FortiSASE Reviews

FortiSASE is used to achieve zero trust on the network side where clients use the VPN part, private access of FortiSASE, along with the SD-WAN functionality to securely connect their remote offices and the data centers. The other use case is secure web gateway where they inspect and filter their internet access along with EPP, endpoint protection.

FortiSASE is a combination of solutions that provides multiple features and it's a differentiator from others because their EPP is one of the major factors. If you have Fortinet at the perimeter, integration is very easy, as integration and collaboration between all the layer devices is tightly integrated and easy to manage.

The best feature of FortiSASE is SD-WAN. There is a clear return on investment when comparing to other solutions where additional payment is required for each component such as secure web gateway, private access, and endpoint protection. In FortiSASE, these features are bundled, and since they are tightly integrated with the firewall, SD-WAN works without additional payment.

For other solutions such as FortiAnalyzer and FortiSIEM, integration is easy, but it's not straightforward due to license complexity. As FortiSASE is new in the market in India, if you want to use a Delhi data center, you need a separate license, and if you have a different kind of firewall, you cannot transfer your license from one box to another box.

FortiSASE implementation is too complex where other products take two to three months or maximum four months to implement, FortiSASE took more than double that time. The product appears to have been launched without being tested properly in real market conditions. While testing may have been done in lab environments, real-time scenarios seem to be missing from this solution.

The SPA licenses are limited to the box UTM, UTM make and model. If someone has a UTM currently and plans to upgrade or downgrade in the coming year after procuring the SPA license for three years, they cannot transfer those licenses to another box, which is a challenge that needs improvement.

FortiSASE was introduced to the market one year ago, and I was the first person who worked on this solution. I have been working on FortiSD-WAN for approximately four to five years.

FortiSASE is not stable yet and is in the learning stage, with many loopholes currently present. There are numerous bugs in the system.

Technical support from Fortinet rates as five, but every time expertise support is needed, it goes to the product engineering team and the highest level of Fortinet support. This is concerning because if there is a solution in the market, the people supporting it should be technical enough to resolve issues at their first level or second level, or at least at the third level. Currently, each issue requires following the escalation path to reach the highest level of the technical team before being addressed.

Neutral

Three months ago, I was a customer for Fortinet, and now we are the reseller for Fortinet.

When launching a product, it is essential to train the technical team to understand what the product is and what kind of challenges they need to face. These people know the features, but they don't know how these features will work, so intensive training on the products is needed. The overall rating for FortiSASE is 5 out of 10.

FortiSASE is typically used by customers with two major concerns: many branches or stores and sometimes remote workers or roaming users. These customers also have cloud applications, as many enterprises are trying to adopt cloud apps like AWS or Azure. Instead of continuing to build more solutions on-premises at their data centers or headquarters, they are looking for cloud protections to have everything in one platform, including not just firewall but also web detections, malware detections, and posture assessment.

One of the major use cases is VPN replacement. Most customers are using a VPN concentrator from the firewall itself. There are many vulnerabilities found every year, and that is why customers are also trying to replace their VPN with solutions such as FortiSASE, which focuses mainly on the SSE portions.

FortiSASE features that I have found most valuable include the web control, the web proxy, posture assessment, DLP features, and the VPN, which allows users to connect to internal applications or servers without exposing their public IPs. The concept is quite similar to a VPN. Another major feature is FortiDeceptor, which is included inside FortiSASE.

Areas of FortiSASE that could be improved or enhanced in future releases are related to being more open to supporting third-party integrations. FortiSASE needs to ensure compatibility with other third-party vendors, as the solution is built on top of Fortinet's existing fabric, making it part of the Fortinet ecosystem. If third-party vendors could be integrated and supported, enabling two-way communication, it would greatly enhance the solution compared to competitors such as Netskope and Zscaler.

I have been working with FortiSASE for about two years.

Regarding the stability and reliability of FortiSASE, I have not had many customers really using FortiSASE, so I do not have substantial data on that. According to Fortinet's claims, they have an SLA of 99.999, but since I don't have many customers, I cannot confirm whether they can deliver what they promise.

The scalability of FortiSASE is quite relevant to the limitations I mentioned. If the customer is within the Fortinet ecosystem, they are generally good for scalability. However, if they have many third-party products in place, it will raise some questions about scalability.

I do not often communicate with the technical support of FortiSASE.

I definitely use documentation officially provided by Fortinet for FortiSASE. My impression of this documentation is that it is quite similar and standard compared to other major security vendors such as Cisco or Palo Alto. At a high level, they deliver the intended information, but I still need their representatives, particularly sales engineers, to provide detailed explanations, as the documentation may not cover every area that all audiences might be looking for. I have no comment on whether the documentation should be improved to add more details, because if too many things are added to a white paper or data sheet, it can become messy. I am satisfied with the current arrangement.

I do not typically participate in the initial setup of FortiSASE because my role is mainly focused on consulting. Most of the time, I help architect the design and everything, whereas another team handles the deployment.

FortiSASE is the product name.

I am not really familiar with the centralized management console of FortiSASE, as it is quite standard for controlling everything in the console, so I do not have much comment on this.

The efficiency of FortiSASE's Zero Trust Network Access feature in preventing unauthorized access to critical resources is quite mature. Its technology can effectively detect issues, as it has built-in machine learning and AI capabilities that leverage the fabric and technology, which has been fine so far with no issues regarding Zero Trust.

Regarding the pricing and licensing of FortiSASE, I would say it is quite competitive. The top players in the market for SASE include Zscaler, so for customers looking for options within a tight budget, FortiSASE will be one of the good options for them.

My customers usually prefer deployment on the cloud. I give this review a rating of 7.

I would describe the use case for FortiSASE as replacing traditional SSL VPN with ZTNA, which enhances Zero Trust Network accessibility for users in any remote location. For example, a user in India can access Singapore servers without latency or jitters. Additionally, I help small enterprises that cannot afford hardware license renewals by converting them to Secure Web Gateway as a forward proxy, creating a trust to untrust zone efficiently without hardware AMCs, which saves costs for customers. The optimizations largely focus on ZTNA and micro-segmentation, which I plan to enhance further for my business.

I believe the most useful functionalities in FortiSASE are centered around Secure Web Gateway, which offers opportunities for expansion from a proxy standpoint.

FortiSASE's centralized management console is helpful because it allows for visibility across a single platform, including downlinks such as Forti-server, Forti-switches, and Forti-APs. However, there are areas where enhancements are needed.

Integration with Fortinet is very easy for me, and I face no issues in that aspect.

The main benefit FortiSASE provides to end-users lies in the end-to-end visibility of packet transfers from their systems, which I achieve in an easy manner.

I think Fortinet can improve FortiSASE in two main areas: one is enhancing the Secure Web Gateway module, and the second is providing more advanced data classification options since the current DLP level is basic, requiring enhancements to avoid reliance on third-party solutions.

The need for other modules like DLP alongside SWG suggests that integration could be streamlined as a subset within SWG, making it easier for revenue generation for both my organization and Fortinet.

I have been working with Fortinet SASE for almost four years.

I would rate the stability of the product as an eight, considering Palo Alto performs better in those terms.

Scalability for Fortinet is easily accessible.

From my standpoint, the technical support provided is good, and I do not have any problems with them.

I have experience integrating SD-WAN with FortiSASE for one of my customers.

I am totally satisfied with their response time and support quality.

I am not currently working with Akamai, as I replaced Guardian Core segmentation for one of my customers with Fortinet due to high renewal costs. The customer deployed it for two years but migrated recently to Fortinet microsegmentation after one and a half years.

The initial setup for FortiSASE is simple.

I deal directly with Fortinet, making it a direct reseller relationship rather than through partners.

I can compare FortiSASE with Palo Alto as a main competitor in the market.

Choosing between Fortinet and Palo Alto largely depends on the customer's budget. If they have a significant budget, I would opt for Palo Alto, but if budget constraints exist and essential features are still required, I would go with Fortinet. I would rate this product an eight overall.

The typical use case for FortiSASE would be remote users scattered all over the country.

The most valuable aspect of Fortinet solutions, such as FortiSASE, is that it provides value for money. You can get all the benefits and values, not at the level of leaders such as Palo Alto, but for much lower prices. It is a perfect solution for value against money.

The centralized management console in FortiSASE is very good.

It offers seamless integration with all other Fortinet solutions, such as FortiGate. However, I haven't tested the integration with other vendors yet.

The secured browser of FortiSASE has room for improvement. Palo Alto has a more mature security browser than Fortinet.

I cannot definitively comment on FortiSASE's stability as I have only been using it for four months.

I cannot definitively comment on FortiSASE's stability as I have only been using it for four months. However, based on the history of Fortinet and all other solutions, I believe it would be stable.

FortiSASE is a very scalable solution because it licenses every user individually. There is no minimum package of users required; you can start with one user and add more as needed.

I would rate the scalability of FortiSASE a nine out of ten.

I would rate technical support from Fortinet a seven out of ten.

The main issue with Fortinet's technical support is the response time and resolution time. To resolve problems, they take considerably more time, and sometimes cases need to be escalated to another level for resolution.

Positive

As a reseller, I didn't personally perform the initial setup of FortiSASE, as our technical team handles these tasks. However, from what I understand from them, the setup process is relatively easy.

The pricing, licensing, and setup costs of FortiSASE are very advantageous if you are already a Fortinet customer. If you have FortiGate, the Fortinet firewall, it will be a very good solution for your needs.

Based on my experience with FortiSASE, I would rate the whole solution eight out of ten.

FortiSASE is a good solution with excellent value for money, so potential users should give it a try.

Ther solution is gaining traction in Japan. It has become one of the options in this industry.

The important aspects are twofold. One is authorization, and the second is access control. FortiSASE can operate in a cloud environment with client certificates for authorizations and access control using features like PostureCheck. The service assesses device security, checking updates on antivirus software and confirming Windows OS specifications. I can use it anywhere I want as long as I have an Internet connection. It's very easy to configure the environment.

They are trying to improve the features of FortiSASE, however, few FortiGate can connect through FortiSASE for LAN to WAN connection while connectivity from outside to inside is OK with SPA(Secure Private Access) feature.

I have used the solution for around two years.

It's very stable. There are many different location datacenter worldwide, and they ensure availability at each point of presence. They maintain high availability using numerous data centers globally.

They improved their technical support assistance recently. It's really nice yet depends on the person, so I rate it around eight out of ten.

Positive

FortiSASE is just like a FortiGate. It's not difficult to handle FortiSASE if I am familiar with FortiGate. It takes only about 30 minutes to set up.

I am one of the distributors of Fortinet products, so I have had the chance to test the environment by myself. It's easy to configure, though it's just a test.

I recommend it, although it depends on the client's situation. It can become one of their options to consider for Zero Trust architecture. 

Overall product rating is eight out of ten.

We use FortiCASB for a client with an ERP system and multiple branches. Instead of investing in firewalls, we chose FortiCASB to handle our security needs.

We utilize the web filtering part of FortiCASB for our network security. Additionally, the competitive pricing compared to other products is attractive. FortiCASB is user-friendly and integrates well with other Forti-products, providing enhanced management capabilities.

Improvements should focus on security. Although FortiCASB performs well in many areas, I believe its security aspects could be enhanced further.

Our engagement with FortiCASB has been around two to three months.

I rate the stability of FortiCASB as eight out of ten.

I rate the scalability of FortiCASB as eight out of ten.

The technical support from Fortinet is highly commendable, and I rate it as nine out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup required the involvement of a qualified team, and though it was slightly lengthy, it was successful.

A team including four NSE certified professionals was involved in the deployment. It was a collaborative process to ensure complete visibility.

With FortiCASB, we manage to save around 50% on our budget compared to other products.

The pricing for FortiCASB is competitive and not expensive. I rate the price as eight out of ten. 

There may be additional expenses for some features.

I recommend FortiCASB and rate it overall as eight out of ten. 

Although it is a great product, I suggest using it with an eye for improvement in its security features. My overall rating for FortiCASB is eight out of ten.

We use FortiSASE for remote worker access and access to our corporate data centers.

The solution is easy to deploy and simple to manage. FortiSASE allows remote work to function. The solution allows a diverse workforce scattered across different geographies to continue functioning as if they were in the office.

Some of the solution's back-end connectivity and visibility are not robust and could be improved.

I have been using FortiSASE for six months.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten for stability.

We've got 1,80,000 users working on FortiSASE, and we haven't faced any scalability issues.

I rate the solution ten out of ten for scalability.

The solution's technical support is very knowledgeable.

Positive

We switched to FortiSASE from Zscaler because of the cost, complexity, and simplification. We wanted to reduce the number of vendors in our environment. FortiSASE was able to unify the security policy from our on-prem to the cloud.

The solution's initial setup is pretty easy and simple.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup an eight or nine out of ten.

We implemented the solution through an in-house security engineer. It took us weeks to deploy the solution.

Regarding return on investment, we saved two and a half times over our previous vendor by reducing the amount of time and troubleshooting. Now, we're looking at the same console for on-prem versus our cloud app.

We paid about three and a half million dollars for 1,80,000 users.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten.

Before choosing FortiSASE, we evaluated Netskope, Zscaler, and Palo Alto's Prisma Access.

FortiSASE is deployed on the cloud, and a direct access connection comes back into our data centers from the cloud.

FortiSASE is a very robust and cost-competitive solution. FortiSASE is suitable for users looking to reduce the number of security vendors in their environment. Fortinet has the breadth, complexity, and ability to handle multiple network scenarios.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We are starting in the financial sector for the services.

The market here is, let's say, a bit challenging. Being present in the market, we understand it's price-oriented. We built a local node in Jordan, which is the main advantage. The data is localized in-country. This gives FortiSASE a significant edge compared to others where data is outside the country.

In any scenario, there is usually room for development. Some enhancement would be beneficial.

We have probably been using it for a year now.

While stability is generally good, we faced some difficulties during updates.

Scalability is sufficient and is one of the main advantages.

There may be some room for improvement in support, however, it is satisfactory. In any scenario, there is usually room for development. Some enhancement would be beneficial.

Neutral

Usually, it's not that complex. Many resources and file sources are available, so we have never faced any issue or integration issue.

It depends on the project. However, usually, we need more than one of the SaaS.

I would give a rating of seven out of ten. There were some difficulties with updating, and the solution is expensive. Those are the only two drawbacks mentioned. The support could be much better.

One of the major use cases that people ask about here in the App Store is providing connectivity to our employees. It is reliable, trusted, and offers accountability. In previous scenarios, VPN connectivity worked out, allowing our employees to connect. However, if an employee is traveling to different locations, they want to stay connected. In cases of latency and delay, there is no assurance regarding the security and capability of the connecting laptop. SASE takes care of these concerns. This is one of the use cases. 

The second use case we see for SaaS is in the retail business segment, especially organizations with many retail outlets. For instance, recently, we saw McDonald’s locally. They have around two hundred outlets across the region and wanted to establish connectivity among them. FortiSASE was a common solution considered for this need.

FortiSASE, not technically speaking, has strong 'muscle power' due to the FortiSASE brand, which reaches the SMB level to the enterprise level. They have an edge. That is an indirect, non-technical advantage. 

However, the technical advantage lies in its pricing. Compared to Prisma, FortiSASE's pricing is more reasonable, being one of its biggest advantages. The non-technical advantage through the brand's reach creates a significant edge.

I remember two or three years ago, there were issues with connectivity, however, they were resolved. Fortinet took a long time to come up with upgrades. They fixed the issues with new releases, the only option available.

The solution is scalable. It is highly scalable.

I would rate customer service as eight out of ten.

Positive

The setup process is very easy. Wherever SpottyFA is sold, two things are ensured: FortiManager as part of it and a ZeroTouch license included. The zero-touch license makes things much easier.

We need more people. If it’s an environment where backend stacking is our responsibility, the customer does not handle it. At that point, placing the firewall in their environment, ensuring it’s operational, and connecting the Internet cables to the appliance is essential. These are basic tasks. One person can manage them.

I would rate setup cost as six out of ten. It depends on the region. For example, in Qatar, it’s expensive. Comparing it with Prisma, it’s much cheaper.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten. 

Stability issues persist. In future updates, new features could be added to FortiSASE, such as having a local presence in the Middle East. That could be helpful. I rate the overall solution eight out of ten.