We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate-VM and Meraki MX based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Firewalls solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."It is a one box solution, which covers most of the edge device’s requirements."
"It is easy to use. We chose this product for the possibility to have virtual domains (VDOMs). We are building another company in the group, and we would like to split the firewalling rules and policies between these two companies. Each company would be able to manage its own policies and security rules, which is an advantage of Fortinet FortiGate. We can define VDOMs, and every company can manage its own VDOM as if it has its own physical firewall, but in fact, we would be using the same physical appliance because we are also using the same internet lines. So, it allows us to reuse the existing resources without the disadvantage of having to compromise on policies and security. Each company can choose its own way of working."
"I like that you are able to manage FortiGate from the FortiManager to create a more centralized environment."
"I like several features that this product has, such as antivirus and internet navigation inspection. It is also simple to use."
"The most important features with FortiGate are the web filter and application controls. We can control our internet usage and use the web filter for application purposes."
"The feature I like most is the SD-WAN. It allows you to manage more than one ISP at the same time. And there is a high-availability mode, so if one of your ISPs is down, you still have a backup."
"The usage in general is pretty good."
"The security fabric is excellent."
"The tool's most valuable feature is its ability to deploy it on live physical hardware. Specifically, when providing firewall services for clients, we can leverage such hardware appliances to support multiple customers on the same hardware."
"It is a complete package, and it has complete offerings. It fit the needs, and our customer is happy with it."
"Fortinet FortiGate-VM is easy to use."
"The most valuable features are the IPS and Antivirus."
"The most valuable features are network security, VLAN, network protection, and encryption are very valuable to us."
"The thing that I like the most is that they're very willing to work with us to resolve issues that they haven't taken care of before in their product."
"The most valuable feature is the WAN optimization."
"The most valuable features are locking applications from in and out of my test network and testing malware on different devices. I use malware detection, antivirus, and basic firewall policies to check for different types of security breaches. The UI is really nice and easy to use."
"You can use your web browser to do the configuration which is easier than Cisco CLI transcripts."
"We've had no issues with the scalability or the stability of this solution"
"I use Meraki in my POCs and with my customers as well."
"It is very easy to use and manage. It is also very easy to scale."
"Dual WAN connections are greatly simplified and point-to-point VPNs automatically connect regardless of what WAN connection is active."
"What I like best about Meraki MX is that it's easy to deploy remotely. The product works. It has automatic updates. I also like that Meraki MX is a brilliant device. You turn it on, stick the key in there, activate it, and then you're done. Meraki MX does what my customers need at the end of the day, so I also like that."
"Managed centrally over the web: You can manages all your Meraki devices in a single account."
"The solution is good for load balancing."
"The initial setup and configuration are not intuitive and require training."
"We would like to see an upgrade to the VPN feature, we are using the VPN from outside of our office and there is a limitation to 10 connections, more connections would be suitable."
"We have an issue with hotel guest vouchers."
"The non-error conserve mode has room for improvement."
"Fortinet Fortigate could benefit by simplifying some of their processes."
"They need faster serviceability and more security features."
"The Web-filter in this solution is not very good."
"The solution could be more user friendly."
"Not a ten because I think that Cisco is better."
"When new versions are deployed they tend to be a little buggy, so they should be more fully tested before release."
"They could provide more integration options with different platforms."
"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."
"In the next release, I would like to see integration capability with SIEM tools, such as QRadar, and LogRhythm."
"To improve FortiGate-VM, Fortinet needs to harden it more. For example, if you are using Hyper-V, then you need guidelines for hardening FortiGate-VM that are specific to the Hyper-V environment. If it's VMware, there should be at least a guideline on how to harden the firewall."
"There should be integration with an active directory — with Microsoft."
"The stability could be improved. I find Cisco to be more stable than Fortigate, which is I major differentiator between the two."
"Meraki MX firewalls are great for small to medium-sized businesses, but other solutions are better for enterprise-sized companies."
"When we do API integrations with Meraki, they have always been hard as well as tedious to build. The data that we want out of the API integrations has been only recently available. Six months ago, it was hard to get someone to build something correctly or useful with Meraki APIs. Recently, they have made more data available on the API, but it is just a start. They need to do more."
"Management can be improved in Meraki MX."
"The current lead time is longer for Meraki MX, and it needs to be improved."
"Pricing is an area where the solution lacks since it is an expensive tool."
"The only stability issue is in Content Filtering. Sometimes we need to report these types of issues to Cisco support."
"I do not have the kind of feature I need for SSL decryption in Meraki MX. It would be great to see the SSL decryption feature in Meraki MX."
"What I would like to see in the next version is to have more interfaces for WAN links."
Fortinet FortiGate-VM is ranked 9th in Firewalls with 113 reviews while Meraki MX is ranked 2nd in Unified Threat Management (UTM) with 57 reviews. Fortinet FortiGate-VM is rated 8.4, while Meraki MX is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate-VM writes "An easy-to-manage and configure tool that provides ample documentation to help with the setup phase". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Meraki MX writes "Cost-effective, simplified, easy to manage, and reliable with advanced security features and granular visibility". Fortinet FortiGate-VM is most compared with Azure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, Fortinet FortiOS, OPNsense and Sangfor NGAF, whereas Meraki MX is most compared with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, Cisco Secure Firewall, Sophos XG, SonicWall TZ and Netgate pfSense. See our Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Meraki MX report.
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