What is Fortinet FortiFlex?

Fortinet FortiFlex is a flexible licensing model for eligible Fortinet security products and services. Instead of buying separate fixed licences for individual technologies, organisations use a shared pool of credits to activate and manage subscriptions across physical appliances, virtual firewalls, cloud-delivered security and software-based solutions as requirements change.

How it works

FortiFlex uses credits as a common licensing currency across eligible Fortinet services, with each subscription consuming credits according to Fortinet's published model. Credit usage, active subscriptions and available capacity are centrally monitored, and unused licensing capacity can be reassigned between services as operational priorities evolve.

The challenge it addresses

It addresses the rigidity of product-specific licensing in environments where security needs shift across sites, users, workloads and cloud services. Static subscriptions can lead to wasted spend, fragmented administration and difficulty scaling coverage when infrastructure or security strategies change.

How Fortinet FortiFlex Works

FortiFlex uses a shared pool of credits that can be consumed across eligible Fortinet products and services as requirements change.

01

Purchase Credit Capacity

Organisations purchase a FortiFlex credit pool sized around security requirements, expected usage and anticipated future growth.

02

Activate Services

Available credits are used to activate eligible physical, virtual, cloud-delivered and software-based Fortinet products and services.

03

Monitor Consumption

The Fortinet Support Portal provides visibility of available credits, active subscriptions, service utilisation and licence assignments.

04

Reallocate Credits

Available credits can be reassigned between eligible Fortinet services as security priorities, infrastructure and cloud requirements evolve.

05

Expand the Pool

Additional credits can be added as users, sites, workloads or services increase without rebuilding the existing licensing model.

Fortinet FortiFlex Deployment Options

FortiFlex provides a shared licensing model across physical, virtual, public cloud and hybrid or multi-cloud Fortinet deployments.

Physical

Physical Appliances

Credits can activate eligible Fortinet subscriptions across physical appliances deployed in data centres, campuses, branches and other on-premises environments.

Virtual

Virtual Appliances

Fortinet virtual appliances can use the same credit pool when deployed across virtualised infrastructure or supported private cloud environments.

Public Cloud

Public Cloud Platforms

Eligible Fortinet cloud security services can be licensed through FortiFlex across supported public cloud deployments using the same credit pool.

Hybrid & Multi-Cloud

Hybrid & Multi-Cloud

A single pool of credits can be allocated across eligible services spanning on-premises, private cloud and multiple public cloud environments.

Fortinet FortiFlex Core Capabilities

Six core capabilities give FortiFlex its flexibility across licensing, security services and changing infrastructure environments.


01

Flexible Licensing Model

Use a flexible licensing approach that can adapt as Fortinet products, services and deployment requirements change.

02

Credit-Based Consumption

Purchase and consume FortiFlex credits across eligible services instead of managing separate fixed licences for every deployment.

03

Cross-Product Licensing

Allocate available credits across eligible Fortinet products and services as security and infrastructure priorities evolve.

04

Centralised Licence Management

Monitor available credits, subscriptions, utilisation and licence assignments through a centralised licensing environment.

05

Scalable Security Services

Increase credit capacity as users, sites, workloads and security service requirements grow across the organisation.

06

Multi-Cloud Flexibility

Apply the same licensing model across on-premises, private cloud and supported public cloud environments.

Common Enterprise Use Cases

FortiFlex supports diverse enterprise licensing needs by enabling security services to be allocated, scaled and reassigned across changing environments.


Simplifying Multi-Site Security Deployments

Allocates shared licensing credits across branches and offices, standardising security services while accelerating onboarding for newly deployed locations.

Supporting Managed Security Services

Enables MSSPs to assign and reassign licences across customer environments, improving service agility and overall licence utilisation.

Securing Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Environments

Maintains consistent licensing across on-premises, private cloud and public cloud deployments, reducing complexity as workloads move between environments.

Enabling Temporary Project-Based Licensing

Provides short-term access to eligible security services for projects, trials or temporary workloads without unnecessary long-term licence commitments.

Consolidating Enterprise Security Licensing

Replaces fragmented product licences with a central credit pool, improving visibility and reducing software administration across large estates.

Scaling Security Across Global Operations

Adds and allocates credits across regions, users and workloads, supporting international growth with predictable licensing and simpler administration.

Technology Comparison: Fortinet FortiFlex vs Traditional Security Licensing

Fortinet FortiFlex gives organisations a shared credit pool for eligible Fortinet products and services, making it easier to adapt licensing as infrastructure, workloads and security priorities change.

Fortinet FortiFlex Traditional Security Licensing
Licensing approach Credit-based licensing that can be allocated across eligible Fortinet products and services. Individual licences purchased separately for each product, appliance or service.
Flexibility as requirements change Flexible licensing model adapts as business requirements, users and workloads evolve. Fixed licensing can be difficult to adapt as infrastructure and security requirements change.
Licence administration Centralised licence management through the Fortinet Support Portal. Multiple licences often require separate tracking, renewal and administration.
Support across deployment types Supports physical appliances, virtual appliances and cloud-based security services from a single credit pool. Different deployment environments may require different licensing models.
Scaling security services Enables organisations to reallocate licences rather than purchasing new subscriptions for every deployment. Expanding security capabilities typically involves purchasing additional standalone licences.
Operational impact Simplifies enterprise licence management while improving licence utilisation and reducing administrative overhead. Managing large enterprise security estates can become increasingly complex and time-consuming.

Fortinet FortiFlex Commercial Model

FortiFlex replaces separate product licences with a shared credit model that can be allocated across eligible Fortinet services.

Credits

Credit-Based Licensing

Purchase a shared pool of FortiFlex credits and use them to activate eligible products and services as required.

Allocation

Flexible Licence Allocation

Available credits can be reassigned across eligible physical, virtual and cloud-based services as security requirements change.

Management

Centralised Subscriptions

Credit balances, subscriptions and licence assignments are managed centrally through the Fortinet Support Portal.

Is Fortinet FortiFlex Right for Your Organisation?

Consider Fortinet FortiFlex if your organisation is looking for:

Fewer Separate Licences to Manage

Use one shared pool of credits instead of purchasing and tracking separate licences for every eligible Fortinet service.

Security Across Several Environments

Manage licensing across sites, physical appliances, virtual infrastructure and cloud services without separate purchasing models.

Move Licensing Where It Is Needed

Reallocate available credits between eligible services when projects, sites or security requirements change.

Less Time Spent on Licence Admin

See subscriptions, credit balances and assignments in one place instead of managing them across separate agreements.

Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Security

Use the same licensing approach across on-premises, private cloud and public cloud security services.

Licensing That Can Grow with You

Add more credit capacity as new users, sites, workloads or security services are introduced.

Why Work With Steel City Consulting

We help organisations plan and optimise FortiFlex licensing across physical, virtual and cloud security environments, aligning entitlement with changing infrastructure and commercial requirements.

  • Fortinet licensing specialists Practical guidance across FortiFlex products, entitlements and deployment models.
  • Security consultancy Licensing strategies aligned with infrastructure, workloads and future security requirements.
  • Hybrid & multi-cloud expertise Support for consistent FortiFlex licensing across distributed security environments.

FortiFlex Licensing Services

Support across the full FortiFlex licensing lifecycle

From entitlement planning to ongoing optimisation, we help you structure FortiFlex around changing workloads, deployment environments and security requirements.

FortiFlex Licensing & Procurement Support

We help you select appropriate FortiFlex entitlement and structure consumption around the Fortinet products, workloads and deployment environments you need to support.

Right-sized entitlement

Align FortiFlex capacity with supported products and expected consumption.

Point allocation guidance

Plan consumption across eligible Fortinet products and deployment types.

Commercial & procurement support

Structure licensing around operational requirements and commercial objectives.

Reallocation & renewal planning

Adapt licensing as workloads, sites and security requirements change.

Need help with FortiFlex?

Speak to our specialists about FortiFlex entitlement, point allocation, cloud licensing or subscription optimisation.

Speak to a specialist today

Related FortiFlex Security & Networking Platforms

Explore the firewall, SASE, zero trust and SD-WAN technologies that can support flexible security and connectivity strategies alongside FortiFlex.

Firewalls

Protect branch, campus, data centre and cloud environments with firewall platforms that provide traffic inspection, segmentation and policy enforcement across changing infrastructure requirements.

Explore Firewalls

SASE

Bring networking and cloud-delivered security together to protect users, branches and applications across distributed environments while simplifying policy and secure access management.

Explore SASE

Zero Trust & Secure Access

Control access to applications and services using identity, device posture and contextual policies, helping organisations apply least-privilege security across users and locations.

Explore Zero Trust & Secure Access

SD-WAN

Connect branches, remote sites and cloud services with centrally managed WAN connectivity, intelligent traffic steering and resilient application access across distributed networks.

Explore SD-WAN

Related Solutions

Explore the wider networking, security and infrastructure solutions that can support FortiFlex deployments across distributed enterprise environments.

Network Security Solutions

Strengthen protection across users, applications and infrastructure with security architectures spanning firewalls, segmentation, secure access and threat prevention.

Explore Network Security Solutions

Networking Solutions

Build reliable enterprise networks across switching, wireless and campus infrastructure to support users, devices and applications across connected environments.

Explore Networking Solutions

WAN & Edge Networking Solutions

Connect branches, data centres, cloud services and remote locations with resilient WAN and edge architectures designed for secure, reliable application access.

Explore WAN & Edge Networking

Network Management & Infrastructure Solutions

Improve visibility and operational control across distributed networks with centralised management, monitoring and automation that helps infrastructure teams work more consistently.

Explore Network Management Solutions

FAQ

What is Fortinet FortiFlex?

Fortinet FortiFlex is a points-based licensing programme for consuming eligible physical, virtual and cloud-based Fortinet security products through a common commercial model.

Organisations purchase FortiFlex points and use them to activate supported products, configurations and services rather than maintaining separate fixed licences for every deployment. This provides greater flexibility where security requirements, infrastructure or workloads change over time.

How does FortiFlex licensing work?

FortiFlex works by assigning point values to eligible Fortinet products, configurations and services, with organisations consuming their purchased entitlement according to deployment and duration.

The number of points required varies according to what is deployed and how long it remains active. This gives organisations a more consistent way to manage supported Fortinet licensing across multiple environments instead of maintaining completely separate commercial arrangements for each deployment.

What Fortinet products can be licensed through FortiFlex?

FortiFlex supports eligible Fortinet solutions including selected physical and virtual FortiGate appliances, cloud security technologies and other supported Fortinet security services.

Eligible products, configurations and point requirements can change as the programme develops, so they should be confirmed when designing a deployment. The broad portfolio coverage allows organisations to apply FortiFlex across multiple security technologies rather than a single product family.

Can FortiFlex licences be reallocated?

Yes, eligible FortiFlex deployments can be stopped and available entitlement reused for other supported configurations or services as organisational requirements change.

This reduces the need to remain permanently committed to one fixed deployment. It can be particularly useful for changing cloud workloads, temporary projects, expanding environments and security estates where infrastructure requirements or service consumption change frequently.

Is FortiFlex suitable for hybrid and multi-cloud environments?

Yes, FortiFlex supports eligible security services across physical infrastructure, virtual environments and public cloud platforms, making it well suited to hybrid and multi-cloud deployments.

Organisations can use a more consistent licensing approach across supported Fortinet technologies while adjusting allocations as workloads move or requirements change. This can reduce licensing fragmentation across security environments spanning data centre, virtual and cloud infrastructure.

How is FortiFlex different from traditional Fortinet licensing?

FortiFlex uses a flexible points-based model across eligible deployments, while traditional Fortinet licensing typically assigns licences or subscriptions to specific products for defined terms.

The points model can make it easier to adjust licensing across dynamic, distributed or cloud-based infrastructure when requirements change. Traditional licensing can remain appropriate for stable deployments where products, capacity and licensing requirements are expected to remain relatively consistent.

Is FortiFlex suitable for temporary or project-based deployments?

Yes, FortiFlex is well suited to temporary environments, proof-of-concept projects, short-term deployments and workloads where security requirements may change frequently.

Organisations can activate eligible services when required rather than purchasing a separate long-term licence for every temporary deployment. Entitlement can then be adjusted as projects evolve, providing greater commercial flexibility for short-lived or changing infrastructure requirements.

Is FortiFlex suitable for Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs)?

Yes, FortiFlex can support MSSPs and other service providers that need to manage changing Fortinet security requirements across multiple customer environments.

Its consumption model allows eligible Fortinet services to be activated and adjusted as customer requirements change. This can simplify licensing operations, improve responsiveness to demand and provide a more scalable commercial framework for managing supported security services across numerous deployments.

How are FortiFlex licences managed?

FortiFlex provides centralised tools for monitoring entitlements, active configurations and consumption across supported Fortinet deployments from a common management approach.

Administrators can review available resources and adjust licensing as requirements change. Centralised visibility is particularly useful across larger security estates, where tracking individual product licences, service allocations and renewal requirements can otherwise create significant administrative complexity.

When should an organisation consider FortiFlex?

FortiFlex is particularly relevant for organisations with changing security requirements, cloud workloads, multiple sites, temporary deployments or large numbers of Fortinet solutions.

Its points-based model provides greater portability and commercial flexibility where security services need to change over time. Organisations operating highly predictable and static deployments may instead find conventional product-specific licensing sufficient for their requirements.