FortiGate vs Cisco Firewall – Which Is Better for Businesses in Malaysia?

Choosing between FortiGate and Cisco Firewall is a major decision for Malaysian organisations planning a firewall refresh or enterprise security upgrade. This comparison by SYSIT focuses on real-world performance, scalability, operational complexity, and cost—not vendor marketing claims.

Overview

FortiGate and Cisco firewalls are both widely deployed across enterprise networks. However, they follow very different design philosophies. FortiGate is built as a security-first, integrated NGFW platform, while Cisco firewalls evolved from networking infrastructure roots.

Performance & Throughput

Area FortiGate Cisco Firewall
Architecture ASIC-based (SPU) CPU-based
Firewall Throughput Very high Moderate
UTM / Threat Protection Impact Low degradation High degradation
SSL/TLS Inspection Hardware-accelerated CPU-intensive
Performance at Scale Excellent Can degrade significantly

Security Capabilities

Capability FortiGate Cisco Firewall
NGFW Features Mature & unified Fragmented
IPS & Threat Prevention FortiGuard-driven Snort-based
Application Control Strong Good
Web Filtering Advanced Available but complex
Ransomware Defence Layered & integrated Adequate but heavier

Management & Operations

Area FortiGate Cisco Firewall
Management Interface Unified & consistent Fragmented
Learning Curve Moderate Steep
Central Management FortiManager FMC
Day-to-Day Operations Efficient Operationally heavy

Licensing & Cost (Malaysia Perspective)

Area FortiGate Cisco Firewall
Hardware Cost Competitive High
Licensing Model Flexible Complex
Total Cost of Ownership Lower High
SME Suitability Excellent Poor

SYSIT Recommendation

For most Malaysian SMEs and mid-enterprises, FortiGate delivers enterprise-grade security with better performance consistency, simpler operations, and lower total cost of ownership compared to Cisco firewalls.

Need Help Choosing the Right Firewall?

SYSIT provides independent firewall assessments, FortiGate sizing, deployment, migration, and managed firewall services across Malaysia.

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