When the branch firewall starts acting like the bottleneck

A Dubai office can outgrow its firewall quietly. First it’s slow SSL VPN access for remote staff. Then the finance team complains that cloud ERP freezes during month-end. Then the warehouse team in JAFZA adds scanners, guest WiFi, CCTV VLANs, and a second du link. The firewall still passes traffic, yes. But once IPS, web filtering, antivirus, application control, and VPN are switched on together, the real number is no longer the raw firewall throughput.

That’s where the Fortinet FortiGate 100F Series makes sense. It’s not a small desktop unit trying to run a 300-user office. It’s a 1U rackmount FortiGate for branch edge, regional HQ, school admin blocks, clinics, hotels, JAFZA warehouses, DAFZA offices, and DMCC companies that need proper inspection without moving into enterprise data centre hardware.

The FortiGate 100F Series gives you 20 Gbps firewall throughput and 1 Gbps threat protection throughput. Both numbers matter. The 20 Gbps figure tells you what the appliance can move as a firewall. The 1 Gbps figure tells you what to expect when threat inspection is running. For procurement, that second number is the one to check before signing off Etisalat Business, du Enterprise, MPLS, SD-WAN, or internet edge designs.

FortiGate 100F Series overview

The FortiGate 100F Series includes two main appliances: FG-100F and FG-101F. The firewall performance is the same. The main difference is storage. FG-100F is the standard appliance without internal SSD storage. FG-101F includes a 480 GB SSD, useful when local logging is required at a site without a central log collector.

For many UAE deployments, the FG-100F is enough when logs are sent to a central platform. For sites that need local event retention, the FG-101F is worth considering. It’s common in clinics, schools, retail groups, and remote branches where the IT team wants local logs even if the WAN link drops.

The appliance is a good fit for around 75 to 500 users, depending on traffic mix, SSL inspection level, VPN load, number of VLANs, SD-WAN rules, and FortiGuard services enabled. A 120-user office using basic web filtering is not the same as a 300-user office running SSL inspection, guest WiFi, VoIP, CCTV VLANs, and 40 remote VPN users. Sizing should be done on inspected traffic, not only headcount.

FortiGuard licensing for FortiGate 100F Series

The hardware is the platform. The FortiGuard licence is what gives the firewall its security depth. Without an active FortiGuard subscription, the FortiGate still works as a stateful firewall, but you lose the live security services that most UAE businesses actually buy Fortinet for: IPS signatures, web filtering categories, antivirus definitions, application control intelligence, botnet protection, and sandbox cloud checks.

For the FortiGate 100F Series in Dubai, Vector Digital Systems supplies both UTP Bundle and Enterprise Bundle options. Both are available in 1-year and 3-year terms. The 1-year term suits annual budgeting. The 3-year term usually makes more sense for stable sites, especially when the firewall is bought as part of a branch refresh or HA pair.

For DIFC and DMCC companies, the Enterprise Bundle is often selected when the IT team wants stronger visibility across users, cloud apps, devices, and industrial or IoT-type assets. For JAFZA and DAFZA branch offices, UTP is usually the first bundle to compare because it covers the core firewall security services most sites need from day one.

FortiGate 100F Series technical specifications

Specification	Detail
Models	FG-100F and FG-101F
Firewall Throughput	20 Gbps
Threat Protection Throughput	1 Gbps
IPS Throughput	2.6 Gbps
NGFW Throughput	1.6 Gbps
Concurrent Sessions	1.5 million
New Sessions Per Second	56,000
IPsec VPN Throughput	11.5 Gbps
SSL-VPN Throughput	750 Mbps
Recommended SSL-VPN Users	500
VDOMs	10 default / 10 maximum
Form Factor	1U Rackmount
Storage	FG-100F: no SSD / FG-101F: 1 × 480 GB SSD
Dimensions	44 × 432 × 254 mm

Ports and interface layout

The FortiGate 100F Series gives a useful mix of copper, fibre, shared media, and 10GE uplink options. That matters in Dubai sites where one office may have copper LAN switching, fibre uplinks to another rack, a dedicated DMZ, and separate Etisalat and du WAN circuits.

Interface	Quantity
GE RJ45 Ports	12
GE RJ45 WAN Ports	2
GE RJ45 Management Port	1
GE RJ45 HA Ports	2
GE RJ45 DMZ Port	1
GE SFP Slots	4
10GE SFP+ Slots	2
GE RJ45/SFP Shared Media Pairs	4

HA and redundancy

For most production sites, the FortiGate 100F Series should be considered as an HA pair. The appliance supports Active-Active and Active-Passive high availability, with dedicated HA ports on the chassis. Active-Passive is the usual choice for branch edge and HQ firewalls because the design is simple, predictable, and easier to support during a WAN failure or power event.

The 100F Series has dual built-in AC power inputs. Good. But they are non-hot-swappable, so don’t confuse this with a larger data centre chassis where a failed PSU can be pulled live. For a DIFC office, hotel back-office, or DAFZA operation where downtime costs real money, a pair of FortiGate 100F units is the safer design than one firewall with two power cables.

For FortiGate sizing across other models, see the FortiGate firewall Dubai hub page. If the site is smaller, compare the 100F with desktop and compact rack options. If the site is growing past 1 Gbps inspected traffic, compare it with higher-throughput rackmount units before locking the BOM.

1U rackmount firewall for UAE branch and HQ networks

The FortiGate 100F Series is a 1U rackmount firewall, so it belongs in a proper network rack with clean power, cable management, and cooling. Not under a reception desk. Not beside the CCTV NVR. In Dubai server rooms, where summer heat and AC load are part of the design, that matters more than people think.

It fits well in offices with structured cabling, VLAN-based switching, two WAN links, VPN users, guest networks, and a small DMZ. Typical examples: a JAFZA warehouse office running scanners and ERP, a DAFZA tech company with remote developers, a DMCC trading company with cloud finance systems, or a hotel back-office with staff VLANs and site-to-site VPN.

For most buyers, the sweet spot is not the biggest number on the datasheet. It’s the 1 Gbps threat protection throughput, 1.5 million concurrent sessions, 56,000 new sessions per second, 10 VDOMs, and the port layout. Enough ports to build clean zones. Enough inspection for a serious branch. Enough VPN capacity for hybrid work without buying too high.

Upgrading from FortiGate 100E or 101E? Here’s what changes

Many UAE sites still have older 100E or 101E appliances sitting in the rack. They worked hard. But once users move more traffic to SaaS apps, SSL inspection, Microsoft 365, cloud accounting, video calls, and remote access, the older box can become the choke point. The FortiGate 100F Series gives a newer 1U platform with 20 Gbps firewall throughput and 1 Gbps threat protection throughput.

The practical change is not only speed. You also get a better port mix for modern branch design: 2 × 10GE SFP+ slots, 4 × GE SFP slots, 2 dedicated WAN ports, 2 dedicated HA ports, DMZ, management, shared media pairs, and 12 GE RJ45 ports. That gives the network engineer more room to separate LAN, WAN, DMZ, HA, and uplink traffic cleanly.

When the next refresh cycle arrives, buyers comparing newer G-Series options can also look at the FortiGate 120G Dubai or FortiGate 200G Dubai. For now, the 100F Series remains a sensible F-Series choice where the site needs field-tested 1U performance and known deployment behaviour.

What’s in the box

A typical FortiGate 100F Series appliance package includes the firewall appliance, power cables, rackmount hardware, and printed quick-start material. The exact accessory pack can vary by region and order type, so check the quotation and invoice lines before procurement approval.

Item	Included / Ordered Separately
FG-100F or FG-101F appliance	Included
AC power cables	Included
Rackmount kit	Included
FortiGuard UTP or Enterprise licence	Ordered separately or bundled
SFP / SFP+ transceivers	Ordered separately
HA pair second appliance	Ordered separately

Related FortiGate models to compare

Use the FortiGate 100F Series when the site needs a proper 1U rack firewall with 20 Gbps firewall throughput and 1 Gbps threat protection throughput. For smaller offices, larger HQ sites, or refresh projects, compare nearby models before finalising the bill of materials.

For a wider firewall comparison, visit the Fortinet FortiGate firewall Dubai page. It helps compare desktop, 1U rackmount, 2U rackmount, and larger FortiGate platforms for UAE projects.

Dubai and UAE deployment notes

In Dubai, internet edge design is rarely just “one firewall, one line.” Many offices run Etisalat and du together, then use SD-WAN rules to steer business apps, guest internet, VPN, and cloud traffic. The FortiGate 100F Series has 2 dedicated WAN ports, fibre options, and 10GE SFP+ uplinks, so the cabling can stay clean instead of turning into port workarounds.

For free zone companies in DMCC, DIFC, DAFZA, and JAFZA, network segmentation is often as important as WAN speed. Finance, guest WiFi, HR, server VLANs, CCTV, access control, and VoIP should not all sit in one flat network. The 100F Series supports 10 VDOMs and enough physical interfaces to build cleaner zones when the design calls for separation.

Cooling also matters. A 1U firewall in a packed rack still needs airflow, sensible cable dressing, and reliable power. In UAE server rooms where AC load is high and downtime gets noticed quickly, a pair of FortiGate 100F units in Active-Passive HA is often a better business decision than one oversized firewall with no spare unit on site.

Africa, GCC, and South Asia export

Vector Digital Systems supplies FortiGate 100F Series firewalls for UAE projects and export orders. FOB Dubai pricing is available for resellers and project buyers shipping to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa.

For multi-branch orders, FortiGuard UTP and Enterprise bundles can be quoted with 1-year or 3-year terms. HA pairs, spare appliances, and FortiAnalyzer options can be included in the same commercial quote. This is useful for MSSPs and regional IT teams that need one procurement path for several sites.

FortiGate 100F Series FAQ

What is the threat protection throughput on the FortiGate 100F Series?

The FortiGate 100F Series delivers 1 Gbps threat protection throughput with inspection services enabled. The raw firewall throughput is 20 Gbps, but buyers should size the firewall using the 1 Gbps threat protection figure for real security traffic.

Does the FortiGate 100F Series support HA?

Yes. It supports Active-Active and Active-Passive high availability. For most Dubai offices using Etisalat and du WAN links, Active-Passive HA with two FortiGate 100F appliances is the cleaner design.

What FortiGuard bundles are available for FG-100F and FG-101F?

UTP Bundle and Enterprise Bundle are available in 1-year and 3-year terms. UTP includes IPS, Application Control, Web Filtering, Antivirus, FortiSandbox Cloud, and Botnet. Enterprise adds higher-tier services for larger and more segmented environments.

What is the difference between FG-100F and FG-101F?

FG-100F is the standard appliance without internal SSD storage. FG-101F includes a 480 GB SSD for local logging. Both models share the same 20 Gbps firewall throughput and 1 Gbps threat protection throughput.

How many VDOMs does the FortiGate 100F Series support?

The FortiGate 100F Series supports 10 VDOMs by default and 10 maximum. That suits many UAE offices that need separation between guest, finance, server, CCTV, and business network zones.

Is FortiGate 100F Series suitable for Etisalat and du WAN links?

Yes. The appliance has 2 dedicated GE RJ45 WAN ports, fibre options, 10GE SFP+ uplinks, and SD-WAN features for dual-provider designs. It is commonly sized for branch and HQ networks with Etisalat Business and du Enterprise circuits.