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F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Fortinet FortiNAC comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

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

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (19th), SSL VPN (5th), Remote Access (13th), Access Management (10th)
Fortinet FortiNAC
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
3rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
54
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 1.0%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiNAC is 18.2%, up from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

Ashish Kumar Rai - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers remote access control, good GUI and easy to configure
I'd suggest improved documentation integration directly within the GUI. Right now, finding comprehensive documentation often requires going to external websites like the community portal. In the APM interface itself, they could add direct hyperlinks to relevant online documentation. This would provide easy access to admin guides and other resources when working within the GUI.
Batu Akalin - PeerSpot reviewer
I like the solution's native integration with other devices from the same vendor
I like FortiNAC's integration with other Fortinet devices. They work together well, but the solution also works with other network devices. FortiNAC has improved our security posture because we made some use-case scenarios for unauthorized devices. When unauthorized device IDs enter our network, and the associated team sees a new device, they can block the attackers.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The portal access was very good."
"Our customers have never complained about the stability"
"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."
"Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product."
"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"Fortinet FortiNAC has good user account customization."
"The most valuable aspect of Fortinet FortiNAC is the control it offers."
"The solution offers good features like IPS and DLP. These are effective in improving network security."
"The solution is good at giving a deep dive into each product. It tells you, for example, what is connected to the network. It gives us good reporting tools."
"The product offers good profiling features and can support various vendor products."
"The device fingerprinting feature allowed for easy creation and enforcement of access policies."
"FortiNAC is very good in terms of device discovery and integration."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is having visibility over the IoT devices on the network."
 

Cons

"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager has room for improvement in integration with other products."
"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."
"The price of this product can be improved."
"I'd suggest improved documentation integration directly within the GUI. Right now, finding comprehensive documentation often requires going to external websites like the community portal."
"F5 BIG-IP APM disconnects when you leave it for long enough, but that is natural for IT solutions to do. That's a little bit frustrating."
"The operational deployment is not great."
"The solution’s GUI looks very old."
"The technical support’s response time must be improved."
"Keeping the hard disk on the one series will be easier for the distributor and will keep the prices lower for the customer."
"The platform must enable troubleshooting."
"Admin UI could be better matched and easier to use; it cannot work as a RADIUS server."
"Fortinet FortiNAC's device compatibility could be improved, particularly for VoIP devices."
"The user interface and the product's intuitiveness could be improved."
"We have some stability issues with the solution, the network drops out too often."
"FortiNAC could improve integration with other vendors."
"The course content could be improved, it's not that simple to work through."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is very expensive."
"The tool is a little bit expensive."
"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."
"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"
"I would rate the price of Fortinet FortiNAC seven out of ten with ten being the most expensive."
"The pricing is similar to that of other solutions."
"It's a pricey solution."
"The product pricing is reasonable."
"Fortinet FortiNAC is reasonably priced."
"The product itself is inexpensive, but the licensing is expensive."
"It is a reasonable product."
"The solution is expensive. However, it is not as expensive as other solutions, such as Cisco ISE."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Educational Organization
35%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
In my opinion, the GUI is perfect with the configuration options provided. F5 BIG-IP has given customization options and policy configuration tools in the GUI. It's good and good enough to work.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
Regarding price, I'm not directly involved in purchasing, but our CIO thinks the product is very expensive. He's considering moving from the tool to Citrix NetScaler WAF because it's cheaper, and w...
What is the biggest difference between Aruba ClearPass and FortiNAC?
I've done quite a lot of work with ClearPass, and not a lot with FortiNAC/Bradford. ClearPass incorporates a number of different functions including ClearPass Guest for creating complex wireless g...
How does Cisco ISE compare with Fortinet FortiNAC?
Cisco ISE uses AI endpoint analytics to identify new devices based on their behavior. It will also notify you if someone plugs in with a device that is not allowed and will block it. The user exper...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiNAC?
The support responds to our queries within two to four hours.
 

Also Known As

F5 Access Policy Manager
FortiNAC, Bradford Networks, Bradford Networks Sentry, Network Sentry Family
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
Isavia, Pepperdine University, Medical University of South Carolina, Columbia University Medical Center, Utah Valley University
Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Fortinet FortiNAC and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.