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SHUBHAM BHINGARDE - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Engineer at CDAC
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Acts as an additional layer for the firewall and enables organizations to manage users and traffic
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is user-friendly."
  • "The tool is expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We use the tool for our internal private network. We have many in-house servers. If we want to connect to the servers from home, we need to use FortiClient to connect to the network and access the virtual machines.

How has it helped my organization?

We cannot access the network without FortiClient. It can be used as an additional layer for the firewall.

What is most valuable?

We can manage users and traffic using the solution. We can use it for personal communications and virtual tunnels. Only authorized employees are allowed to access and use the VPN. Others can’t make any changes. We can create a hierarchy for the employees and allow them to access particular networks. For example, we do not allow any employee to use social media.

We can monitor and restrict some websites. The product is user-friendly. The level of security depends on how well we configure the product. We can enhance the security level by adding proper configuration. We only allow access to limited websites. There is a minimum chance of clicking on any malware links.

What needs improvement?

The tool is expensive.

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Fortinet FortiClient
January 2025
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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for more than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s scalability a nine out of ten. We are using the enterprise version. We have purchased licenses for 100 users, but our organization has 50 to 70 users.

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

We pay an annual subscription fee.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the product 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
Moeed  Mahmood - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Chase Up
Real User
Top 5
Easy to manage networks and useful to handle cybersecurity threats
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's initial setup phase is easy."
  • "The licensing feature of the product requires improvement since whenever the license expires, the tool logs out its users automatically, irrespective of whether they are on the network or not, which can be problematic for me."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution in my company to make use of SSL VPNs during work-from-home setup during COVID-19, specifically for those people and workers who were working from home. The employees working from home were provided with Fortinet FortiClient for VPN connectivity and security purposes since it offers a more secure environment for our company, especially when compared to the other local VPNs in the market. My company also uses IPSec VPN or site-to-site VPN.

What needs improvement?

In Fortinet FortiClient, the syncing features or capabilities of the database are areas of concern where improvements are required.

The licensing feature of the product requires improvement since whenever the license expires, the tool logs out its users automatically, irrespective of whether they are on the network or not, which can be problematic for me.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiClient for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Before Sangfor NGAF, my company's 30 to 40 people used Fortinet FortiClient.

How was the initial setup?

For our company's remote workforce environment, Fortinet FortiClient is installed on every single laptop of our employee who wants a connection while working from home. My company has deployed the product manually.

Fortinet FortiGate has a library on the internet from where users can see videos of any configuration they want to know about Fortinet products. Fortinet has archived materials that are very easily available on the internet. I viewed the online videos and started the deployment of the tool.

The product's initial setup phase is easy.

For deployment, you have to install and set up the .exe file and connect it with the FortiClient server, after which you configure the server policy. It will then sync the whole antivirus database, and you can use it.

The solution can be deployed in five to ten minutes.

What other advice do I have?

For endpoint protection, I find the vulnerability scanner provided by the tool to be very effective. The web filter and application control filter are very good in the product. The tool offers timely remediation plans. It detects viruses and trojan attacks actively and is very responsive, making it a very good software.

The VPN feature of the tool has increased network security since it helps the tool provide protection whenever users want to access the local network from the internet, and users need to apply only those resources to which they access be provided. It is very easy to handle the tool from the firewall and Fortinet FortiClient VPN, as well as Fortinet FortiClient Endpoint Security. The tool can provide a very comprehensive protection to secure your data and and deal with security breaches.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it since it is a very good product, especially if you use the firewall products offered by Fortinet. People can go with Fortinet FortiClient Endpoint Security since it is very easy to manage your local PCs, local endpoints, and external and internal networks. The tool single-handedly manages your firewall, making it very easy to manage the network.

The product can handle cybersecurity threats, especially if you have a hold on your endpoints and servers. On a single-click page, the tool allows you to detect vulnerabilities and active threats and block them or quarantine them with a single click.

The product is beneficial if you use the firewall product offered by Fortinet FortiGate since it acts as a centralized tool to handle all the endpoints in your network from a single server. You can see the traffic and see what is going out or what is coming in, and also handle the inventory of your network, like how many PCs are infected, making it a solution that is quite easy to use.

I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiClient
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiClient. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sutjipto Budiman - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at Widya Presisi Solusi
Real User
Top 5
Useful for end-user protection and as a VPN
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiClient offers a vulnerability test feature, allowing us to monitor end-user devices. This includes ensuring necessary updates, such as Windows updates, are not overlooked."
  • "The tool needs to improve its web filtering feature. Its support quality needs improvement. We speak different languages, and this can create misunderstandings."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for end-user protection and VPN. 

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiClient offers a vulnerability test feature, allowing us to monitor end-user devices. This includes ensuring necessary updates, such as Windows updates, are not overlooked.

The tool simplifies our organization's endpoint management by monitoring users to ensure they use the right tools. Additionally, it allows us to enforce IT policies. 

If a user attempts to access a suspicious website, the tool prevents the computer from opening it. It integrates with FortiClient EMS, allowing IT security to enforce additional measures such as application firewall and web filtering. This enables the company to restrict users from accessing certain websites or using specific applications, such as blocking access to YouTube.


Fortinet FortiClient has improved our team's workload and response time to security incidents.

What needs improvement?

The tool needs to improve its web filtering feature. Its support quality needs improvement. We speak different languages, and this can create misunderstandings. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for seven years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the product's stability a nine out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the tool's scalability a nine out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The tool's deployment is not complicated. Fortinet FortiClient's team is helpful in that regard. 

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

I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall product a seven out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Socipart67 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at TiThink
Real User
Top 5
Good security and support and easy to make secure remote connections
Pros and Cons
  • "The service is centralized."
  • "Cloud services are very expensive for us."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a VPN. It's to help our remote employees connect. We use it mainly for security reasons so that our staff has clean, secure, internet access.

What is most valuable?

The security is good. It helps us avoid attacks. The antivirus database is quite strong. 

It's helpful in that it allows us to create secure remote connections. 

The service is centralized.

What needs improvement?

We don't have matching infrastructure in our company for our customers as it is too expensive. It's difficult to see the licenses due to the cost. We don't find it too expensive as we do not have too much infrastructure, however, our customers have more infrastructure and need more and therefore it can get pricey.

Cloud services are very expensive for us. 

We'd like Fortinet to offer bundled options in the future. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for seven to eight years so far. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is quite a stable solution. I'd rate it nine out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have around 20 people using the solution right now. Our engineers from the system department handle the solution. 

The product is quite scalable. I'd rate the ease of expansion at a nine out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

I've dealt with support in the past and they are helpful and responsive. Typically, items are dealt with by the next business day. They are very fast to respond. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We did not previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not very simple. 

The time it takes to deploy depends on the environment. If you are adding some rules in, it could take a few hours. If you have everything organized ahead of time and you have all of the rules decided beforehand, it is pretty easy. An implementation like that can go pretty fast. 

What about the implementation team?

We handled the setup ourselves. 

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

The solution is expensive. We found the cloud to be very expensive. 

Licensing is usually paid yearly.

What other advice do I have?

We are Fortinet partners. 

We're using the latest version of the solution. We renewed our hardware just last year. 

I'd recommend the solution to others. I'd rate the product nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
IT Director at Guangdong Technion Institute of Technology
Real User
Easy to setup, priced well, and you can automatically assign VPNs to specific users
Pros and Cons
  • "When the user gets authenticated, I can assign a different VPN or network to each user."
  • "I think that FortiClient can enhance the multifactor authentication."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is as a firewall. 

I have two Fortinet perimeter firewall boxes in my local data center. The two boxes also provide the SSL VPN functionalities, intended for authorized users only. Not everyone in my organization has access.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of FortiClient are that it can be integrated with Active Directory to the central authentication and that I can manage the permissions.

When the user gets authenticated, I can assign a different VPN or network to each user.

It's a  good solution for the IT department to control the access permission. I find this quite useful.

What needs improvement?

I think that FortiClient can enhance the multifactor authentication. Currently, if you want to enable dynamic tokens with FortiClient authentication, you only have one option, which is supplied by Fortinet.

You cannot integrate FortiClient VPN with Google authenticator or Microsoft authenticator, it's impossible. I think that they can improve this module.

In the next release of this solution, if they could improve the MFA, it would be a perfect solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution since March of 2018, almost two and a half years. 

We are always using the latest version, as they regularly update their software.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They say that it can support more than 1,000 concurrent users, so I would agree that it is scalable. We have 800 users.

Because we have only authorized certain people to use it, it is restricted to the IT department. This has less than ten people in other departments. There is a total of approximately 20 people who maintain this solution.

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

I have used several solutions. Previously, I worked with Cisco AnyConnect Access VPN and also Pulse VPN, which is originated by Juniper.

We use these other solutions to access other organizations. It is not a decision to switch. These other solutions have been provided by previous employers.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy and quite straightforward.

If you are an experienced network engineer then you can easily configure that to a VPN feature in less than half an hour.

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

FortiClient is quite reasonably priced. 

You can get the firewall box rather than just the SSL VPN box. When you purchase extra hardware, you are not restricted in the number of end users. 

This compares favorably to other solutions such as Cisco AnyConnects or Pulse VPN, where you have to pay extra for the end-user license and it gets quite expensive.

What other advice do I have?

If you are thinking to adopt the Fortinet SSL VPN, you have to consider the security level, because, by default, FortiClients can only integrate with FortiToken with a very limited license that will give you two. You can purchase additional FortiToken licenses for the MFA, or you can change to another solution, or the final option is to have the security level compromised, where the users just have user passwords to get authenticated.

If users share their password with other users then the account is compromised. You cannot use multifactor authentication to prevent or to mitigate that risk. If you choose to use FortiClient you have to consider that feature.

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
Richard Torrenueva - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Efficient remote access enhanced by VPN with room for better connectivity
Pros and Cons
  • "It's simple, downloadable, and there's usually no problem."
  • "There are compatibility issues, and sometimes, especially with macOS, it's difficult to set up properly."

What is our primary use case?

Currently, we are using FortiClient, and there's only a firewall. I am using FortiClient for remote workforce environments. It's used for remote employees.

What is most valuable?

The SSL VPN. Yeah, VPN. These are just the VPN capabilities that are mostly used.

What needs improvement?

There are compatibility issues, and sometimes, especially with macOS, it's difficult to set up properly. Sometimes, it connects, sometimes not. Another improvement is that we need to know if there's a proper setup for both Mac and Windows systems. We disconnect sometimes, and we don't really know the cause. Also, the FortiClient feature should connect seamlessly without manual intervention. Sometimes, there is a need for manual configuration before connecting.

For how long have I used the solution?

Currently, we are working eight or nine years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is still a five out of ten as we don't know the cause of disconnections we face.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, I'm giving FortiClient a five out of ten since there is room for improvement.

How was the initial setup?

In terms of setting up, there are no issues. It's simple, downloadable, and there's usually no problem.

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

Currently, since we are deploying it, compared to before, it's a good price and cost. That said, now it has become costly. The rating is seven out of ten in terms of pricing.

What other advice do I have?

Based on requirements, I can recommend the product for other users.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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FrançoisNolin - PeerSpot reviewer
Cybersecurity architect at Alithya
Real User
Easy to set up and user-friendly with good support
Pros and Cons
  • "It’s really easy to use."
  • "It would be interesting if the solution offered a way to try to investigate and create a use case to trace vectors."

What is our primary use case?

FortiClient is for the VPN. FortiClient is used with FortiGate. We have 100 users across both North America and Europe. We created a rule with the firewall to authorize the countries we are in, and we have rules to authorize specific IPs. We have to link to the internet.

How has it helped my organization?

The incidents in the log have been very useful. Some projects are really a pain to investigate. This helps.

What is most valuable?

The solution is user-friendly. It’s really easy to use. It is not like Cisco where GUI is really bad.

I don't have really issues with them. In terms of features, everything is easier.

When you want to find any information, you have documentation on hand that is easy to use.

You have good support and the price is good.

The solution is very easy to set up.

What needs improvement?

I’m not sure what exactly can be improved.

It would be interesting if the solution offered a way to try to investigate and create a use case to trace vectors.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve used the solution for more than two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don’t have any issues with stability. It’s been fine. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn’t crash or freeze. We don’t have any issues with the internet or power supplies.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have about 100 users on the solution currently. We don’t really scale it.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been excellent. They are fantastic.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I used a different solution. However, it does not cover the same responsibilities.

Sometimes, for SOCs, I’ve looked at WatchGuard, Palo Alto, Cisco, and Check Point.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was simple and straightforward. It wasn’t difficult at all.

I wasn’t a part of the initial setup and we tried to switch since the first time the person deployed it. In FortiGate, he used the wrong setting and the wrong methodology. We had to try to make some changes without creating any issues with the production.

It is very easy when you start at the beginning. It is not long to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

We handled the setup ourselves in-house. However, when I leave the company, likely they will try working with a third party as they don’t have the time and have a contract with other clients.

What was our ROI?

I don’t deal with anything related to pricing or costs or ROI.

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

I don’t know the exact pricing of the solution. It’s not an aspect I worry about.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

To compare every project on FortiClient you have and compare it with Palo Alto. Palo Alto offers a few more powerful new features. You can automate the use case. You have internet analysis and endpoint analysis. I would like to see the same options in FortiClient.

What other advice do I have?

I administrate FortiGate.

Within my new job, I am trying to be a partner with FortiGate and FortiClient to sell it to other clients. I have to get my certification just to be expert

I’d advise users to just look into best practices. Maybe try to join a training session. You can also simply go on the internet and try to find the best practices that make sense for you.

I’d rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Tushar Joshi - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. System Administration (Grindmaster Machines Pvt Ltd) at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Effective firewall control, easy to set up, and good scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiClient benefits us by allowing control over internal and external users of the Fortinet network."
  • "The user interface is a bit sluggish and needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We are using FortiClient to block certain firewall policies for our users.

How has it helped my organization?

FortiClient benefits us by allowing control over internal and external users of the Fortinet network. We can apply the same policies from the physical firewall to the cloud side, which is beneficial for managing both types of users.

What is most valuable?

We primarily use the firewall feature in FortiClient, which is highly valuable to us.

What needs improvement?

We require that the process be simplified more. The user interface is a bit sluggish and needs improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with FortiClient for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiClient is stable. I don't find any issues regarding its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiClient can easily scale up.

How are customer service and support?

The support is sluggish. Sometimes there are delays, and sometimes they do not respond. So, I would not recommend FortiClient for enterprise-level implementation based on their support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple. It is much simpler than the previous version.

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

The pricing is a bit on the higher side compared to other products.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Cyberoam has more of a competitive edge, especially with AWS.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend FortiClient to other users.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.