Best Fortinet SD-WAN Firewalls

Cybersecurity has been a long time business concern for enterprise organisations. As branch sites migrate towards an SD-WAN model, standard firewall hardware seems no longer the optimum choice. A number of vendors however; have begun fully integrating both SD-WAN functionality and next-generation firewall security in one box.

Fortinet being one of them offers full-SD-WAN features through FortiGate next-generation firewall. Today we will review the best Fortinet Firewalls for SD-WAN reviewed by us that we recommend to customers.

We feel that Fortinet SD-WAN is one of the best solutions to support cost reduction of the WAN while boosting software security and experience.

What is SD-WAN?

Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) uses centralised software intelligence to direct wide-area network traffic in a more efficient way for remote/branch sites. Traffic can be prioritised and thus directed over multiple MPLS or Internet facing WAN services such as Ethernet Fibre, Wave, 4G, 5G, xDSL and LTE. Hybrid SD-WAN is becoming increagling popular with out customers.

Application performance is increased by ensuring specific application traffic is directed over the best WAN service based on its specific needs such as lowest latency or highest bandwidth available.

The end result is reduction in WAS service costs, plus an increase in WAN efficiency, user experience and overall productivity.

Since SD-WAN is an epitome of hardware, it is readily available and manageable compared to a standard WAN. Usually, it depends on 4 primary and central components to work effectively.

• WAN virtualization
• Elastic traffic management
• Edge connectivity abstraction
• Centralized management

Benefits of SD-WAN

SD-WAN allows the easy transformation of private MPLS links from less important WAN traffic to cheaper or affordable broadband internet.

Basically, authorized, policy-dependent management allows networking experts to incorporate less or more traffic on the broadband links without the need for rearranging routers and pathways on an individual base. Moreover, the administration is also a cost-saving area, particularly ongoing maintenance and networking service.

Related Article: 10 Benefits Of SD-WAN For Retail

Redirecting the traffic as required and monitoring the health of the links enhances software performance and availability in a greater sense. SD-WAN can as well minimize or boost the performance on a selective, software-by-software basis.

Related Article: SD-WAN For Manufacturing

SD-WAN provides the networking experts the strength to exhibit to the need for new WAN services and improve the existing ones. A lot of work that took a lot of time to complete only require a few minutes with SD-WAN. Establishing networking equipment a new location is easier with SD-WAN compared to the traditional gateways and routers.

Why Choose Fortinet SD-WAN?

Choosing the right Fortinet SD-WAN solution is crucial. The best Fortinet firewalls for SD-WAN that we cover today all offer the SD-WAN functionality required whilst keeping secure operations across several remote locations and branches. So, why Fortinet?

• The Fortinet SD-WAN solution offers simplified deployment, affordable connectivity, and a centralised management system through a single-box solution for security and networking operations.
• Clear visibility across the entire authority management, networking system, and authorised VPN control across remote/branch areas.
• Branch deployments and auto equipment provision help to save a lot of time compared to traditional WAN processes.

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4 Best Fortinet SD-WAN Firewalls

1. Entry-level – FortiGate 30E

One we highly recommend as an entry-level SD-WAN appliance for SoHo or small branch site. Also known as FortiWIFI 30E, this series is a compact, all-in-one, and cost-effective system that offers Fortinet’s Connected UTM.

Appropriate for small and mid-sized businesses, these devices offer the secure connectivity SD-WAN solution, network security, and performance you’ve always envisioned.

Security features

• Capable of checking thousands of traffic flows for thorough evaluation, ensuring that each has complied to any required policies put in place.
• Offers cyber-crime protection, including the exploits, viruses, and suspicious websites in either non-encrypted or encrypted traffic.
• Utilises the feature ‘continuous threat intelligence’ to help examine and stop any suspicious attacks.
• With the help of ‘Fortinet security integrated fabric’, it inhibits suspicious threats in real-time
• It boasts of its high-performance UTM capabilities, including the anti-spam, firewall, IPS, Web filtering, DLP, VPN, application control, antivirus, etc., which offer the best protection and ultra-low latency.
• It offers a powerful security application to deliver the leading protection for visibility and advanced threats.

Performance

NGFW Throughput:	200 Mbps
Threat Protection:	150 Mbps
VPN Throughput:	35 Mbps
Max G/W to G/W IPSEC :	200
Ports:	5x GE RJ45

Networking

• It is developed using advanced fast fail-over features to offer high performance. routing decisions
• It has an in-built SD-WAN function to provide consistent performance and enhanced user experience during times of partial WAn failure or WAN service degredation.

Management

• Has zero touch capability that uses a single pane of glass control.
• Encompasses management control, which is simple and effective to utilize, offering a broad network of visibility and automation.
• Includes pre-defined regulatory conditions that evaluate the best practices and analyze the things to deploy to enhance the overall security concern.

Security Fabric

• It allows the Fortinet collaborator’s product to offer comprehensive visibility, automated remediation, and threat intelligence sharing.
• It creates network topology recognition automatically, making IoT devices and offer full visibility into fortinet.

Secure SD-WAN

• It provides businesses a consistent software performance with dynamic WAN and accurate malware detection.
• Offers cost-saving SaaS adoption.
• It offers a sturdy security feature with the right time malware protection and next-generation firewall.
• Easy to use with centralized management and zero-touch deployment.

Full Fortinet Datasheet – 30E

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2. Lower/Mid Range – FortiGate 60F

This is the next step up that we recommend. Perfect for a small/medium branch that is growing. The FortiGate 60F series provides unmatched SD-WAN solution and cybersecurity in a solid fanless desktop form for companies and mid-sized businesses. Ideal to keep your cyber protected, FortiGate 60F boasts of having a secure SD-WAN feature, in an easy to use, cheap, and simple to deploy a solution.

Security features

• Capable of checking thousands of traffic flows for thorough evaluation, ensuring that each has complied to any required policies put in place.
• Offers cyber-crime protection, including the exploits, viruses, and suspicious websites in either non-encrypted or encrypted traffic.
• Utilises the feature ‘continuous threat intelligence’ to help examine and stop any suspicious attacks.
• With the help of ‘Fortinet security integrated fabric’, it inhibits suspicious threats in real-time
• Boasts of its high-performance UTM capabilities, including the anti-spam, firewall, IPS, Web filtering, DLP, VPN, application control, antivirus, etc., which offer the best protection and ultra-low latency.
• It offers a powerful security application to deliver the leading protection for visibility and advanced threats.

Performance

NGFW Throughput:	1 Gbps
Threat Protection:	700 Mbps
VPN Throughput:	6.5 Gbps
Max G/W to G/W IPSEC :	200
Ports:	8x GE RJ45

Networking

• It offers modern networking features, scalable IPsec VPN functions, and high performance.
• Excellent SD-WAN functions to enable software steering utilizing WAN path monitor for a top-notch experience.

Management

• Offers Zero-touch function with security single panel.
• Incorporates management control that is easy to use, effective, and offers broad network visibility and automation.
• Predefined flexibility tasks evaluation and point out the best practices to enhance overall security.

Security Fabric

• Create a topology visualization network, which creates IoT devices and offers full visibility into the Fortinet.

Secure SD-WAN

• Offer strong security features with right time threat protection.
• Consistent enterprise software performance.
• Offer a centralized controlled system and simplified zero-touch deployment.

Full Fortinet Datasheet – 60F

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3. Upper/Mid Range – FortiGate 100F

Perfect for a small head office or larger branch. The FortiGate 100F is a Fortinet SD-WAN Firewall offering the next-generation firewall functions for mid-sized and large companies.

It is easy to use and can be ideal for enterprise or campus branch. Furthermore, it is preferred to keep cyber threats protected with security features with high performance and deep visibility.

Security features

• Capable of checking thousands of traffic flows for thorough evaluation, ensuring that each has complied to any required policies put in place.
• Offers cyber-crime protection, including the exploits, viruses, and suspicious websites in either non-encrypted or encrypted traffic.
• Utilises the feature ‘continuous threat intelligence’ to help examine and stop any suspicious attacks.
• With the help of ‘Fortinet security integrated fabric’, it inhibits suspicious threats in real-time
• Boasts of its high-performance UTM capabilities, including the anti-spam, firewall, IPS, Web filtering, DLP, VPN, application control, antivirus, etc., which offer the best protection and ultra-low latency.
• It offers a powerful security application to deliver the leading protection for visibility and advanced threats.

Performance

NGFW Throughput	1.6 Gbps
Threat Protection Throughput	1 Gbps
VPN Throughput	11.5 Gbps
Max G/W to G/W IPSEC Tunnels	2500
Ports	26 1GE, 4 1GE Shared Media, 2 10GE

Networking

• Incorporates a built-in routing feature to provide excellent performance with scalable encrypted IPSEC tunnels.
• There is a software aware routine, which includes a built-in SD-WAN feature to attain maximum and consistent performance.

Management

• Encompasses a management control system that is easy to use and effective, offering a broad network of visibility and automation of the network.
• It offers zero-touch that leverages glass control from a single pane.
• Evaluate the deployment and analyze the ideal ways to enhance overall cybersecurity.

Security Fabric

• Creates a topology visualization network, which recognizes IoT devices and offers full visibility into the Fortinet.
• Allows Fortinet to offer comprehensive, threat intelligence sharing, integrated malware detection, and automated remediation.

Secure SD-WAN

• Helps block the DNS requests.
• Incorporates video caching and dynamic web to improve the user experience.
• Protect web access from all the external or internal viruses and malware for encrypted traffic.
• Controls and prevent web access depending on users across the domain and URL.

Full Fortinet Datasheet – 100F

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4. High-End – FortiGate 300E

FortiGate 300E is the next generation and a great breed of SD-WAN ability for both mid and large companies. It is actually ideal for use in campuses or universities since it can support 200-300 network users with a 3 Gbps. In addition, it offers website-to-website-tunnels up to 500 and 90-days of malware updates.

Security features

• Capable of checking thousands of traffic flows for thorough evaluation, ensuring that each has complied to any required policies put in place.
• Offers cyber-crime protection, including the exploits, viruses, and suspicious websites in either non-encrypted or encrypted traffic.
• Utilises the feature ‘continuous threat intelligence’ to help examine and stop any suspicious attacks.
• With the help of ‘Fortinet security integrated fabric’, it inhibits suspicious threats in real-time
• It boasts of its high-performance UTM capabilities, including the anti-spam, firewall, IPS, Web filtering, DLP, VPN, application control, antivirus, etc., which offer the best protection and ultra-low latency.
• It offers a powerful security application to deliver the leading protection for visibility and advanced threats.

Performance

NGFW Throughput:	3.5 Gbps
Threat Protection:	3 Gbps
VPN Throughput:	20 Gbps
Max G/W to G/W IPSEC Tunnels :	2000
Ports:	16x GE RJ45, 16x GE SFP

Networking

• Include a built-in SD-WAN feature that is able to offer the best user experience.
• Advanced routing feature is included to improve performance with scalable encrypted IPSEC tunnels.

Management

• Effective management system characterized by broad visibility and automation network.
• It contains a zero-touch feature that offers glass management in a single pane with the help of a fabric management center.

Security Fabric

• Allows Fortinet and its partners to offer comprehensive visibility, malware intelligence sharing, integrated virus detection, and automated remediation.
• Develop a topology visualization network automatically, which establishes IoT devices and offers full visibility.

Secure SD-WAN

• Includes video caching and dynamic web to improve user experience.
• Prevents DNS and suspicious requests.
• Monitor and prevent web access depending on the user or user’s domains.
• Protect accessing the website from both external and internal risks.

Fortinet High End Firewalls

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Our Verdict

Choosing the best Fortinet SD-WAN Firewall to match your requirement is important. There is a balance between choosing an SD-WAN appliance with enough performance ability for now and the future, rather than over engineer (and blow your budget) with a device that will never get near its upper-end capacity.

Considering any of the mentioned Fortinet SD-WAN appliances in this article will ensure your SD-WAN solution is well balanced. Keeping your WAN traffic optimised as well as all your information safe from malicious threats, viruses, and suspicious links is certainly achievable.

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