Fortinet FortiManager Reviews

I use Fortinet FortiManager for checking anomaly traffic, monitoring traffic inflow and outflow, and managing firewall traffic. It offers a centralized console to manage all Forti appliances and provides visibility of logs from multiple Forti consoles.

Fortinet FortiManager offers a centralized console for managing multiple Fortinet appliances, eliminating the need to log into different consoles at various locations. It provides a unified platform where logs from multiple Fortinet consoles are forwarded to Fortinet FortiManager, making it easier to manage network operations. Furthermore, it simplifies patch updates and OS updates by allowing direct deployment from Fortinet FortiManager. It has enhanced automation capabilities such as IP and URL blocking integrated with incident ticketing tools.

Currently, I do not have suggestions for immediate improvement, but as the technology landscape evolves, I would recommend exploring and implementing AI features. Additionally, Fortinet FortiManager could benefit from integrations with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions.

I have used Fortinet FortiManager for the past two years before migrating.

The deployment of Fortinet FortiManager took around one week. The setup in our data center needed to be confirmed to be working fine before arranging for disaster recovery setup, due to compliance issues and management approvals.

I have not faced any stability issues or downtime with Fortinet FortiManager.

Scalability is not an issue for me since we purchased high-scale, high-bandwidth appliances that support 30 to 40 percent more than our actual current traffic.

The Fortinet support team has assisted me significantly. They are responsive and resolve issues quickly when I raise a ticket.

Neutral

I was using Fortinet FortiManager but have migrated to Palo Alto due to a management decision.

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiManager was easy. I can rate it ten out of ten for ease of setup.

I recommend obtaining a bit of free training before using Fortinet FortiManager. Overall, I rate Fortinet FortiManager between eight to nine. My rating is not perfect due to the threat intelligence of Fortinet FortiManager, which has a lot of false positives.

On-premises

Amid a surge in malware threats, including ransomware, heightened awareness about security vulnerabilities has prompted organizations to prioritize robust cybersecurity measures. Fortinet's SD-WAN solutions provide a comprehensive approach to secure and efficient wide-area networking for our customers.

The user interface, along with user-friendly planning features, makes it straightforward to configure desired settings.

Issues arise when customers experience unstable electricity or poor grounding conditions. In such cases, their CPE or other devices on-site may become unreliable, leading to occasional configuration discrepancies. To address this, site visits are necessary, and sometimes manual configuration adjustments are required. In extreme cases, device replacement may be necessary, particularly when inadequate electricity grounding poses a persistent challenge, creating specific conditions for intervention.

Presently, our customers have a limited number of remote sites, numbering in the hundreds, with none exceeding a thousand or more. Fortunately, there haven't been any issues reported with this scale of deployment.

Fortinet's support has proven to be reliable, particularly as we've been engaged with them since the project's initiation. This long-standing collaboration has facilitated effective communication, allowing us to seek advice or receive the correct configurations when encountering issues. Their assistance has been instrumental in problem-solving and troubleshooting. I would rate it eight out of ten.

Positive

Previously, we employed Cisco Catalyst switches, specifically the Catalyst 1100 series. However, during that time, the stability of these switches was not satisfactory, and there were noticeable issues. We transitioned to FortiManager because our customers expressed a preference for enhanced security features in the form of superior Customer Premises Equipment. The local certification standards in Indonesia have played a crucial role in raising awareness among our customers regarding the need for robust security measures.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The installation is very simple, thanks to its use of zero-touch provisioning. With another engineer on hand and static alerts in place, the installation process is hassle-free. Completing the setup typically takes around fifteen minutes.

While I find the pricing somewhat higher compared to other options, it remains acceptable for now. I anticipate a growing demand for SD-WAN security in the future, particularly with Fortinet gaining popularity. I hope that the prices will become more competitive in subsequent releases, as the current pricing is perceived as somewhat elevated.

Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

Public Cloud

Other

We primarily use the solution for managing firewalls. 

We enjoy the centralization of all roles and objects and so on.

As a manager, you can manage 50 or 40 firewalls with only one product.

The initial setup is easy.

It is stable. 

The solution should be more open to other products. FortiManager must be able to manage other products from other vendors. While it's perfect for other Forti products, it's not ideal for everything.

This is not available to work with many other vendors in the cloud. In the end, you want only one view of your own security view of everything, which is impossible with FortiManager.

Of course, this is the case with Palo Alto as well.

I've been using the solution for seven or eight years. 

It is a stable, reliable product. The solution has good performance. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash. 

The product is likely scalable, however, we haven't pushed it. 

We have no experience with many numbers, such as 200 or 600 devices. We scale up to 60 firewalls. 

Forti support is quite good.

We work with Fortinet and Palo Alto.

The initial setup was not complex. However, we did the initial setup seven years ago.

We are Fortinet partners at this moment.

I'm not sure of the exact version we are on. I'm more on the sales side. 

We manage from Spain many firewalls around the world, and at this moment, it's very necessary to have FortiManager. It's just too bad we can't manage other vendors. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I'd rate it higher if it offered more outside-brand integrations. 

On-premises

We had clients that wanted to manage multiple devices such as Fortigate firewalls. The customer had an environment with multiple devices or multiple branches. Now, they can centrally manage everything with this one product.

The features are good.

The reporting functionality is centralized. You can see policies and monitor the entire infrastructure. It makes administration very easy.

I cannot comment on what needs to be improved, although there are always potential areas for improvement in every product.

The Fortinet team is always very responsive and resolves issues quickly. For example, sometimes there may be a communication issue. However, other items may be the culprit, such as network connectivity. It depends on the customer's network. 

I've used the solution for two years.

It is a stable solution. 

The solution is scalable. The solution can be scalable or maybe not scalable enough in some use cases. If you are working with a private or public cloud, it is very scalable. If you go for a hardware-based client, you may need to upgrade the hardware to scale. 

Technical support is very good. They could always be better. Sometimes certain issues take more time, especially in terms of escalation. 

Positive

The installation is very easy. Documentation is very easy to find on the partner portal.

Configuration can be a big task. It depends on the scope of work. However, a fresh install might take about one hour. 

One person can easily deploy the product. That said, it depends on the environment. For example, if some devices are located in another location, another person may need to be there. You might need some credentials for that location as well.

There is some maintenance for proper monitoring and updating to the latest version of firmware. If you get any error messages or alerts, you'll have to action them. One person can handle maintenance tasks. 

The solution is competitive. It's neither cheap nor expensive. The solution can be paid annually. If you use a cloud, you will have to pay for subscription charges. 

I work as a reseller.

I'd advise the solution to users that have a big organization and if they are using Fortigate Firewalls, It helps centralize anything.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. They have so many features. It's very feature-rich. From one central location, you can monitor everything. 

We primarily use the solution for management and analysis. We use it for the management of two or three firewalls and the deployment of policies. 

This is quite a convenient solution. We can manage a number of items. The wireless management is easy. 

The VPN is easy. I have the ability to do the proper configuration of each of the firewalls. 

It is easy to deploy to licenses. 

The initial setup is very simple. 

The product is stable.

It is scalable. 

The functionality is very high.

We have found the pricing reasonable.

I'm still exploring the solution. I have not come across any missing features. 

The documentation could be better. Sometimes information seems lacking, however, maybe I'm not sure where to look for the information I need.

I've been using the solution for about six months now. 

The solution is stable and reliable. I'd rate it ten out of ten. It is extremely reliable with no bugs or glitches. 

It is a scalable solution. I'd rate it eight out of ten. I haven't tried to scale to any great extent.

We have around five users that are administrating the solution at the moment.

We have never dealt with technical support yet.

We did use the Cisco FTD Manager. Fortinet is easy to use and deploy. It's also easy to manage. It's a full-fledged integrated solution, unlike Cisco. Cisco also took longer in terms of committing policies. 

The setup process is simple and straightforward. It is not complex. 

We handled the setup in-house ourselves without any outside help. 

The pricing is pretty good. I'd rate the affordability nine out of ten. Compared to Cisco and Palo Alto, it's reasonable. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. It's a very good solution. I'm still working on learning the solution. 

On-premises

We have two branches and find that this solution makes it easy to implement the same configuration in different firewalls. You don't have to log onto any of the equipment with the VPN of the customer. It is the easiest way to manage a network.

This tool is simple to use. It makes management very easy. 

It helps with the underly IT. Things go more smoothly since everything is managed in one place.

The solution is stable.

It can scale well.

The product does help save a lot of time thanks to its efficient management capabilities. 

The price is a bit too high. Aside from the price, I do not have any complaints about the product.

It would be ideal if they could bundle the product with others. Right now, you have all of these Forti products and you have to pay for a license for FortiGate and then have other licenses for the Analyzer and Cloud, for example. Instead of paying separately and having all of these licenses, it would be nice to centralize everything and maybe reduce the price for a bundle.

I've used the solution for around seven months. 

It has good stability. The product is reliable. I'd rate it nine out of ten in terms of reliability. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze.

The scalability is great. I would rate it nine out of ten. It expands easily. 

We did not previously use any different products. 

The implementation is simple. It doesn't require an installation. All the products work on the same cloud. You just have to add it to the equation. 

We have seven engineers working on it to support it. They are available for any maintenance requirements. 

We have seen a bit of ROI in that we save time providing the service to clients. 

The pricing is pretty high.

I'm using the latest version of the solution. 

It's a good solution. I'd suggest others to go ahead and try it without any hesitation. 

I'd rate the product nine out of ten. 

Public Cloud

Microsoft Azure

We have 20 Forti Firewalls, including FortiManager. 

We use it for firewall management as we have many objects. In FortiManager, we use one type of object and implementation, the different firewalls.

The most valuable feature is having one object on all networks, which allows for implementation only once. We can have that object on one firewall or many, and we don't have to do everything one by one.

It's easy to set up the solution. 

Stability is good within the product.

It is scalable. 

Technical support is helpful and knowledgeable. 

The central management is great.

It's very transparent. If I  am troubleshooting for people who have a problem connecting to the network, then I can just open FortiManager and see all of the history of the connection. It makes it easy if I have to adjust a configuration.

The rules need to be more flexible. I prefer configuring rules and the VPN on the standalone device, not on the manager.

I've used the solution for three years. 

It's quite stable. It's reliable, and the performance is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

We have found the product to be scalable. It's not a problem if you want to expand it. 

For example, if you want to add another 10 or 15 firewalls, will it have any problems

We have technical support in my local language. The person who assists us is senior and he's a master of FortiManager. He knows many options for configurations.

Their technical support is very responsive. They are very knowledgeable.

Positive

It's easy to set up the product. It's an easy deployment. If I have a new box, we just have to create a template, and I add a new FortiGate to FortiManager, and implementation becomes only standard configuration via FortiManager. We do any password policy, proxy pack, and other features we implement, we do so through FortiManager. Other updates, for example, a hostname or object, is from FortiManager. However, if I create any specific rule on a specific VPN, we configure that on the device.

I'd rate the solution four out of five in terms of ease of implementation.

We bought FortiManager as an option as we bought maybe five firewalls plus a license to FortiManager. The implementation site gave me only one price, which included both solutions. It was basically a package. It's moderately priced. I'd rate it a three out of five in terms of affordability.

We had average security knowledge about management, and we started with a demo project. It was from Fortigate Support. They gave me two or three months free to try out FortiManager. I'd advise people to take the time to test it and see how it works. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. 

We had a customer that had about five locations and at each location, they needed a management device. We installed FortiManager at the head office and all locations report back to it. 

Setup, setting policies, and reporting were all very easy. We had no issues whatsoever getting the solution up and running. 

The ability to manage multiple devices is great. We have one set up and one pane of glass for management. The reporting features are customizable for the customer. We would normally just show them some default reports and they would customize them. So far, there are no problems customizing your reports.

I haven't had any issues with the product.

Their EDR products could be better. They need to dedicate more R&D to that area.

I've used the solution for a while. The company I work with now exclusively uses Fortinet products.

Technical support is very good.

Positive

For network monitoring, I've previously used SolarWinds. The major differences are the ease of use of Fortinet and its single pane of glass. It's also easier to get reports. SolarWinds can require a little more technical knowledge. 

The initial setup is very simple. I'd rate the process eight out of ten in terms of ease of setup. The deployment takes, on a complex install, about two days. On a simpler install, it would take less than a day.

Usually, we have one solution implementation engineer managing the deployment. 

Once we have implemented it, it goes over to our support center and they handle it under a managed service.

Fortinet has the best pricing currently on the market. They are very competitive, especially if you are a preferred partner (which we are). 

I'd advise others to use it. It's a powerful tool. It makes managing multiple Fortinet products very easy. You can tie in FortiSwitches, Fortigates, et cetera, and gain one central point of management with great reporting functionality.

I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten. It's best of breed and always on the cutting edge of security technologies. they keep abreast of upcoming trends and emerging technologies.