Aruba Airwave and Fortinet FortiManager compete in the network management sector, each offering unique advantages. While Aruba Airwave is known for its broad vendor compatibility, Fortinet FortiManager stands out for its strong focus on security and automation features.
Features: Aruba Airwave provides rich reporting, zero-touch provisioning, and support for multivendor environments. It's designed for ease of use, accommodating various network products, and offering effective troubleshooting tools. Fortinet FortiManager offers centralized management, integrates well with other Fortinet products, and provides automation tools that simplify deployment and management tasks for up to 100,000 devices.
Room for Improvement: Aruba Airwave could improve its integration with third-party systems, refine synchronization between CLI and GUI, and enhance multi-platform compatibility, though cost remains a user concern. Fortinet FortiManager needs better documentation, improved real-time traffic monitoring, increased compatibility, and more streamlined interfaces.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Aruba Airwave and Fortinet FortiManager are mostly used on-premises, with Fortinet also supporting cloud environments. Aruba's customer service has mixed reviews, with customers noting quicker response times from competitors like Cisco. Fortinet is known for reliable support but could enhance regional availability and technical query management.
Pricing and ROI: Aruba Airwave is considered costly, especially regarding scalability and additional licensing, but provides good ROI through operational efficiency. Fortinet FortiManager is competitively priced relative to other firewalls, appreciated for its flexible licensing and robust security, leading to a positive ROI but there is demand for more competitive future pricing.
I would rate their technical support as a nine or ten, as it's quite good.
Angie was very kind and communicated well in both Spanish and English, making it pleasant to connect with her.
Fortinet's support has proven to be reliable, particularly as we've been engaged with them since the project's initiation.
They are responsive and resolve issues quickly when I raise a ticket.
The level of support for P2 and P1 is wonderful.
Aruba Airwave is fully scalable, as we have a large number of tenants using the network with approximately six thousand end users.
You can raise the capacity as you go, and there is no limit for hardware.
If you are working with a private or public cloud, it is very scalable.
The problem is cloud connectivity and roaming profiles are not working, as there is no option for them.
I have found Aruba Airwave to be stable.
I rate the solution's stability ten out of ten.
95% of the time, there are no problems interacting with other devices.
The end-to-end users' messages show some details that are not always up-to-date, and sometimes the information from the GUI is not exactly aligned with what's on the website.
When upgrading hardware, there were technical issues with network interfaces and Red Hat, which required escalation to developers.
When attempting to copy a floor plan, it does not copy well, so I often have to redraw the walls.
FortiManager is a good tool, but there is a lack of really advanced documentation.
If you have a couple thousand policies for FortiGate firewalls, it can take a few minutes to receive a response from the remote devices.
In such cases, their CPE or other devices on-site may become unreliable, leading to occasional configuration discrepancies.
The pricing for Aruba Airwave is acceptable because compared to Cisco, it's slightly cheaper, but not significantly - maybe 5% or 7% less expensive.
Fortinet has the best pricing currently on the market.
It isn't the most expensive solution.
It's neither cheap nor expensive.
It provides near real-time monitoring using AIMON and AURO protocols, which is robust with multiple models and brand support.
Aruba Airwave provides good visibility, offering extensive data on network dynamics, such as access point connections, usage, signal strengths, and potential interference from neighboring Wi-Fi networks.
The most helpful feature I noticed, yet did not utilize, allowed us to add our Cisco switches for monitoring.
I can automate the installation of configurations using different programming languages like Python or HPE, and it's a GUI solution, so it's pretty easy to use, even for basic users.
Without FortiManager, you cannot manage a complex environment across several sites with multiple firewalls.
Setup, setting policies, and reporting were all very easy.
Fortinet FortiManager is used for centralized management of FortiGate firewalls, utilizing zero-touch deployment techniques to optimize configuration and deployment, reducing installation time and errors while improving network security and efficiency.
By centralizing policy management and monitoring across devices and locations, Fortinet FortiManager enhances security and operational efficiency. Automation tools simplify management, control, and consistent configuration across environments. It offers scalability for managing large numbers of devices, beneficial for organizations seeking unified threat protection and streamlined administration from one console. The platform integrates effortlessly with Fortinet products, supporting zero-touch provisioning, SD-WAN, and traffic analysis. Although intuitive, the graphical interface and overall performance require refinement, alongside enhanced support and documentation for troubleshooting and configuration.
What are the key features of Fortinet FortiManager?Fortinet FortiManager is implemented across diverse industries like telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, where centralized management and enhanced security are crucial. Its ability to streamline processes and integrate with existing Fortinet products makes it ideal for organizations looking to maintain robust network security standards.
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