Fortinet FortiManager offers centralized management for FortiGate devices, ensuring easy synchronization with cloud accounts, automation, and policy deployment, enhancing network security and performance.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiManager | 4.2% |
| Cisco DNA Center | 8.7% |
| OpenText Network Node Manager | 5.4% |
| Other | 81.7% |
| Type | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Network Management Applications | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Product | Reviews, tips, and advice from real users | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco Catalyst Center | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | Fortinet FortiManager vs Aruba Airwave | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Title | Rating | Mindshare | Recommending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN | 4.0 | 2.4% | 92% | 100 interviewsAdd to research |
| Cisco DNA Center | 4.0 | 8.7% | 90% | 44 interviewsAdd to research |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 30 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 17 |
| Large Enterprise | 11 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 277 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 128 |
| Large Enterprise | 294 |
Fortinet FortiManager provides comprehensive oversight and streamlined operations for FortiGate environments. It centralizes the administration of firewalls and other Fortinet devices, simplifying their configuration and deployment. Users benefit from its efficient automation and policy management capabilities, which reduce implementation times and enhance security protocols. FortiManager features seamless integration and robust monitoring within a single interface, offering visibility across network operations. While it requires improvements in documentation, platform integration, and licensing clarity, it remains an essential tool for large-scale network management.
What are the standout features?In the finance and healthcare industries, Fortinet FortiManager enhances security and compliance by streamlining policy management and deployment across multiple sites. Retail sectors benefit from its scalable network management, ensuring continuous and reliable connectivity across branches. Education institutions use it to manage complex security infrastructures, effectively handling multiple devices and networks to safeguard sensitive data.
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
| Author info | Rating | Review Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas | 4.5 | I'm very satisfied with Fortinet FortiManager’s centralized policy management and one-click upgrades for our 27 firewalls; it’s stable, scalable, cost-effective, and has improved our security. I'd like to see more AI integration moving forward. |
| Network Security Engineer/ Firewall Engineer at Charter Communications | 4.0 | I use Fortinet FortiManager to centrally manage FortiGate firewalls across environments. It streamlines policy deployment, supports automation, and scales well, though it could improve in UI usability and synchronization speed during critical updates. |
| Sr. System Administration (Grindmaster Machines Pvt Ltd) at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees | 4.0 | I manage firewalls with Fortinet FortiManager, valuing its simplicity, user-friendliness, and centralized policy features for streamlining devices. Stability and support are good, but I'd like easier device additions for improved scalability. I rate it an eight. |
| Engineer of Preventa Sir at InterNexa S.A | 3.5 | I use Fortinet FortiManager for centralized policy management, monitoring, and reporting; it's effective, especially with AWS. Support is excellent, though virtual appliance options could improve. Overall, it outperforms previous solutions like Cisco and deserves a solid rating. |
| Manager of Stragetic Accounts at Ondu | 4.5 | I find Fortinet FortiManager simple to administer, effective for VPN deployments, and competitively priced. It's scalable and compliant, with helpful features like centralized provisioning and revision control. Support and integration could improve, but overall, I rate it 9 out of 10. |
| Network engineer at JOYALUKKAS | 4.0 | I manage around 140 FortiGate firewalls using Fortinet FortiManager, valued for its SD-WAN and manageability, though integration can be tricky. It lacks roaming profiles and a cloud console, with cloud connectivity needing improvement. We use Microsoft Azure. |
| Senior Associate at City Union Bank Ltd | 4.0 | I use Fortinet FortiManager for monitoring network traffic and managing firewalls through a centralized console. It simplifies patch updates and offers automation features. While it currently meets my needs, integration with SIEM solutions and AI could enhance it. |
| Head of Presales at AcSys Networks Private Limited | 3.5 | I use Fortinet FortiManager to manage multiple devices in one location. Its strengths lie in device management and identifying vulnerabilities, though deployment can be complex and AI features are limited, suggesting room for improvement in automation and reliability. |
| Senior System Engineering at a tech services company with 11-50 employees | 3.5 | I’ve used Fortinet FortiManager mainly for centralized policy and update management, which is effective, though setup was challenging. Support is solid, and although I don't use it daily, my team finds it valuable. |
| CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees | 4.0 | I found Fortinet FortiManager to be an excellent tool for consolidating management of Fortinet solutions, aligning with ITIL for change management, and offering version control. However, the interface could benefit from standardized graphics for configuration consistency. |
We are using Fortinet FortiManager in our network security operations with 27 firewalls, and we are implementing all the policies through Fortinet FortiManager. There are some upgrades; our version upgrade is there, and we always upgrade our firewall through Fortinet FortiManager only.
Approximately four people are working with Fortinet FortiManager in my organization. Four engineers are working in shifts: one in the morning shift, two in general shifts, and one in the night shift.
The version upgrade from a single dashboard for all the firewalls in one click is the beauty of Fortinet FortiManager as the most impactful feature in managing our network security.
Fortinet FortiManager's policy management enhances our security protocols by enabling us and giving integrated centralized visibility, which has proven to be very healthy. Because of this, we have identified some of the vulnerabilities in our systems, and we mitigated them through Fortinet FortiManager. The central dashboards and the visibility are what appealed to us to go with Fortinet FortiManager.
Fortinet FortiManager has adapted to changes in our network scale and complexity as we have geographically 18 international locations, all equipped with firewalls and some cybersecurity initiatives and IT infrastructure initiatives.
In future updates, I would like to see more customization and AI integration.
We have not actually validated Fortinet FortiManager with AI per se, but we would like to have AI inbuilt in Fortinet products, which can give us automations.
The reviewer was asked about the duration of using the solution.
I would rate the overall stability of Fortinet FortiManager as nine. It is an absolutely very stable product, and we have not encountered any kind of disruption as far as the product is concerned.
Fortinet FortiManager is absolutely a scalable solution. Whenever you are monitoring or managing more than 10 or 20 firewalls, it is evident that you need a single pane of glass, which Fortinet FortiManager is offering, providing a CIO dashboard kind of thing.
I would rate scalability from one to ten as nine.
Fortinet support is responsive and helpful. Whenever we have any kind of enhancement or need assistance, we always log a call, and they're proactive. They attend to the call on time and resolve it as well.
There are no delays with support.
I would rate support out of ten as eight.
Positive
I am working with other vendors too, as Fortinet cannot serve all the cybersecurity initiatives and infrastructure initiatives. For virtualization, we are using VMware, and for backup, we are using Veeam, so Fortinet cannot serve each and every aspect of cybersecurity or IT infrastructure.
One person was involved in the deployment, and it was done by me.
The cost has been reduced for us by 24%.
Because whatever solution we have fixed out is working as per our expectations, I'm giving it a nine.
I am satisfied with the licensing cost, and I would rate it an 8.5.
I did not evaluate any other options before actually using Fortinet FortiManager, though I considered some alternatives.
They are doing a good job, and it is price comparable as well. Currently there are no complaints at all.
We have created a comparative analysis between Fortinet FortiManager and other products available in the market, especially from India, and we have done the cost-benefit analysis. We presented it to the management, and it proved that Fortinet FortiManager saved a considerable amount of money vis-a-vis the other products.
I would recommend Fortinet FortiManager to other organizations; I already did to my colleagues.
I would rate it in general from one to ten as nine.
Using Fortinet FortiManager in AWS is different than working on the Google Cloud platform. In previous roles, it was primarily hosted in environments as well as on-prem. Fortinet FortiManager is for centralized management for multiple FortiGate firewalls across various sites. I use it to push consistent security policies and firewall rules across distributed networks efficiently. I also monitor device health and configuration centrally to quickly identify and troubleshoot issues. I have supported network automation by using scripts and policy packages to streamline repetitive tasks. In AWS, Fortinet FortiManager helps ensure our cloud deployed FortiGates stay in sync with our security posture and compliance needs, especially when scaling across multiple VPCs or accounts.
One of my favorite features in Fortinet FortiManager is the centralized policy and device management. Being able to push consistent firewall rules and configuration changes across multiple FortiGates saves a ton of time and reduces errors compared to managing each device individually. I also appreciate the automation capabilities, such as the ability to schedule firmware upgrades or run scripts across devices, which helps with the maintenance windows and reduces manual work.
Another aspect that stands out is the visibility and compliance reporting. With Fortinet FortiManager's dashboards and logs, it made it easier to track configuration drift and audit changes, which is critical in regulated environments. The combination of automation and scalability makes Fortinet FortiManager really effective for our work.
Fortinet FortiManager ensures our cloud deployed FortiGates stay in sync with our security posture and compliance needs, especially when scaling across multiple VPCs or accounts.
There are some aspects that Fortinet FortiManager could improve upon. The user interface can feel clunky, especially for more complex tasks such as managing large-scale policy packages or custom scripts. This occasionally slows down the workflow for admins who are new to the platform.
Another challenge is device synchronization as well as policy push delays. At times, changes do not propagate immediately, which can create confusion during critical updates or troubleshooting. These issues are relatively minor in comparison to the benefits Fortinet FortiManager provides, but improvements in these areas could enhance the user experience and operational efficiency.
I have been using Fortinet FortiManager for two to three years overall.
I have contacted the technical support for Fortinet FortiManager multiple times, particularly when dealing with advanced scripting or automation features. Their support team has generally been responsive and helpful, especially for complex use cases and troubleshooting unexpected behaviors in policy automation. More advanced scripting topics can require digging into Fortinet's forums for a knowledge base, as official documentation is not always comprehensive. The support experience has been positive overall.
My experience with Fortinet FortiManager has been reliable, especially when deployed on appropriate hardware or well-resourced virtual environments. It handles managing dozens of FortiGate devices without significant lag or downtime. Performance can be impacted if the appliance is undersized for the environment or if there is a large volume of logs. Proper sizing and regular maintenance, including database cleanup and firmware updates, help maintain smooth operation for day-to-day network management.
Fortinet FortiManager is a robust platform that meets the need for growing networks. Whether managing a handful of FortiGate devices or a hundred across multiple sites, it provides centralized control that simplifies administration. It can group devices, apply policy packages, and automate configurations and changes, making the managed complexity easier as the network expands. The platform also supports multi-tenant management, which is especially useful for MSP environments. Planning is key, so proper initiation, design, and resource allocation ensure you do not run into performance bottlenecks as you scale.
I would rate Fortinet FortiManager technical support a solid seven to eight out of ten. They are generally knowledgeable and responsive, especially for cases escalated to the engineering teams. Their support portal and documentation are helpful, but sometimes the initial triage can take longer than expected, depending on the complexity of the issue. There can also be delays in getting deep technical answers for more advanced features, but overall, their support team provides solid assistance.
I have used and gained exposure with Cisco Firepower Management Center. Compared to Fortinet FortiManager, it stands out for its tight integration with the broader Fortinet Security Fabric, which simplifies managing multiple security products in one place. It is generally easier to deploy and manage in smaller to mid-sized environments. Cisco Firepower offers more visibility and advanced analytics features, providing deep integration for network traffic analysis. Each has its own strengths, depending on the environment scale. Fortinet FortiManager hits a good balance between usability and centralized control, especially in Fortinet-heavy networks.
The initial install for Fortinet FortiManager is straightforward, especially if you are familiar with Fortinet devices and architectures. The setup process involves deploying the Fortinet FortiManager appliance, either virtual or physical, as well as configuring the network settings and connecting it to your FortiGate devices. It becomes more challenging during the initial policy import and device discovery, especially in larger, complex environments with numerous firewalls and different configurations. Planning device groups and admin roles ahead of time makes a significant difference in smoothing out that phase. Once the baseline is configured, ongoing management becomes much easier, thanks to the centralized controls. It is a manageable process that benefits from good documentation, so with the right strategy, implementation should be successful.
Fortinet FortiManager requires applying regular firmware and software updates to ensure you have the latest security patches and feature improvements. You also need to monitor its health, checking logs, storage usage, and connectivity with managed devices to catch synchronization issues early. Occasionally, you might need to troubleshoot or reestablish communication with FortiGate devices if the policies do not push correctly. In larger environments, scheduled maintenance windows are important for performing backups of configuration and system state, as well as upgrading Fortinet FortiManager without impacting device management. While it automates many tasks, it still requires active administration to maintain optimal performance and security.
The pricing depends on what you are trying to implement. While I do not manage procurement directly, based on my experience and industry feedback, Fortinet's pricing is competitive and aligned with the benefits of the features they offer. Their licensing model can sometimes be complex, especially when factoring in additional modules such as Advanced Threat Protection or FortiCare support and cloud services. The value received, especially from having an integrated security fabric and centralized management tools such as Fortinet FortiManager, often justifies the cost. However, budgeting and pricing always depends on the specific deployment size and feature set. Fortinet provides a strong ROI for organizations focused on comprehensive security.
I rate Fortinet FortiManager an 8 out of 10. I am a customer of Fortinet FortiManager. I am okay with my name and the company name to be with the review, and I am also okay with Fortinet contacting me about this review. I am fine with the legal statements that need to be read.
I am using FortiGate 200E. I am mostly working with Fortinet FortiManager. Overall, I am using Fortinet FortiManager for everything. The dashboard is used frequently. I use Fortinet FortiManager mostly to manage my firewalls. The simplicity of Fortinet FortiManager is a feature I find most useful.
Simplicity and user-friendliness are key aspects I appreciate about Fortinet FortiManager. Centralized policy management is useful. It is good for role-based administration functions. I find role-based administration useful. The main benefit I receive from Fortinet FortiManager is that it streamlines every device.
I would like to see functionality that simplifies my life. I understand that adding new devices should be simplified.
I have been working with Fortinet FortiManager for the last two to three years.
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiManager an eight.
I would rate the scalability an overall seven. I do not find it complex to scale. I put seven for scalability because it is a bit complex to add some new devices and new users, or that function could be simplified.
I will give Fortinet technical support an eight. I think quality is good, so I am satisfied with the response time and quality.
I do not have any plan to change from Fortinet FortiManager.
I think I see Cisco or HP there, but I do not have any experience with them.
I do not use Fortinet FortiManager automation features. I can provide my feedback about it. It is good, in my opinion. What I think about the reporting part is that it is good. As far as the user is concerned, I think Fortinet FortiManager is optimal now. I do not think any requirement is there. I do not see anything additional to add to Fortinet FortiManager. I purchased the license for Fortinet FortiManager through the partner. I gave this review a rating of eight.
Fortinet FortiManager includes important monitoring, analytics, and AIOps technology with a license.
I have utilized the centralized policy management with Fortinet FortiManager. The centralized policy management helps with the creation of policies because it is easy to monitor and facilitates installation.
I use Fortinet FortiManager's automation features for monitoring, which is very important for company use.
The benefits I see from using Fortinet FortiManager are very important for the company because it uses tools for monitoring, for EI, and for predictive faults.
The logging and reporting capabilities of Fortinet FortiManager are very important because they are for utilization, for dashboards, and for reports for clients.
Fortinet FortiManager can improve, but there is not much to mention. The improvements are very few, mostly in the production area. It would be nice to have a virtual appliance as well.
Fortinet support is very good, and I rate it on a scale of one to ten. The support is very complete, the people are very good, and they are very attentive. I would score their support a ten.
Positive
I used a different solution before Fortinet FortiManager. The experience with Fortinet FortiManager is very different with respect to Cisco because Fortinet has a very advanced developer in security and is recognized as a Gartner leader in security, making it better than Cisco.
I have experience with Fortinet FortiManager. Fortinet FortiManager is very well-known to me.
I have experience with Fortinet FortiManager, particularly in architecture and design, not technical, and I think it is a good solution.
I use Fortinet FortiManager along with AWS and Azure as cloud providers.
My thoughts on the pricing of Fortinet FortiManager are that the calling is the...
We purchased Fortinet FortiManager through two forms: the FortiManager appliance, which consists of physical servers, and we also bought it in the AWS Marketplace and other areas.
My overall rating for Fortinet FortiManager is seven.
They use Fortinet FortiManager because they administrate the entire solution.
I need Fortinet FortiManager for administration because I have a policy to incline and control the unit.
I deal with managing large-scale VPN deployments with Fortinet FortiManager because the client needs VPN communication.
Fortinet FortiManager is effective and helpful for VPN management, such as deployment VPN management.
They use Fortinet FortiManager for the same clients.
I appreciate that Fortinet FortiManager's administration is more simple.
I am familiar with Fortinet FortiManager's centralized policy-based provisioning and capability.
I use Fortinet FortiManager's revision control feature for audits and compliance.
I don't know how they can make Fortinet FortiManager better.
The pricing and support could be improved.
It would be good if they made small improvements anywhere.
They can also have better integration with other solution providers.
Setting up Fortinet FortiManager is not complex.
It is straightforward.
On a scale of one to 10, I rate the ease of setting up Fortinet FortiManager as nine, with 10 being the easiest.
Fortinet FortiManager is scalable, and I can explain how it achieves this scalability.
I rate the support for Fortinet FortiManager as nine on a scale from zero to 10.
Positive
The pricing for Fortinet FortiManager is good and not expensive.
It is competitively priced.
Fortinet FortiManager is very good to me.
It is very compliant, though it is not helping in maintaining compliance or managing configuration changes.
I rate how it helps maintain compliance with this feature as nine out of ten.
The administration for this solution is very simple. We have experience managing the solution, but I only have commercial experience, not technical.
In general, I find Fortinet FortiManager very good.
I would give it a nine out of 10, and I think the whole solution is very good.
I would advise anybody thinking about using Fortinet FortiManager.
To the client, I recommend this solution as it is very good.
We are resellers.
Review Rating: 9/10
I worked with FortiGate firewall, as well as Fortinet FortiManager and access point.
I have experience with Fortinet FortiManager.
We are using Fortinet FortiManager because we are managing almost 140 FortiGate firewalls.
Almost 1,600 clients are using Fortinet FortiManager in my organization.
The integration capabilities of Fortinet FortiManager are a little bit tricky, but it's acceptable.
It was completed in-house.
I grade it a six out of ten because manageability and SD-WAN are acceptable, but the problem is cloud connectivity and roaming profiles are not working, as there is no option for them.
From FortiGate, I can say the support rates only five out of ten.
The support from FortiGate is low quality, but my reseller is better.
Neutral
I didn't calculate it yet.
Neutral
Positive
My experience with Fortinet products is primarily with Fortinet FortiManager. I have attended training on FortiSandbox and FortiWeb as well.
Fortinet solutions are used by my clients across every sector.
They are also used in the healthcare sector for financial purposes.
Fortinet FortiManager can centrally manage all FortiGates and is effective for the deployment of updates and patches.
We use centralized policy management for policy management.
It helps streamline policy creation and policy enforcement. However, I would prefer to have an online meeting so I can see who I am talking to, as you are obtaining information about my security. I am aware that there are currently many spam and social engineering attacks occurring.
I do not use Fortinet FortiManager daily, but I can speak with my security team and ask them what areas need future improvement for Fortinet FortiManager.
When I installed it, I found it somewhat difficult to set up.
I would rate their support at between eight and nine, which I consider great support.
Positive
I still have experience with ESET and Fortinet products. My other colleague has more in-depth experience with Fortinet FortiManager and uses it more daily in that particular area, as I do not use it as regularly and my other colleagues are more involved in that area.
I am not certain if my clients purchase Fortinet FortiManager through the AWS Marketplace.
I want to remain anonymous for now.
My overall rating for Fortinet FortiManager is seven.
Fortinet FortiManager is a great solution that helps you consolidate the single point of management for all Fortinet solutions. It also helps you support the change management process that is aligned with ITIL. The solution also helps you to have version control and tracking control.
The solution's most valuable feature is the consolidation and the single point of administration solution.
The graphics interface between Fortinet FortiManager and any Forti products should be standardized. Doing a configuration change directly in the UTM is not the same as doing it via FortiManager for some features.
I have been using Fortinet FortiManager for five years.
Fortinet FortiManager is a very stable solution.
I rate the solution's stability ten out of ten.
The solution's scalability is very good.
I rate the solution's scalability an eight out of ten.
I would prefer the person who helps us on the first call or interaction to have a higher engineering capacity.
Positive
The solution's initial setup wasn't done by me but by an expert. I believe the setup is not too simple because it took some implementation by an expert.
As a simplified, unified point of management, Fortinet FortiManager helps to reduce administration costs.
On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten.
I haven't implemented the solution's automation capabilities. The most automation I have done in Fortinet FortiManager is a configuration to be deployed massively to a group of UTMs, access points, or switches. I would recommend the solution to other users. It would be great to have FortiManager by your side if everything you have is from Fortinet.
As the platform tracks every change we make, it helps me with compliance and also helps me maintain all the devices at the same firmware level. It helps with compliance and auditing.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
