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Socipart67 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at TiThink
Real User
Good security and support and easy to make secure remote connections
Pros and Cons
  • "The service is centralized."
  • "Cloud services are very expensive for us."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a VPN. It's to help our remote employees connect. We use it mainly for security reasons so that our staff has clean, secure, internet access.

What is most valuable?

The security is good. It helps us avoid attacks. The antivirus database is quite strong. 

It's helpful in that it allows us to create secure remote connections. 

The service is centralized.

What needs improvement?

We don't have matching infrastructure in our company for our customers as it is too expensive. It's difficult to see the licenses due to the cost. We don't find it too expensive as we do not have too much infrastructure, however, our customers have more infrastructure and need more and therefore it can get pricey.

Cloud services are very expensive for us. 

We'd like Fortinet to offer bundled options in the future. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for seven to eight years so far. 

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiClient
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiClient. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is quite a stable solution. I'd rate it nine out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have around 20 people using the solution right now. Our engineers from the system department handle the solution. 

The product is quite scalable. I'd rate the ease of expansion at a nine out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

I've dealt with support in the past and they are helpful and responsive. Typically, items are dealt with by the next business day. They are very fast to respond. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not very simple. 

The time it takes to deploy depends on the environment. If you are adding some rules in, it could take a few hours. If you have everything organized ahead of time and you have all of the rules decided beforehand, it is pretty easy. An implementation like that can go pretty fast. 

What about the implementation team?

We handled the setup ourselves. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive. We found the cloud to be very expensive. 

Licensing is usually paid yearly.

What other advice do I have?

We are Fortinet partners. 

We're using the latest version of the solution. We renewed our hardware just last year. 

I'd recommend the solution to others. I'd rate the product nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Senior Information Security Consultant at Future Telecom
Real User
An advanced all-in-one solution with easy-to-use interface and analytics reporting
Pros and Cons
  • "It has a very easy-to-use interface. It has ease of management, and all the modules are there. SKUs are also easily identifiable. Whatever is required in the firewall is already there in it. It's very advanced, and analytics reporting is very good. They also have cloud reporting. You get all the services that are available for your device in the cloud. You just have to subscribe. It's very easy. There's a lot of demand for this solution because it's an all-in-one solution. The throughput is very high."
  • "The only thing that is lacking in this product is the support. Their support can be improved."

What is our primary use case?

There are multiple use cases for different customers. 

What is most valuable?

It has a very easy-to-use interface. It has ease of management, and all the modules are there. SKUs are also easily identifiable. 

Whatever is required in the firewall is already there in it. It's very advanced, and analytics reporting is very good. They also have cloud reporting. You get all the services that are available for your device in the cloud. You just have to subscribe. It's very easy.

There's a lot of demand for this solution because it's an all-in-one solution. The throughput is very high.

What needs improvement?

The only thing that is lacking in this product is the support. Their support can be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiClient for almost ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Fortinet FortiClient is very good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Fortinet FortiClient is very good. In my organization, around 300 people are using it. We also have mobile users who are connecting over 4G technology or, basically, over wireless technology to the devices and resources on the internal network. It's pretty good and robust.

It integrates very well into any IT infrastructure. They've come up with a lot of tools or different service modules that are able to talk to other technologies. So, you have an open architecture where they get a lot of information or security feeds from different providers. That's how they make their product more robust and scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their support is very bad. The product is good, but the support is very bad. Their support should be on par with the product. 

They are too lazy to answer the calls, They do not take the calls immediately. Even if you have subscribed for 24/7, 365 days support, they will give you a call only after 24 to 48 hours. There is a lag in their response time.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It is very easy to set up. Even a person who does not know anything about firewalls will be able to set it up.

Deployment depends upon the strategy the customer requires. The setup can be complicated, but usually, it is straightforward. The implementation of a FortiGate firewall, usually, does not take more than three days. If you ensure that all the security policies are there and everything is there, it usually takes three days.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost per port is very less as compared to the other technologies.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have deployed FortiGate's FortiAnalyzer, FortiMail for a lot of customers to replace their existing legacy-based firewalls such as Cisco ASA or Cisco PIX, SonicWall, FiberHome, Sophos, etc. We are replacing these technologies with FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

If you want to know the product, or if you do not want to rely on the support, then you have to master the product. Basically, you should know in and out of the product, and you should have extensive knowledge about it. You'll get that knowledge only by working, provided you have the right tools to understand. I learned this tool by using it and going through the knowledge base. They have a knowledge base website, which has almost everything. You just need to apply a little bit of logic to understand what it is. I did not use technical support for help.

We don't require anything extra because it has everything that is needed for current infrastructures. Whether it is the cloud infrastructure or the on-premises infrastructure, they have got everything inside it. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiClient
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiClient. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
OusaidAbaz - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Network Architect at Inmac
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Protects endpoints within the local area network and has low maintenance
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiClient is very easy, useful, and practical."
  • "The solution could add data to the endpoint."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiClient protects endpoints such as PCs, laptops, tablets, and other devices within the local area network.

What is most valuable?

The flow between the endpoint and Fortinet firewall is increasing. If you configure VPN IPsec and site-to-site between two FortiGate or firewalls, the network interface between the endpoints and the firewall is not encrypted. We added analytics to increase the flow from the endpoint through the firewall and the server to the second firewall like Palo Alto, Azure, or another.

Integration capabilities are based on license. You can specify the number of endpoints to add.

What needs improvement?

The solution could add data to the endpoint.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Fortinet FortiClient for an implementation.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution was integrated with Windows, Linux, or various web distributions. It's stability is great.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. You can upgrade anytime.

How are customer service and support?

Sometimes, we may not have anyone to contact for tech support because we've acquired much knowledge. We refer to a quick guide if we encounter issues, such as VPN IP settings or VPN assistance. When one person lacks the skills to master or understand the content, you can comprehend and implement it with the Fortinet cookbook. You can resolve some issues. However, you can email them if you encounter a very complicated problem or issue. Fortinet will understand and respond within two hours.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. You can perform the initial setup as the user, installing the application on the endpoint and assigning it. Then, configure the firewall and set up your gateway. After that, you can add and monitor your endpoints through your firewall.

If you have the licensing and highly vulnerable documents, you can implement it quickly.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing and licensing for Fortinet would vary. They had a bundle for FortiGate from Fortinet. They do not abandon the bundle between physical and virtual machines. With the license, the device is very useful.

What other advice do I have?

You can maintain and work with your endpoint through the firewall.

FortiClient is very easy, useful, and practical. We can monitor the endpoints.

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

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1934433 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Infrastructure Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Good dashboards and customization but needs better AI
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is very good."
  • "Fortinet needs to cover more areas where threats can come from."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as anti-malware. 

What is most valuable?

The dashboard is great.

It offers good customization and integration with other software.

The initial setup is very good. 

What needs improvement?

The artificial intelligent aspect of it needs improvement. Having worked with Sophos Intercept X before, I found it fascinating, especially the integration between the endpoint agents and the file. The synchronized security in that solution was great.

However, with Fortinet, it's not as easy. Sophos was simpler. With Sophos, when you are securing your assets, you are securing not only the network perimeter but also the endpoints. And the threats are coming from all sorts of directions. They can come from the internet or a USB. Fortinet needs to cover more areas where threats can come from.  

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for 12 months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Currently, we have not had any major issues in stability. I will still say that we are still experimenting with it as the product is very new. That said, in general, it is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale, and we can still scale it as well. It could be expanded further and it could be used more extensively used in our organization. We likely will increase usage.

Their products are very highly scalable. They know how to develop products that adapt to the demands that come in the industry. That is why even experimenting on some of their products is very easy for many organizations.

How are customer service and support?

The product is very responsive. We are happy with them. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've also used Sophos, which is a pretty easy, broad solution. 

I've also used Kaspersky. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup, the design, and the deployment are pretty straightforward.

The deployment can happen in just a matter of hours. 

How many people you need for maintenance depends on the organization's size. It can be done by one person.

What about the implementation team?

I used to do the deployment. Right now, I do have a team that is in charge of that.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked into CrowdStrike, however, we did not go to the point of running a proof of concept. They suggested among the software that we were looking at, of course, Intercept X. Sophos, the endpoint agent, is very, very bulky, however. It tends to make most computers become slow when installed, so that was out of the question.

There is Gartner reporting that informs a lot of decisions when it comes to solutions that organizations choose to go for. The ones that are higher up in the ranking in the Gartner are what most organizations will go for. That said, we like to experiment with different industry solutions to gain insights.

What other advice do I have?

We're a customer and end-user. 

We are using the latest version of the product. 

I don't interact it on a day-to-day basis. I'm not technical. 

I appreciate Fortinet as one of the industry leaders, and its product portfolio is very extensive. 

I'd recommend the solution. Fortinet is an industry leader. It is known especially for the FortiGate Firewall. 

We have not yet exhausted their entire portfolio. Still, I have a lot of respect for Fortinet. I will highly recommend them, whether it's a cloud solution or it's a network security solution, or an endpoint security solution. 

I would rate the solution six out of ten. It's still early days and I haven't looked at it exhaustively. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Manager at Aeruma
Reseller
Top 20
Effective in improving endpoint visibility and has good integration capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration capabilities are good."
  • "The quality and response time of the support team must be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our customers use the product for endpoint protection and VPN. Our clients are mainly focussed on logistics. They also use the tool for remote workforce security management.

What is most valuable?

Our customers do not have any complaints about the solution. The solution is effective in improving endpoint visibility. The product provides features like URL Filtering for endpoint protection. IPS is an effective feature. We use the VPN, too. We register our endpoints to the management server.

The product supports our client’s remote access needs. The integration capabilities are good. Our clients usually integrate the product with FortiGate. The integration has improved our client’s security posture. So far, we haven’t heard any complaints from users about VPN.

What needs improvement?

The quality and response time of the support team must be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s scalability an eight out of ten. Our clients are small and enterprise-level businesses.

How was the initial setup?

I rate the ease of setup an eight out of ten. The deployment takes two hours.

What other advice do I have?

We are partners. I will recommend the tool to others. It is easy to integrate with FortiGate. We can use policies for endpoint protection. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Engineer at BAZ
Real User
Enables me to spend less time managing my user's internet usage but the web filter needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "I think the solution is highly scalable."
  • "I would like to see an improvement in the web filter, because I think it can be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this solution is for VPN connections. We use this program for VPN connection and antivirus purposes. We use the program each and every day.

How has it helped my organization?

We had challenges with managing our use of in terms of daily usage. The moment we deployed FortiClient we were able to start managing our user's usage of the internet. I'd say it has greatly improved our organization because now we don't have people spending too much of their time on unauthorized websites. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this program is the web filtering, because it allows me to control my users to be safe on the internet. I can put limitations on what I don't want them to surf on the internet.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see an improvement in the web filter, because I think it can be more user-friendly. For instance, if I want to authorize a user to access a certain website, it should be easy for that user to edit those websites on the exempted list. But sometimes I find that my users can't do that when I am not at the office. Due to the fact that some of our users operate remotely, it sometimes happen that they can't access a specific website. Then I have to go through all the websites, or dive into the users machine just so that I can change the configuration. I therefore think it should be a little bit easier for a user to add a certain website to the exempted list. 

Something else that should be worked on, is the compatibility issues between versions 6.2 and 6.0, because it is not easy to upgrade your firewall to the latest version with admin. If you want to upgrade, you need a hardware change. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using FortiClient for eight months now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any stability issues or viruses since we started using FortiClient. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think the solution is highly scalable. If you know how to deploy the solutions to other clients, scalability will be smooth. We currently have 30 users. Only one of the users is an admin and the rest are customers, or end-users. We do have plans to increase our usage, because our company is growing, and that means that our number of FortiClient customers will increase.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support gets a seven out of ten rating from me. They are okay.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used Symantec Endpoint Protection but then we decided to standardize our operation and then we started using FortiClient too. So instead of having each and every user using a different antivirus on different machines, we decided to standardize even though some of our users still had valid Symantec licenses. At that time we had two antiviruses running at the same time and two solutions running at the same time.

In the end, we decided to use FortiClient in our environment, because it offered VPN connection and antivirus purposes.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward and it took me about an hour to deploy the program on our premises. I did the deployment myself, because I am responsible for the IT operations.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

An annual license costs about 1.5 to 3,000 US dollars. There are no additional costs.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a seven out of ten. My advice to others would be that they should standardize whatever they are running on their environment. If they are going for FortiClient, especially the 6.2 version, they need to standardize or upgrade their computer to standard specifications. I will also advise them to read the instructions so that they don't have any issues when they deploy FortiClient. They should plan accordingly before deploying FortiClient. Once they are sure about the policies they want to implement, they can proceed and deploy FortiClient. That would save them on deployment time and on troubleshooting if things go wrong. Proper planning is required before the deployment of FortiClient.

One of the biggest lessons I learned after a long struggle, was when some of my users were being denied access to a certain website some were marked as malicious and some were not suitable for viewing. My initial thought was that the firewall was the problem and that it was blocking all these users from accessing these websites. But I later realized that it wasn't the firewall blocking them, but FortiClient.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Security Manager at Alternative Solutions
Real User
Top 5
A solution that strengthens endpoint security through integrated visibility
Pros and Cons
  • "We mainly use this solution because we have many Fortinet solutions like antivirus and SSL assessment."
  • "I heard that Fortinet is going to enhance the firmware to have mobile versions. One is like Linux long-term support SCS and one with new features, but there is no support here. We spoke with the vendor multiple times, and they said that they will release these features soon."

What is most valuable?

We mainly use this solution because we have many Fortinet solutions like antivirus and SSL assessment.  

What needs improvement?

I heard that Fortinet is going to enhance the firmware to have mobile versions. One is like Linux long-term support SCS and one with new features, but there is no support here. We spoke with the vendor multiple times, and they said that they will release these features soon.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiClient for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has lengthy features, and with minimum requirements, you will need to scale up the hardware requirement to scale up the product.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is a six out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner/Integrator
PeerSpot user
Information Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Does a lot of things, has good security features, and is easy to scale
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a fantastic product. Its overall security is valuable. We are very impressed with the web filtering and the application firewall it provides."
  • "The software inventory part is not yet up-to-date. It doesn't have a great interface, which is a disadvantage. I wish we could leverage it, but we don't use it at all because it's not that reliable."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for our web filtering and VPN needs. We are one version behind the latest one. 

It was deployed on-prem, but we moved it to the cloud. It is a public cloud provided by Fortinet.

What is most valuable?

It is a fantastic product. Its overall security is valuable. We are very impressed with the web filtering and the application firewall it provides. 

What needs improvement?

The software inventory part is not yet up-to-date. It doesn't have a great interface, which is a disadvantage. I wish we could leverage it, but we don't use it at all because it's not that reliable.

For how long have I used the solution?

We deployed it about a year back, and I use it pretty much every day.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't seen any downtime since we deployed it about a year back. It has been pretty good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have deployed it across all employee laptops. We have approximately 1,500 users. 

It was easy to scale. We got merged with another company, and it was easily scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used Cisco AnyConnect. Because we had FortiGate on the other side, we decided to go with Fortinet.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward. 

What about the implementation team?

I did it myself. Their support was also good.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is not that expensive. It was within the range. A dollar per user per month is nothing.

What other advice do I have?

It definitely fulfills the purpose. It does a lot of things. I'm specifically using it for web filtering and VPN, but it also has other features. The zero-trust network feature is one of them. I haven't yet tried their zero network policies, and that's something that I'm now looking into. They claim to have fantastic features there, and that's the next one for me to try.

They also have an antivirus, but because we already have a Microsoft one, I just didn't give it a try. It is a part of the huge list of its benefits.

I would rate it a nine out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.