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Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Symantec Siteminder comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 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 Single Sign-On (SSO)
10th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Authentication Systems (5th), Identity Management (IM) (15th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (2nd)
Symantec Siteminder
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Web Access Management (1st), Access Management (15th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is 3.7%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Siteminder is 3.7%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Single Sign-On (SSO) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator3.7%
Symantec Siteminder3.7%
Other92.6%
Single Sign-On (SSO)
 

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.
Muzi Lubisi - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior technical Consultant at CA Africa
Improved user experience with seamless integration and easy installation
The feature that I mostly valued is the ease of installation on different systems, especially on Windows. Additionally, it is very beneficial for deploying single sign-on sessions between different windows on a web browser, provided I am connected to the right identity provider. That seamless integration significantly improves user experience and efficiency.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The feature I value the most is the one-time passwords because it helps to authenticate users so you know the timing of their usage."
"It integrates very tightly with the rest of the Fortinet ecosystem."
"It keeps track of users and their IPs no matter where they are in the network. When users roam, we don't have to worry about not mapping them to an IP."
"We have a perpetual license for 2FA."
"The biggest advantages of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator are that it's easy to deploy, easy to manage, and the GUI is a very strong interface."
"I like the self-registration capabilities."
"It reduces the need for network administrator intervention by allowing the user to perform their own registration and resolve their own password problems and issues."
"In my opinion, the main benefits that end users receive from Fortinet FortiAuthenticator include more security for their applications, for their systems, and for all their network devices that they are logging into."
"Single Sign-On is the number one feature of SiteMinder that we're using."
"Ease of use is very good, for administrating it. It's very well known."
"I really like the robust functionality that this solution offers, such as federation, OAuth, security, and multi-tenancy, just to name a few."
"It puts the expertise around authentication and security on our organization where it belongs."
"The Directory is secure. It's our user store, and it's important to keep our members safe. The product does well with that."
"All of our applications get a point, click, and you are in, while we increase security at the same time."
"The most valuable feature is the integration with the Active Directory."
"The security and single sign-on (SSO) features are the most valuable."
 

Cons

"A better integration with other vendors."
"If you can't authenticate to protect transactions, and the security is weak, it's a problem."
"Fortinet FortiAuthenticator's initial setup process could be easier."
"The only issue I encounter is that when not using FortiAuthenticator for an extended period, it's typical to encounter some obstacles in the configuration process that you need to address."
"We have issues with HA (high availability). These should be addressed in future releases."
"We had issues trying to integrate the keys properly during the initial setup."
"The integration with other products, for example, some SAML authentications, would make it more flexible."
"The technical support could be improved as some staff lacks the necessary knowledge to assist effectively."
"There is a considerable improvement in the product from previous versions, but a few items we feel need a little attention are the web agent installation process and steps – as it behaves differently on the same OS."
"They get us answers, but often they’re too slow."
"It was complex and not at all straightforward. They really need to work on this."
"Probably the biggest thing that SiteMinder needs is a refreshed UI for administrators."
"Better documentation. I went through some sessions on single sign-on for version 12.7."
"The installation process was complex. There are a lot of different moving pieces, and the main complaint is that it's hard to automate any of it."
"It’s really difficult to initially configure, but once you know where the traps are, it’s not a big deal."
"I used to get the runaround initially. They would ask us the same four questions all the time."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I price of the solution is expensive."
"Between paying them to help with the configuration, the box itself, and the support, it came to like $12,500, including a three-year service agreement."
"The product could be more competitively priced."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price and ten is a low price, I rate the pricing a seven."
"The product has affordable pricing compared to other vendors."
"You can pay as you go with them. You purchase a base license and add to it as needed."
"The platform provides a user-based pricing model rather than a subscription pricing model."
"The price seems okay. It's not that expensive compared to other authenticators."
"I recommend conducting a PoC on every available product before choose one."
"The price is quite comparable to the other enterprise-level solutions in that market."
"Siteminder is a little costly. You pay for licensing, and they offer packages, so if you have less users, then you have to buy different products at different prices. If you have more of a user base, then the package is different. They also include other features—for example, if you have a database and you're using Siteminder, then it's good to use a Semantic-specific database, but if you are using less, then you have to purchase the database separately. Whereas if you are going for a bigger license, then it comes within the package. It depends on which plan you are using."
"Symantec Siteminder is expensive; they could definitely do better on the price."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"The solution's pricing is competitive."
"The licensing is fair for this solution."
"CA solutions are generally expensive but for the customer the ROI is big."
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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%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

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 Business8
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise69
 

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...
What needs improvement with Symantec Siteminder?
Symantec Siteminder needs to have adaptive authentication and multi-factor authentication as integrated features. Currently, multi-factor authentication is available as a separate solution, and it ...
What is your primary use case for Symantec Siteminder?
I deploy and support Symantec Siteminder ( /products/symantec-siteminder-reviews ). I have been a partner and reseller.
 

Also Known As

FortiAuthenticator
SiteMinder, CA SSO, Layer7 SiteMinder
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
British Telecom, CoreBlox, DBS, HMS, Itera ASA and Simeo
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. Symantec Siteminder and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.