Choosing the right firewall solution is vital for your business. It will minimize your network’s traffic and cyber dangers and give you a solid foundation for future growth. Consider the internet speeds your team needs to function and how much remote work they do. The firewall you choose should be capable of providing bandwidth control and monitoring.
Scalability
Both Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks are leaders in their respective fields. However, the firewall comparison between Fortigate and PAN is that Fortinet has a clearer edge in Zero Trust Access (ZTA), a new area of network security that goes beyond traditional firewalls to prevent malicious instructions and data from entering the system. Fortinet is the only firewall offering a centralized security platform to protect a network, endpoints, or applications with the same policies.
Fortinet firewalls offer a large number of capacity options to accommodate network growth. This makes them a good choice for organizations that must protect their data center from attacks and scale their infrastructure as they grow. They are also designed to support multiple virtual instances, making them a great choice for businesses with limited resources or complex network security requirements.
Another benefit of the Fortinet firewall is its ability to scale up to 400GbE for ultra-fast data center interconnects. This allows companies to connect their networks securely and replicate data quickly. In addition, Fortinet offers a variety of management options for cloud apps and advanced threat detection and controls.
Advanced Threat Detection
In unified threat management (UTM), Fortinet has an impressive lead over competitors. Their appliances are designed to detect, prevent, and correct network threats and deliver excellent performance with minimal latency. Fortinet’s innovative technology is based on purpose-built security processors and provides deep visibility with advanced threat protection capabilities.
Fortinet is also a leader in malware detection with its advanced sandboxing capabilities. This feature executes suspicious files in a controlled environment to observe their behavior and identify malicious instructions. This is a great ransomware defense for businesses. It is good to pair this with other cyber protection capabilities, such as anti-spam, antivirus, and IPS, for complete protection against today’s advanced threats. Healthcare organizations are a critical target for ransomware and other cyber attacks. Fortinet offers a comprehensive solution to protect patient data and ensure HIPAA compliance.
With the ability to scan for vulnerabilities, detect attacks, and block unauthorized access, Fortinet’s firewall is a great solution for healthcare security. Additionally, Fortinet has excellent web filtering and site-to-site VPN functionality built into its system.
Enhanced Performance
The Fortinet firewall offers advanced performance capabilities to keep networks secure and running smoothly. For example, it supports IPS scanning in learning mode to help detect malware and viruses. It also improves performance by limiting the number of policies loaded at once, reducing the time it takes to display a policy list. Fortinet also has a wide range of unified threat management (UTM) features that address various threats and provide comprehensive protection for organizations of all sizes.
Its security fabric integrates multiple functions to protect against evolving attack vectors, including advanced ransomware. Its device-ID feature allows administrators to write policies based on the characteristics of devices in the network, making it easier to identify malicious activity. Users report that Fortinet is easy to implement and integrate, with solid support options available.
They also like its powerful reporting and data analytics capabilities but find Palo Alto’s centralized and cloud management more difficult. Both vendors score well in third-party tests and have extensive portfolios of security products. However, Fortinet has the advantage of being an established leader in the NGFW marketplace, with over 1,200 patents worldwide and 925 in the U.S.
Enhanced Flexibility
Unlike many other firewalls, Fortinet doesn’t just focus on protecting the perimeter of your network. Instead, they also provide various capabilities to help you safeguard your remote workforce and secure your cloud environments.
For example, their security-as-a-service platform, FortiFlex, is a great option for organizations that need to right-size services and solutions across the hybrid network without having to size the exact solution upfront. Additionally, Fortinet’s usage-based pricing model allows you to pay per device or day, making managing budgets and expenses easier. The company’s NGFW platforms organically converge networking and security by providing built-in SD-WAN, ZTNA application gateway, 5G wireless WAN, and more.
Its comprehensive security features include Web application scanning and management, managed DDOS protection and mitigation, and a bundled or integrated CDN to deliver fast and reliable site performance. With machine learning-based threat intelligence and deep analytics through FortiAnalyzer and FortiSandbox, you’ll immediately understand threats in your environment. This is all backed by a 24/7 managed security service.
Easy Management
Despite having extensive features like anti-malware, intrusion prevention, and SSL/TLS inspection capabilities, Fortinet next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) have very low latency rates. They use a single-pass architecture to scan and inspect traffic rather than multiple passes. Moreover, they offer security-as-a-service and CASB capabilities, making them more comprehensive cybersecurity solutions than network firewalls. Fortinet also provides easy-to-use management tools and a simple user interface. This makes it easier for security admins to configure, manage, and deploy Fortinet UTM appliances.
Additionally, the firewalls can be deployed on-premises as hardware appliances or in public or private clouds for a hybrid solution. Fortinet offers hardware appliances for small offices, branch locations, mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises. These appliances come with various bundles, including FortiGuard support, Application Control, IPS, AMP, and Web Filtering. Additionally, they include site-to-site VPN tunnels to connect remote LANs to the central office.
