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Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Symantec Advanced Authentication comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 11, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator
Ranking in Authentication Systems
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (10th), Identity Management (IM) (15th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (2nd)
Symantec Advanced Authentic...
Ranking in Authentication Systems
22nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.7
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is 3.1%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Advanced Authentication is 1.5%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Authentication Systems Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator3.1%
Symantec Advanced Authentication1.5%
Other95.4%
Authentication Systems
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2848395 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Business Development Manager at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Multi-factor security has improved device protection but still needs broader application coverage
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator could be improved in its cost structure. Although it is not expensive, other solutions offer more value for less money. Cisco Duo provides better value in this regard and connects to web applications much more easily, scaling effectively in that sense. While I have never used Cisco Duo to secure other devices in IoT environments, I know Cisco Duo is capable of doing so, whereas Fortinet FortiAuthenticator cannot. Additionally, Cisco Duo is also cheaper. These are the main reasons why we switched away from Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, as it was very limited compared to other solutions available. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator was primarily missing the ability to scale to web applications.
Umair (Abu Mohaymin) Akhlaque - PeerSpot reviewer
Group CEO at Flexsolutions
Ensures robust security features and ease of deployment, although it may lack some of the more modern authentication options
There has been a need for aggressive development to modernize the product and align it with contemporary security requirements. While the rebranding has been a step forward, further enhancements are essential to meet the evolving demands of the market. It lacks features such as ActiveSync Exchange security, and it doesn't offer alternatives like password-less authentication via biometrics or patches. While Symantec mainly relies on traditional token-based or password-based methods, newer authentication methods are missing from its repertoire. Support services often lack promptness and depth of knowledge, leaving customers waiting for weeks to resolve issues. In the realm of multifactor authentication, swift resolution of problems is critical, as any slowdown or interruption can significantly impact operations. Urgent improvement is necessary to ensure that support responses are faster and more effective, aligning with the demands of MFA implementation.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The web feature is quite versatile. It serves as the sole server authenticator and is valuable not only with FortiGate products but also within the entire Forti system, making it highly useful for me."
"This is a perfect solution for authentication services."
"The product is good, cost-effective, and functionally efficient."
"Intuitive interface and easy to deploy."
"The response from Fortinet is very fast."
"The product’s most valuable feature is integration with FortiGate, FortiToken, FortiTalk, and multi-factor authentication."
"The most valuable feature is the OTP on the mobile phone."
"I appreciate its ability to provide multi-factor authentication, but it's primarily focused on this function."
"Being able to issue a soft token, but still having fairly strong security, is a big factor for us."
"One of the most valuable aspects is its remarkable stability."
"It allows us to assure our customers that we are protecting their data."
"CA products are the best fit with our backend systems."
"It tells us exactly what we want in terms of authentication to various applications and provides protection for users who access them."
"Rules on Risk Authentication are very good."
"The most valuable feature is that we get a wide range of authentication methods and authentication integrators, so different platforms can get service authentication with transparency to the final user while providing strong authentication forms and connectors."
"One of the most valuable features of this solution is that it's a strong authentication solution that's able to integrate with applications."
 

Cons

"The technical support could be improved as some staff lacks the necessary knowledge to assist effectively."
"There is room for improvement in stability and support."
"Lacks a simplified two-factor authentication process."
"Integration with some other enterprise applications could be improved."
"The solution could be more automated. It should be able to let me automate a lot of things so that what normally is done as a matter of manual processes can be handled quicker. Slow integrations can be taken up/out if there was more automation."
"I would like to see some email options for Fortinet FortiAuthenticator."
"I have had stability issues with FortiAuthenticator."
"It can not use SQL to query FortiAnalyzer directly."
"It needs faster implementation on the cloud for our customers."
"Symantec has very bad support, so I have no words for it. It's one of the worst support experiences I've ever had."
"Advanced Authentication talks about the Device ID. But how the device ID is captured, I want to know more about that."
"Arcot itself is based on a browser technology. This means that the office ID is effectively stored as a cookie in the browser."
"They definitely need to automate a few processes like the Wiley process."
"The initial setup of the tenant is a big cost element of the service and we were doing multiple tenants for our customer."
"We have seen quite a few issues with bugginess. It is indeed pretty buggy and we have had to install some fixes."
"Sometimes getting this set up does take a bit longer. It's not always install, next, next, next, finish."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When we buy the Fortinet FortiAuthenticator device there is a comparison between price and security."
"The product could be more competitively priced."
"I would rate the pricing a four out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. It is not that costly. It is cheap, easy to manage, easy to install, and easy to configure."
"I price of the solution is expensive."
"I rate the product price as two or three on a one-to-ten scale, where one is expensive, and ten is cheap."
"You can pay as you go with them. You purchase a base license and add to it as needed."
"We pay for licensing on a yearly basis."
"FAC is an affordable solution for Middle Range (200E/400E) and also needs a package of mobility agents (2,000) perpetual."
"There are eventually going to be implementation costs. Sometimes you're required to have custom code developments there, so that has to be part of the implementation price."
"The price is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Construction Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Construction Company
15%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
My experience with Fortinet FortiAuthenticator's pricing found the pricing to be good. There are better solutions available in the market. Overall, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is an inexpensive sol...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator could be improved in its cost structure. Although it is not expensive, other solutions offer more value for less money. Cisco Duo provides better value in this regard an...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator was implemented as a multi-factor authentication solution to serve as a second barrier for accessing and unlocking devices. However, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator was limi...
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Also Known As

FortiAuthenticator
CA Advanced Authentication, CA Strong Authentication, CA Risk Authentication, Arcot WebFort, Arcot RiskFort
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Global bank, Large Filipino Bank and SK Infosec
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.