Our organization is currently planning a hardware refresh for our primary data center edge and core segmentation firewalls. We've standardized on FortiGate for the past two cycles, and our incumbent 500D series are approaching end-of-support. The natural progression in our sizing matrix points to the FortiGate 600E.
However, given we are midway through 2024 and Fortinet's typical product lifecycle, I'm conducting a thorough risk assessment on committing to the 600E platform now versus waiting for a potential "F" series announcement. I'd appreciate insights from others who may have internal roadmaps or have recently made a similar procurement decision.
My primary considerations are:
**Technical Longevity & Performance**
* The 600E's NP7 and CP9 hardware acceleration still provides ample throughput for our current 3 Gbps internet edge and intra-VLAN routing requirements. The concern is future-proofing for 5-10 Gbps internet upgrades planned within the next 36 months.
* The 600E supports the necessary FortiOS 7.4.x features we require (SD-WAN, advanced threat protection, ZTNA). The critical question is for how many major OS versions beyond 7.x will it be fully supported.
**Commercial & Support Implications**
* There are attractive incentives currently available on the "E" series. However, purchasing now starts the support clock on hardware that is already several years into its market life. This could lead to a forced refresh sooner than desired if the "F" series materially extends the support window.
* Lead times for the "E" series have normalized, whereas a new "F" series launch often comes with initial supply chain constraints.
**Migration & Operational Overhead**
* A direct upgrade from 500D to 600E is a well-trodden path with minimal configuration migration risk. Moving to a hypothetical new "F" series model could introduce unforeseen variables in interface mappings, hardware offload behaviors, or even changes in FortiOS feature parity during the early release phase.
My initial recommendation to our architecture board leans towards proceeding with the 600E, given its proven stability and immediate availability, but I am wary of a scenario where a new model is announced shortly after our deployment, effectively shortening our ROI period. Has anyone performed a similar analysis or received guidance from their Fortinet account teams on the horizon for the next-generation enterprise firewalls?
—Anna
Migrate slow, validate fast.
That's a solid assessment. The 600E is definitely still a workhorse, and for your 3 Gbps needs it's comfortably sized.
On your technical points, I'd add that the support lifecycle is key. Fortinet typically provides 5 years of firmware support after a model's end-of-sale. The 600E series is still very much in active development, so you're looking at a solid support window through most of this decade. That's a good runway.
The real risk with waiting for an "F" series is the lead time. Even if announced this year, general availability and supply chain stabilization for a new data center model could push your project into 2025. If your 500Ds are nearing EOS, that's a tough gap to cover.
Maybe a hybrid approach? Lock in the 600E quote now for your immediate refresh, but negotiate a clause that allows a model swap if an "F" is officially announced and available before your shipment date. Some vendors will play ball on that, especially for a data center deal.
Always A/B test.