How to Select a FortiGate NGFW

When sizing a Fortinet next generation firewall (NGFW), focus on the following:

• Security requirements and inspection profiles
• Expected throughput (firewall, threat protection, and SSL inspection)
• Interface connectivity (1/2.5/5/10/25/40/100/400G)
• Redundancy: WAN failover, power, IPsec VPN tunnels, HA clustering
• Ease of migration from legacy platforms

FortiGate Firewall Models at a Glance

Branch & Small Business Firewalls

Designed for branch, retail, and small offices, the FortiGate 30G, 50G, 80F, 90G, 120G, and 200G appliances deliver up to 39 Gbps firewall throughput with threat protection up to 6 Gbps. Options include Wi-Fi, LTE/5G, PoE, and built-in storage, making them ideal for small business firewall deployments.

Mid-Range Firewalls (120G–900G)

For mid-sized businesses and distributed enterprises, FortiGate 120G–900G offers 39–164 Gbps firewall throughput, 2.8–30 Gbps threat protection, and flexible connectivity up to 25G. These models support multi-branch security with centralized management.

Enterprise & Data Center Firewalls (1000F–7000 Series)

High-end FortiGate systems scale from 198 Gbps firewall throughput on the 1000F to over 3.1 Tbps on the 4800F, with threat protection up to 520 Gbps. These are the best Fortinet firewalls for enterprises securing mission-critical applications and data centers.

Key Performance Metrics

• Firewall throughput: 4–39 Gbps for branch models; 39–164 Gbps for mid-range; up to 3.1 Tbps on high-end systems.
• Threat protection throughput: Up to 6 Gbps for branch firewalls and 520 Gbps for top-tier appliances.
• SSL inspection throughput: Ranges from 400 Mbps on entry-level devices to 540 Gbps on the FortiGate 7121F.

FortiGate Licensing & Security Bundles

When purchasing a Fortinet firewall, selecting the right FortiGuard bundle is essential:

• Enterprise Protection Bundle – includes intrusion prevention, AI-powered malware prevention, application control, DLP, URL/DNS filtering, anti-spam, FortiConverter migration service, and FortiCare Premium support.
• Unified Threat Protection (UTP) Bundle – an alternative package covering essential threat protection services.

For high availability (HA) deployments, every device in a cluster requires its own FortiCare contract and valid FortiGuard service licenses.

Deployment & Migration Services

Fortinet offers QuickStart deployment services for faster setup and FortiDeploy zero-touch provisioning for streamlined rollouts. The FortiConverter service simplifies migration from legacy firewalls (Cisco, Palo Alto, Check Point, etc.) to Fortinet NGFWs, ensuring a smooth transition with reduced errors.

How to Buy a Fortinet Firewall

When searching for Fortinet NGFW pricing or Fortinet firewall comparison, keep these steps in mind:

1. Assess bandwidth and security inspection requirements.
2. Match the correct FortiGate model (branch, mid-range, or enterprise).
3. Select the appropriate FortiGuard bundle for your security needs.
4. Plan FortiCare support coverage and HA licensing if required.
5. Consider add-ons like FortiDeploy and FortiConverter for deployment efficiency.