Owner at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees
Real User
A complete solution that fits the needs of our customer
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a complete package, and it has complete offerings. It fit the needs, and our customer is happy with it."
  • "It should have the SD-WAN feature. This would increase the number of features that are available in the box."

What is most valuable?

It is a complete package, and it has complete offerings. It fit the needs, and our customer is happy with it.

What needs improvement?

It should have the SD-WAN feature. This would increase the number of features that are available in the box.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been selling this solution for one year.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM a nine out of ten.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,065 professionals have used our research since 2012.

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
Chief of Security and Research at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Easy to configure and manage with good pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a very simple solution to manage."
  • "Right now, we have two data centers that are a thousand kilometers apart. It would be nice to be able to string them together."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use it to protect edge devices. We use it as a firewall.

What is most valuable?

It's a very simple solution to manage.

It's quite stable.

The scalability potential is good.

It's an easy solution to configure.  

The pricing is pretty good.

What needs improvement?

I'd like for it to be possible to cluster together data centers. Right now, we have two data centers that are a thousand kilometers apart. It would be nice to be able to string them together.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution since 2005.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is very scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

The entire company ends up using the solution, and we have between 25,000 and 50,000 employees. We have about five offices and in each data center, we use Fortigate.

How are customer service and support?

Occasionally, if the partner cannot resolve the problem, you do have to work with some Fortigate techs. They are excellent and quite helpful. 

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

I am working with Fortinet, Cisco, Palo Alto, and Forcepoint. I am using ASA from Cisco. It's very difficult to manage. Palo Alto is excellent, and the best in the market. Fortigate is right behind them. The central management is great.

How was the initial setup?

While the product is easy to configure, I cannot get into specifics in regards to the initial setup. It's handled by a partner. We pay them to do the setup.

The actual installation process is pretty quick. It might take about half a day or so. 

I'd rate the experience of setting up the solution at a five out of five. 

There are bout five people that can handle the maintenance of the product across our different data centers. They are all administrators. 

What about the implementation team?

Our partner sets up the solution for us. 

What was our ROI?

We've seen a decent ROI as it has helped us maintain a good level of security. I'd rate the ROI we've seen at a five out of five. 

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

We tend to have a three-year contract with Fortigate. While I don't know the exact costs, my understanding is that it is less expensive than some other options. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user.

We use the on-premises version due to the fact that, in Algeria, we do not use cloud deployments. 

I'd advise potential new users that it's a good edge solution, and not necessarily the best for data centers.

I'm very happy with this product and would rate it at a ten 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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate-VM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,065 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network Analyst at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
A complete solution with great features and good firewall capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The product can scale."
  • "The log settings and filters could use some improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for firewall purposes.

What is most valuable?

The firewall capabilities are great.

We like the EPS antivirus.

It's quite a complete solution. The features on offer are good.

We find the solution to be stable.

The product can scale.

What needs improvement?

We occasionally have issues when we are doing firmware updates.

The log settings and filters could use some improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for ten years. It's been about a decade.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. There are no bugs. It's not glitchy. I can't recall it crashing or freezing. It offers pretty good performance. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have found the scalability to be very good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

We have about 500 users on the solution right now. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been fine. We have no complaints. They are pretty helpful and responsive. 

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

We only use Fortigate. We don't use any other solution.

How was the initial setup?

We only have one person for deployment and maintenance.

It took us only two days to deploy it with our desired configurations.

What about the implementation team?

I am able to set up the solution myself. We did have a reseller who assisted us as well.

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

We currently have a three-year licensing agreement. There are standard features and you do not have to pay extra fees for extra add-ons.

What other advice do I have?

We are customers and end-users. We don't have a business relationship with Fortigate.

I would advise potential new users to check the compatibility of the UTM firewall, of the rules of your organization. It's not magic. It's hard work implementing that.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been pretty happy with its capabilities.

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.
PeerSpot user
Director Of Technology at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Flexible pricing, versatile, scalable, stable, and the support is good
Pros and Cons
  • "It is very versatile."
  • "It has a monitoring tool, but it could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiGate-VM may be installed on Azure or AWS.

You can either install it in your data center alongside your virtual applications or put it in the public cloud to secure it.

What is most valuable?

It is very versatile.

What needs improvement?

More monitoring should be included with Fortinet FortiGate-VM, in my opinion.

It has a monitoring tool, but it could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been selling Fortinet FortiGate VM for at least 12 years. It could be 15 years because it has been exclusive since the beginning.

It's available both on-premises and in the cloud.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very scalable because you can use Fortinet FortiManager.

We have a big team of many people.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good.

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

With Fortinet FortiGate-VM you can bring your own licensing, or it can be paid on a yearly basis.

Pricing is very flexible.

What other advice do I have?

Definitely, I would recommend this solution to others.

FortiGate Cloud and FortiGate-VM are the same product.

FortiOS is the operating system on FortiGate.

Fortinet has a very large product portfolio. You have the VM, and you have physical appliances for Firewalls.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM a nine 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?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
it_user795627 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Business Development
Real User
Ensures our network is properly protected from viruses and malware
Pros and Cons
  • "We use it to ensure that our network is properly protected from viruses and malware."
  • "The initial setup was quite straightforward."
  • "The management tools should be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use it our network, not in the cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

It is a firewall. We use it to ensure that our network is properly protected from viruses and malware.

What is most valuable?

The best part of Fortinet is the license is bundled together, so it is easy to use and apply.

What needs improvement?

The management tools should be more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would rate technical support as a seven out of 10.

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

We previously used Fortinet 620B.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was quite straightforward. 

You The initial setup was quite straightforward. 

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

The price is expensive compared with other vendors, like Cisco and Huawei. However, the performance is good.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Cisco, Huawei, and Palo Alto. 

What other advice do I have?

If you have enough budget and care about performance, Fortinet is a good choice.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Consultor Infraestructura, Networking y Seguridad en Seti Consulting at SETI CONSULTING
Real User
Easy to set up, stable and fast with good WAN optimization capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the WAN optimization."
  • "The most valuable feature is the WAN optimization."
  • "In terms of improvement, there have been some problems with the bandwidth of the security layer."
  • "We have encountered certain issues with the bandwidth in respect of the security layer."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as an SD-WAN solution and for security profiles.

I do not recall which version we are using. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the WAN optimization. 

What needs improvement?

We have encountered certain issues with the bandwidth in respect of the security layer. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate-VM for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution has good stability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For the moment, we don't have plans to increase the usage. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was simple.

The setup period can vary. I believe it did not take us more than a week. 

What about the implementation team?

There are ten people in our organization who are responsible for the deployment. 

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

Our licensing costs are of a general nature. There are no additional costs beyond the standard fee. 

What other advice do I have?

There are around 100 users making use of the solution in our organization. 

The solution is quite good. It is simple and fast. 

I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM as a nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

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

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Founder & Managing Director at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reseller
The EPM bundle is of value to many of our clients; unfortunately deployment is quite difficult
Pros and Cons
  • "The EPM bundle is a good feature."
  • "Deployment can be difficult and they could dispense with reliance on FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer."

What is our primary use case?

In the years that we've been using this product, we've deployed it five or six times. Most of our customers have dedicated firewalls, either physical or virtual format and a few are on a shared platform. We're authorized sellers of the product and I'm the founder and managing director of our company. 

What is most valuable?

The best feature of the solution is the EPM bundle, a lot of our clients are interested in that. Truth be told, it's quite difficult to roll that out because we have very little trust in the FortiManager and the FortiAnalyzer integration and technology.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be improved by making deployment easier and dispensing with the reliance on FortiManager, as well as FortiAnalyzer to get any meaningful reporting out of it. If they could exclude both of those from the whole equation so that it bundles direct to the firewall, that would be a big improvement. It should be decoupled from the whole ecosystem, the security fabric side of it, and that would improve things. I get the feeling we have limited functionality if we just look at the data itself, and that's not cool when you're spending thousands of dollars on a product.

The technology is just not there yet in terms of UX and true integration. We have had endless woes with our Analyzer services and the Manager seems rather rudimentary on its own. We believe that the actual Fortigate should have all this disparate functionality baked-in.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for close to six years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is absolutely awful. Every time Fortinet releases a new version, there's always some bugs that you absolutely can't avoid, so stability from our perspective, in between maintaining the service on the FortiGate, is really tricky. It's difficult to trust the quality. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable if you have the budget. If you don't have the budget, it's not tied into customer budgets very nicely. There are too many moving parts and it is too expensive.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is horrific, absolutely terrible. I'd give them a negative rating. 

How was the initial setup?

To install a FortiGate is a complex task. The installation engineer need to be strong technically and familiar with FortiGate. The end user also needs to be well versed in their network and have a firm technical grasp on their business requirements and how those translate to what the firewall is capable of doing/ enhancing. This can drive a prolonged pre-install and installation process.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. As a piece of tech, as a firewall, it's really good. Local channel support in South Africa is very strong. The functionality of the gate is good. I think it probably surpasses many of its competitors. So I would recommend it. I'm very familiar with the realities of looking at it so I'll be very open with my customers in recommending FortiGate and at the same time explaining the pitfalls to them. 

I would rate this product a seven out of 10. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Account Manager at a tech services company
Real User
A nice solution with economic interfaces and a very useful installation guide
Pros and Cons
  • "It is very useful to make lists for rules and prepare firewall rules."
  • "The customer care center of Fortinet is good. For all the requests that we have done, they work as fast as possible, so this is a good point for Fortinet.​"
  • "The price is sometimes very expensive.​"

What is our primary use case?

We are using an IPS and an IDS at the moment. 

How has it helped my organization?

Before using Fortinet, the company had an attack (DDoS) from the outside and had many points of failure, when they started to use Fortinet, I think the attacks stopped. The DDoS attacks were no more. This was from 2015.

What is most valuable?

It is very useful to make lists for rules and prepare firewall rules.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. We have not had a bad experience with the Fortinet firewall.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Not really, but it does have it limits.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support will reply quickly and everything will be okay.

The customer care center of Fortinet is good. For all the requests that we have done, they work as fast as possible, so this is a good point for Fortinet.

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

I have previously used pfSense (open source) before joining this company.

However, the company has been using Fortinet for a long time.

How was the initial setup?

The first setup is easy and very simple. After that, you may require assistance implementing the new rules.

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

The price: It is a bit higher than the other competitors. This is why I started to look at other brands. For example, I am looking at Sophos firewall and whether it can meet our requirements, since I am sure that their price would be cheaper than Fortinet.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend a company to use Fortinet, because it is an attractive solution. No bugs with a very easy installation guide, and also the support and the customer care, are very important. 

Fortinet is a nice solution with economic interfaces and a very useful installation guide. Very nice customer care, too, but the price, it is sometimes very expensive.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: April 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate-VM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.