FortiMonitor excels in user monitoring and network operations, with its central management and intuitive dashboard. Known for reducing administrative costs and enhancing security awareness, it also provides seamless integration with other devices.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| FortiMonitor | 2.8% |
| Nexthink | 14.8% |
| ThousandEyes | 11.6% |
| Other | 70.8% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 7 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 4 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 98 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 56 |
| Large Enterprise | 109 |
FortiMonitor supports dual-factor authentication, alert systems, and system health monitoring, proving essential for technical teams managing infrastructures and FortiGate activities. Despite its benefits, there are areas like compatibility and pricing where improvements are sought. It offers high-level monitoring, customizable dashboards, and alert capabilities which are critical in busy environments, especially for detecting harmful activities and ensuring efficient CPU utilization.
What features enhance FortiMonitor's efficiency?FortiMonitor is widely implemented in industries for end-user monitoring, security tracking, and infrastructure management. It's crucial for environments needing high-level monitoring and identifying hardware problems, where proactive management and customizable dashboards are key to maintaining operations.
FortiMonitor was previously known as Panopta.
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| Author info | Rating | Review Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Network Engineer III at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees | 4.5 | I manage our networks using FortiManager to oversee various devices across multiple farms and networks. We appreciate its detailed dashboard and alerting capabilities. Though we are a version behind, we plan to update soon. Previously, we used Cisco products. |
| Works at a consultancy with 11-50 employees | 5.0 | I use FortiMonitor for network security monitoring and traffic tracking. Its valuable alerting system keeps our team informed about activities, aiding in email security. Although improvements could include AI features, it's essential for detecting harmful activities like hacking. |
| Commercial Manager at IT-Experience | 4.5 | I use FortiMonitor to oversee customer infrastructure, monitoring operations and bandwidth to ensure optimal configurations. Its robust redundancy and proactive alerting features are valuable. However, I wish it could also provide visibility for other brands in multi-brand networks. |
| Tecnical manager at Watronix Information Technology Ltd | 4.0 | I primarily use FortiMonitor for security and WAN configuration with Fortinet. Its intuitive dashboard offers real-time monitoring and simplifies complex network management, though it could improve for smaller workloads, as it suits large-scale deployments more effectively. |
| Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees | 3.5 | I use FortiMonitor to efficiently manage and configure devices with features like agents, integration with tools like Power BI, and flexible dashboards. While cost-effective, it needs improvements in visualization and support for legacy devices could be better. |
| IT Head at CBI | 4.0 | We use FortiMonitor primarily for monitoring memory usage, appreciating its informative and user-friendly dashboard. However, occasionally, high CPU usage disrupts access, requiring a refresh. We suggest enhancing the solution's reminders and alerts for improved functionality. |
| IT Manager at PTECH | 4.5 | I use FortiMonitor in my company primarily for its alarm feature, which alerts users via SMS if there's a security breach. While valuable, its high price in Vietnam is a concern. I may reconsider using it due to customer demand. |
| Product Director at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees | 4.0 | FortiMonitor is a great, stable routing device for proactive monitoring, complementing Cradlepoint. While scalable, its dual-factor authentication is a cumbersome login process, especially from home. I rate it 8/10. |
| Senior System Engineer at Omgea Exim Ltd | 4.0 | FortiMonitor is customizable for admins, offering real-time traffic and hardware health insights, essential in a telco environment. Valuable features include integration with Netgear and NOC, though improvements in UI customization and credential management are needed. Migration ease surpasses alternatives like Nagios. |
| Director of IT at Royal M Group | 4.0 | With FortiMonitor, I can access complete traffic logs for destination or source information. However, software upgrades can occasionally lead to corruption issues. |
Neutral
I use FortiMonitor to monitor our network security and track traffic flow. It provides essential tools to detect potentially harmful activities like hacking or ransomware attacks.
FortiMonitor offers comprehensive monitoring capabilities, allowing me to track network traffic in and out effectively. The alerting system is particularly valuable as it circulates emails on network activities, ensuring that our technical and management teams are always informed. This system enables us to maintain email security, a priority in our organization.
I am uncertain about specific improvements, but any further advancements in security monitoring could be beneficial.
Additionally, there are no AI features in FortiMonitor, which might be an area for enhancement.
I have been using FortiMonitor for approximately three months.
FortiMonitor is 100% stable. It effectively monitors the network, and if any issues arise, it helps me to identify if they are service provider-related.
I haven't had a chance to test the scalability, however, so far, it meets our current needs.
Positive
Previously, I used Fortinet Firewall in another company. FortiGate was already implemented when I joined my current organization.
Some vendors installed FortiMonitor on our network before my tenure.
The pricing is high, and it requires a one-time installment fee followed by a license payment, which is manageable annually or every three years.
FortiGate is a comprehensive solution. Though the pricing is high, its functionality justifies the cost.
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the overall solution a ten.
Positive
FortiMonitor has a very intuitive dashboard, which makes it particularly helpful for analyzing traffic, alerts, and other information. It provides real-time monitoring capabilities and greatly aids in the management of complex networks with multiple branches. The central console allows for comprehensive control, which reduces administrative costs.
FortiMonitor could be improved by making it more convenient for smaller workloads, such as when configuring a few branches. It is currently designed more for large-scale deployments, and ease of use at smaller scales could be enhanced.
I have been working with FortiMonitor for three years.
FortiMonitor is best suited for complex networks and does not serve across other platforms. It is purely a Fortinet-to-Fortinet solution.
The support from Fortinet is very good. They provide excellent guidance, and their community has several documents for reference. Their support teams also give clear directions, along with video resources on their websites.
Neutral
The initial setup is easy, supported by good documentation. The process of learning and deploying does not take more than two to three weeks.
FortiMonitor does save time but not significantly on costs, as there are still expenses related to procurement, installation, and licensing.
I give FortiMonitor an eight out of ten. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, it is a good investment. However, it is important to note that it does not serve across other platforms and is a Fortinet-to-Fortinet solution. I have not encountered AI features in the current product, however, there are indications that they are working on integrating such capabilities.
It is designed to store data on a website. It offers more features and is entirely based on Insight. When we initiate the process, the server retrieves everything without the need for specifying server IPs like trap or force IP addresses. We simply fetch all the necessary items from the folders. If we're using a cloud service, we only need to configure S, N, and T settings along with ACL. For polling, only 161.4 is necessary, not 162.4, as we don't require additional traffic. Polling begins the discovery process, capturing information from devices, phone systems, Google, MIBs, and OIDs. Afterward, we can create templates tailored to various vendors like Cisco, Avaya, Adidas, or Ubipur. These templates allow us to define SNMP metrics such as bandwidth in and out.
For FortiGate, we can establish WAN channel lab metrics. Importantly, we can apply a single template to all vendors directly. When we apply a Cisco template to a specific vendor, it automatically configures all devices accordingly.
This tool operates based on agents in various regions. Currently, we deployed twenty-four agents across regions like Asia, India, and the United States. Our E65 servers and VNS servers are located in the US. We've updated eight agents in the US with additional resources. These twenty-four agents run as Docker containers, and we've installed the monitoring application for the cloud within these containers. Initially, we only had eight agents, and bandwidth was limited. After expanding resources, the tool has been functioning well, meeting memory and RAM requirements.
They've introduced an additional feature, unified into UniMas. FortiMonitor manages UniMas, and it functions as a backup and LTM tool. With UniMas in FortiMonitor, configuring a hundred devices from a single source becomes easy. You can input the IPs and configurations, and it will automatically apply them to all hundred devices, facilitating mass configuration changes. By setting up a lifecycle with specific dates and times, you can schedule backups daily or weekly, ensuring data continuity.
Sometimes, this tool doesn't support all vendors immediately. For instance, when a new vendor like Guardicore emerges, it might not be initially supported. In such cases, we collaborate with the vendor's backend team upon customer request. Typically, within a week or two, they implement the necessary support. While this might be a challenge, it's a positive aspect of the tool's evolution. The tool continuously improves, adapting to support new vendors and technologies. Importantly, it automates the process, triggering alerts when devices require attention, and eliminating the need for manual intervention.
There's room for improvement in the dashboard. Clicking on individual instances doesn't provide an intuitive overview, and users have to navigate step-by-step through options. Enhancements in the dashboard, such as clearer alerting, maintenance window management, software version tracking, and better visualization, would be beneficial.
On a positive note, you can create custom dashboards to meet your specific requirements, whether globally or for incident categorization. This flexibility is a valuable feature. The tool's support for cloud and VMware-based devices is expanding, and synthetic monitoring is available. The tool also integrates well with Power BI and Tableau for reporting purposes, making data analysis more robust. It's also integrated with Microsoft Teams for seamless collaboration and notifications via mobile phones. There is a mobile app available for this tool, making it accessible on mobile devices. It's a versatile and flexible tool that aligns well with the evolving market needs.
I have been using this solution for the past two years.
Issues occasionally happen, but not too frequently, as we have excellent vendor support in place. When we encounter issues, we create a support ticket, and they typically respond within fifteen minutes, either through calls or emails.
Regarding the interface aspect, it automatically monitors all interfaces. We can customize it to monitor specific interfaces if needed. However, with this tool, it fetches all interfaces but doesn't monitor them by default. To initiate monitoring, we need to add specific keywords in both the device configuration and the template. For instance, if we want to monitor an uplink from a core switch to an access switch, we need to use the same "uplink" keyword in both the device and the template. The tool recognizes this keyword, and if it's present, it activates monitoring for that interface.
It offers scalability as we can deploy various components of this tool across different regions. For example, we can establish two agents in the North and two agents in the South, creating a redundant setup. This redundancy ensures that if one side experiences a failure, the system automatically fails over to the South side.
I have used multiple products in the past like SolarWind, Datadog, Dynatrace, NPM, etc.
There are pros and cons to FortiMonitor. We have to set up each customer individually in this tool. This involves creating their profile, configuring bandwidth settings, and performing some manual tasks in another tool. Unlike other tools that require port 162 to be opened in the firewall, FortiMonitor operates solely on port 161. Additionally, this tool supports agent-based deployment, such as VMware. Simply input the URL for the VMware agent, and it starts working without requiring extensive configuration.
However, a drawback is that it doesn't support many old and legacy devices and lacks support for some older vendors and versions. This can lead to issues, especially with keyword-based configurations.
Initially, I mentioned that you can deploy this tool either in your on-premises environment or in AWS. In my current setup, we use AWS for similar purposes. To deploy it in AWS, we create an incident response in the AWS console, install the application within a Docker container, and set everything up. If all configurations are ready, it typically takes about three hours in the cloud environment. One engineer can handle the deployment.
In our organization, we have different teams, including a cloud team. They allocate specific IPs for us to use in the deployment process. Once we have these IPs, we install the FortiGuard Docker agent and the application. After installation, we can start to use the tool. Once the user interface is operational, we proceed with device onboarding, template creation, dashboard setup, and SNMP configuration. These tasks can be completed by one or two engineers.
This solution is more cost-effective compared to other options in the market. It seems to be gaining traction and performing well. If you're considering it, you can explore a trial or a free version, as they often offer these options for three to six months initially. In terms of support, they seem to provide good service, with daily calls where senior managers and customer success managers participate and respond promptly to issues and inquiries.
In terms of licensing, while it may not be the most expensive option on the market, it's relatively cost-effective. You can obtain licenses at a lower cost, with the calculation being straightforward. For example, if you onboard around 5,000 devices, you'll need approximately 5,000 licenses, as each device typically counts as one license.
I can certainly recommend this tool for certain use cases. However, compared to some other tools like SolarWinds, NPM, and other solutions, this tool might have a steeper learning curve. In those tools, you can usually access various options and features with a simple click and find all the details on a single page. But with this tool, you often need to navigate through multiple features step by step. The reason some organizations deploy this kind of tool, despite the complexity, is that they work with cutting-edge technologies and need advanced features. In such cases, having a multitude of options is necessary, but it can make things a bit challenging to grasp initially. So, while it's a powerful tool, it may be a bit more complex than some other options in the market.
I would rate it a seven out of ten.
Sometimes, during high CPU usage, we cannot access FortiMonitor and must refresh it. But we are okay with that aspect of its performance.
It would be good, however, if Fortinet improved the solution's reminders and alerts.
I've worked with FortiMonitor since 2019.
I rate the solution's stability a six or a seven out of ten. We're using layer 3 switches and the local routing in the firewall, and the usage is very high due to local interaction. Maybe that usage might lessen in a few months. We have sometimes encountered issues with policies. In terms of hardware, we have not experienced downtime.
We have local support for the solution. Because we have extended the warranty, we are confident about the solution.
Positive
FortiMonitor's price is very high. Some packages and features require us to acquire another license. FortiMonitor comes packaged with the whole solution.
We implemented a layer 3 firewall for our local area to reduce usage. We purchased Cisco layer 3 switches for that. In the following months, we will implement local routing of endpoints through our local systems.
I only use basic monitoring in FortiMonitor because we have already refined our policies. We have a limited number of users that can access it externally. Other users have stopped using other Internet access, so we have limited usage of Forti Monitor. That's why we're confident right now about the usage of our firewall.
We have local support for the solution, and there have been no major problems. Our firewall's performance has been good, and we haven't had a system upgrade since 2020 till now.
Though the solution is expensive, we continue it because of the brand. FortiMonitor is preferred because it simplifies monitoring every network performance detail.
FortiMonitor is not difficult to use. Every user has a preference for what they look at on the dashboard. They can see what the LAN's usage is or what is relevant to them. It's pretty easy to use the solution now because of the new technology and user interface presented to every user.
I rate FortiMonitor an eight out of ten.
I use the solution in my company as an alarm in the antivirus part.
I work on your website, so I don't use FortiMonitor. However, I may start using the product again in the future since my company might have customers who demand it.
I think its useful feature is its alarms because if some hacker hacks into our system, then users can get an SMS to their mobile phones. Users will come to know of issues immediately, and they will proceed with the security part.
The tool's price in Vietnam is high, making it an area of concern where improvements can be made.
I have experience with FortiMonitor for more than two years. FortiMonitor is inside Fortinet.
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine or ten out of ten.
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
I deal with just one customer regarding the tool.
I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.
Positive
The product's initial setup phase is easy. I use the tool with a simple network protocol as an end user.
When you use the tool on a mobile, it can be deployed very fast.
The solution can be deployed in a day.
With the solution, one can do monitoring from anywhere, making it the best solution that is deployed on the cloud.
Two people are needed to deploy the tool. The high school students in the UK mostly use it.
The tool's pricing model in Vietnam is a bit high. I rate the product price as an eight out of ten.
In terms of the alerting capabilities, the tool sends alerts via SMS and emails on mobile phones.
For AI, it is a good solution. AI is a new initiative, and our customers haven't used it.
I recommend the tool to others.
I maintain the tool in my company.
I rate the tool a nine out of ten.
FortiMonitor is used for high-level up and down monitoring, as well as proactive management and monitoring.
FortiMonitor is a great compliment to Cradlepoint.
The most valuable feature of this solution is what the devices are used for. We have big backups for our Cradlepoint solutions, but FortiMonitor is a great routing device and we love working with them.
This solution supports dual-factor authentication.
I have had a few problems when connecting from home. When I work at the office, however, I have no trouble with it.
We use FortiToken, and it's a pain to use because you have to send things through your phone and then confirm by email. Only after this can you log in. It's dual-factor authentication. I wish that I could just log in or bring up a dashboard where I could log in from.
FortiMonitor's stability is great. Unless the carrier has a network outage, they stay up and work.
FortiMonitor is scalable.
We deploy, approximately 1,000 per month.
I can't offer a number for all of our corporate users. We do retail, people going into businesses, people dealing with businesses, one on one, or, one to 100 things. Because we are not direct clients, I can't disclose anything about my business, but I can tell what we resell to other people.
We use the FortiClient firewall and there are approximately 2,400 users.
We did use another solution. However, we have switched to Fortinet because of the discounts we have been given. Our choice basically came down to price.
I was not involved with the initial setup of this solution.
We require API integrations with our own network, therefore I assume we have 60 employees watching it 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We have a large customer base for Fortinet, and the additional buying power got us really great discounts.
We are FortiMonitor partners as well as Fortinet platinum partners.
I would rate FortiMonitor an eight out of ten.
FortiMonitor is very neat due to its fully customizable features for admins. We can easily see in the dashboard the traffic info, including how much traffic is going through, who's trying to access blocked sites, and how much traffic our storage and CMAs are using. Plus, we can check out fan speed, temperature, and system health, which is super handy. If there's a potential hardware issue, FortiGate gives us a heads-up in advance, which is really helpful, especially in a busy telco environment where we're always on the go 24/7.
In FortiMonitor, we're linked up with our Netgear, CactusServer, and NOC. It's really valuable because everything's migrating to one dashboard for us system engineers. We can keep an eye on traffic, blocked sites, and the health of our hardware. That last part, about knowing if something's going to fail soon, is super important. It gives us time to sort things out before any big problems happen.
As a system engineer, I need to keep tabs on everything – temperature, monitoring systems, and network operations. This data is really handy because it helps me ensure our site runs smoothly, whether it's turning systems on or off. Just last night, there was a system failure, but thanks to real-time monitoring, I quickly identified the problem and got the necessary replacement parts.
I think the current features are really good for me, nothing else comes to mind right now.
Maybe some small improvements could be made in the customization and configuration part of the UI to make it easier or more intuitive. Customizable UI options, like we saw in the demo, could be helpful for everyone. But in our operational environment, having clear health status and system details is crucial for us system engineers. One feature I'd really like to see is a credential management system. It would help us keep track of who's logged in and how many times, which is important due to user restrictions. Sometimes, we need to manage logins more efficiently, like logging off other users to free up credentials. So having a feature like that would be really helpful.
I have been using FortiMonitor for the past 6-7 months.
Currently, we're using Corinator SolarWinds, and I haven't encountered any visibility or issues with integrating FortiMonitor with them. The support from FortiMonitor has been good too, with quick responses and resolutions within a reasonable timeframe.
As for scalability, yes, I find it scalable. It's easy to expand as needed.
I've used KAPI and Nagios for network monitoring when I was a registered candidate engineer. Nagios, being free, was a good option, but KAPI was considered best for our needs at the time. While paid versions often offer more features, Nagios was still solid for a free option.
As for any disadvantages of FortiMonitor compared to Nagios or other solutions, I've noticed that Nagios had issues with system downtime. When the system went down, it caused a cascade effect, and migrating data from the previous system was difficult. In contrast, FortiMonitor offers a backup solution using EXI, making it easier to switch to another VM if needed.
Overall, I'd rate the FortiMonitor system implementation an eight. It's really good, but there's room for improvement.I wasn't directly involved in deploying FortiMonitor in my current organization. It was already in place when I joined, managed by the network security and log teams.
I would recommend using FortiMonitor because of its specialties and real-time experience. Unlike other tools like Nagios that take around ten to fifteen minutes to update real-time data, FortiMonitor refreshes all data in just five milliseconds. That's a huge advantage, making real-time data easily accessible and actionable.
I'd rate it an eight out of ten. It's a solid choice with great features and performance.
With FortiMonitor, you can get all the logs of the traffic information of the destination or the source.
Sometimes, we get corruption when upgrading from firmware to the new generation, causing a lot of issues.
I have been using FortiMonitor for 11 years.
FortiMonitor is a stable solution.
FortiMonitor's technical support is very helpful.
Positive
FortiMonitor's initial setup is easy.
FortiMonitor's deployment takes one hour. I can deploy the solution myself.
Compared to other solutions, FortiMonitor is a very expensive solution. Users have to pay an annual subscription fee for the solution.
Only one person is required for the solution's maintenance.
Overall, I rate FortiMonitor an eight out of ten.
