Buy a FortiGate in Morocco: models, licences, installation and what to check

The short answer: buying a FortiGate in Morocco means buying three things at once. A new appliance sized on your real traffic, a FortiGuard security services bundle (UTP for the vast majority of SMBs), and FortiCare support, all registered in your company’s name on Fortinet’s portal. Go through a Fortinet partner, compare quotes on the full cost of hardware and licences, and decide from the outset whether you want supply only or installation.

At ALLSAFE SOLUTIONS, a Fortinet partner since 2021, we supply FortiGate appliances and their licences to businesses in Casablanca and across Morocco, with or without installation. This guide is the one we follow with our clients before every order. Capacities quoted come from Fortinet’s own publications; we do not give prices, which depend on the model, the licence term and the period.

The three parts of a FortiGate order

A serious FortiGate quote always has three lines, sometimes grouped under a single “bundle” part number:

Item	What it provides	If you leave it out
The FortiGate appliance	The hardware and the FortiOS system	Nothing works
The FortiGuard bundle (ATP, UTP or Enterprise Protection)	Updates for antivirus, intrusion prevention, web and DNS filtering, application control	The appliance filters on frozen signatures, browsing is no longer categorised
FortiCare support	Vendor assistance, replacement of faulty hardware, access to new FortiOS versions	No security fixes, no replacement on failure

Fortinet often sells the appliance and services together as a one-, three- or five-year bundle depending on the part number. It is usually the simplest way to buy: one line, one expiry date. The detailed content of each bundle is covered in our guide FortiGate for SMBs: which model and which licence.

Choosing the model: Threat Protection throughput first

The most common buying mistake is comparing the “firewall” throughput on datasheets. That figure is measured with protections switched off. The right benchmark is Threat Protection throughput, measured by Fortinet with firewall, intrusion prevention, application control and malware protection enabled.

Model	Threat Protection throughput published by Fortinet	Positioning
FortiGate 30G	500 Mbps	Very small office, branch
FortiGate 40F	600 Mbps	Small office, branch
FortiGate 50G	1.1 Gbps	Small office with a fast fibre connection
FortiGate 60F	700 Mbps	SMB, very widespread model
FortiGate 70G	1.3 Gbps	Growing SMB
FortiGate 80F	900 Mbps	SMB needing extra ports
FortiGate 90G	2.2 Gbps	Mid-sized SMB, multi-site head office
FortiGate 120G	2.8 Gbps	Head office, larger SMB

Source: Threat Protection throughput table on Fortinet’s FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall page. Several models also come as FortiWiFi (built-in Wi-Fi) or with PoE ports to power access points and phones; check the exact availability of the variant when ordering.

To size the appliance, start from your current and planned internet bandwidth, the number of devices and remote VPN users, and whether SSL inspection will be enabled, as it weighs heavily on performance. Larger models and sizing by company profile are covered in our business firewall buying guide for Morocco.

Choosing the licence: bundle and term

Three FortiGuard bundles cover most needs:

• UTP, Unified Threat Protection: the default choice for an SMB, including web and DNS filtering, intrusion prevention, antivirus and application control.
• ATP, Advanced Threat Protection: a narrower scope without web filtering, for sites that have no use for it.
• Enterprise Protection: the most complete bundle, for sensitive sites where exposure to ransomware and data leaks is high.

On the support side, FortiCare comes in several levels (Essential, Premium, Elite) that differ in support hours and hardware replacement method. Bundles include a FortiCare level; check which one on the quote if the appliance’s continuity is critical to you.

As for the term, a multi-year bundle avoids yearly renewals and fixes the cost over the period. A one-year commitment leaves more flexibility if you plan a move or a model change. Either way, note the expiry date on delivery: we explain what happens once it passes in FortiGate licence renewal and FortiCare.

Official channel or grey market

In Morocco you can find FortiGate appliances sold on classified-ad sites, imported outside the official channel or offered second-hand. The headline price may look attractive; the risks are real.

What to check	Buying from a Fortinet partner	Grey market or second-hand
Serial number	New, never registered	Sometimes still linked to a previous owner’s account
Licences	Activated in your name	Tied to the serial number, often expired, not freely transferable
FortiCare support	Opens on registration	Missing or to be repurchased, with reinstatement conditions
Replacement on failure	Covered by FortiCare	Uncertain
Security history	None	Previous configuration and credentials unknown
Invoice and traceability	Company invoice for your accounts and audits	Often non-existent

Security is the key point. Firewalls and VPN gateways are among attackers’ favourite targets, and maCERT, the Moroccan CERT run by the DGSSI, regularly publishes alerts about FortiOS vulnerabilities. An appliance whose history, system version and configured accounts are unknown should never protect a business network. We cover update management in FortiOS upgrades and vulnerabilities.

If you still consider a second-hand unit, ask for the serial number before buying, have its status and contracts checked on the Fortinet portal, and plan a full reset and a FortiOS update before commissioning.

FortiCare registration: a mandatory step

A FortiGate is registered on the Fortinet support portal with its serial number. Registration activates FortiCare support and the FortiGuard services purchased, and links the appliance to your company’s account.

On recent G-series models, this step is no longer optional. According to Fortinet’s technical documentation, recent FortiOS versions display a FortiCare registration prompt at first login and restrict configuration until it is done. From FortiOS 7.4.10, a seven-day grace period after first power-on allows the configuration to be prepared. Registration requires an internet connection; a manual licence upload procedure exists for isolated networks.

Two practical tips:

1. Register the appliance on an account owned by the company, with a generic email address (for example the IT department’s), not on the personal account of an employee or a contractor.
2. Keep proof of registration and expiry dates in your documentation, with the serial number and the bundle part number.

Supply only or supply with installation

ALLSAFE SOLUTIONS supplies FortiGate appliances and licences in two ways, at the client’s choice.

Supply only. You receive the new appliance and the licences, with their part numbers. This suits companies with an administrator trained on FortiOS or a regular IT provider. We can assist with registration if you wish.

Supply with installation. We handle:

• the initial network and traffic audit, to confirm the model;
• registering the appliance and activating licences on the company’s account;
• updating FortiOS to a recommended version;
• configuration: interfaces, VLANs, security policies, UTP profiles, SSL inspection where justified, VPN for remote workers with two-factor authentication;
• cutover from the old equipment, scheduled outside working hours;
• documentation handed to the client: diagram, rules, accounts, expiry dates.

The settings we apply every time are listed in 10 security settings after installing a FortiGate. For remote work, see our guide FortiClient: VPN and ZTNA.

Needs to anticipate when ordering

Some decisions change the shopping list. Better to settle them before ordering:

Need	Impact on the order
The firewall must never stop	Two identical appliances in high availability, see FortiGate HA cluster
Several sites to connect	One FortiGate per site and an SD-WAN design, see multi-site FortiGate SD-WAN
Two internet connections	A model with enough WAN ports, failover configuration
Switches and Wi-Fi access points	FortiSwitch and FortiAP managed from the FortiGate, see FortiSwitch, FortiAP and Security Fabric
Log retention	FortiAnalyzer or a cloud logging service to plan for
Unsure about the brand	Compare with WatchGuard, see FortiGate or WatchGuard for an SMB

Buying mistakes we see

1. Comparing quotes without licences against quotes that include them: the cheapest is often a bare appliance.
2. Choosing on firewall throughput instead of Threat Protection throughput, then discovering slowdowns as soon as protections are enabled.
3. Registering the appliance on a contractor’s account: when they leave, the company no longer controls its licences.
4. Forgetting remote workers when sizing the VPN.
5. Letting licences expire for lack of tracking, which degrades protection with no visible alert.
6. Commissioning a second-hand unit without a reset and FortiOS update.

Checklist before ordering a FortiGate

• Current and planned internet bandwidth, number of links.
• Number of devices, servers and remote VPN users.
• Need for SSL inspection, web filtering, application control.
• Model chosen on Threat Protection throughput, Wi-Fi or PoE variant if needed.
• FortiGuard bundle (UTP by default) and included FortiCare level.
• Licence term and expiry date recorded.
• Company Fortinet account for registration.
• High availability, multi-site, logging: decided before ordering.
• Supply only or with installation, and who handles follow-up afterwards.

How we do it

As a Fortinet integrator in Morocco, we start with a free initial audit of your network and usage, to recommend the right model and bundle without oversizing. You then receive a clear quote separating hardware, licences and services. We deliver the new FortiGate with its licences, standalone or installed, from Casablanca and across Morocco. If you wish, the firewall is then monitored 24/7 as part of our business cybersecurity offering, with tracking of licence expiry and FortiOS updates, and critical incidents handled in under 15 minutes.

For all the hardware and licences we supply, see the IT hardware and licensing page. Then request your free initial audit: we reply within 24 business hours.