Fortinet FortiAnalyzer Reviews

We use the analyzer for reporting, to know what exactly is happening on the network. We use it to see which accesses are granted, which accesses are denied, which sites are visited, which botnets are coming in, which viruses, etc.

The solution is on-premise. Most of the time we set it up on the client's premises, depending on their needs. The cloud is there for testing.

It has a simplified and user-friendly interface.

With FortiAnalyzer, most of the time, although the interface is simplified, when you are new to it you have issues of navigating through it.

And when it comes to pushing logs to a SIEM, most of the time we have some issues when it comes to filtering.

Also, reports need to be simplified because its reporting currently includes more detailed and technical things. If we could get a simplified or executive summary, that would be good.

It's very stable, unlike the previous version which, when the logs were huge, would crash and we would have to reset it and start all over again.

The scalability is also fine if you do your prerequisites right. If so, you won't have any issues. But if you don't do your scoping right, and more logs come into the system - more than it can handle - you will face issues. You need to do your scoping right to get it to be stable and scalable.

Technical support is kind of slow. When you have 24/7 support, the response is quick. But when you send something in, it takes a long time to get a response. Fortinet support is a little bit slow when using their portal for support.

In our case, because we are partners, we have a couple of tech guys we can call to get support done. When an end-user requests support through the portal, and even when we do, it takes hours to get a response.

We work with multiple solutions and Fortinet has been the number-one.

For me, the initial setup was straightforward. The deployment takes approximately ten minutes. In some cases we could be waiting for results, waiting for logs to get up to do some analysis.

The price is quite expensive. Fortinet products are very expensive. That is something which they should also look at, because if you compare Fortinet product to, say, Sophos for example, Fortinet is really high and that's the only thing which is a drawback for most users. Although their plan is a value-for-money appliance, the price is expensive.

Anyone who asks me about a Fortinet product, I'll give that person a thumbs-up. So far, Fortinet has been the best for me. It's a value-for-money appliance, it has an easy to use interface, and it gives you exactly what you want. The only drawback would be the price. 

We use the on-prem deployment model of this solution.

My primary use case for this solution is for log collection. I have a lot of FortiGates that I have to collect logs from, so I primarily use it for log collection. We plan to deploy a SIEM and we want to try to see how to integrate all the solutions to our SIEM. We are processing for PCI data specifications. We have to respond to PCI requirements, so that's why we are making some changes and acquiring some new security solutions to deploy. Among them, we have FortiSIEM and other security solutions like antivirus.

It is a simple and solution. I can structuralize all my FortiGate logs but it's not so good from the administrative side. I have FortiGate in four countries and I am responsible for securing Fortinet. I also have to manage FortiGate in other countries, not just my own. If I have to go through each FortiGate it's going to be a little bit complicated. FortiAnalyzer is a good product; but, I keep thinking that FortiAnalyzer isn't really what I'm looking for which is why I am looking to acquire a SIEM solution. It will give me more log collection possibilities. 

I'm looking for something more efficient to analyze different foreign things. That's why FortiSIEM could compete with FortiAnalyzer. 

I haven't had to contact their technical support yet. 

The initial setup is not that complex. I didn't do the initial configuration, it was already set up, I'm only managing it right now. If we're talking about the integration side, like how to integrate FortiGate in FortiAnalyzer, I don't think it's complex. That's why they are known as one of the leaders in security.

I would recommend this solution to somebody considering it. 

The relevance of this solution will depend on the case. If you are considering this solution I would ask what you really intend to accomplish with it and what model you want. It's going to be based on the data you need to protect and analyze.

If I had to choose between FortiSIEM and FortiAnalyzer for log position it's better to go for SIEM. We all know that we can do a lot more with SIEM than just a log collection. Log collection is included in FortiSIEM; so, why acquire FortiAnalyzer is you can have FortiSIEM?

I would rate FortiAnalyzer a 6.5 out of ten. 

We primarily use the solution to protect the network and to control how the users access and use the internet.

The IBS (Intent Based Segmentation) and application web filtering are the most valuable aspects of the solution.

The solution is quite expensive.

The solution could use more graphics and be more specific in the dashboard. This way, I'm able to understand everything and effectively understand what's going on, including what's incoming and outgoing. Right now, I have to look up everything. I need a dashboard so that I can see specific items right there in one place.

We have 600 users and do plan to increase usage in the future.

Technical support is good. We've talked with them a few times. We have third-party support here in Oman.

I didn't previously use another solution.

A third party vendor assisted us with the implementation.

We have around 12 devices and yearly we spend approximately $14,000.

We are using the private cloud deployment model.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten. I don't have much to compare it to, but it's been fairly good.

Our primary use case of this solution is for bandwidth. We are very satisfied with this program.

The feature I find most useful is the handy dashboard.

I would like to see an improvement in the technical support. Stronger authentication will also be a plus.

In the next version, I would like to have authentication for 40 tokens.

We have between 20 and 25 users and we plan to increase this number, so I believe the program is scalable.

We are very satisfied with the customer service.

The initial setup was straightforward and deployment took us about eight months. The reason for this is that we installed other programs during this time too, like Fireworks Data Center, Switch Data Center, Cisco Nexus Data Center, and Forcepoint. We use Stitch as our local manager. 

All Fortinet programs come at a good price.

I will definitely recommend this solution to others. My rating is a ten out of ten.

This solution is mainly used for reporting. We collect data from the FortiGate and analyze it with this appliance.

We have a physical device that is deployed on-premises.

Using this solution has allowed us to identify which applications are consuming the most bandwidth. We can also see the times at which bandwidth is most utilized. This has allowed us to manage our bandwidth and blend better.

The most valuable feature of this solution is reporting. We use this functionality every day, and obtain reports on things like how many people are using the VPN, which websites are being accessed, and whether hackers are trying to penetrate into our network.

Every time there is a firmware upgrade the interface changes, and you'll have to maneuver that interface to see how to use it.

When somebody is new to the system they find it difficult to perform certain operations, like backups, and to see where the reports are. A more user-friendly interface would be an improvement.

I would like to see support for analyzing the wireless site, without going through the controller. For example, I would like to see a report on the full data including the APs that were up or down, and whether something has been upgraded.

FortiAnalyzer is a good product that is stable. It is used on a daily basis.

My understanding from the literature is that you can connect up to two FortiGate devices, or firewalls. Right now I have two 900D firewalls connected in the same network.

We have approximately twenty-five hundred users, including students and staff. There are six people who manage this solution. At this time, the current solution is enough and we do not need to increase its usage.

Technical support for this solution is powerful and good.

We have a support contract and Fortinet handles the maintenance of this solution. If we face any problem we can just contact them and they will help. For example, last month we were not able to get a report from the FortiGate, and they managed to help us by formatting the disk on FortiAnalyzer. Now, we are able to get the report that we want.

We did not have another analyzer solution prior to this one.

I struggled a little bit with the initial setup because it was a new concept to me. I looked at some videos on YouTube, as well as the Fortinet website.

We had another company perform the actual deployment for us, but we had to provide input to guide them on how to set it up for us. They were very professional and very good.

We started with the 800C, then, later on, we moved to the 900D. The same company handled both deployments and they did a great job.

The deployment took less than a week. There was fine-tuning that had to be done on a regular basis until we got the reports that we wanted from it.

Our licensing fees are on a yearly basis. We have several products including Fortinet Wireless, FortiGate Firewalls, and FortiAnalyzer, which are bundled together and cost approximately $50,000 USD annually. We don't pay anything else in addition to the standard licensing fees.

A company implemented a POC for us, and after that, we found that this could be a good product for our purposes.

FortiAnalyzer is a good product, and anybody who implements this solution will get good results from it. The support from Fortinet is awesome.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

It receives logs from the FortiGate 5000 Series (about 12 FortiGate blades), and it was configured for keep logs for about 1,050 days. The logs are divided by archive (raw logs) and analytics (logs indexed in a database). 

The use case is primarily for getting graphical data to make quick decisions.

FAZ has improved the organization because it stores events in the past so we can correlate incidents using another monitor tools; the problem is that it can´t recognize logs from FortiController blades, not even specifying it as a syslog device so this is a big lack. Devices from another brand are compatible only as syslog devices if they support.

It supports SQL for logging and reporting. Log data is inserted into the SQL database for log view and report generation. 

Another feature is the custom reports, where you can obtain a chart builder from a log view: traffic, event, or security log.

It is very important that FAZ can support FortiController as the architecture designed for the network. FortiController should be registered in FAZ at least for event logs.

No issues at all. It is a reliable product.  

The problems come when you are using different OS versions between FortiGate and FortiAnalyzer.

No scalability issues. You should know how many logs per second or minute are generated in your network to avoid issues with scalability.

The technical support with Fortinet has risen considerably. Now, they respond in three to four hours instead of two days.

We did not use a previous solution.

The FAZ includes a wizard, which is very simple to follow during the initial setup.

We implemented it in-house. We have had some experience implementing FAZ.

I do not have this value yet.

The cost and pricing should be in accordance with the calculation of log storage capacity for a time period required for historical analysis.

We did not look at any other options, because Fortinet was elected for use by the end user.

My only experience is with a very important customer, the most recognized in Latin America.

This product is only used for logs and reporting.

It gives us reporting features, which are helpful in the case of troubleshooting and audit purposes.

It has detailed reporting, e.g., user-wise reporting, threat analysis, etc. It also gives you live logs, which can be really helpful during troubleshooting. 

It should have customized reports as well. While it currently has them, you need to write a script which is not straightforward.

No issues.

No issues.

I would rate it as a two out of 10. The technical support takes at least two days to reply on any ticket post raised on their website. 

We did not have a previous solution.

Initial setup is straightforward, and it has an easy setup.

It depends upon the company.

We evaluated SonicWall and Cisco.

It generate reports from a specific date or interval.

• Storage in SSD, to generate customized reports 
• Event management

• Operation and maintenance
• High-availability architecture
• Management link embedded in the transmission link

Yes. The combination between FortiAnalyzer and FortiGate 5000 Series with millions of concurrent sessions is high-risk because it can interrupt the operation of the network.

The FortiAnalyzer is not scalable.

Tech support is very poor and slow.

Straightforward.

The hardware cost and services contract are fair.

Buy it for networks that have the FortiGate platform as a security gateway or for enterprises with employees who are on the road a lot.