Fortinet Secure SD-WAN

Name: Fortinet Secure SD-WAN
Brand: Fortinet
Rating: 4.6 (177 reviews)

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN is an SD-WAN solution delivered via FortiGate (physical or virtual) that combines application-aware WAN connectivity, integrated next-generation firewall security, and centralized management to consolidate edge networking and security functions.

Est 2000|Valuation $133.5B|Raised $1.2B

LinkedIn 1.3M|Website|Web traffic 673K|FTEs 15,472|HQ Sunnyvale, California, US

MarketsEnterprise Networking

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative analysis

Where Fortinet tends to excel - Organizations that prefer consolidation of security and networking at the edge. - Environments already standardized on Fortinet hardware and management tooling (FortiGate, FortiSwitch, FortiAP, FortiManager), where operational integration can reduce tool sprawl. - Security-sensitive industries requiring NGFW controls at the branch. Where competitors often excel - Meraki: rapid deployment and consistent cloud-managed operations, which can reduce operational overhead for smaller teams. - VMware SD-WAN / Aruba EdgeConnect: strengths in SD-WAN overlay constructs and WAN optimization where SD-WAN-specific features are primary and security is handled separately. Customer sentiment comparing vendors (community-level signals) - Community discussions often describe Fortinet SD-WAN as effective when deployed and managed by teams with FortiOS expertise, but frequently note that some cloud-managed competitors provide simpler operational models for smaller or less specialized teams.

	Fortinet Secure SD-WAN	Cisco Meraki SD-WAN	VMware SD-WAN (VeloCloud)
Starting Price	Not published as a simple list price; typically FortiGate + bundles + support. Third‑party directional estimates exist but are not authoritative.	Third‑party directional estimates exist but are not authoritative.	Third‑party directional estimates exist but are not authoritative.
Best For	Organizations seeking integrated NGFW + SD-WAN and unified operations across security and networking; SD-Branch scenarios; migration path to FortiSASE.	Lean IT teams prioritizing cloud-managed simplicity and rapid rollouts; less need for deep customization or CLI-based configuration.	Enterprises prioritizing WAN path optimization and mature SD-WAN overlay controls; orchestrator-centric workflows.
Key Strength	Integration of security and SD-WAN on FortiGate, FortiOS ecosystem, automation options, and hardware acceleration.	Ease of deployment and operational consistency through a cloud management model.	Strong SD-WAN heritage with broad WAN optimization features and orchestrator control.
Key Weakness	Operational complexity; firmware/model-specific bug risk; management stack complexity; integration friction for non-Fortinet ecosystems.	Less depth for enterprise overlay use cases and limited advanced CLI options.	Pricing/licensing complexity; reliance on orchestrator/controller; potential customer concerns after vendor ownership changes.

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative analysis

Where Fortinet tends to excel

Organizations that prefer consolidation of security and networking at the edge.
Environments already standardized on Fortinet hardware and management tooling (FortiGate, FortiSwitch, FortiAP, FortiManager), where operational integration can reduce tool sprawl.
Security-sensitive industries requiring NGFW controls at the branch.

Where competitors often excel

Meraki: rapid deployment and consistent cloud-managed operations, which can reduce operational overhead for smaller teams.
VMware SD-WAN / Aruba EdgeConnect: strengths in SD-WAN overlay constructs and WAN optimization where SD-WAN-specific features are primary and security is handled separately.

Customer sentiment comparing vendors (community-level signals)

Community discussions often describe Fortinet SD-WAN as effective when deployed and managed by teams with FortiOS expertise, but frequently note that some cloud-managed competitors provide simpler operational models for smaller or less specialized teams.

	Fortinet Secure SD-WAN	Cisco Meraki SD-WAN	VMware SD-WAN (VeloCloud)
Starting Price	Not published as a simple list price; typically FortiGate + bundles + support. Third‑party directional estimates exist but are not authoritative.	Third‑party directional estimates exist but are not authoritative.	Third‑party directional estimates exist but are not authoritative.
Best For	Organizations seeking integrated NGFW + SD-WAN and unified operations across security and networking; SD-Branch scenarios; migration path to FortiSASE.	Lean IT teams prioritizing cloud-managed simplicity and rapid rollouts; less need for deep customization or CLI-based configuration.	Enterprises prioritizing WAN path optimization and mature SD-WAN overlay controls; orchestrator-centric workflows.
Key Strength	Integration of security and SD-WAN on FortiGate, FortiOS ecosystem, automation options, and hardware acceleration.	Ease of deployment and operational consistency through a cloud management model.	Strong SD-WAN heritage with broad WAN optimization features and orchestrator control.
Key Weakness	Operational complexity; firmware/model-specific bug risk; management stack complexity; integration friction for non-Fortinet ecosystems.	Less depth for enterprise overlay use cases and limited advanced CLI options.	Pricing/licensing complexity; reliance on orchestrator/controller; potential customer concerns after vendor ownership changes.