In short
Fortinet, WatchGuard and Cisco all sell desktop and rack-mount firewalls for business, with security services as 1, 3 or 5-year subscriptions. FortiGate firewalls also manage FortiSwitch and FortiAP; WatchGuard manages everything from WatchGuard Cloud; Cisco offers Threat Defense or ASA. Forever Systems, a Fortinet Advocate Partner, can quote and install all three.
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At a glance
Each cell is the vendor's own description, from its product pages and data sheets checked on 8 Nov 2026. There is no winner: the right choice depends on your sites, what you run already and who will manage it.
| Fortinet FortiGate | WatchGuard Firebox | Cisco Secure Firewall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranges | Entry-Level (Branch) desktop models (30G to 90G), Mid-Range (Campus) 1U models (120G to 900G) and High-End (Data Center) models, in Fortinet's current models table | Firebox T Series tabletop (T115-W, T125, T145, T175, T185, NV5, T45-CW) and M Series rackmount (M295 to M6850) | Secure Firewall 200 Series (220, 240P), 1200 Series (1210CE to 1250), 3100 and 4200 Series, plus Firepower 1000 |
| Operating system | FortiOS | Fireware | Firewall Threat Defense or ASA, chosen by part number (-TD-K9 or -ASA-K9) |
| Security subscriptions | FortiGuard bundles: Advanced Threat Protection, Unified Threat Protection, Enterprise Protection, SD-WAN bundle, or single services; FortiCare Premium included in the bundles | Standard Support, or the Basic, Prime or Total Security Suite (Prime only on models launched after 2025) | Threat Defense feature licences per appliance: T, TC, TM or TMC, for 1, 3 or 5 years |
| Central management | FortiManager (appliance or VM), FortiManager Cloud, FortiManagement Cloud (formerly FortiEdge Cloud); logging with FortiAnalyzer | WatchGuard Cloud; logging to WatchGuard Cloud and Dimension, Syslog or SNMP | Firewall Device Manager on the box, Secure Firewall Management Center, or Cisco Security Cloud Control |
| Built-in Wi-Fi models | FortiWiFi versions of the 30G, 50G, 70G and 80F (UK part numbers end -E) | T115-W, T125-W and T145-W (Wi-Fi 7); T45-CW (Wi-Fi 6 with a 5G modem) | None in the 200 and 1200 Series models listed here; Cisco access points are separate |
| PoE ports on the firewall | 50G-SFP-POE, 70G-POE and 80F-POE versions | T185 (2 PoE+ ports) | 240P (4 PoE+ ports) and 1210CP |
| SD-WAN | "Integrated SD-WAN" (Fortinet NGFW page), with an SD-WAN bundle | "Multi-wan failover, dynamic path selection, jitter/loss/latency measurement" in every T Series datasheet | "integrates SD-WAN capabilities" (Cisco Secure Firewall 200 data sheet) |
| Remote access and zero trust | "Built-in ZTNA capabilities" (Fortinet NGFW page), plus IPsec VPN; IPsec VPN throughput in each data sheet | Mobile VPN tunnel counts per model, and Access Portal in every security suite | Remote-access VPN on Threat Defense and ASA; VPN peer counts in each data sheet |
| Manage switches and access points from the firewall | Yes: FortiSwitch switches over FortiLink and FortiAP access points from the built-in wireless controller | WatchGuard access points from WatchGuard Cloud; WatchGuard sells no switches | No; Cisco switches and access points have their own management |
| Throughput figure to compare | Threat protection | UTM (full scan) | FW + AVC + IPS |
| Hardware replacement | Advance-replacement RMA with FortiCare Premium and Elite (Fortinet FortiCare services brief) | "All WatchGuard hardware includes a one-year hardware warranty"; advance replacement with an active Support subscription | Depends on the Cisco support contract; confirmed at quote |
Comparing a Cisco Meraki MX instead? That comparison is on cloudnetworking.uk: Meraki vs Fortinet (opens in a new tab).
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Comparable models by site size
A starting point for a like-for-like shortlist. Throughput is measured differently by each vendor (threat protection, UTM full scan, FW + AVC + IPS), so we compare models on your traffic rather than on the headline figures:
| Your site | Fortinet | WatchGuard | Cisco |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro office or shop, one line | FortiGate 30G, 40F | T115-W, T125 | Secure Firewall 220 |
| Small office with home workers | FortiGate 50G, 70G | T145, T185 | 240P, 1210CE and 1210CP |
| Larger branch | FortiGate 80F, 90G | T175, M295, M395 | 1220CX, 1230 |
| Head office | FortiGate 120G, 200G and 400G to 900G | M495 to M6850 | 1240, 1250 and 3100 |
Where FortiGate firewalls stand out
- One platform for the site network: a FortiGate firewall can manage FortiSwitch switches over FortiLink and FortiAP access points through its built-in wireless controller, which Fortinet says "does not require any additional licensing to use". See Security Fabric and FortiLink.
- A wide desktop range: Wi-Fi, PoE, DSL, 4G/LTE and 5G versions of the entry models, and -HA part numbers for resilient pairs.
- Bundles that include support: Fortinet says "All bundles include FortiCare Premium Services", and hardware-plus-bundle part numbers buy both in one line.
The FortiGate product matrix puts the models side by side.
Not sure what you need?
Tell us about your sites and we will recommend the right kit and licences.
Where WatchGuard Firebox appliances stand out
- WatchGuard Cloud: WatchGuard manages Firebox appliances, access points and its other products from one cloud console.
- Suite-based buying: three security suites (Basic, Prime and Total), with Total adding WatchGuard's EDR Core sensors (for example 20 on the T145 and 250 on the M595, per the datasheets) and Network Management.
- Wi-Fi 7 tabletop models: the T115-W, T125-W and T145-W have Wi-Fi 7 built in.
See Firebox tabletop and Firebox rackmount for every model.
Where Cisco Secure Firewall stands out
- Two software images: each model is ordered with Firewall Threat Defense (-TD-K9) or ASA (-ASA-K9), which suits estates already standardised on ASA.
- Cisco management at scale: Firewall Device Manager on the box, or Management Center and Cisco Security Cloud Control centrally.
- Integrated SD-WAN on the 200 Series: Cisco describes "seamlessly integrated SD-WAN capabilities, accelerated by Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP)".
Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner; the Cisco software side is explained on ciscosecure.co.uk (opens in a new tab).
How to choose between them
- Start from what you have: if your switches and access points are already FortiSwitch and FortiAP, a FortiGate firewall manages them all; if you run WatchGuard access points or other WatchGuard products, WatchGuard Cloud keeps them together; if you run Cisco ASA, Cisco Secure Firewall keeps your policies familiar.
- Size on your traffic: internet speed, users, VPN users and the services you will switch on.
- Compare the whole cost: hardware plus the security subscription and support for the same term.
- Decide who manages it: your team, us, or a managed service.
How to order
How ordering works. Press Add next to a part number and it goes into your basket; where a subscription or support contract goes with the hardware, you choose it in the same step. Then View basket and Request a quote. We check every line, quantity and term against your sites and send back a personalised quote by email. Nothing is charged online. We can also design, supply, stage, install and configure the equipment, with the scope confirmed at quote (see network installation).
Want two vendors quoted side by side? Contact us with your sites and we will quote comparable models from each, with their subscriptions for the same term.
How we can help with your network
Forever Systems can design, supply, stage, install and configure the network around the hardware you buy here, as a project or one step at a time.
- Design: we look at your sites, users and existing kit and size the switches, wireless and firewalls to fit
- Supply: every order gets a personalised quote by part number, with the subscriptions and support each product needs
- Stage: we can pre-configure and label equipment before it reaches site
- Install: we can rack and mount switches, access points and firewalls on site
- Configure: VLANs, wireless, firewall policy, VPNs and management platforms set up and documented at handover
Scope is confirmed at quote, so you only pay for the parts of the project you need.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fortinet better than WatchGuard?
Neither is better for every business. FortiGate firewalls suit sites that want the firewall to manage switches and access points too; WatchGuard suits businesses that want everything in WatchGuard Cloud with suite-based licensing. We quote both on your requirements.
What is the difference between FortiGate and WatchGuard Firebox?
FortiGate firewalls run FortiOS with FortiGuard bundles and can manage FortiSwitch and FortiAP; Firebox appliances run Fireware with WatchGuard security suites and are managed from WatchGuard Cloud. Both offer desktop and rack-mount models, SD-WAN and VPN.
Fortinet vs Cisco firewall: how do they differ?
FortiGate firewalls run FortiOS with FortiGuard bundles; Cisco Secure Firewall runs Threat Defense or ASA with per-appliance T, TC, TM or TMC licences, managed with Device Manager, Management Center or Security Cloud Control.
Can I compare throughput figures across vendors?
Not directly. Fortinet publishes threat protection, WatchGuard UTM (full scan) and Cisco FW + AVC + IPS throughput, each measured its own way. We compare models on your traffic and services.
Do you sell all three?
Yes. We can quote, supply, install and configure FortiGate, WatchGuard Firebox and Cisco Secure Firewall appliances with their subscriptions, scope confirmed at quote.
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