Retail chains or logistics hubs relying on 5G as primary WAN will love the 709’s dual hot-swappable 5G modules (via USB or SFP). The "new" feature here is seamless session failover – your VoIP call won’t drop when switching from fiber to 5G.
An interesting criticism—and feature—of the "new" FortiGate experience is the out-of-the-box configuration. Historically, firewalls shipped with default policies like "Allow All from Internal to WAN." fortigate 709 new
Newer FortiGate 70F units often ship with a "deny all" or minimal default configuration. While this ensures security, it places a higher burden on the administrator. The device forces a departure from the "set it and forget it" mentality. The GUI (FortiOS) has evolved to guide users through this setup wizard, emphasizing "Zero Trust" principles. FortiGate 709 — Feature Draft 4
However, the complexity has also increased. The sheer volume of features—IoT detection, SASE integration, ZTNA proxies—can overwhelm a solo IT admin at a branch office. The 70F is a sophisticated tool that arguably requires a higher skill floor to operate safely than its predecessors. Key Features 4
Mid-sized enterprises with 1-2 racks of servers in a colocation facility need a firewall that can handle inter-VLAN traffic at 25GbE speeds. The 709’s low latency (sub-5µs) makes it ideal for high-frequency trading or video streaming hubs.