Fortigate 709 New < 720p >

FortiGate 709 — Feature Draft

Part 6: FortiGate 709 vs. The Competition

How does the "new" 709 stack up against its rivals? Let’s compare it directly against the Palo Alto PA-1420 and the Sophos XGS 4500.

| Feature | FortiGate 709 | Palo Alto PA-1420 | Sophos XGS 4500 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | List Price (Approx) | $14,999 | $18,000 | $9,999 | | Firewall Throughput | 125 Gbps | 21 Gbps | 75 Gbps | | Threat Protection | 38 Gbps | 9 Gbps | 12 Gbps | | Max 10G Interfaces | 12 (4x25G + 8x10G) | 8 (All 10G) | 6 | | SSL Inspection | 12 Gbps | 7 Gbps | 5 Gbps | | ASICs | NP7 + CP9 | No (General CPU) | No |

Verdict: The Palo Alto is easier to manage for pure policy, but the 709 obliterates it in raw throughput per dollar. The Sophos is cheaper but cannot handle 10GbE with security on. For performance-hungry networks, the 709 is the winner. fortigate 709 new

3. 5G WAN Integration

The "new" USB and SFP slots support Fortinet’s 5G modules, turning the 709 into a primary SD-WAN hub with cellular failover that latches in under 30 seconds.

7. Firmware Upgrade Path (Important)

• FortiGate 709F ships with FortiOS 7.0.x or later
• Upgrade order (example for major versions):
  7.0.15 → 7.2.10 → 7.4.5 → 7.6.2
• Always check release notes & follow: execute upgrade from CLI or use GUI with Check Integrity

5. The Negatives (Cons)

• No HA (High Availability) Ports: Unlike the larger models (90F, 100F), the 70F lacks dedicated HA ports. You can still set up HA (failover between two firewalls), but you have to sacrifice two of your precious LAN ports to do it.
• No Dual Power Supply: It uses a single external power brick. For critical environments requiring 99.999% uptime, the lack of redundant power supplies is a risk factor.
• Subscription Costs: The hardware is affordable, but to make it useful, you need FortiGuard subscriptions (UTM bundles). These can be pricey upon renewal.
• Fan Noise: While it is a "desktop" unit, the fan

Here’s a concise but insightful write-up on the FortiGate 709F (assuming “new 709” refers to the 709F model, part of Fortinet’s seventh-generation FortiGate lineup), focusing on what makes it interesting for network and security pros. FortiGate 709 — Feature Draft Part 6: FortiGate 709 vs

HA CLI example (Active-Passive)

config system ha
    set group-id 1
    set group-name "HA-709"
    set mode a-p
    set password "hapass"
    set hbdev "port17" 50 "port18" 50
    set session-pickup enable
    set override disable
end

1. The SPU Architecture: NP7 and CP9

The most significant "new" component is under the hood. The 709 is built on Fortinet’s seventh-generation Network Processor (NP7) and ninth-generation Content Processor (CP9). Compared to the NP6 used in the 700E, the NP7 offers:

• Firewall throughput: ~140 Gbps (up from 80 Gbps on the 700E).
• IPsec VPN throughput: ~75 Gbps (a 150% increase).
• Concurrent sessions: 20 Million (up from 12 million).

What makes it “interesting”

1. 25GE ports at this price point – Normally 25GE is found on chassis or high‑end appliances. The 709F puts it on a desktop‑friendly 1U box, great for small data centers or large campus cores. FortiGate 709F ships with FortiOS 7

2. NP7 acceleration for encrypted traffic – Unlike older models where TLS inspection kills CPU, the CP9 + NP7 handle TLS 1.3 decryption/encryption in hardware, enabling full inline SSL inspection without a performance cliff.

3. SD‑WAN with security baked in – FortiOS 7.4+ treats SD‑WAN as native. The 709F can run hundreds of SD‑WAN rules, per‑link quality metrics, and direct internet breakouts with ZTNA tag enforcement – all at line rate.

4. Low latency for real‑time apps – Sub‑microsecond forwarding (thanks to NP7 cut‑through). That’s important for voice/video or financial trading edge cases.

5. Power efficiency – ~180W typical, meaning you can put it in a colo cabinet without extra cooling. By contrast, older 600E series pulled 250W+ for less performance.