My main use case for Fortinet FortiGate-VM is that it is used as a main firewall to secure our network as a perimeter firewall for our enterprise network.

As a perimeter firewall, Fortinet FortiGate-VM acts as a firewall for our enterprise network to access multiple VMs, providing security and a basic firewall for these VMs.

In addition to being a perimeter firewall, Fortinet FortiGate-VM helps us with inspecting traffic and blocking malicious activity on these VMs.

In my experience, the best features Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers are usability, stability, and return on investment.

Regarding stability, Fortinet FortiGate-VM has had no issues, and we have a great experience with implementing it. About return on investment, it reduced incidents, and fewer people are needed to manage this firewall, so money is saved.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM has positively impacted my organization by providing basic security and capabilities for threat modeling, threat prevention, and IPS. It has powerful IPS that provides the attack signature to be detected in real-time. We have FortiGuard and the license, and once we had the license on Fortinet FortiGate-VM, everything worked well.

It would be better to have high availability with hardware for Fortinet FortiGate-VM, as it will be better for implementing high availability.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM for about five years.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is stable.

Since implementing Fortinet FortiGate-VM, we have gained deep insight into network traffic due to its great viewing capabilities, and we can integrate with the cloud or FortiAnalyzer for log retention which is free for seven days and can be purchased for a longer duration. Fortinet FortiGate-VM's stability is the best feature.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM's scalability is great. You can upgrade your licensing module and also purchase a license with the same VM as your organization grows.

Customer support for Fortinet is one of its best features. You can open a ticket and expect a reply and problem-solving from effective engineers in just one hour, which no other vendor can offer.

Previously, I used Palo Alto, and I configured it many times, but I think Fortinet FortiGate-VM is much better than Palo Alto because of licensing cost, complexity, and usability.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very good. We have a licensing module along with a next-generation firewall module, and its pricing compared to other vendors is one of the best features of Fortinet as it is cheaper than any vendor, and the low setup cost allows anyone to implement Fortinet FortiGate-VM easily.

Specific outcomes from Fortinet FortiGate-VM show that we have reduced incidents as we are actively blocking attacks, which also leads to cost savings.

I have seen a return on investment. We have time saved due to visibility and security in one box, and fewer employees are needed because the usability of Fortinet FortiGate-VM means our management team is smaller.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Fortinet FortiGate-VM is very good. We have a licensing module along with a next-generation firewall module, and its pricing compared to other vendors is one of the best features of Fortinet as it is cheaper than any vendor, and the low setup cost allows anyone to implement Fortinet FortiGate-VM easily.

Before choosing Fortinet FortiGate-VM, I evaluated Palo Alto.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is deployed in my organization on a public cloud and also on a hybrid cloud.

We use AWS as our cloud provider for both public and hybrid cloud deployments.

I purchased Fortinet FortiGate-VM through the AWS Marketplace.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM has improved our overall network security posture by stopping attacks and benefiting from FortiGuard, which provides attack signatures while applying WAF modules and antivirus signatures to analyze and stop attacks.

With Fortinet FortiGate-VM's threat detection, we can stop attacks in real time, and we have alerts. We also have automations on Fortinet FortiGate-VM, so once the host is compromised, we get notifications, allowing us to integrate Fortinet FortiGate-VM with our infrastructure security. This integration creates a great security fabric, enabling us to detect patient zero on our network and stop advanced attacks in real time.

We have set up automation on Fortinet FortiGate-VM to detect compromised hosts, and upon detection, we execute an action to FortiGate NAC to isolate the compromised host, leading to positive benefits from Fortinet FortiGate-VM.

The integration capability across environments is crucial for us because once we gain visibility, we can effectively deal with attacks and have great useful information to enhance our network security, applying firewall policies according to the logs, thereby enhancing the visibility of our network.

If you are considering using Fortinet FortiGate-VM, you should check Fortinet when deploying a firewall. My recommendation, based on best practices with Fortinet firewall implementation, is that its stability is the best feature. You can have a great licensing module and scalability across all signatures. Once you purchase the license, you will receive the most real-time signatures from FortiGuard, so I strongly recommend using Fortinet FortiGate-VM.

I am just a customer, and my company does not have a business relationship with this vendor. I would rate this product a ten out of ten.

I have been dealing with Fortinet FortiGate-VM and have implemented it many times at customer sites. We are providing both hardware and VM solutions to connect branch sites and implementing FortiManager to manage Fortinet FortiGate-VMs as a cloud solution or as a dedicated VM to manage all of Fortinet FortiGate-VMs.

I utilize Fortinet FortiGate-VM Hybrid Mesh Firewall feature. We have used it as a demo and have purchased it already, but have not fully configured it.

In my opinion, Fortinet FortiGate-VM is stable, and the best aspect is usability. Fortinet has many good things regarding usability. It has a great user interface and you can easily manage it, easily view information, and easily generate reports. This applies not only to Fortinet FortiGate-VM but to all Fortinet products. The support is also one of the most good features of Fortinet.

My impression of Fortinet FortiGate-VM Security Fabric real-time threat response capabilities is that it is a first-world security fabric compared to others.

In assessing the impact of Fortinet FortiGate-VM threat detection on my IT security operations, it relies on FortiGuard. If you have an IP and the correct license, it has powerful capabilities with IPS signatures and updated signatures from FortiGuard about attacks. One of the standout features is providing some models with a WAF module. This can help many customers, including small customers, by providing them with WAF functionality to protect web application servers. I think threat prevention is excellent on Fortinet FortiGate-VM.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM can be improved in certain areas. It has most of the features I want, and honestly, it is one of my favorite VMs and one of my favorite vendors. Compared to others, Palo Alto is excellent, and I work with Palo Alto as well, but Fortinet offers a good quality product at a lower price point compared to Palo Alto.

It would be beneficial if Fortinet FortiGate-VM could set up high availability with hardware. Some Fortinet products already have this feature, but I do not think Fortinet FortiGate-VM will do it now. You can make high availability with hardware rather than on the same VM or with the same license requirements. If you have a VM, you can make it a high availability solution with hardware, which would be a great feature. FortiNAC from Fortinet has this feature already, but not Fortinet FortiGate-VM.

I would generally recommend Fortinet FortiGate-VM to others. I would strongly recommend using Fortinet FortiGate-VM if you have a requirement to implement a firewall.

The support is one of the most good features of Fortinet. Compared to others, such as IBM, I have had many issues with IBM support. It does not have enough engineers to support many customers. You can open a ticket and expect to receive a response in four business days if you have a medium impact case, which is very critical in SOC environments.

I would rate the technical support by Fortinet at a 10.

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is straightforward and is the best aspect. It is easy to set up and easy to maintain. All Fortinet portfolio products have a default IP of 192.168.1.99. You can upgrade it in seconds. Compared to others, this is one of the standout features.

I have experience in deployment for banking processes and at the perimeter of a financial institution. I have experience in configuration for PCI DSS compliance.

The best feature of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is the deployment. I applied best practices for deployment with Fortinet FortiGate-VM. By the VPN connection into the site, on-premise and cloud or hybrid for segmentation of level of security, the perimeter and inside zone.

It's very robust. It's a solution that is very complete with accessible support. The feature for deep inspection (DPI) for Fortinet FortiGate-VM is used for generating alerts or to automate threat response.

Licensing could be easier to understand.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM for around six years and Cisco for around 10 years.

The support deserves a rating of ten out of ten.

I have also worked with Cisco firewalls. The main differences between FortiNet and Cisco include the price, which is very different. The variant of Cisco ASA, Cisco Firepower, is more difficult for configuration. Firepower is more complicated. Fortinet FortiNet is easier to deploy and also less expensive.

I find that the initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is easy. Of course, I am very experienced in the area of telecom, and this setup and configuration is friendly. I see that other people find Fortinet FortiGate-VM to be user-friendly. The setup and learning curve is short.

I would rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM a 10 out of 10. It is very good.

I was called regarding a review on Fortinet FortiGate, FortiSOAR, and I mentioned working with it, so it is acceptable for me to answer some questions. I have just initiated one requirement with FortiSOAR. The impact of SD-WAN on the network performance is significant, and SD-WAN is the basic feature today offered by every firewall OEM. Previously, we worked with Fortinet FortiGate for IPsec VPN tunneling, and today we have implemented SD-WAN as well. We are implementers with many customers for whom we have been working. Some customers are big, some are small, but we have been working with many companies. My customers work in varied industries, including banking, finance, manufacturing, and IT, because cybersecurity is the need of the hour. Every company requires it, and firewalls are basic; companies choose either Fortinet FortiGate, Check Point, Palo Alto, or SonicWall. We have integrated SD-WAN capabilities with Fortinet FortiGate for our customers' networks. We have not partnered with any company for that matter. We implement and do the servicing. People purchase, and we do the servicing and integration to their network.

One feature of Fortinet FortiGate that I find very unique is the virtual domain, VDOM. The VDOM feature allows you to integrate multiple domains; if you have multiple domains, you can create multiple VDOMs. VDOMs are a feature that is very unique and not available with other competitors. Fortinet FortiGate has that feature, which I really appreciate. Regarding Fortinet Unified SASE, the effectiveness of security policies across multiple locations is managing efficiently with FortiManager. The stability of Fortinet FortiGate is excellent.

For Fortinet FortiGate firewall, I have been working for the last 15 years.

The stability of Fortinet FortiGate is excellent. It is a very stable product.

It is easy to scale Fortinet FortiGate. There are no problems with scalability.

I had a chance to work with Fortinet support. My impression of the support is really good. It rates 9 out of 10 for support. If you consider it, 10 out of 10 is acceptable. I don't see any challenge with the support center. The support needs to be maintained at a high standard.

Setting up Fortinet FortiGate is really very easy.

People purchase, and we do the servicing and integration to their network.

My customers' return on investment after implementing Fortinet FortiGate depends on how they analyze it. Quantifying it is complicated, and Fortinet FortiGate is definitely a proven product with strong threat handling and management. The value of Fortinet FortiGate is significant, with a huge database of signatures that effectively blocks attacks. However, quantifying the return on investment in percentage terms is very subjective.

As an implementer, I don't sell devices, so I may not know about pricing. However, I interact with pre-sales and support teams, and I find their adaptability and support to be very good.

My customers work in varied industries, including banking, finance, manufacturing, and IT, because cybersecurity is the need of the hour. Every company requires it, and firewalls are basic; companies choose either Fortinet FortiGate, Check Point, Palo Alto, or SonicWall.

We feel that Fortinet FortiGate is a very proven product that has undergone many changes in the market and has added many products. I recommend Fortinet FortiGate as a proven product that needs to be sized properly for proper implementation. It is easily integrable, especially for us. I strongly suggest Fortinet FortiGate. On a scale of 1-10, I rate this solution a 10.

We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM as an edge firewall for Internet traffic control and as the main firewall for cloud environments. Whether they're on AWS, Alibaba Cloud, or another platform, FortiGate-VM serves as the primary firewall.

One notable feature is the SD-WAN, which is a strong component of the FortiGate-VM. The fabric feature is also good, but not all customers use FortiGate's networking components, such as the switches. We enable various protection features on FortiGate, such as IPS and web application security. Most customers utilize these protection features to enhance their security.

Integrating multi-factor authentication with FortiGate-VM can be challenging. While multi-factor authentication is important, not all customers have it enabled. Integration with third-party solutions like ManageEngine or Duo can be complex and sometimes problematic during testing. However, high availability works smoothly with FortiGate-VM. We use high availability, and SD-WAN features effectively; overall, the performance is good.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM as a reseller for eight years.

The stability is good.

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

We implemented it for more than one thousand users.

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

Support from the engineering team has some weaknesses. Sometimes, they focus on closing tickets quickly or asking for logs without thoroughly addressing the issue. However, the support team includes knowledgeable and responsive individuals, especially those from non-Arabic backgrounds.

Setting up FortiGate-VM is straightforward, but there is a step that can be a bit tricky. After installing the VM, you need to log into the CLI for the first time to set a static IP address if you have multiple interfaces. By default, interfaces will receive IP addresses via DHCP from the cloud service provider. You must disable DHCP on the additional interfaces and set static IPs to ensure proper access and configuration. You may have trouble accessing the firewall if you don't do this.

Issues with certificates and licenses often arise from the distributor, not Fortinet.

The setup process is generally easy. FortiGate is becoming popular in Saudi Arabia due to its user-friendly interface and ease of configuration compared to other vendors like Palo Alto. High availability setup is also simple and not overly complicated.

When comparing Fortinet to other vendors in Saudi Arabia, like Palo Alto, Fortinet stands out positively. In comparison to Sophos, many customers are currently switching to Fortinet. Fortinet's pricing is competitive, making it an attractive option.

To block HTTPS management traffic from the WAN, you must carefully manage the HTTPS settings. If HTTPS is not enabled on the WAN interface, you won't be able to block management traffic effectively. Some customers require HTTPS because of NAT services and use public IPs. Disabling HTTPS can disrupt management access. Better controls for managing the interface from the WAN side would be helpful.

Fortinet FortiGate is easier to configure and manage compared to Palo Alto. Setting up policies, routing, and VPN tunnels on FortiGate is more straightforward and faster. Palo Alto can be complex, requiring multiple steps to create a policy and manage interfaces.

FortiGate also excels in troubleshooting and logging. The logs are easier to read and provide better classification, making it simpler to troubleshoot issues. In contrast, Sophos is less effective for larger-scale operations and doesn’t match Fortinet’s capabilities.

In cloud environments, we recommend FortiGate-VM because it integrates well with cloud service providers. On-premises, many customers prefer physical FortiGate hardware, particularly with VMware setups. However, FortiGate-VM is more commonly used for service providers like SCC, Alibaba, and AWS.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

We employ Fortinet FortiGate-VM solely for testing purposes, similar to how we employ virtual machines in a virtual lab environment to evaluate solutions. When customers inquire about potential solutions, we typically construct and thoroughly test these solutions in our lab environment before providing confirmation. Once we've successfully conducted a proof of concept, we then extend an offer to the customer.

Both the hardware and virtual versions offer comprehensive capabilities required for perimeter network protection. Positioned at the network perimeter, they provide profiles that can be easily configured, including antivirus, DNS protection, web filtering, IPS, and application awareness for over five thousand applications. This allows for tailored configurations based on specific application usage within our network.

The scalability and flexibility of FortiGate VM have greatly benefited our organization. Its exceptional scalability allows us to adapt and expand according to our evolving needs.

Integrating FortiGate VM with our existing systems was straightforward, as I recall no difficulties during the process. I would rate it a solid ten out of ten for ease of integration.

The performance and availability of FortiGate-VM in our setup vary depending on the specific models chosen. We refer to data sheets and comparison tables to identify devices that meet our specific requirements. This involves considering factors such as performance metrics, encryption and decryption capabilities, and the number of secure connections supported. By comparing different models, we can select the one that best suits our needs.

The GUI of FortiGate is exceptional.

The features of FortiGate VM that we find most effective for network security include its universal operating system, which is the same across both hardware and virtual machine deployments. This consistency ensures that both real boxes and virtual machines run on identical images, accessible via both command line and graphical interfaces for convenience.

SD-WAN could be enhanced to provide a clear division between control and data planes, utilizing controllers to manage tasks within the network.

We have been using it for more than three years.

I am satisfied with its stability. I would rate it ten out of ten.

It provides outstanding scalability capabilities. I would rate it ten out of ten.
We serve a diverse range of customers, including large government organizations in Ukraine and small businesses. FortiGate is suitable for a variety of customer types, accommodating the needs of both large enterprises and smaller organizations.

We haven't encountered any open trouble tickets in the past three years, so we don't have firsthand experience with how Fortinet handles cases.

The initial setup is straightforward, earning a rating of ten out of ten for ease of use. Compared to other options, it stands out as exceptionally simple, largely due to the extensive documentation provided by Fortinet. Additionally, numerous YouTube tutorials are available online, making it easy to find solutions without necessarily having to consult the documentation.

For deployment, FortiGate can be utilized in both on-premises and cloud environments, offering flexibility in its application. It can serve as a client-side perimeter device within a customer's network or function as a cloud-based service. Our organization predominantly offers cloud-based solutions, leveraging FortiGate installations at our Sentinel node facility. Here, we manage customer traffic by configuring it to pass through FortiGate, allowing us to provide next-generation firewall services to customers who lack their infrastructure. We tailor configurations to suit each customer's specific needs.

Alternatively, if a customer requires an on-premises solution, we may deploy a physical appliance at their site. In such cases, where the customer lacks the expertise to manage the firewall effectively, we offer a managed service option.

Deployment typically takes no more than a few hours, thanks to the straightforward installation process and the clarity of the documentation provided. Especially in simple configurations with uncomplicated topologies, deployment can be completed within minutes.

The price falls somewhere in the middle; it's neither cheap nor expensive. I would rate it five out of ten.

When purchasing an appliance, it's essential to acquire the accompanying subscription. This is crucial because frequent updates to antivirus profiles and other features are necessary, often occurring daily. Operating the device effectively requires a subscription from Fortinet, which we consistently purchase.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is purpose-built as a next-generation firewall, excelling in its performance of this specific function. Its designated place in the network aligns perfectly with its capabilities, making it an ideal device for its intended purpose. Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.

My company had once deployed multiple firewalls and switches in an organization.

My company uses the firewall capabilities of the product for L1, L2, and L3 switches, along with FortiClient VPN.

My company mostly deals with an organization that works with on-premises software. My company uses the tool to block the traffic from the outside area that may reach our infrastructure or network. My company uses the product as a firewall to create a blockage for outside traffic.

The most likable feature of the firewall functionalities stemmed from the fact that it did not allow anyone from outside the organization to have any kind of access to the company's information, and it ensured that it blocked outside traffic.

The product's setup is quite complex, making it an area where improvements are required.

I have experience with Fortinet FortiGate-VM for four to five years.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

My company is involved in research and development activities, and some of our employees or teams are constantly involved in research or development, owing to which some product features are not implemented in our organization. In general, the product is not used to its 100 percent potential.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

I have experience with Palo Alto Networks.

The product's initial setup phase is a bit complex.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The solution can be deployed in three working days.

The deployment process can be carried out with the help of our company's in-house team.

Though I cannot give any numbers, I can say that the product's ROI is good. The tool is able to give good returns considering the amount of money that my company invested in the product for our infrastructure.

I rate the tool's benefits a nine out of ten since the product always helps to maintain security and safety in our company.

There is a need to make payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution.

The tool improved the security in our company's virtualized environment, as it was helpful in creating an additional layer of security for the organization and for the use of the internet. The tool was the most important product to be implemented in the organization.

To be able for our organization to build our services, we need to operate inside a certain network while ensuring that the outside traffic gets blocked by using the firewall services from the tool, as it helps to create a secure network inside our company. Without the tool in our organization, our network would have been compromised. The aforementioned area consists of details related to how the tool helps with the workload protection aspect.

I recommend the solution to others who plan to use it since it helps in areas where it helps block a particular website with the help of the firewall functionalities that it possesses. The tool also helps block outside traffic, and it is mandatory to implement a firewall as an organization grows for the smooth operations of business.

I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is the best solution in an environment with less than 100 to 200 users.

In SonicWall, there is no need to buy two boxes for HA. SonicWall will work fine if you buy one box with the fully licensed set and get another box without a license. When it comes to Palo Alto Networks or Fortinet FortiGate-VM, people have to buy the same type of boxes with the same features to ensure that they get HA. The need to buy the same type of boxes with the same features to ensure that you get HA is one of the shortcomings of Fortinet FortiGate-VM when compared to SonicWall, where improvements are needed.

The product has a good reputation in the SMB industry market. The tool does not have a good name in the market, consisting of enterprise-class businesses, making it an area where the product lacks and needs to improve.

The price of the license needs to be improved.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM for around ten years.

The stability of the product is good. Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Around 100 people in my company use the product.

I have used other products from Fortinet, like Fortinet FortiGate 200F Series Data Sheet.

The product's initial setup phase was very easy since a lot of documentation was available.

The solution is deployed on the cloud and on an on-premises model.

For the Fortinet FortiGate-VM's installation, Fortinet provides the list of system resources needed, including details of the VMs, RAM, and CPUs needed.

The solution can be deployed in an hour.

The solution can be deployed with the help of in-house team members.

The product is worth the money since I can renew whatever features I get in the three-year or five-year pack that I buy. The ROI is good since I get free support.

The product is expensive. Users can opt for a one-year, two-year, three-year, or five-year subscription model when it comes to licensing. There is no need to pay any additional charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution.

Speaking about how the tool improved security within our company's virtualized environment, I would say that if I go for VPN, data in the cloud, or more number of users, then Palo Alto Networks is the best. If there is a smaller number of users, then Fortinet FortiGate-VM is good.

For an MNC organization, Palo Alto Networks is a good option. For Indian organizations, I recommend Fortinet FortiGate-VM.

A scenario where the solution was essential for cloud workload protection is applicable in a small company with 100 to 200 users of the product. If you need a tool without much of an investment, then it is better to choose Fortinet FortiGate-VM.

The most effective part of the tool that is useful for network threat prevention is Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, which is free of cost and is available with a large number of uplink ports, so the servers can directly have a firewall, which is not something that is possible for Palo Alto Networks.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. The product has a lot of customers in India.

If I consider Fortinet FortiGate-VM's growing network demands, I rate the scalability a seven to eight out of ten.

The management and configuration areas in the product are easy.

The product offers a lot of security tools to meet a lot of security needs. Fortinet allows you to add security solutions one by one in your environment.

Depending on the product's capability to deal with network scenarios and the use of internal and external firewalls, I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

We use Fortinet FortiGate-VM for a constrained firewall and comprehensible security solution. Currently, I'm involved in implementing FortiGate and FortiManager for a customer project over the past month, and Fortinet has proven to be quite effective in this regard.

Regarding specific features, I appreciate the option for external selection, where you can choose either to use a default or create a self-description. This simplifies the process compared to other vendors that require creating a test extension profile and then applying it to the installation. With FortiGate, there is a streamlined approach. From the benefits perspective, clients mainly see cost reduction, especially with FortiGate VM Firewall, as it eliminates the need for additional hardware.

The product is satisfactory. I haven't identified any features to improve, and based on the number of deployments I've handled with FortiGate-VM, there haven't been any complaints from the customer's side.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM for the past five years.

Fortinet is a stable and user-friendly solution. The configuration is straightforward, and it provides a secure environment. I recall a challenge where a customer was using VDOM to segment their networks, but faced issues with communication between firewalls. Through online research, I discovered a tool to replace Fortinet, and it resolved the issue. During a critical migration for a large customer with six hardware firewalls, Fortinet proved reliable and prevented the possibility of mistakes. The GUI interface is well-organized, especially the security tab, making it easy to navigate. Fortinet simplifies network and security tasks, making it accessible for those with a basic understanding of networking and security concepts. Overall, as a vendor, Fortinet stands out for its streamlined approach, avoiding the need to navigate between multiple locations for configuration.

I haven't personally tried Fortinet's technical support, but according to my colleague who has used it, the experience was not positive. He mentioned that the support process is not as direct and efficient as Cisco's. In Cisco, when there's an issue, you can call, initiate a case, and the support engineer can join you directly for troubleshooting. However, with Fortinet, it seems the process involves working on the case independently, and the support requests are assigned to different engineers.

When advising the team for cost reduction, I suggest going with the VM if there's no budget. However, if there is a budget, I recommend purchasing the hardware. For all vendors, technically speaking, hardware is considered better than VM. However, for Fortinet, the difference between VM and hardware is mainly budget-related. If the customer has a budget, it's advisable to purchase the hardware. When recommending from the sales team's perspective, if the customer has a budget, they will suggest going with hardware. If there's no budget, the recommendation is to opt for VM, especially if the customer is working with Azure or AWS. The difference between VM and hardware lies primarily in patches, and overall, everything is satisfactory. One aspect worth noting is that during VM deployment, checking connectivity between the hypervisor, distribution switch, and network firewall is required. In contrast, for hardware, once the configuration is complete, connectivity is straightforward.

As for my overall rating of the FortiGate VM solution on a scale from one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best, I would rate it as a ten.

We use the solution for the private cloud.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM has a standard hardware firewall and easy deployment. You download a pre-configured virtual machine and run it on your hypervisor, Hyper-V, or ESXi by VMware. It is an excellent solution for private cloud setups, allowing seamless management using Fortinet without additional hardware purchases. Moreover, it offers flexibility—you can integrate it with physical hardware for redundancy or establish branch office VPNs effortlessly. Fortinet's automation capabilities facilitate smooth connectivity between public and private clouds.

The solution is highly scalable, depending on the type of hardware it runs on. You need knowledge of hypervisors to learn about the virtualized environment.

I have been using Fortinet FortiGate-VM as an integrator for one year.

The product is stable.

We cater the solution to SMBs.

I have used SonicWall. Fortinet has fewer hardware requirements than SonicWall. The basic requirement is the same.

The initial setup is easy and doesn't take more than one hour.

ROI is pretty good because it's simply software as a service. You subscribe to a service, and VM is available from FortiGate to download, install, and run. You get all the features. The scalability depends upon the hardware or VM. It could be serving 1000s or 100s users, depending on the configuration.

The solution is expensive.

It could have some versions limited by several users to reduce the price. Else, they could limit the product features, and create some version for a smaller organization with basic requirements.

Support is additional and comes apart from the subscription.

There's not much maintenance required. One to two people is required. Patches and upgrades are required and happen automatically if you've configured it that way. It is easy to deploy over the cloud. There are ready appliances to run in a public cloud like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google Cloud.

I recommend the solution. It is fantastic, easy to deploy, and very scalable. It saves a lot of time. Some particular hardware is not available in stock. FortiGate-VM is a good alternative. You could download, configure, and apply it. You could buy it online or from a Fortinet partner. It's quick and easy to set up.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.