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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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
8.4
Organizations report 100% return on F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager, noting its effectiveness in saving time, money, and generating benefits.
Sentiment score
8.5
Fortinet FortiNAC enhances security and ROI by efficiently managing device access, reducing costs and configuration time significantly.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.3
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager receives mixed reviews for support, with timely solutions and communication being key concerns.
Sentiment score
8.2
Fortinet FortiNAC's support is helpful but has delays, knowledge gaps, and lacks UK coverage; satisfaction varies around 7-9/10.
Even if they respond, they don't update me with the process or what's going on.
They provide sessions to help with various questions.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager offers scalable, adaptable access solutions for enterprises, supporting easy upgrades and minimal staff requirements.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiNAC is scalable and adaptable, effectively managing various enterprise sizes, though licensing costs can be challenging.
The pricing model makes it challenging as the cost is substantial due to the per-node licensing model.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager is praised for stability and reliability, though some users note issues with LTM-related failovers.
Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiNAC receives mixed stability reviews, with performance improving over time but some users preferring alternative solutions.
Sometimes, the logs are not quite informational or easy to understand.
 

Room For Improvement

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager requires enhanced cloud integration, improved usability, better support, and advanced reporting and automation features.
Fortinet FortiNAC users face challenges with integration, user interface, support, and cost, citing a high learning curve.
If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great.
Improvement in the interface design would make FortiNAC a better solution.
 

Setup Cost

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager is perceived as expensive, with simplified licensing but uncertain cloud pricing and extra fees.
Fortinet FortiNAC offers competitive pricing with various licensing options, providing good value despite initial high costs per device.
 

Valuable Features

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager is valued for its robust security, scalability, customization, and user-friendly interface in infrastructure protection.
Fortinet FortiNAC excels in network visibility, integration, security, user-friendliness, and adaptability, with strong support and automation.
A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on.
I appreciate the feature where it can connect with different vendor equipment, regardless of the network devices from other vendors.
 

Categories and Ranking

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (19th), SSL VPN (5th), Remote Access (11th), 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 February 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 18.3%, up from 15.6% 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.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Access Control (NAC) solutions are best for your needs.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
11%
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)?
Sometimes, if I erase or add a new agent in the policy, I can't go backwards, even if I haven't saved the access policy. I want the option to delete it, however, there's no option. I need to create...
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
 

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.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.