The FortiGate-110C combines firewall, intrusion prevention, anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spam, web filtering, IPsec VPN and SSL VPN into a single security appliance. This product also automatically downloads threat updates from the FortiGuard Security Subscription services to protect against the latest viruses, worms, spam, phishing attacks and nefarious websites.
Setup is a manual process -- without the help from wizards that can leave room for something to be misconfigured. The one thing we did finally see this year is that the firewall has an outbound rule by default. This does two things to make configuration easier. First, it helps as an example rule so that an administrator can get the feel for how rules are configured on the appliance. Second, it alleviates confusion of connectivity.
The tool comes with a lot of pre-defined IPS and web content policies as well, which makes customization and tweaking simple. However, creation of policies from scratch is a bit confusing at first as policy menus are not intuitive. The other major performance drawback is it has little onboard reporting and analyzing capability. Additional reporting requires the purchase of the FortiAnalyzer.
Documentation includes a paper quick-start guide, as well as PDF administrator and install guides. The quick-start guide illustrates how to get the product connected to the network and set the initial IP settings. From there the install guide offers a good amount of detail on setting up some of the basic functions of the appliance. Finally, the administrator guide provides in-depth and advanced configuration. All these guides have many screen shots and examples.
Fortinet offers a wide range of service and support packages, including eight hours a day/five days a week enhanced support, 24/7 comprehensive support, standard hardware return and replacement, advanced hardware replacement and premium returned materials authorization (RMA) packages. There is also a knowledge base and customer portal available on the website.
Fully loaded, including a year subscription to all the services, this product comes in at a price just under $3,600. However, that is before the purchase of the Forti-Analyzer for expanded reporting and analysis capability. We find this product to be an average value for the money.
Setup is a manual process -- without the help from wizards that can leave room for something to be misconfigured. The one thing we did finally see this year is that the firewall has an outbound rule by default. This does two things to make configuration easier. First, it helps as an example rule so that an administrator can get the feel for how rules are configured on the appliance. Second, it alleviates confusion of connectivity.
The tool comes with a lot of pre-defined IPS and web content policies as well, which makes customization and tweaking simple. However, creation of policies from scratch is a bit confusing at first as policy menus are not intuitive. The other major performance drawback is it has little onboard reporting and analyzing capability. Additional reporting requires the purchase of the FortiAnalyzer.
Documentation includes a paper quick-start guide, as well as PDF administrator and install guides. The quick-start guide illustrates how to get the product connected to the network and set the initial IP settings. From there the install guide offers a good amount of detail on setting up some of the basic functions of the appliance. Finally, the administrator guide provides in-depth and advanced configuration. All these guides have many screen shots and examples.
Fortinet offers a wide range of service and support packages, including eight hours a day/five days a week enhanced support, 24/7 comprehensive support, standard hardware return and replacement, advanced hardware replacement and premium returned materials authorization (RMA) packages. There is also a knowledge base and customer portal available on the website.
Fully loaded, including a year subscription to all the services, this product comes in at a price just under $3,600. However, that is before the purchase of the Forti-Analyzer for expanded reporting and analysis capability. We find this product to be an average value for the money.
