FORTINET FC-10-GT71G-284-02-36 FortiCare Elite Support for FortiGate 71G - 3 Year

Three-Year Elite Incident Response and Device-Health Program

FC-10-GT71G-284-02-36 is a three-year FortiCare Elite support entitlement for one eligible FortiGate 71G. Fortinet lists a 15-minute response target for critical telephone escalations and two business hours for non-critical web cases, plus standard advanced-replacement RMA. This support SKU does not include a firewall or FortiGuard security subscriptions.

Operationalize the enhanced response targets

Define the conditions that justify a critical escalation, the 24x7 call authority and the evidence package required by TAC. Keep the serial number, FortiOS version, topology, diagnostics, recent change record and a current configuration backup available. The shorter response target improves engagement speed; it does not replace customer ownership of diagnosis context, containment or change approval.

Use the FortiCare Elite Portal as an operating control

Elite includes device insights and a monitoring portal for FortiGate, with health visibility, alerts and remediation recommendations. Assign an owner to review alerts, route them into the service process and close the loop after remediation. Avoid treating portal notifications as passive reporting that nobody is accountable to assess.

Three-year review cadence

During year one, baseline device health and case procedures. In year two, analyze recurring alarms, firmware issues and support response. Before the third-year renewal point, compare incident volume, platform capacity, RMA history and the FortiGate 71G lifecycle with the next contract decision. Retain portal evidence and case outcomes so the renewal is based on measured operating value.

Advanced replacement is a workflow

Standard RMA uses advanced replacement, subject to Fortinet authorization, return requirements and regional availability. Maintain the correct installation address and receiving contact, test configuration restoration, and document entitlement transfer after a replacement. Optional Priority RMA remains a separate decision for sites with shorter hardware-delivery objectives.

Order and acceptance controls

Match the exact 36-month SKU to one registered FortiGate 71G and validate both serials for an HA pair. Record the end-customer account, service country, activation date, co-term requirement, portal administrators and support escalation contacts. Confirm any LTS extended-support eligibility separately rather than assuming every firmware release qualifies.

Official Fortinet sources: FortiCare Services feature comparison and FortiCare Services Ordering Guide.