Performance is identical across both models. The only difference is storage. The 31G includes a 30 GB onboard SSD for local logging and reporting, while the 30G has no onboard storage. If your site does not have a FortiAnalyzer or FortiManager collecting logs centrally, the 31G lets you retain on-box logs and run local reports. If centralized logging is already handled elsewhere, the 30G does the same security job for less.

Fortinet positions the 30G and 31G for small branch offices, retail locations, and distributed enterprise sites, typically 10 to 50 users depending on traffic mix and the security services enabled. The 600,000 concurrent session count gives comfortable headroom for IoT devices, VPN clients, and guest Wi-Fi alongside staff workstations. If you are regularly serving 75 or more concurrent users, the 40F or 50G is worth considering.

Yes. The SoC4 ASIC is Fortinet's purpose-built SD-WAN processor. It handles application identification, WAN path steering, and overlay tunnel encryption without pulling from the general CPU, so you get real SD-WAN performance without the throughput penalty. Zero Touch Provisioning is included, which accelerates branch rollouts when you are deploying to multiple locations at once.

Most small sites choose UTP (Unified Threat Protection), which bundles IPS, anti-malware, URL filtering, DNS filtering, application control, and FortiCare support into one subscription. ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) covers core threat inspection only and fits tighter budgets where web and DNS filtering are handled elsewhere. Enterprise Protection adds the full FortiGuard suite including DLP, inline sandboxing, and CASB, and is the right choice when compliance or data handling requirements apply. Our engineers can walk through the tradeoffs for your environment.

Yes. Both models integrate with FortiManager for centralized policy and configuration management across your entire FortiGate estate, with FortiAnalyzer for log collection and reporting, and with FortiGate Cloud for cloud-delivered management when on-premises infrastructure is not in place. All three management paths run on the same FortiOS and Security Fabric framework, so the management experience is consistent regardless of which option you choose.