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Fortinet FortiAnalyzer vs syslog-ng comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer
Ranking in Log Management
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is 2.4%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of syslog-ng is 3.0%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

Kiarash Heydari - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 26, 2023
We can automate event-based handling solutions, is stable, and is great for heavy traffic
The solution has very heavy features. Similar to when we get an app, usually, it's less than what we want. When we send all our logs over to the analyzer, it almost crashed on the first try. We must first get our logs tuned up and then set up the Fortinet FortiAnalyzer or it will crash. This is very complicated and heavy work for such a simple task, and it's a big issue for that app. The setup of the solution can be improved because it is currently complex. The cost of the solution is high and can be improved.
RyanVargas - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 13, 2023
It's a user-friendly open-source solution that can replace or augment a commercial product in some cases
I rate syslog-ng 10 out of 10. It's free and easy to use. It has built-in tools that help us index the various logs sent to it. It's a solid log product. If you're looking for a SIEM solution, syslog-ng will work as a stopgap measure at beginning of the project. It can also work as an injector for a true SIEM solution. You can send all the logs to syslog-ng and forward all the data to the SIEM solution after you've cleaned up the data and got the pertinent information. It's a good front end for a commercial SIEM solution, which becomes more expensive as you load more data into it. I would highly recommend syslog-ng for that use case. However, if you lack the expertise, you might need to go with a cloud-based SIEM instead. You need some in-house expertise or an outside consultant to manage it and set it up.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the capability to gather logs and generate reports."
"One of the greatest advantages of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is its ability to integrate with a variety of software and solutions, providing comprehensive visibility into the network. The solution's strength lies in its capability to work with Fortinet's own products, such as the FortiAP access point, which allows for deep monitoring, automation, correlation, and incident management. However, this functionality is not present when utilizing other products, such as those from Cisco, limiting the visibility and benefits that can be gained."
"It gives us reporting features, which are helpful in the case of troubleshooting and audit purposes."
"The feature that I have found the most valuable is to be able to see everything in our network in a single task. A single menu and the graphical bar charts that it provides to give insights are very useful. It also gives very good metrics on bandwidth utilization, CPU, and device performance. It is very simple and easy to use as well."
"The product can scale."
"The solution is easy to use and easy to integrate."
"The most valuable features of the solution are report generation and traffic logs."
"Storage in SSD helps in generating customized reports."
"Syslog-ng has a separate config file in addition to the core configuration."
"Syslog-ng provides easy access to all my logs. It helps me show managers and other clients precisely where an incident occurred. I also like it because you can integrate syslog-ng with multiple solutions to allow real-time monitoring."
"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior."
 

Cons

"The user interface could be a bit more user-friendly."
"FortiAnalyzer's price could be lower."
"It should have customized reports as well. While it currently has them, you need to write a script which is not straightforward."
"Fortinet FortiAnalyzer can improve by introducing integration with other Fortinet solutions with automation with one interface would be helpful."
"The solution could use more graphics and be more specific in the dashboard. This way, I'm able to understand everything and effectively understand what's going on, including what's incoming and outgoing. Right now, I have to look up everything. I need a dashboard so that I can see specific items right there in one place."
"The reports are good, but they are over-summarized."
"Fortinet FortiAnalyzer needs to have more out-of-the-box connectors for integration with other solutions."
"One of the main disadvantages is not having a direct link to the security policy when you see something in the log."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"It's hard to find people who know how to use syslog-ng. I often find problems with configurations, and solutions aren't integrated correctly with syslog-ng. For example, there might be data with extra decimals, or the collector agents are incorrectly named. It isn't a problem with the solution; it's a lack of professionals."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In other countries, the product may seem cheap, but in Vietnam, the costs are high."
"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"The cost of the license is high."
"The price is quite expensive. Fortinet products are very expensive. That is something which they should also look at, because if you compare Fortinet product to, say, Sophos for example, Fortinet is really high and that's the only thing which is a drawback for most users."
"Its worth spending on FortiAnalyzer if you have multiple firewalls in your network."
"I do not know the price of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. I did not pay for it, but I know the price of other Fortinet products. They are not cheap. I am from Poland. We have Zloty, not Euro, so for us, everything is expensive."
"The price is not expensive when compared to other solutions like Palo Alto."
"The company's choice to utilize Fortinet FortiAnalyzer was based on the overall security strategy and compatibility with existing solutions. It was deemed the best fit as it provided a centralized point of visibility for all of their security solution, including Fortinet FortiGate firewall, FortiClient, Forti EMS, and FortiAP. The company conducted a thorough evaluation of various solutions in the market but found that none of them could fully integrate and manage all their solutions as effectively as Fortinet FortiAnalyzer."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
14%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiAnalyzer?
The reporting features, which offer customization, real-time insights, and compliance support, are particularly noteworthy aspects.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is quite an expensive tool. On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer?
Fortinet has a new bug every month, which needs to be improved.
What do you like most about syslog-ng?
For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for syslog-ng?
The pricing is in the middle. I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap.
What needs improvement with syslog-ng?
There is room for improvement in terms of observability. Additionally, a possible new feature could be Kafka integration.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

General Directorate of Information Technology
Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAnalyzer vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.