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Fortinet FortiNAC vs Sophos Network Access Control 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

Fortinet FortiNAC
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
3rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sophos Network Access Control
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiNAC is 18.8%, up from 15.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Network Access Control is 1.4%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

Boaz Katabazi - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamless device discovery with integration and discovery capabilities
FortiNAC is very good in terms of device discovery and integration. I appreciate the feature where it can connect with different vendor equipment, regardless of the network devices from other vendors. That's something I appreciate about it, particularly in terms of adaptability. Despite the complexity of its interface, its discovery capabilities are commendable.
Abdul  Basit - PeerSpot reviewer
An affordable solution that provides web protection, URL filtering, and application filtering
Web protection, URL filtering, and application filtering are the most valuable features of Sophos Network Access Control Sophos Network Access Control needs improvement regarding its slow interface, loading time, and reporting. Big companies with 1,000 or 1,500 users might face difficulties using…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"There are some features that are working well."
"Fortinet FortiNAC has good user account customization."
"The main advantage of Fortinet FortiNAC is its integration with the entire Fortinet product portfolio, which includes the self-security fabric of Fortinet solutions."
"The integration between switches, access points, management, analyzer, and other components is excellent. Everything is stable and can be managed from one place."
"FortiNAC is very good in terms of device discovery and integration."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiNAC are access control, automation, artificial intelligence, analysis, and security, and it is a unified solution. You can combine a lot of features within the solution."
"I like FortiNAC's integration with other Fortinet devices. They work together well, but the solution also works with other network devices."
"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."
"Sophos has helped us to save time and money and to better manage web activities. It has also helped us to reduce misuse of the network and restrict hacking attempts."
"The user interface makes it easy to configure and use."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"The scalability of the system and the performance of the system and the solution's most valuable features."
"Sophos Network Access Control has a useful interface, and I like its dashboard, which is very useful for us to check everything."
"I am very satisfied with this solution overall. All of the features that we use have been working successfully."
"We have had interactions with the technical support team through the Xnet platform. It's good."
"The installation is very straightforward."
 

Cons

"FortiNAC could be more scalable."
"Its technical support needs improvement."
"The implementation process needs improvement. Right now, it's somewhat complicated. They could create some templates to facilitate implementation. Right now everything is done manually, and it just takes a really long time at the initial setup."
"The GUI is a little bit strange — different than other Fortinet products."
"Integration is hard in Fortinet FortiNAC, but they are evolving and getting better. For example, with Cisco, Aruba, Huawei, and Extreme devices, Fortinet FortiNAC is working properly, but some other devices have problems."
"We have some stability issues with the solution, the network drops out too often."
"Technical support could improve their response times."
"I hope that Fortinet can add a feature with a remediation mechanism when you find a broken piece so that you can click on something and download the needed update or resolve the firewall issue more easily. Currently, we have to use an external remediation server to download updates."
"An area that could be improved is the information about licensing, which is fairly confusing at present."
"Continuous development in specific areas might be required."
"The interface on the cloud could be a bit better - just to give more performance on it."
"Sophos Network Access Control needs improvement regarding its slow interface, loading time, and reporting."
"It would be beneficial to consider some improvements regarding the dashboard."
"One area in which the product could be improved is the user interface. While functional, it can be somewhat cluttered and unintuitive, especially for new users."
"The solution could increase the integration with other platforms or other systems. This would be very useful."
"The solution could offer more useful documentation."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the price of Fortinet FortiNAC seven out of ten with ten being the most expensive."
"It is a reasonable product."
"If one is bad and ten is good, I rate the product price as a seven out of ten."
"It's a subscription-based license, which is based on the usage and number of concurrent users."
"The price of Fortinet FortiNAC is less than Cisco's solution. However, the price could improve by being reduced."
"The price is fair and reasonable for our clients."
"It's a pricey solution."
"The price of the license required is based on how many users are going to be using the solution. If you want more users you can upgrade your license."
"I rate the price of Sophos Network Access Control a five out of ten."
"Sophos Network Access Control is very cheap compared to other solutions like Cisco, Barracuda, and Palo Alto."
"It provides a moderate pricing option for all of its features and benefits."
"Sophos Network Access Control is an expensive solution."
"Sophos Network Access Control is costly but has a similar price range as CrowdStrike and Check Point. The product can get more market share if Sophos can play around with Sophos Network Access Control pricing and improve it."
"It is quite expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
34%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What do you like most about Sophos Network Access Control?
Sophos Network Access Control has a useful interface, and I like its dashboard, which is very useful for us to check everything.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos Network Access Control?
I am not able to say much on the financial specifics as it pertains to the sales unit.
What needs improvement with Sophos Network Access Control?
For now, I may not be able to say exactly what needs improvement. However, continuous development in specific areas might be required.
 

Also Known As

FortiNAC, Bradford Networks, Bradford Networks Sentry, Network Sentry Family
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Isavia, Pepperdine University, Medical University of South Carolina, Columbia University Medical Center, Utah Valley University
Rushmoor Borough Council
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiNAC vs. Sophos Network Access Control and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.