security.

What is most valuable?

What I found most valuable in Fortinet FortiGate is its easy integration.

It's also able to individually manage users.

I also like the VPN aspect of this solution.

It's a product that's easy to work with, especially when you work from home, e.g. you're able to integrate it easily with the users.

What needs improvement?

Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved. There's an aspect in reporting that I'm trying, but what I noticed is if you logged into the VPN, there's an effect on the reporting in terms of bandwidth, that needs improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've dealt with Fortinet FortiGate for the last four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We didn't have any issues with the stability of Fortinet FortiGate.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We find Fortinet FortiGate scalable, because currently, we have 150 users of it, and it could handle up to 1,000 users. It's good for growth.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support for this solution is really good.

The first time we were using it, we called support and reported an issue, and saw that support was really good. There's nothing I can complain about regarding technical support for Fortinet FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

The setup for Fortinet FortiGate was easy, because we had it done by another company. It was a construction company that we had this set up for, but I can't remember their name.

What about the implementation team?

Another company implemented this solution for us, and they also took us through the training and it was okay.

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

If you compare Fortinet FortiGate with Sophos and other firewall products available in the market, this solution is affordable. If you really want to use Fortinet FortiGate, you'll find that it's affordable.

What other advice do I have?

Fortinet FortiGate works well for me. I have not encountered any issues that required me to recommend an action or request if this solution could be improved. It suited the needs of the organization I'm using it in, so I didn't really find an area that needs to be improved, because this solution works very well for us.

My advice to others looking into implementing Fortinet FortiGate is that they need to do their research. They need to find out exactly why they need to use this product and for what purposes, because there are so many options for users. They really need to know what they want for their organization before they implement Fortinet FortiGate. They also need to think about the type of files they require, how many users will use this product, and what they intend to do with it.

If I could give Fortinet FortiGate a score of 11 out of 10, I would. It's very good. It's a ten out of ten for me. It's a really good solution.

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: partner

Silvia Ihensekhien

Chief Information Security Officer at ShipServ Limited

Feb 12, 2022

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Useful dashboards and reasonably priced

Pros and Cons

"The dashboard I have found the most valuable in Fortinet FortiGate."

"Fortinet FortiGate is not very easy to use. The navigation could be improved to make it easier to use."

How has it helped my organization?

It gives a good overview of the security posture

What is most valuable?

The dashboard I have found the most valuable in Fortinet FortiGate.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiGate is not very easy to use. The navigation could be improved to make it easier to use. Instead of double clicking the items FortiGate needs to click the "details" button to get the configurations or record details

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

So far the solution is quite stable

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They provide different products and features and can be added if you needed

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

This is the first solution we used since we moved to Cloud

What about the implementation team?

We used a partner to do the implementation of the solution.

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

The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable for an SME.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

reviewer1197741

Group IT Infrastructure Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Jan 31, 2022

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A scalable and stable solution

Pros and Cons

"Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution."

"I would like to see improvements with the antivirus and IPS as they are not working properly all the time."

What is our primary use case?

We are a sister company of Fortinet FortiGate. Our organization has more than 3,000 users.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see improvements with the antivirus and IPS as they are not working properly all the time.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for twelve years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is very scalable.

What other advice do I have?

Prior to choosing Fortinet FortiGate you should make sure you select the right box. Be sure of the capacity and have a capacity plan before installation. I suggest you do a failover and redundant together, compact boxes together.

I would rate this solution an 8 out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

reviewer1465347

IT Infrastructure managerInformation an Communication Services Manager at a agriculture with 5,001-10,000 employees

Dec 17, 2020

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Great load balancing feature, secure and stable

Pros and Cons

"Good load balancing feature."

"We have an issue with hotel guest vouchers."

What is our primary use case?

We've used this solution for the guest portal for our client and we also use it to secure the network of our firm. I am the IT infrastructure manager and we are customers of Fortinet.

What is most valuable?

I like the fact that we don't have to use our IP address and that it roams. I also like the load balancing feature which allows you to attach several internet connections and load balance.

What needs improvement?

We have an issue with the license when it expires because we're unable to use the computers. We are in the hotel industry and there's an issue with vouchers when guests come in wanting to use them.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution. We had some issues after we upgraded but on the whole it's stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We don't have scalability requirements so I can't comment.

How are customer service and technical support?

We had some issues with the local support, particularly with regard to purchasing the subscription. It took a very long time and at one point the license had expired and it took a while to sort out.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple and doesn't take much time.

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

This is an affordable solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

FortiGate is the most effective solution for us and it's a cheaper option to Check Point or Palo Alto which we looked at. They are both very expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Pier Andrea Gabutto

Owner at Gabutto MArket

Nov 30, 2020

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Stable and useful for intrusion prevention, VPN, and anti-malware purposes

Pros and Cons

"We are using the FortiGate 100D series. VPN, firewall, anti-malware, OTM, and intrusion prevention are useful features."

"It should have a better pricing plan. It is too expensive. It should also have a more granular view of the attack. I don't have FortiAnalyzer, and it is difficult for me to have a complete view when there is an attack on my server."

What is most valuable?

We are using the FortiGate 100D series. VPN, firewall, anti-malware, OTM, and intrusion prevention are useful features.

What needs improvement?

It should have a better pricing plan. It is too expensive.

It should also have a more granular view of the attack. I don't have FortiAnalyzer, and it is difficult for me to have a complete view when there is an attack on my server.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

How are customer service and technical support?

I don't have any experience with their technical support. My partner contacts them for me.

How was the initial setup?

Its installation is not easy for me because I handle some other work, but I have two partners. One of them is very skilled at using FortiGate, and it took him a day to deploy it. After that, it took us a week to set all parameters and check all parameters and firewall functions.

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

It is too expensive for us. My organization is very small, and we have a total of ten users. We have three internal users and seven external users. The FortiGate 100D series is too expensive for renewing the licenses.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution if you can afford it. I would 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.