Choose an enterprise remote-access VPN appliance only after defining which people need access to which resources, what devices they may use, and whether they need network-level connectivity or only specific applications. Then require strong identity checks, device posture controls, least-privilege policies, segmentation, minimal internet exposure, prompt patching, useful logs, and tested recovery. Compare VPN with ZTNA or SASE where application-specific access to distributed resources may fit better. No appliance alone creates zero trust or makes broad internal access safe.
Is a VPN appliance the right access model?
A remote-access VPN gateway creates an encrypted connection between a remote user or device and an enterprise network. That can be useful when applications require network-level connectivity or depend on legacy protocols. But encryption protects data in transit; it does not establish that an endpoint is trustworthy, limit the user to necessary resources, or prevent a compromised device from reaching other systems.
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Start by listing user groups, applications, legacy protocols, managed and unmanaged devices, third parties, and work locations. For each group, record whether the user needs access to a network segment or only to named applications and services. This defines what the product must do—and whether a VPN tunnel is the right mechanism.
- Keep VPN in consideration when users genuinely need network-level connectivity or application behavior that depends on it.
- Evaluate ZTNA or SASE alongside VPN when users mainly need application-specific access across on-premises and cloud environments. These are architectural alternatives or complementary capabilities, not automatic replacements.
- Do not treat a hardware gateway as a security outcome. A hardware-enforced solution still requires secure configuration, patching, restricted administration, and monitoring.
NIST SP 800-215, published in November 2022, discusses VPN, ZTNA, SASE, and other enterprise-network capabilities. NIST SP 1800-35, published June 10, 2025, describes zero-trust implementation for distributed on-premises and cloud resources and hybrid workforces. Its NCCoE example implementations involved 24 collaborators and 19 implementations; those figures describe the examples in that publication, not product effectiveness or a recommendation that every organization adopt the same architecture.
#1 Best Overall
- Extensive Connectivity Options: The FortiGate 60F is designed with 10 GE RJ45 ports, including 2 WAN ports, 1 DMZ port, and 7 internal ports, offering broad flexibility and high-density connections for diverse enterprise networking needs.
- Superior Performance for Secure Networks: Features powerful system-on-a-chip acceleration to deliver top-tier security with 1.4 Gbps IPS throughput and 700 Mbps threat protection throughput, ensuring effective defense against advanced threats.
- Enhanced SSL Inspection and SD-WAN Capabilities: Utilizes purpose-built security processor technology to provide the industry's highest SSL inspection performance and robust SD-WAN functionality for secure, high-speed network operations.
- Simple and Effective Management: Comes equipped with a user-friendly management console that supports comprehensive network automation and visibility, alongside Zero Touch Integration with Fortinet's Security Fabric for streamlined deployment.
- Advanced Security Features: Leverages continuous threat intelligence from AI-powered FortiGuard Labs, identifying and mitigating both known and unknown threats, enhancing security across all network traffic, whether encrypted or not.
What to require from an enterprise VPN appliance
Identity, authentication, and device posture
Confirm integration with the identity provider and MFA methods already used by the organization. Check group and role mapping, certificate or device identity if required, and session revocation. Specify how policy responds when a user’s role changes, access is withdrawn, or a device no longer meets compliance requirements.
Ask whether the gateway can check endpoint compliance before granting full-featured access, and whether it can limit a tunnel to authorized services. CISA’s July 2025 TIC remote-user use case, version 2.2, recommends these controls. Make the expected behavior testable: a noncompliant device should be denied or restricted according to policy, rather than silently receiving ordinary access.
Least privilege and segmentation
Require policy that can restrict users and third parties to specific destinations, services, and administrative zones. Separate privileged access from ordinary remote access, and segment the VPN-connected population from the broader internal network. CISA’s June 2024 joint network-access guidance highlights risks from broad access, misconfiguration, vulnerabilities, and third-party device hygiene; it emphasizes segmentation and least privilege.
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- 【Flexible Port Configuration】1 10G SFP+ WAN/LAN Port + 1 10G SFP+ WAN Port + 1 Gigabit SFP WAN/LAN Port + 8 Gigabit RJ45 WAN/LAN Port + 2 USB 3.0 Ports (One Support LTE backup). Up to 10 WAN ports w/ load balance optimize bandwidth usage & utilization rate through one device.
- 【High-Performace Network Capacity】Maximum number of concurrent sessions – 2,300,000. Maximum number of clients – 1000+.
- 【Support Omada SDN】Omada’s Software Defined Networking (SDN) platform integrates network devices including gateways, access points & switches with multiple control options offered – Omada Hardware controller, Omada Software Controller or Omada Cloud-based controller*(Contact TP-Link for Cloud-based controller plan details). Standalone mode also applies.
- 【Cloud Access】Remote cloud access and Omada app brings centralized cloud management of the whole network from different sites—all controlled from a single interface anywhere, anytime.
- 【Abundant Security Features】Powerful firewall policies, DoS defense, IP/MAC/URL filtering, IP-MAC binding, One-Click ALG activation, speed test and more security functions protect your network and data.
Include negative tests in the evaluation: a vendor should not reach unrelated internal systems, and a standard user should not be able to access an administrative zone merely because the tunnel connected successfully.
Internet exposure and cryptography
Inventory every public-facing interface, protocol, port, management plane, and enabled feature. Administration should be isolated and access-restricted; services and algorithms not needed for the deployment should be disabled. Verify that available cryptographic negotiation satisfies the organization’s requirements.
CISA’s infrastructure hardening guidance calls for minimizing external exposure and exposed ports, using strong cryptography, and disabling unused VPN features and algorithms. NSA and CISA’s September 28, 2021 guidance also recommends disabling features unrelated to VPN. The gateway is a high-value exposed service: NSA and CISA warn that vulnerabilities can enable credential theft, remote code execution, cryptographic weakening, session hijacking, or access to sensitive device data, with potential for wider compromise.
Rank #3
- Compact and Efficient Design: The FortiGate 40F is designed for small to mid-sized businesses and enterprise branch offices, featuring a compact, fanless desktop form factor that ensures quiet operation and minimizes space usage.
- Robust Connectivity Options: Equipped with 5 GE RJ45 ports, including 1 WAN port and 4 internal ports, this model provides essential connectivity and flexibility for various network configurations in a small-scale environment.
- High-Performance Security: Offers up to 1 Gbps IPS throughput and 600 Mbps threat protection throughput, using Fortinet’s purpose-built security processor technology to deliver industry-leading performance and protection for SSL encrypted traffic.
- Advanced Threat Protection: Integrated with Fortinet’s AI-powered FortiGuard Labs, the FortiGate 40F offers comprehensive cybersecurity, identifying and mitigating both known and unknown threats to maintain robust security across your network.
- Simplified Management and Deployment: Features a user-friendly management console that provides comprehensive network automation and visibility, coupled with Zero Touch Integration with Fortinet’s Security Fabric for easy deployment.
Patching, support, and recovery
Treat the vendor’s security and lifecycle process as part of the product. Before purchase, establish which software versions remain supported, how security advisories are delivered, how emergency updates are handled, and when each proposed version reaches end of support. Define maintenance windows, configuration backup, rollback, and recovery procedures, then confirm the team can execute them promptly.
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NSA and CISA recommend prompt patches and updates. CISA’s infrastructure hardening guidance also recommends baselining normal network behavior and alerting on anomalies. Ask what telemetry supports that monitoring and how the appliance can be restored if an update or site failure disrupts service.
Capacity and availability
Size the deployment using your own expected workload, not a headline throughput number. Measure concurrent sessions, peak connection establishment, encrypted throughput with the intended security features enabled, application latency, regional distribution, and growth headroom. Determine session behavior when a node or site fails, and test failover under the policies and traffic mix you plan to run.
Rank #4
- XGS 108 with 1 Year Xstream Protection - Next-generation firewall appliance with Xstream Protection subscription providing zero-day defense, cloud sandboxing, email filtering, intrusion prevention, and advanced reporting, managed through Sophos Central for unified policies and reporting.
- 6 x 2.5 GE copper ports and 1 SFP fiber port, supporting up to 12.5 Gbps firewall performance for growing business networks.
- Zero day protection with cloud sandboxing, email filtering, and advanced reporting for full enterprise coverage.
- TLS inspection and next generation intrusion prevention block hidden threats in encrypted traffic and stop sophisticated attacks.
- Includes Xstream Protection – Advanced security bundle with zero-day protection, cloud sandboxing, email filtering, and automated threat response, providing full coverage against the most sophisticated cyberattacks.
The official guidance cited here does not compare current appliance models or establish a universal user count, throughput, or capacity figure. Request current vendor data for the exact configuration, then validate it in a proof of concept. A quoted maximum from a different feature set or traffic mix is not a reliable estimate of your deployment’s usable capacity.
Logs and operational fit
Verify that the platform records identity, device, policy, tunnel, administrative, and security events in a format your SIEM can ingest. Check timestamp reliability, retention controls, alerting options, and encrypted transport for remote logging. CISA’s infrastructure hardening guidance recommends encrypted remote logging and monitoring against a baseline of normal network behavior.
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Best Value
- Built on a purposed-built secure processor, this compact network firewall delivers the highest level of security performance and energy efficiency in its class – 2.25 Gbps IPS throughput | 1.1 Gbps threat protection | 1.3 Gbps SSL Inspection throughput.
- User-friendly management console gives you centralized visibility and simplifies policy enforcement across your network. Its zero-touch deployment helps you optimize your onboarding experience.
- Compact and fanless design equipped with 5 GE RJ45 ports (1 WAN port and 4 internal ports).
- Fortinet is the most deployed and trusted firewall from businesses worldwide with 99.98% security effectiveness, surpassing competition. Fortinet is the only vendor recognized as a firewall leader 13 consecutive years by Gartner.
Validation and compliance scope
If a government, defense, or regulated requirement applies, map that requirement to the exact product version and cryptographic module validation needed. NSA and CISA point to NIAP product listings for applicable contexts, but that does not make a listing mandatory for every enterprise or prove that every requirement is met. Check the current authoritative listing and certificate scope directly before purchase.
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Use the same requirements, traffic mix, and scoring rubric for every candidate. Ask for evidence tied to the exact proposed version and configuration rather than accepting a feature name as proof.
| Evaluation area | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Access granularity | Does policy provide network-wide tunnels, per-application or per-service access, or both? Can vendor access be limited to approved destinations? |
| Identity and posture | Which MFA methods, identity-provider integrations, group and role mappings, device compliance checks, certificates, and session-revocation controls are supported? |
| Exposure and hardening | Can administration be isolated? Which interfaces, ports, protocols, features, and cryptographic options are enabled in the proposed configuration? |
| Patch and lifecycle | Which versions are supported? How are advisories and emergency updates delivered? What are the update, rollback, recovery, and end-of-support arrangements? |
| Capacity and resilience | What concurrent-session and throughput results apply to the exact configuration and workload? What happens to sessions during node or site failure? |
| Visibility | Are user, device, policy, tunnel, administrative, and security events available for SIEM ingestion, with reliable timestamps and encrypted log transport? |
| Operational fit | How does the product fit existing identity, endpoint, firewall, SIEM, and network tools? What skills and upgrade effort will operating it require? |
| Compliance scope | Which exact certification or validation applies to the proposed version and cryptographic module, if required? |
| Total cost | What are the appliance or service, subscription, support, redundancy, client licensing, migration, and ongoing operating costs? |
Run a proof of concept against real failure cases
Use representative users, applications, endpoints, policy, and traffic. Record pass/fail criteria before testing so that a successful login does not obscure an authorization or resilience failure.
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- Run the expected peak concurrent-user load and application mix with the intended security features enabled; observe throughput and application latency.
- Test failover after node or site loss, including the resulting session behavior and recovery time against your availability target.
- Attempt access from a noncompliant device and verify the configured denial, restriction, or remediation path.
- Verify that a third-party account can reach its approved destinations but not unrelated networks or administrative zones.
- Test MFA, identity-group changes, user departure, and session revocation to confirm that access changes take effect as intended.
- Send the required identity, device, policy, tunnel, administrative, and security events to the SIEM; verify timestamps, parsing, and alerting.
- Exercise the emergency-update, backup, rollback, and recovery procedures with the operations team.
What to put in the procurement request
Make vendors respond to the same scope and provide evidence for the proposed configuration. The request should include:
- The user groups, applications, protocols, device types, third parties, regions, and required access boundaries.
- Identity-provider, MFA, device posture, certificate, session-revocation, segmentation, and SIEM requirements.
- Required exposed interfaces and ports, administration restrictions, cryptographic requirements, and unused-feature handling.
- Expected concurrency, connection-establishment peaks, traffic mix, enabled security features, availability target, failover expectations, and growth assumptions.
- Supported software versions, advisory and emergency-patch processes, maintenance and rollback approach, recovery documentation, and end-of-support dates.
- Exact compliance or validation evidence required for the proposed product version, where applicable.
- Itemized recurring and one-time costs, including support, redundancy, licensing, migration, and operating effort.
Require bidders to identify assumptions, exceptions, and evidence gaps rather than substituting generic maximums or feature claims. Confirm volatile lifecycle, advisory, validation, support, licensing, and pricing details for the exact offer before contract award.
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