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Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Fortinet Inc. | 7.6.3

Linux/Unix, Other 7.6.3 - 64-bit Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

Reviews from AWS customer

22 AWS reviews

External reviews

67 reviews
from and

External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.


4-star reviews ( Show all reviews )

    Einstein Rozario

Impressive in fending off various threats

  • December 01, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

What is our primary use case?

We use FortiGate NGFW to secure our network gateways. These devices, functioning as UTM solutions, were impressive in fending off various threats. FortiGate excelled with its anti-spam, antivirus, and firewall features at the network level. Beyond security, it is seamlessly integrated with networking tools like Zendesk.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspects of FortiGate NGFW are its top-notch reputation in peer reviews, user-friendly interface, and excellent support. It stood out during external penetration tests, proving its effectiveness compared to our previous firewall. The seamless integration with other tools and thorough testing set FortiGate apart. Replacing our old firewall with Fortinet was a game-changer, especially as it helped us improve our performance in subsequent penetration tests.

What needs improvement?

FortiGate has been solid for us, but I see room to explore its integration with Secure Service Automation for a more comprehensive security view. The initial migration had some challenges, but they were manageable. Now, my focus is on automating responses to alerts, especially during nighttime attacks. I want to investigate how FortiGate can connect with other solutions, like SIEM, to enhance our security measures while offline.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using FortiGate NGFW for a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiGate is scalable, and we currently use it for approximately 300 internal users, with additional offshore teams connecting via VPN. The total user count, including the offshore teams from different countries and continents, is around 400 to 500 people.

How are customer service and support?

We contacted Fortinet's technical support during a firmware upgrade issue. They guided the upgrade process, and their support was capable and helpful. I would rate them as a ten out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

In comparing FortiGate with other solutions like Cyberoam, I have found Fortinet to excel in various aspects. For instance, its intrusion detection capabilities stand out, providing instant alerts compared to some firewalls that take up to 24 hours. While I can't quantify percentages, Fortinet's performance, especially in areas like responsiveness, has been notably better in my experience.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up FortiGate NGFW was straightforward, with some considerations during the migration process. Migrating from an old firewall required meticulous rule review and manual configuration. Ensuring adherence to best practices and testing in a beta environment were crucial steps. We also coordinated with our ISP to clear the ARP cache for a smooth transition. Despite a minor misconfiguration leading to an issue, we swiftly addressed it over a weekend with minimal impact. Regular backups and failover tests added an extra layer of assurance. A team of three people deployed it. The deployment and migration from the old firewall to FortiGate took approximately one month. To ensure a smooth transition for our 24/7 operations, we invested extra time for thorough testing and rule validation.

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

The pricing and licensing costs for FortiGate are quite reasonable, especially for an SMB like ours. While solutions like Check Point and Palo Alto are excellent, Fortinet's affordability played a significant role in our decision-making process.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

FortiGate for SMBs impressively covers most features, and in my experience with Cisco, Symantec, SonicWall, and others, FortiGate stands out. It has exceeded my expectations. While I haven't explored Check Point due to budget constraints, FortiGate's pricing makes it a top choice. Palo Alto and Check Point are excellent but would likely have been my preference if pricing aligned. Overall, FortiGate has been a standout performer in terms of features and value.

What other advice do I have?

For those starting with FortiGate NGFW, my advice is to thoroughly explore its features. I recently recommended it to a healthcare entity due to its effectiveness and user-friendly interface. The fact that they already had Fortinet in another enterprise speaks volumes about its reliability and performance. Overall, I would rate it as an eight out of ten.


    FAISAL S.

Examen de FortiGate Cloud

  • August 29, 2023
  • Review provided by G2

Qu'aimez-vous le plus à propos de the product?
FortiGate Cloud offre une plateforme centralisée pour gérer plusieurs appareils et services FortiGate à partir d'une interface unique. Cela peut grandement simplifier la gestion du réseau et les opérations de sécurité. Étant une solution basée sur le cloud, FortiGate Cloud permet aux administrateurs d'accéder et de gérer leurs paramètres de réseau et de sécurité à distance, offrant flexibilité et commodité. FortiGate Cloud peut s'intégrer avec d'autres solutions et services Fortinet, créant un écosystème complet pour la sécurité et la gestion du réseau.
Que n’aimez-vous pas à propos de the product?
S'il y a une situation où l'accès à Internet est temporairement indisponible, les administrateurs pourraient rencontrer des défis pour accéder et gérer les appareils réseau via FortiGate Cloud.
Quels sont les problèmes que the product résout, et en quoi cela vous est-il bénéfique?
Avec une meilleure surveillance et automatisation, les administrateurs peuvent identifier et résoudre de manière proactive les problèmes de réseau, réduisant ainsi les temps d'arrêt et minimisant l'impact des incidents de sécurité.


    MahmoodAbdollahi

Suitable for medium-range companies and user-friendly interface

  • August 11, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

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


    Wael Awni

A highly scalable solution that can be used for network security

  • August 11, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

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.


    Lakshmanan A

Scalable platform with efficient filtering features

  • August 10, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

What is our primary use case?

We use the product for security and filtering purposes.

How has it helped my organization?

The product helps block multiple ports during ransomware attacks.

What is most valuable?

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

What needs improvement?

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

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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

How was the initial setup?

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

What about the implementation team?

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

What other advice do I have?

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

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises


    Casper Spies

Comprehensive solution for SD-WAN management with UTM protection

  • July 21, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features we found are the SD-WAN, FortiGate SD-WAN, and the standard UTM protection, among others.

What needs improvement?

If someone doesn't have a certified or skilled technician/engineer, certain configurations, like setting up VLANs and SD-WANs, might not be difficult but can be simplified within FortiGate. The areas that might require more expertise are related to setting up VLANs and configuring SD-WANs, among others.

Therefore, the setup process could be made simpler. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall for three years. We are currently working with its latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate it as a nine. It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability a five out of ten. It is not very scalable because scalability depends on the model. For instance, the FortiEdge, which is the entry-level model (the smallest model), supports up to about 15 users. Then the next model supports up to around 30 to 40 users, and the following one supports a hundred users. The price increases significantly with more users, which can be a concern.

If I make a guesstimate, I'd say about 20 to 30 of our clients, but they all have multiple branches. So, in total, we have about 200 FortiGate firewalls deployed for our customers, spread across 20 to 30 clients.

Most of our clients fall under the medium to enterprise category. We have clients from financial institutions and big corporate organizations. It's not an entry-level solution, as it might be challenging for small businesses to afford.

How are customer service and support?

Based on the support we receive from our supplier, who is a reseller or vendor of FortiGate, I would rate it at about six. Because it takes time to get support from the vendor. So it is not very fast.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

I rate my experience with the initial setup six on a scale of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy. The initial setup of the solution is not difficult; if you have an engineer with certification and experience on other firewalls. For them, it's relatively easy. However, someone without certification and experience with other firewalls might find it a bit more challenging to grasp the FortiGate format and its platform layout.

FortiGate is primarily deployed on-premises. We also have a cloud option for certain referrals with tier-three engineers. We have it in our own data center in our cloud, and we also provide it to some of our customers. However, most of the ones I sell are for end customers, and they typically choose the hardware for on-site deployment.

What about the implementation team?

The duration of the deployment can vary depending on different factors. The timeline can involve various stages, such as ordering from overseas, ensuring stock availability, and finally, setting it up for a specific project. As such, the duration can differ based on these factors. 

Eventually, once we have the stock, we can set up the firewall within about an hour.

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

I would rate the pricing in the middle, around five out of ten. It also depends on how you sell it. If you want to sell it as a one-time purchase, then I'd put it at a seven. But if you amortize it, it can go down to a four because some customers prefer to pay it off over thirty-six months, as the licensing is for that duration.

There are additional costs to the standard license. While the standard licensing fees include UTM and a few other features, for additional features like FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, and other PCs that you might need, there are additional costs. For features like FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer, the additional costs do add up. So, while getting the entry-level firewall with basic UTM protection and web filtering is not too bad if you want to add features like analyzer reporting, cloud managers, and FortiManager, the costs can become significantly higher.

What other advice do I have?

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


    reviewer2238438

A reasonably priced product that can be used by small, medium, and enterprise-sized businesses

  • July 19, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

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.


    Claude Mualuko

A highly scalable product with an amazing support team and a user-friendly interface

  • July 12, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

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.


    Himbert Leung

The solution helped improve our security through its encryption and integrated security features

  • July 11, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

What is our primary use case?

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

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has helped our network security.

What is most valuable?

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

What needs improvement?

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

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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

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

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

How was the initial setup?

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

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

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

What other advice do I have?

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

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises


    Sony James

A tool that is easy to use and implement, which can be useful for routing and reporting purposes

  • July 10, 2023
  • Review provided by PeerSpot

What is our primary use case?

The use cases of the solution depend on what the customer wants from the tool. If a customer is looking for a core firewall, I provide them with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW). Suppose a customer is looking for a tool from a patch connectivity perspective with multiple branches and wants those branches to be connected to the data center. In that case, we can suggest FortiGate Next Generation Firewall's features to them.

What is most valuable?

Routing and reporting are two areas where the product has an added advantage compared to any other product.

What needs improvement?

Vulnerabilities owing to viruses in the OS need to be reduced in FortiGate Next Generation Firewall from an improvement perspective.

Some vulnerabilities get added to the system every two months, which may be code execution or backend and backdoor issues.

In the future, the product should be able to tackle vulnerabilities. Research and development to increase the product's security capabilities is needed.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for a year now. My company has a partnership with Fortinet.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

From a stability perspective considering OS and if the vulnerabilities are present, I rate the stability a seven out of ten since it creates a lot of issues in general.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We suggest FortiGate Next Generation Firewall to small and medium businesses.

When it comes to enterprise-level businesses, and considering the need for two-layer security, consider a perimeter firewall, while I can suggest FortiGate only at a level of a core firewall. Suppose an enterprise customer has multiple branches and more branch networks. In that case, they need SD-WAN connectivity with security, for which I suggest they go for FortiGate's SD-WAN feature.

In general, it will not be enough for enterprise companies to have only Next Generation Firewall alone.

How are customer service and support?

I am not familiar with the technical support team because my support team works with them. The solution's technical support is good. We do not face many issues when dealing with the solution's technical support team.

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

Previously, we were using Check Point in our company.

Compared to Check Point, FortiGate Next Generation Firewall needs to look at how to improve the way it deals with the vulnerabilities which are not there at Check Point and the security effectiveness provided by Check Point.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to use and implement since anyone can do its configuration part, but there is some requirement for someone with proper technical skills to implement it properly. I can implement anything in any way, but that doesn't mean I can implement any product properly. The implementation requires certain technical expertise.

The implementation of the solution can take two days.

One person is required for the implementation phase.

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

The solution's pricing is competitive.

What other advice do I have?

The usefulness of the product is an aspect that depends on the customers using the tool. We cannot even compare two products and say one is good for the customer and the other is bad. If a customer asks me to be an architect for their data center, I would say that for a perimeter firewall, they need to go for Check Point. Coming to a core firewall, if a customer says that they need two layers of security and two different vendors, it should be Check Point on the perimeter level. At the core level, a customer can go for Fortinet. Certain customers prefer the SD-WAN feature from Fortinet if they have branch firewalls and want an SD-WAN feature too. FortiGate has an added advantage because they have an SD-WAN feature with security that we can provide to their branch devices.

I don't have any suggestions for those planning to use the solution since we are pretty new to the solution, and we need to devote time to be able to comment on the solution.

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises