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Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM) vs Fortinet FortiGate comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
301
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (2nd), Remote Access (1st), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
Cisco Meraki Systems Manage...
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Device Management (MDM) (3rd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (5th)
Fortinet FortiGate
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
574
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (2nd), Firewalls (1st), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (1st), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st), ZTNA (2nd), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM)2.2%
Microsoft Intune31.8%
Workspace ONE UEM11.6%
Other54.4%
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
Firewalls Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate20.7%
Netgate pfSense11.1%
OPNsense11.1%
Other57.1%
Firewalls
 

Q&A Highlights

CV
May 12, 2025
 

Featured Reviews

AkashKamble - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables management of multiple operating systems with a single license
The best feature is that it's a Microsoft product, so if anything goes wrong, we get quick support for anything required. Remote system functionality allows us to sit anywhere and take control of any device via remote management. We can enhance security for clients' laptops with built-in Microsoft Defender, which is available with the Microsoft Intune license. We use it for reporting purposes through endpoint analytics. When pushing scripting, there are two types available: remediation script and reservation script. Through endpoint analytics, you can push defender policies to clients. It helps with reporting, inventory updates, and monitoring tenant status health.
GaneshKhutwad - PeerSpot reviewer
A central portal where you can add, stack, configure, and maintain your devices
Nearly 35,000 users are connected to Systems from America because their network is configured to cover worldwide areas. I have approximately 450 devices connected, which can scale based on requirements. For instance, if you have around five hundred to six hundred users in one office, the MR14 and MR24 series are suitable. For environments with a larger number of standard device users, the MR24 series is recommended. Cisco Meraki provides various series to meet your requirements, allowing you to manage your users efficiently. I rate the solution's scalability a nine out of ten.
Vasu Gala - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Based on my experience, I would recommend Microsoft Intune to organizations looking for management of a large number of devices and enterprise environments."
"The ability to push applications on devices is valuable. You do not have to manually install applications one by one. If you like to use ten different applications, you do not have to manually go and download them one by one. Intune can compile a package for you, and then you can just push them from the admin center."
"Microsoft Intune's autopilot has been nice to have."
"Intune provides full visibility into all active mobile device users. If their devices are noncompliant with our security policies, I have the flexibility to update them remotely."
"Microsoft integrated BitLocker and Active Directory into Intune, simplifying management."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Intune include remote updates. The update runs in the background, so there's no need in most cases to go on-site to do it."
"The feature I find most valuable in Microsoft Intune is being able to configure policies and push them directly to mobile phones."
"Once it is well integrated with the rest of the environment, it makes everything easy."
"The most significant benefit is that the deployment is quick and painless. You don't need a specialized IT department to implement and scale the network. It's easy to maintain, too. It only requires one or two network administrators."
"It's extremely competitive and very good for a product in this sphere."
"The remote security feature, as well as the ability to control devices from anywhere, is one of the more beneficial features of Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM)."
"The central management console on the cloud is fast and is the solution's most valuable feature."
"The cloud dashboard's analytics data is particularly valuable, giving me insights into user activities and making it easy to track and manage devices."
"We experience no downtime, no breakdowns, all the user readings are exact, and it gives us quick analysis so we can apply security measures."
"They can provide detailed information about your devices, including their validity, license status, etc."
"The web portal provides status reporting and ease of configuration."
"The most valuable feature of FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is its SD-WAN."
"The GUI is very simple, and what is very good is that every product, regardless of size, has the same interface."
"It has the same functionalities throughout the range of products."
"Generally, every aspect of it being a next-generation firewall provides good value."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"The management console is pretty simple, so anyone who understands networking can initially deploy the solution."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is Quota."
"The product offers very good security."
 

Cons

"Lacking in features such as Wi-Fi and network security."
"The Mac integration has room for improvement."
"The reporting functionality of Microsoft Intune is limited compared to Microsoft System Center, which offers many more reporting options."
"Policy and app deployment should be faster, as it currently takes between minutes to hours to apply, with an average of one hour."
"We had an APNS certificate set to expire last week. We tried to renew it two days before it expired. We logged in to the APNS portal but could not find that certificate. We didn't know where it went. All the iOS devices stopped working. We contacted the Apple and Microsoft teams, and each blamed the other. This is something that Microsoft should take care of. Last week, we had so many escalations from high-profile users who couldn't access corporate data on their devices."
"Enrollment into the Microsoft Intune service can still get easier, especially for legacy-managed systems, such as how we get it from a GPO or an SCCM configuration into Intune."
"I would like to see better integration with Microsoft. There are a few things I can still do with Jamf that I am unable to do with Intune yet."
"I would like some integration with the Microsoft reporting platform Power BI."
"System's compatibility with Google Chrome could be improved."
"If Cisco Meraki Systems Manager integrates with other solutions or models, such as ACA's radio solution, on the same equipment or within the same cloud environment, it will offer significant benefits.""
"The price of the solution could be reduced."
"I would rate my experience with the initial setup a four out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. It is more difficult."
"The cost of installing this solution can be more expensive depending on who is doing the installation. Cisco is very expensive, and I'd like to see a reduction in cost."
"They could include bandwidth-based policies."
"Security could be improved, and there could be more features that enable you to customize the end customer solution."
"While the graphical user interface is user-friendly and easy to configure, I see room for improvement in integration with third-party tools."
"There could be improvements in the mathematical algorithms used for behavior analytics of traffic."
"I would like to be able to see more log details."
"The support team for Fortinet FortiGate needs to be more customer friendly."
"They sometimes hide some features and if you want to enable them, you have to go in the CLI, enable the feature and configure it through the CLI. Customers, typically, like everything to be done by the GUI."
"There are some problems that support cannot give you a logical reason as to why it happened. For example, I had a case where I was dealing with a WhatsApp application that was giving issues. Technical support gave more than one reason it could be giving issues, but none of them solved the problem. Eventually I solved the problem, but it was far from the solutions that support had given."
"The solution must improve the support provided for customers around the globe, considering the time differences in different places."
"A disadvantage exists when we are collecting the logs, as it sometimes becomes very difficult to interpret the logs that are generated from the firewall."
"Fortinet FortiGate can improve by integrating the web application firewall and the DDoS protection part of the solution. Having a WAF feature, web application firewall, and proxy together would be a good benefit."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is fair. It's a normal price. It isn't too expensive or too cheap."
"The tool is cheaper than our company's other MDM tools."
"The pricing for Intune and the competitor products are all within the same range, there is no true advantage when it comes to cost."
"Microsoft Intune is expensive."
"Intune is included in the Microsoft 365 licensing package that we have."
"There is a cost benefit of using Microsoft Intune because of the packaging with other Microsoft products."
"Generally, we get favorable discounts, so it's not too bad. Obviously, we're looking at decreasing those wherever we can to bring value back to the public purse because it's all charity based. It's all publicly funded."
"For organizations that are a Microsoft shop, the pricing is compelling."
"The cost of installing this solution can be more expensive depending on who is doing the installation. Cisco is very expensive."
"Meraki MDM is the cheapest solution we have used."
"It's extremely competitive and very good for a product in this sphere."
"Cisco Meraki Systems Manager is an expensive solution."
"My customers at times have issues with the price of the solution. It is expensive, but overall it is worth it. The licensing model cost is based on how many devices you require."
"This product is reasonably priced."
"The price is high for the market."
"The storage is affordable and the system has some price-related issues. Therefore, keeping the price in mind, I would rate it seven out of ten."
"It was pretty affordable. We did go a little bit above MSRP, but the service pack that was included was quite worth the additional costs. It is competitively priced compared to other major players in the market. It is significantly cheaper than Check Point, which is a primary competitor. Additionally, its pricing is comparable to that of Cisco's ASA and a few other vendors."
"It is affordable. Palo Alto is much more expensive than Fortinet."
"Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."
"The main reason we chose Fortinet FortiGate was that the price was better than the competition."
"You need to pay a license for this solution. Our licensing is now done in our subsidiary."
"The price of FortiGate is comparable to that of most other firewall solutions and is more affordable than Cisco."
"The price is relatively expensive compared to other solutions which are providing similar features."
"It cost us around $73,000 for three years."
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Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 3, 2016
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate
I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…
 

Answers from the Community

CV
May 12, 2025
May 12, 2025
The main differences between Cisco Meraki Systems Manager and Fortinet FortiGate are their primary functions: Meraki Systems Manager focuses on mobile device management and endpoint security, while FortiGate is a firewall and unified threat management (UTM) device providing network security features.
See 2 answers
Zahid-Muhammad - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 12, 2024
The main differences between Cisco Meraki Systems Manager and Fortinet FortiGate are their primary functions: Meraki Systems Manager focuses on mobile device management and endpoint security, while FortiGate is a firewall and unified threat management (UTM) device providing network security features.
MB
May 12, 2025
Hi Carlo, Fortigate is Fortinet's firewall solution that also includes wireless controller and switch functionality. I'd say the biggest differences are that Meraki's solution has a stronger cloud focus, while you'll typically see these Fortinet solutions on-premises. Another differentiating factor is the licensing model.  Meraki APs require a license to operate and be managed, while Fortinet's do not. (You pay for Forticare, which is a subscription to receive support, RMA, but if you don't have it, nothing prevents it from working.)
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business116
Midsize Enterprise46
Large Enterprise152
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business350
Midsize Enterprise129
Large Enterprise187
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM)?
The pricing sits at a mid-level range, around five or six. There are cheaper and more expensive tools available, but ...
What needs improvement with Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM)?
While the graphical user interface is user-friendly and easy to configure, I see room for improvement in integration ...
Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?
When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...
What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...
What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?
As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Meraki MDM
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Hafen Hamburg & Empire Riverside Hotel, Eastview Church, Tourism Holdings, Colegio Sagrada Familia Hijas de Jesús, Tommy Bahama's, Canadian School Mexico, Rosebank College
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya
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