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What Does Fortinet Do? A Plain-English Guide to Its Network Security Business

Fortinet is more than a firewall maker. Here’s how its FortiGate, FortiSASE, networking and security operations products fit together.

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Fortinet is a cybersecurity and networking company that helps organizations protect and connect their networks, users, devices and data. Its products range from FortiGate next-generation firewalls to cloud-delivered secure access and tools security teams use to detect and respond to threats. FortiGate is its best-known product family, but Fortinet is not just a firewall brand.

What is Fortinet?

Founded in 2000, Fortinet describes its mission as “securing people, devices and data everywhere.” Its customers include businesses and institutions in sectors such as finance, retail, healthcare and operational technology, as well as service providers and government organizations. In other words, its products are primarily designed for organizational infrastructure, rather than for an individual’s home computer.

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Fortinet groups its portfolio under the name Security Fabric. That is the company’s platform-level approach to linking security and networking products across three areas: secure networking, unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), and security operations. The name describes a portfolio and integration approach—not one product that automatically includes every Fortinet service.

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What does Fortinet sell?

A useful analogy is a secured building: some Fortinet products control and inspect traffic entering or moving through the network; others connect offices and devices; cloud services extend protected access beyond the office; and security operations tools help a team monitor activity and investigate threats. Each product has its own scope, deployment and licensing, so the analogy should not be taken to mean that the products are interchangeable or work together without configuration.

#1 Best Overall
FortiGate-40F Firewall Appliance - 5 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 Ports, Ideal for Small Businesses (Appliance Only, No Subscription) (FG-40F)
  • 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.

Secure networking: FortiGate and related products

FortiGate is Fortinet’s family of next-generation firewalls (NGFWs). A firewall inspects network traffic and applies security rules; organizations use it to manage and protect connections between networks, devices and external services. Fortinet also places Secure SD-WAN in its secure-networking portfolio. SD-WAN helps organizations manage connections among distributed locations.

FortiGate is not limited to a physical box. Fortinet documents hardware appliances, virtualized software deployments and cloud deployments. The appropriate form depends on where an organization needs protection and how it operates its infrastructure.

Rank #2
Sale
FortiGate-40F Network Security Appliance Plus 3 Year FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection (UTP) and FortiCare Premium (FG-40F-BDL-950-36)
  • INTEGRATED FIREWALL APPLIANCE AND SECURITY SERVICES: Comes with FortiGate-40F Firewall Appliance, 3 years of FortiCare Premium, and FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection.
  • UTP SECURITY FEATURES: Offers protection from advanced threats with DNS filtering, URL filtering, video filtering, and controls against botnets.
  • IDEAL FOR SMALLER SETTINGS: Best suited for small to mid-sized businesses needing reliable security without the complexity of larger systems.
  • CONTINUOUS SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE: FortiCare Premium ensures that technical help is readily available to manage and troubleshoot issues.
  • COMPACT AND EFFECTIVE: Provides a powerful, yet compact security solution that effectively protects against a wide range of cyber threats.

Unified SASE: secure access beyond the office

FortiSASE is Fortinet’s cloud-delivered service for secure access. Fortinet presents it alongside Secure SD-WAN for hybrid workforces and distributed locations, and says its approach combines cloud-delivered security and networking. In practical terms, this category is intended to extend security and access controls to users, branches, applications and cloud resources beyond a traditional office network.

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Security operations: tools for investigating and responding

Fortinet’s security operations (SecOps) portfolio includes products for collecting and analyzing security information, automating response workflows, and detecting threats on endpoints and networks. Examples listed in Fortinet’s 2024 annual filing include:

Rank #3
Sale
FortiGate-60F Firewall Appliance - 10 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 Ports, Includes DMZ, WAN & Internal Ports (Appliance Only, No Subscription) (FG-60F)
  • 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.
  • FortiSIEM: security information and event management.
  • FortiSOAR: security orchestration, automation and response.
  • FortiEDR and FortiXDR: endpoint and extended detection and response.
  • FortiNDR: network detection and response.
  • FortiSandbox: sandbox-based threat analysis.
  • FortiDeceptor, FortiDLP and FortiRecon: additional products in the broader security operations portfolio.

These names represent different product roles, not a single bundled tool. What an organization needs depends on the signals it wants to collect, its investigation and response workflows, integrations and available security staff.

How Fortinet’s product types differ

Offering What it is Questions to consider
FortiGate appliance Physical next-generation firewall hardware Where it will be installed; required capacity and ports; support and subscription needs
FortiGate virtual or cloud deployment Firewall software deployed in virtualized or cloud environments Cloud compatibility; scaling; billing and operational model
FortiSASE Cloud-delivered secure access service Remote-user and branch coverage; access policies; data-location needs and service design
SecOps products Tools such as SIEM, SOAR, EDR and NDR for security operations Data sources; detection and response workflows; integrations; staffing requirements

These are practical decision points based on the deployment types and product roles; they are not performance rankings. Fortinet’s product descriptions do not by themselves establish which option is best for a particular organization.

Rank #4
FortiGate-40F Firewall Appliance plus 1 Year FortiCare Premium and FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection (UTP) (FG-40F-BDL-950-12)
  • INTEGRATED FIREWALL APPLIANCE AND SECURITY SERVICES: Comes with FortiGate-40F Firewall Appliance, 1 year of FortiCare Premium, and FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection.
  • UTP SECURITY FEATURES: Offers protection from advanced threats with DNS filtering, URL filtering, video filtering, and controls against botnets.
  • IDEAL FOR SMALLER SETTINGS: Best suited for small to mid-sized businesses needing reliable security without the complexity of larger systems.
  • CONTINUOUS SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE: FortiCare Premium ensures that technical help is readily available to manage and troubleshoot issues.
  • COMPACT AND EFFECTIVE: Provides a powerful, yet compact security solution that effectively protects against a wide range of cyber threats.

Is Fortinet a firewall company?

Fortinet makes firewalls, and FortiGate is a central part of its business, but describing Fortinet only as a firewall company leaves out its networking, SASE and security operations offerings. The wider portfolio aims to address multiple parts of organizational security and connectivity. That does not mean every customer needs every product, or that buying one Fortinet product provides the capabilities of the rest.

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What should an organization consider before choosing a Fortinet product?

  • Deployment location: Decide whether protection is needed at a physical site, in a virtual or cloud environment, for remote users, or across a mix of these.
  • Product role: Separate traffic control and networking needs from secure remote access and security monitoring or response needs.
  • Operations: Consider who will configure and manage the product, what existing systems it must integrate with, and what support or subscriptions are required.
  • Specific product details: Check current model, feature, licensing and service information with Fortinet or an authorized seller. The portfolio and packaging can change, and a general company overview does not establish current availability or terms for a particular model.

A FortiGate firewall appliance is an enterprise networking product, not a generic consumer security accessory. A specific listing should be evaluated by model and configuration, including its ongoing support and subscription requirements.

Best Value
FortiGate-60F Network Security Appliance Plus 1 Year FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection (UTP) and FortiCare Premium (FG-60F-BDL-950-12)
  • HARDWARE PLUS SECURITY SERVICES: FortiGate-60F Firewall Appliance bundled with 1 year of FortiCare Premium and FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection.
  • UNIFIED THREAT PROTECTION (UTP): Secures against advanced online threats with comprehensive web filtering and anti-botnet technologies.
  • OPTIMIZED FOR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES: Tailored for businesses needing robust security without the infrastructure of larger enterprises.
  • RELIABLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT: FortiCare Premium ensures high-quality support and service continuity.
  • EFFECTIVE PROTECTION: Employs advanced filtering technologies to safeguard against sophisticated threats.

Sources and scope

This overview reflects Fortinet’s 2025 Form 10-K, filed February 25, 2026, and its corporate, product-catalog, NGFW and FortiSASE pages. The named SecOps examples above come from Fortinet’s 2024 Form 10-K. These sources describe Fortinet’s own products and positioning; they do not provide independent comparative product tests or rankings.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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