Question 1

What is included in Milnsbridge's Managed FortiGate service?

Accepted Answer

Milnsbridge's Managed FortiGate service covers the ongoing management of your FortiGate firewall: 24/7 monitoring, firmware patching, firewall rule management, and threat detection. Initial configuration is charged as a one-off setup fee based on the complexity and needs of your environment. Once operational, all changes are logged and reviewed, giving you a complete audit trail of every policy update made to your network perimeter.

Question 2

How does the FortiGate hardware work — do I own it or lease it?

Accepted Answer

The client purchases the FortiGate hardware from Milnsbridge, which is then covered under a monthly managed service. The managed service includes ongoing device support for problems or failures, warranty management, and licence upgrades for the duration of the contract. Reconfigurations and changes are outside the device support scope and are handled as part of the broader managed IT engagement. Being on a Milnsbridge Managed Services plan is a prerequisite for the managed FortiGate service.

Question 3

How does Milnsbridge monitor my FortiGate firewall?

Accepted Answer

Your FortiGate is connected to Milnsbridge's centralised security operations platform, which monitors traffic, threat events, and device health around the clock. Alerts are triaged by the Sydney-based team, with critical threats escalated immediately rather than queued for business-hours review.

Question 4

How often are FortiGate firmware updates applied?

Accepted Answer

Firmware patches are reviewed as soon as Fortinet releases them and are applied on a tested, scheduled basis — typically within the timeframe recommended by the Essential Eight patching guidance (critical patches within 48 hours, others within one month). Milnsbridge manages the entire patching process with zero action required from your team.

Question 5

Is Managed FortiGate aligned to the Australian Essential Eight framework?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FortiGate firewall management is a core control supporting network segmentation and traffic filtering, both of which underpin Essential Eight compliance. Milnsbridge aligns all firewall rules and monitoring to Essential Eight requirements, and Managed FortiGate is available on all three pricing plans — Core ($89/user/mo), Growth ($99/user/mo), and Enhanced ($149/user/mo).

Question 6

What happens if a threat is detected on my FortiGate?

Accepted Answer

When a threat is detected, the Milnsbridge team receives an immediate alert and investigates within minutes — the average phone answer time is 20 seconds and ticket response is 13 minutes. Depending on severity, the team will block the threat, adjust firewall rules, isolate affected traffic, and notify you with a plain-English summary of what happened and what was done.

Managed FortiGate