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Daniel Coleman - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO/CTO at Eunoia Design
Real User
It creates a central point of management and control, giving you real-time insight into what is going on.
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most valuable features is the ability to analyze data in real-time using AR features to pull data from the industrial DB. You can know what is going on and see in milliseconds where the network is underperforming."
  • "The UI could use some improvement. It can be tough for a beginner to navigate because you don't know what to do even if you read the guide. I've talked to some users who said that they couldn't figure out what to do even after looking at the documentation."

What is our primary use case?

We have multiple firewalls linked through a VPN. There is traffic from several branches and multiple points of failure, so you need to analyze this traffic to know what's coming in and going out. When you have more chains, there are more points of failure that can be exploited.  

I use FortiAnalyzer on-premise and on the cloud. I update the solution at least once a year. I always update the firewall to the latest edition, so I can have three months or four months to test it in the VM. I use even more products and also AWS and Azure Cloud. About 9 percent of my company is responsible for security and networking. Everybody's on my team works with FortiAnalyzer.

Our department has three security architects and four network engineers. They are beginning to place assistant administrators on the network. 

How has it helped my organization?

FortiAnanalyzer ensures you have an accurate view of all your devices, so you don't need to check each one. The analyzer creates a central point of management and control, giving you insight into what is going on. 

So you want to move through that traffic that's coming in as the lock the analyzer will like to analyze the traffic in real-time so you can know what is going on. Yeah, so you customize it to be able to analyze what you want it to be able to analyze.

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable features is the ability to analyze data in real-time using AR features to pull data from the industrial DB. You can know what is going on and see in milliseconds where the network is underperforming. 

FortiAnalyzer also has good storage capacity for storing the logs. The notification capabilities are excellent, too. It sends alerts so always know what is going on. For example, if you're on a break and something goes wrong, it lets you know so can immediately go back and fix it. You don't need to be constantly sitting in front of it. 

What needs improvement?

The UI could use some improvement. It can be tough for a beginner to navigate because you don't know what to do even if you read the guide. I've talked to some users who said that they couldn't figure out what to do even after looking at the documentation. 

They need to update guide so it's more aligned with what the UI shows. The guide has lots of stuff in it, there sometimes you still don't get it. It takes too long for a new version of the documentation to come out. It still works, but the problem is that the UI is completely different, so it's challenging to find things. 

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
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For how long have I used the solution?

I have used FortiAnalyzer for the last three and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiAnalyzer is stable at the time of release. You don't have problems when you install it. There aren't configuration breaks that you have to go fix. When you update, the transition is smooth. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiAnalyzer is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted Fortinet support once or twice, but not for FortiAnalyzer. Some of my clients had a problem with FortiGate and the traffic-shaping policy. The traffic-shaping policy in the later version of FortiGate doesn't work like it used to. 

Fortinet's technical support was dependable, helpful, and knowledgeable about the product. They were prompt and responsive, so it was good. I rate Fortinet support 10 out of 10. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I was using Cisco ASA before FortiAnalyzer. I started using SonicWall six years ago, and five years I discovered FortiGate. I find FortiAnalyzer easier to use than the other products.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up FortiAnalyzer is a bit complex for a beginner because you have a shallow understanding of what it is. Configuring the advanced features is somewhat challenging, but the basic setup isn't that tough. 

Setting up FortiAnalyzer takes around five to 10 minutes. I rate my setup experience 10 out of 10. After deployment, there isn't too much maintenance. It's just the usual updates. That's it.

What about the implementation team?

I do the setup in-house. If I'm setting FortiAnalyzer for a client, I will typically walk them through step by step with the team, so they know how to set it up and what everything does. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I rate FortiAnalyzer six out of 10 for affordability. FortiAnalyzer pricing isn't steady. It changes each quarter or year. That's one of the main problems in West Abaco because most businesses here are small or medium-sized enterprises. It makes budgeting complicated. You always want to pay the same price on the subscription.

At the same time, I think Fortinet pricing is reasonable compared to all the others. The value you get from Fortinet is better because it beats other vendors in terms of performance, functionality, and efficiency. New firewalls like Alexa are trying to compete in pricing, and people are looking into it to see, but Fortinet is good for now. However, they need to work on keeping the price consistent.  

What other advice do I have?

I rate FortiAnalyzer nine out of 10. My advice to anyone implementing FortiAnalyzer is to read about a product. If you do your homework, it's easier to set up. The next thing is to understand your environment, especially if you have multiple links over your network that leave you more vulnerable to attacks. 

The more links you have, the more exposed you are to attacks. It is possible that one link can be vulnerable, and you won't take notice.FortiAnalyzer is the best choice. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
LinhNguyen7 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at PTECH
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Offers protection to network from attacks
Pros and Cons
  • "It is one of the best firewall products."
  • "The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

I have been using the solution in my company since after we set up and configured the tool, we managed the migration. Sometimes, I have to take care of my customers. My customers are using the product well.

What is most valuable?

The product can be used as a full-time solution and as a reasonable antivirus product. With the firewall, it protects the systems from ransomware attacks.

What needs improvement?

The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for five to ten years. I use the solution's latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If I consider my company's customers, some are government organizations.

How are customer service and support?

I get support for the product from the solution's website. I also get local support from a solution company that deals with our organization's support team. The product's support team is very good and knowledgeable. I rate the technical support a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

For installation, I approached a technology company in Vietnam that provides the required team support.

The solution is deployed on the cloud, but it isn't easy to operate in Vietnam since money is collected every year.

The solution's deployment is difficult since you need knowledge about networks, rules, policies or else you may get confused when you collect information from your customers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The tool offers protection to my network. The costs related to the licensing part of the solution for each year keep increasing every year. In other countries, the product may seem cheap, but in Vietnam, the costs are high. There is not enough money for businesses to pay for the tool.

What other advice do I have?

For cybersecurity, my company normally uses the asset list and applies it to some applications like an antivirus or IDS system.

One of the product's tasks is to provide a firewall to check the effects of a customer's network from outside.

The automation of reports that is possible with the product is good, especially because Fortinet has a lot of products for the customers in the market, including those like the government, banking, and other small businesses. Many people in Vietnam use Bitbucket since they don't have much money. With the setup of the firewall, the traffic gets controlled. When you start the firewall very high, I believe the 30 percent time taken to assess risks is very high. The product becomes slow, and it may have an impact on the server.

The solution has impacted our company's operational costs by reducing them by 30 percent.

The performance offered by the product is high only when the network traffic is normal.

It is one of the best firewall products.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
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Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sunail Nair - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Leader IT at Tappoo Limited
Real User
Top 10
Easy to use, easy to integrate, and configures multiple devices at the same time
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use and easy to integrate."
  • "It would be good if the product could provide data about the websites users visit."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution for the configuration process.

What is most valuable?

Logs are the most useful feature of the solution. The solution is easy to use and easy to integrate. It helps to configure multiple devices at once.

What needs improvement?

The solution provides details like category, IP address, and location. It would be good if the product could provide data about the websites users visit.

It will be better if the product can build its UI like Cisco Meraki’s.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for around seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Compared to most other solutions, it is easier to scale Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. We also use FortiAnalyzer VM, so the scalability is pretty flexible. Around 1000 employees in our organization use the solution.

How are customer service and support?

It is a bit of a challenge to return devices. Once we return the device to Fortinet, they will send us a replacement. This process takes a bit of time. The cost of sending the device is very high. With that money, we can buy a smaller device.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very simple.

What about the implementation team?

We need three employees to maintain the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product’s price is much better than its competitors.

What other advice do I have?

We need to have a license for individual devices to use the solution. We end up in a loop when we try to access the websites and different routes. We also have to provide the options ourselves for all our queries. The process would be better if reports and records were more readily available.

Cisco Meraki is an online portal that provides organized and in-depth reports. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Fasal Kp - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Administrator at SAGT
Real User
You can also download premade reports on the portal, but the user experience could be better
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiAnalyzer helps us discover what's happening on the network."
  • "They could always improve the interface and the user experience."

What is our primary use case?

FortiAnalyzer is a log analytics tool. Our company has around 600 to 700 people.

What is most valuable?

FortiAnalyzer helps us discover what's happening on the network.

What needs improvement?

They could always improve the interface and the user experience.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used FortiAnalyzer for four or five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate FortiAnalyzer eight out of 10 for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is irrelevant to me because we have a small setup. One analyzer is enough for me.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up FortiAnalyzer isn't complex and takes two or three hours. They have a prebuilt OVA we can deploy using Ansible. Next, we configure FortiGate to send the logs to the FortiAnalyzer. You can also download premade reports on the portal.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

You pay an annual license based on the volume of logs per day.

What other advice do I have?

I rate FortiAnalyzer seven out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Security Engineer at a recreational facilities/services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It runs very well on its own and doesn't really need much TLC
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiAnalyzer has a robust ability to find a compromised host on your network, and when you identify a compromised host, you can address it."
  • "Though FortiAnalyzer has improved over the last few versions, the user interface still has room for improvement. It's a bit dated-looking."

What is our primary use case?

The normal use case for FortiAnalyzer is log review, log analysis, etc.

How has it helped my organization?

FortiAnalyzer makes it much easier for us to find an apparently compromised host on the network.

What is most valuable?

FortiAnalyzer has a robust ability to find a compromised host on your network, and when you identify a compromised host, you can address it.

What needs improvement?

Though FortiAnalyzer has improved over the last few versions, the user interface still has room for improvement. It's a bit dated-looking. I guess that's the nicest way to describe it. In FortiAnalyzer, I would like the ability to turn off some of the services. So, for example, FortiAnalyzer can take data from FortiCamera products and turn off the FortiCamera stuff to lighten the load on the box or turn off the FortiSock product.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using FortiAnalyzer for about seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiAnalyzer is really stable. It runs very well on its own and doesn't really need much TLC. It's a good product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's pretty scalable. The units that we have are the right size for the amount of stuff that we're running, but they do have products that scale up to handle significantly more Fortigate firewalls in log stuff than we do. I would say about 20 people use FortiAnalyzer. There's me, the security engineer, and the network engineering team, which uses it to look at stuff on the firewalls or check the firewall logs. And our information security group uses it to look at stuff that's going on with the firewalls as well as compromised hosts. It is being used pretty well as we get further down the path of deploying our FortiGate-managed endpoint product. There'll be more users and probably more use cases for it in the future.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I haven't really used a different solution previously. We've always used FortiAnalyzer in concert with Splunk.

How was the initial setup?

FortiAnalyzer is a pretty straightforward product to deploy. It took half a day to deploy a pair of FortiAnalyzers and set them up in high availability mode. I deployed it by myself. These are hardware appliances, so there were a couple of devices that needed to be racked, powered, and configured.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I believe that these devices were procured with a five-year maintenance and support license up front. I work at a university, so the vendor provides a considerable higher ed discount.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

It's all part of our Fortinet ecosystem, so we didn't really consider alternatives. I have a significant investment in FortiGate firewalls, so it just made sense to add FortiAnalyzer.

What other advice do I have?

I rate FortiAnalyzer eight out of 10. It does an outstanding job of what it does. But the vendor doesn't necessarily live up to the hype, which is why it only got an eight out of 10. There's a lot of hype about the Fortinet security fabric. But for the large customers that buy their large firewalls and deploy them in infrastructure components, the Fortinet fabric does not work. If you are considering FortiAnalyzer, I suggest having a complete understanding of how your firewall infrastructure works in terms of what data you're going to and from it for analysis and what you're looking for in that analysis.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Mikko Mäki-Valkama - PeerSpot reviewer
System Specialist at Databros
Reseller
Top 10
Easy to get reports and read specific logs
Pros and Cons
  • "With Fortinet FortiAnalyzer, it is easy to get reports and read specific logs."
  • "Fortinet has a new bug every month, which needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our clients use Fortinet FortiAnalyzer to analyze and locate the traffic in their network. Since it's a big customer, they have both Fortinet FortiAnalyzer and Fortinet FortiManager.

What is most valuable?

With Fortinet FortiAnalyzer, it is easy to get reports and read specific logs. It provides fast log analysis for getting information. The solution helps locate if a destination is blocked or a machine communicates with the right port or server. Basic debugging can be done quickly using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet has a new bug every month, which needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is a really stable solution and does not have any bugs.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is a scalable solution.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have previously used the Kibana tool.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is easy because it's a virtual machine. You have to upgrade it once every two to three years, which is a slow process. However, there aren't many features that need to be updated because the product is good.

What was our ROI?

The solution has been in our organization before I joined. Based on that, I have to say it's a good investment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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 other advice do I have?

Users should never upgrade to the newest firmware. In the last decade, we have learned to always wait and see. Fortinet has had some bad releases. You must have good quality assurance that the product is bug-free. It is easy to maintain the solution.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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solution architect at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
Real User
Low cost and easy to set up, but needs to be easier to use
Pros and Cons
  • "There are a lot of monitoring features available."
  • "They need to make the monitor better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as an analysis tool. 

What is most valuable?

We can look at all of the logs in one place. It helps with analysis. It's useful for centralization. We're able to collect all of the logs via the analyzer.

Overall, it's a useful tool. 

The cost is very low. It's one of the reasons I am using it. 

There are a lot of monitoring features available. 

It is easy to set up. 

What needs improvement?

You have to play a lot with it in order to find what you need and how to use it. 

It is not easy to use.

We were trying to monitor more problems via FortiAnalyzer, however, it was not very good.

We haven't received much help from the team. They haven't tried to make it better or more user-friendly. 

They need to make the monitor better.

They really need to focus on security issues. Every manager is most concerned with this and that must be at the forefront of future designs. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for three or four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. I'd rate the stability nine out of ten. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is okay. I'd rate it between five and seven out of ten. 

We have 2,000 users on the solution right now. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good overall. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not use a similar product previously. 

How was the initial setup?

The solution is very simple to set up. It is very easy to connect all other Fortinet products to this solution. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is reasonable. I'd rate the affordability four out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution five out of ten overall. It's an okay product that needs to be easier to use. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Zsolt Zalka - PeerSpot reviewer
Corporate IT Manager at PRopex Furnishing Solutions
Real User
Stable log management support system that offers a centralized view of incident reports
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution offers one view of incident management which has been the most valuable feature."
  • "When using this solution, you need a high-level expert to make it work as it should."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution to centralize the monitoring on Forti Fabrics. We monitor all firewalls and use this solution for incident management.

What is most valuable?

This solution offers one view of incident management which has been the most valuable feature. 

What needs improvement?

When using this solution, you need a high-level expert to make it work as it should. We hired IT support who had knowledge of the network and firewall. For the initial step, you need a Forti expert. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used this solution for one year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable solution. 

How are customer service and support?

We have a support expert who contacts Forti when we have a problem. If we come across a bug, we need to involve Forti and open a ticket for support.

How was the initial setup?

We hired a consultant to complete the setup as it is not straightforward and requires an expert. The setup took a few days. Four IT staff look after maintenance of this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The enterprise version of this solution is costly. We have considered FortiAuthenticator for network control, but the pricing was focused on the larger companies and didn't suit our needs as a smaller business.

The pricing for this solution is on an annual basis. Databases, a virus scanner, and intrusion detection is included.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have previously looked into Sophos UTM and Palo Alto.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: November 2024
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