FortiManager is used just to manage a lot of devices from Fortinet, especially FortiGate. We can push the configuration, we can push the packages, and we can change the configuration from the FortiManager via centralized management.
Scaling Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Robust with decent pricing and lots of features
Pros and Cons
- "The integration is quite good."
- "There is a degradation of performance if we activate logs on FortiManager."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
There are a lot of features that are important to us. For example, we like that we can roll back to the previous configuration, or push configuration on devices remotely. We also have the ability to save the configuration on FortiManager. If there is an issue with the devices, we can report the configuration remotely.
It's a very rich, robust product.
The integration is quite good.
Its pricing is decent.
This solution is easy to set up.
The solution is able to scale quite well.
What needs improvement?
We are not missing any features at this time. I don't have any expectations about additional features.
The storage could be better for logs. There is a degradation of performance if we activate logs on FortiManager.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for four years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. We haven't faced any performance issues. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable. It's easy to expand.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very straightforward and simple. It's not overly complex to implement.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is reasonable. It varies. Sometimes we need to buy many appliances and sometimes just a few.
There are some additional costs sometimes from our partner. It depends on the size of the environment of our clients. We can negotiate on and maybe lower the price if a lot of devices are needed.
What other advice do I have?
We are a VMware vendor. We work with a local partner. We are a kind of integrator.
With respect to the requirements, new users should consider performance and be sure to tune the solution correctly during the configuration and integration. It will ensure it works well once it is up and running.
I'd rate the solution nine 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. Integrator
Senior Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Expandable and useful for management purposes but the price may be high for smaller environments
Pros and Cons
- "It's a scalable product."
- "The GUI is not ideal."
What is our primary use case?
We are one of the partners, so we are using it for customer testing for managers, owners, and others at head office. We are looking at FortiManager in terms of quality deployment and ability to manage everything. We're using it for management.
How has it helped my organization?
We are using a VM version and can scale it as we need. It depends on our license, however, we find we can scale.
What is most valuable?
The general policy, its integration, and deployment are all easy. We don't have a lot of devices, however, it creates a center where we can manage everything. The initial setup is very simple.
The solution is stable.
It's a scalable product.
What needs improvement?
The GUI is not ideal. It needs to be improved. It should be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for around two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is a stable one. From time to time, we may see bugs, however, overall, it's a stable one. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable.
How are customer service and support?
The support has been good. They are helpful and responsive. We're pleased with the level of service we get.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I don't have much experience with the other products compared to this product. The main reason that it's been chosen for clients is it's very well integrated with the rest of the Fortinet environment. For example, if somebody has an environment in SuccessFactors, FortiManager is good.
How was the initial setup?
It's very simple to set up the solution. It's not overly complex or difficult. The documentation helps with any complexity.
I'd rate the solution four out of five in terms of ease of deployment.
You just need a single engineer, a software engineer, to set up and maintain the solution. Someone who has Fortigate knowledge should have no problem handling the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When you are going for a massive FortiGate environment, the costs compared to your investment would be fine. However, if you're going for below ten devices, the cost will be a little bit high. You would have to justify the expense.
I'd rate it a three out of five in terms of availability.
What other advice do I have?
We are a Fortinet partner.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Fortinet FortiManager
January 2026
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Technical Network Consultant, Sr Network Engineer at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees
Intuitive multi-use solution suitable for large companies with experienced technical staff
Pros and Cons
- "The SD-WAN deployment environment, and the SD-WAN templates are particularly useful. Managing the solution is very intuitive. The initial setup of the solution was very straightforward."
- "The interface could be improved. It is split up into different areas, which makes it more difficult to navigate and get the right section of the correct file. The solution is quite expensive, so it would not be suitable for small to medium sized organizations."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for SD-WAN customers, deployment, and interface management.
What is most valuable?
The SD-WAN deployment environment, and the SD-WAN templates are particularly useful for us. Also, we have found that managing the solution is very intuitive, which is perfect for us.
What needs improvement?
The interface could be improved. It is split up into different areas, which makes it more difficult to navigate and get the right section of the correct file.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for over two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have found the solution to be stable during our time using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found the solution to be easily scalable.
How are customer service and support?
We have direct support, and sometimes issues aren't resolved as quickly as we would like them to be. However, they are always willing to help, and they will escalate issues if they aren't resolved to our liking.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of the solution was very straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was carried out in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution requires you to have a license for every device, as well as for any advanced features being used, which makes it costly for high-volume users. However, for a large-scale environment with a lot of customers we have found it to be a worthwhile investment.
What other advice do I have?
This product requires knowledge of firewalls in order for the initial setup to be straightforward, and to ensure the product is effective once installed. We also found that deployment is easy through this solution.
The solution requires updates, during which it needs to communicate with the Fortinet Cloud. However, it can do this automatically, if the firewalls are set up correctly.
The solution is quite expensive, so it would not be suitable for small to medium sized organizations.
I would rate this solution as 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
Presales Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Lacking performance, and more integrated needed but beneficial device management
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiManager are the overall management it provides and its ease of use."
- "The solution has to be enhanced to manage new switches."
What is our primary use case?
The solution can be deployed on the cloud or on-premise and it is used for managing network solutions.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiManager are the overall management it provides and its ease of use.
What needs improvement?
The solution has to be enhanced to manage new switches.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiManager for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is highly stable and has good performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is best suited for SMPs but not enterprises. If the company has many switches and access points and traffics with customization Fortinet FortiManager is not the correct solution.
The scalability of the solution is good. For example, you can use virtual machines and upgrade the license to scale.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used vendor support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiManager can be simple. However, if the company has third-party systems from different vendors it can be complicated.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Fortinet FortiManager is inexpensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Aruba is a better solution because it has more power.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiManager a five out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Network & Security Engineer at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Affordable solution that makes it easier to push policy
Pros and Cons
- "FortiManager's best feature is the integration of administrator users."
- "FortiManager could be more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use FortiManager to manage FortiGate in a single console.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiManager has made it easier to push policy and has saved us money by providing free training.
What is most valuable?
FortiManager's best feature is the integration of administrator users.
What needs improvement?
FortiManager could be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using FortiManager for over three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't seen any performance or stability issues with FortiManager.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The on-prem version of FortiManager is not very scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complicated.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiManager isn't expensive, but its cost is dependent on which services are required. It has no extra or hidden fees.
What other advice do I have?
I would give FortiManager a rating of nine 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
Security Manager at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
The best stability for application control and inspections
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has the best stability for application control and inspections."
- "The fabric for integrations or connections could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I am a systems integrator and work with customers to integrate the solution.
What is most valuable?
The solution has the best stability for application control and inspections.
What needs improvement?
The fabric for integrations or connections could be improved. This would make a big difference for some customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable so I rate scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Support has an overall lack of knowledge. We have opened many tickets for support but they don't even answer them.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing could improve a little bit so I rate it a seven out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
It is important to select the features you need at the outset. Some customers don't do this correctly so their hardware doesn't perform as well. Take into account the applications you want to run on the solution when selecting features.
I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Network Architect at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
The single-pane device management is great but bugs cause stability issues
Pros and Cons
- "The solution brings device management into one single pane of glass and is a pretty good product."
- "The solution has some bugs."
What is our primary use case?
Our company recommends the solution to customers as a single management platform for multiple Fortinet devices such as FortiAP, FortiSwitch, and FortiGate.
What is most valuable?
The solution brings device management into one single pane of glass and is a pretty good product.
What needs improvement?
The solution has some bugs that we have to fix for customers. We provide feedback about these issues to Fortinet for future development or updates.
More software stability is needed to prevent breakdowns.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for one month.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is pretty stable and integrates well with cloud tools.
More stability and bug fixes are needed to prevent breakdowns.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is pretty scalable and can support 4,000 devices on a single pane.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support could be better because it takes them awhile to handle items. More technical resources and knowledge are needed within the technical support department.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward.
It is important to design and test systems to ensure they align with best practices in the security domain.
What about the implementation team?
We implement the solution for customers. Deployments are quick and take a couple of minutes to a couple of hours depending on use cases.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is based on a licensing model by feature.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is used widely and is good for small or medium-sized enterprises. It can be scaled further for larger enterprises.
I recommend the solution and rate it 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
Consultant at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Easy configuration and scalable with an easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "You can configure it at your ease."
- "You cannot integrate with other solutions."
What is most valuable?
We use it to manage the FortiGate and install it on several sites. You can see the lock, and if there is a problem inside the network, the FortiGate sends a warning to the Fortinet FortiManager. It allows you to check and know what the problem is. If we use the Fortinet FortiManager to replicate the configuration and want to install ten FortiGate on ten sites, you don't have to set configuration on all ten. You can configure one FortiGate and the Fortinet FortiManager to replicate the configuration on all orders of FortiGate. You can manage the bandwidth and decide to set it. For example, the IT team can use two megabytes, and the commercial team can use one gigabyte. In addition, you can configure it at your ease.
What needs improvement?
You cannot integrate with other solutions, so they should allow integration with Cisco and Juniper. It'd be great if we could log into other provider equipment on Fortinet FortiManager.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for five years. It is deployed on cloud. We are satisfied with Fortinet FortiManager because it's a very interesting solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable but also depends on the type of internet connection that you have. If your internet connection is stable, the Fortinet FortiManager allows different sites to be easily accessible.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Our customers are big enterprises and corporate clients.
How are customer service and support?
When you have some problem, they are always available to help.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy compared to Cisco Solutions because you just have to click when configuring. Whereas with Cisco, you have to set CMI commands.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate this solution a nine out of ten. I do not have specific details about the licensing costs. Compared to competitors like Panorama, Fortinet FortiManager is cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
Companies are interested in this solution. We help about five clients install the solution on their sites.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
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Updated: January 2026
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