When FortiGate is configured in NGFW profile-based mode, it primarily uses flow-based inspection for application profiles. Flow-based inspection provides faster processing and lower latency by inspecting traffic in real-time without buffering, making it suitable for scenarios where performance is a priority.

References:

FortiOS 7.4.1 Administration Guide: Inspection Modes

In the current configuration, although "twitter.com" is allowed in the Static URL Filter, the category "Social Networking" is set to "Block" under the FortiGuard Category Based Filter. To resolve the issue, setting the action to "Exempt" in the Static URL Filter for "twitter.com" will bypass the category-based block for this specific URL while still enforcing the block on other social networking sites.

To consolidate the two separate firewall policies for Sales and Engineering departments accessing the same web server, you can create an Interface Group that includes both port1 (Sales) and port2 (Engineering). Once the Interface Group is created, you can use this group as a single incoming interface in a single firewall policy. This approach reduces the number of policies, making management more efficient.

References:

FortiOS 7.4.1 Administration Guide: Firewall Policy Configuration

"To create an automation stitch, A TRIGGER EVENT (singular) and a response action or ACTIONS (plural) are selected." See the documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortigate/7.4.0/administration-guide/351998

An SD-WAN zone can contain physical and logical interfaces

SD-WAN zones can include both physical and logical interfaces, allowing flexible configuration for different network types.

You can use an SD-WAN zone in static route definitions

SD-WAN zones can be referenced in static routes, enabling dynamic path selection based on SD-WAN rules.

An SD-WAN zone is a logical grouping of members

An SD-WAN zone is a logical grouping of interfaces (members), used to simplify the management and application of SD-WAN rules.

FortiGate's application control can differentiate between parent and child applications and allows administrators to configure distinct actions for each. For example, it can identify Facebook (parent application) and specific functions within it (child applications) like Facebook video or chat, enabling more granular control over application traffic.