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Fortune Madzivo - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Good management, easy to deploy policies, and very reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to deploy to licenses."
  • "The documentation could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for management and analysis. We use it for the management of two or three firewalls and the deployment of policies. 

What is most valuable?

This is quite a convenient solution. We can manage a number of items. The wireless management is easy. 

The VPN is easy. I have the ability to do the proper configuration of each of the firewalls. 

It is easy to deploy to licenses. 

The initial setup is very simple. 

The product is stable.

It is scalable. 

The functionality is very high.

We have found the pricing reasonable.

What needs improvement?

I'm still exploring the solution. I have not come across any missing features. 

The documentation could be better. Sometimes information seems lacking, however, maybe I'm not sure where to look for the information I need.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about six months now. 

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Fortinet FortiManager
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiManager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and reliable. I'd rate it ten out of ten. It is extremely reliable with no bugs or glitches. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. I'd rate it eight out of ten. I haven't tried to scale to any great extent.

We have around five users that are administrating the solution at the moment.

How are customer service and support?

We have never dealt with technical support yet.

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

We did use the Cisco FTD Manager. Fortinet is easy to use and deploy. It's also easy to manage. It's a full-fledged integrated solution, unlike Cisco. Cisco also took longer in terms of committing policies. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup process is simple and straightforward. It is not complex. 

What about the implementation team?

We handled the setup in-house ourselves without any outside help. 

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

The pricing is pretty good. I'd rate the affordability nine out of ten. Compared to Cisco and Palo Alto, it's reasonable. 

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. It's a very good solution. I'm still working on learning the solution. 

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
OusaidAbaz - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Network Architect at Inmac
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Helps automate configuration deployment, allowing us to plan and schedule configurations
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiManager helps automate configuration deployment, allowing us to plan and schedule configurations."
  • "FortiManager needs to handle different firewall versions more efficiently."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use FortiManager to manage FortiGate firewalls. I started working with Fortinet in 2016, managing configurations to be pushed from FortiManager to firewalls and centralizing configurations to minimize errors.

How has it helped my organization?

It has simplified our work by allowing centralized configurations and minimizing errors, providing visibility into configurations, and scheduling configuration deployments.

What is most valuable?

FortiManager helps automate configuration deployment, allowing us to plan and schedule configurations. It works with proper encrypted protocols, ensuring security. FortiManager's documentation and diagrams are user-friendly, making it easy to understand the configuration process.

What needs improvement?

FortiManager needs to handle different firewall versions more efficiently. If FortiGate devices have different versions, managing them is challenging. There's also a need to upgrade firewalls or change chassis to adapt to FortiManager's version requirements.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used the solution since 2016, which totals approximately nine years of experience.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiGate is very stable. Currently, Fortinet's configuration and operation are stable, and I rarely experience problems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiManager is scalable, but after several years, it may become limited due to versioning issues. This requires chassis updates to support newer versions.

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

In the past, I worked with Alcatel Lucent and had partnerships involving FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to set up on-premises or on a virtual machine. Be cautious about versions to avoid compatibility problems.

What was our ROI?

The return on investment is high. It saves time, money, and resources, providing visibility into configurations.

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

FortiGate offers the same features as Palo Alto yet at a more reasonable price. The ROI justifies the investment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have experience with FortiAnalyzer and other components but have not explored other firewall solutions like Palo Alto.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall solution eight out of ten. 

One should be cautious about hardware and version compatibility. FortiManager is an efficient and cost-effective firewall management solution.

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.
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Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiManager
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiManager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Leonardo Laurentino - PeerSpot reviewer
IT infrastructure and Cyber Security Analyst at COOPTEC Soluções em TI
Real User
We can create, manage, and deploy multiple scripts to our firewalls
Pros and Cons
  • "The firewall configuration has more capabilities than the other firewall management systems that I have worked with."
  • "The reporting details have room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiManager to manage over 2,000 firewalls. We use the solution for reporting, implementing, and deploying policies and objects to the firewalls.

How has it helped my organization?

Fortinet FortiManager has saved us time by allowing us to create a lot of scripts that can be deployed at the same time to all the firewalls.

What is most valuable?

The firewall configuration has more capabilities than the other firewall management systems that I have worked with.

What needs improvement?

The reporting details have room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiManager for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiManager a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiManager an eight out of ten.

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

We previously used Sophos Firewall Central Management and transitioned to Fortinet FortiManager, primarily due to its industry reputation.

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

Fortinet FortiManager is costly.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiManager a ten out of ten.

I recommend Fortinet FortiManager because it can be used for firewall configuration, reporting, PPMs, and deploying scripts.

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
Works at renesas
Real User
Top 5
The solution is easy to use, and it integrates all devices on a single platform
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is easy to use and manage."
  • "FortiManager should improve the integration with third-party platforms."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to manage the firewall and the policies and objects associated with it.

What is most valuable?

The product is easy to use and manage. It integrates all the global devices into one platform.

What needs improvement?

FortiManager should improve the integration with third-party platforms. Though the solution is easy to manage, we need adequate training to use it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for the past two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. Around 20 to 30 IT employees use the solution in the organization.

What about the implementation team?

It is a cloud-based solution. Around 20 people are needed for the deployment and maintenance of the solution.

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

Our organization pays a monthly license fee for the solution.

What other advice do I have?

Only IT employees in the organization can use the platform. I would recommend the solution to others. I would rate the product a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
AliHassan - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Leader - Telecom & Network at 2B Operating Co.
Real User
Top 5
Easy to setup but dashboard could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The main benefit of Fortinet FortiManager is the ability to control all the devices from a central location, view their statuses, and manage their configurations and updates from a single management console."
  • "The dashboard could use some improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We are using a virtual machine for the FortiManager. It's already installed, and we just collected the seven units under the FortiManager. So we don't need to access each device separately. It collects all the FortiGate units in one console. We see the statistics and the status for all machines from the FortiManager. It is easy to control and monitor all the remote devices.

What is most valuable?

The main benefit of Fortinet FortiManager is the ability to control all the devices from a central location, view their statuses, and manage their configurations and updates from a single management console. 

What needs improvement?

The price may only be applicable for bigger companies, and there is room for improvement in the FortiManager in license models. In general, the SIM license can be a bit complicated. You have to order licenses for different endpoints and devices, and calculating the costs can be confusing. Simplifying the ordering process for the SIM license would be helpful.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the SD-WAN solution for almost a year now. It was implemented in 2021. For Fortinet FortiManager, it's been less than a year since we connected after the implementation of the SD-WAN. It's on-premise but as a virtual machine.

We are using the latest version of Fortinet FortiManager because we updated it before and after the installation.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

How are customer service and support?

We ordered the product from a local company, which also provided the installation service for the firewall and SD one. We have not yet utilized the Fortinet technical support services.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. We did it without any training.

What about the implementation team?

I deployed the solution myself. When I installed it, I made sure that I installed the latest version of FortiManager, and then I added the devices one by one. I provided the credentials for each device, and the information was automatically synchronized with the remote devices. So, I did it one by one. It is installed in the VM environment, so it is not difficult to maintain it.

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

As we are an oil company, the price was manageable for us because we had a budget for it. But for small businesses, it could be costly.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We use SolarWinds for scenarios like network performance monitoring, configuration management, and IP address management. And for the FortiGate firewalls, we are using Fortinet FortiManager.

We have different modules for SolarWinds, but for FortiGate firewalls, we use FortiManager.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I will rate it a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is the worst and ten is the best because the dashboard could use some improvement.

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
Saneesh Pv - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Specialist at GBM
Real User
Top 5
User-friendly, straightforward, and works incredibly well
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiManager offers a full zero-touch provisioning feature that allows us to create a template of our devices and onboard them remotely without visiting the site."
  • "The scalability has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

Fortinet FortiManager acts as a centralized platform for overseeing our entire Fortinet security infrastructure, which includes FortiGate firewalls, switches, and access points. From a single user interface, we can manage and configure these components to ensure maximum protection of our networks. The TNA concept is where we can have Zero Touch Provisioning.

What is most valuable?

FortiManager offers a full zero-touch provisioning feature that allows us to create a template of our devices and onboard them remotely without visiting the site. This is an excellent benefit of using FortiManager for our Firewall assets.

Fortinet FortiManager is user-friendly.

What needs improvement?

The scalability has room for improvement. The solution is available in both a hardware and a virtual machine model. The VM model is scalable by simply adding additional licenses, but the hardware model has scalability limitations.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I give the scalability an eight out of ten.

We have over 30 customers using the solution.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

Once we have set up our template, it should take only two to three days to deploy. After that, we can quickly and easily add firewalls without any further automation.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

I would highly recommend FortiManager; in my experience, it is much simpler than any other central management solution I have seen. FortiManager is user-friendly, straightforward, and works incredibly well. Pushing policies and other tasks is made incredibly easy and uncomplicated.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Slawomir Napiorkowski - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect at IT Systems and Solutions sp. z o.o.
Real User
Top 10
It's an essential tool for managing complex environments across multiple sites
Pros and Cons
  • "Without FortiManager, you cannot manage a complex environment across several sites with multiple firewalls."
  • "FortiManager could improve by making it easier to port larger policy packages to the FortiGate firewalls. Sometimes, there's an issue when we install a big package of policies. If you have a couple thousand policies for FortiGate firewalls, it can take a few minutes to receive a response from the remote devices. It's only an issue when you're dealing with thousands of policies and installing them on a large number of devices."

What is our primary use case?

FortManager is a tool for centrally managing multiple FortiGate firewalls.

What is most valuable?

Without FortiManager, you cannot manage a complex environment across several sites with multiple firewalls. 

What needs improvement?

FortiManager could improve by making it easier to port larger policy packages to the FortiGate firewalls. Sometimes, there's an issue when we install a big package of policies. If you have a couple thousand policies for FortiGate firewalls, it can take a few minutes to receive a response from the remote devices. It's only an issue when you're dealing with thousands of policies and installing them on a large number of devices.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used FortiManager for about 14 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?


What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate FortiManager eight out of 10 for scalability. 

How are customer service and support?

I rate Fortinet support nine out of 10.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I have worked with Cisco and Aruba. We decided to switch to Fortinet a couple of years back because we determined that Fortinet offered the best solution.

How was the initial setup?

Deploying FortiManager is straightforward. The initial installation is simple and can be completed in a few minutes, but configuring the devices and sending the policy packages to the firewalls can take a few hours. We have around seven engineers maintaining this solution. 

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

I rate FortiManager six out of 10 for affordability. The pricing is decent. It isn't the most expensive solution. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate FortiManager eight out of 10. I recommend it for those who use FortiGate firewalls. It's a management unit for Fortinet solutions, so if you don't use FortiGate, it makes no sense. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Tech Specialist, Client Network DeliveryTech at AT&T
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
An automation-driven centralized management solution with an valuable rapid deployment feature
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the rapid deployment feature. I also like that it's easy to troubleshoot. FortiManager is amazing because we can have a centralized policy. All our devices are integrated, and we can also engage in troubleshooting. We can use it for different deployments. One fantastic feature is the ability to create a version and deploy it immediately."
  • "It would be better if it were easier to run a routing protocol. In the next release, I would like them to enhance some features in the GUI rather than CLI or OSP. For example, whenever a customer generates an ISP directly on the firewall, it's complicated to configure the routing protocol."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiManager to create different policies and much more. We used to create a lot of VPNs, and we used to perform the cleanup of firewalls because of security orders with FortiManagemer. We created standard policies for multiple devices. For example, we have more than four hundred or five hundred devices, and a standard policy needs to be created. We have to create the policy and deploy it, and we can also clean up the firewall rule.

What is most valuable?

I like the rapid deployment feature. I also like that it's easy to troubleshoot.  FortiManager is amazing because we can have a centralized policy. All our devices are integrated, and we can also engage in troubleshooting. We can use it for different deployments. One fantastic feature is the ability to create a version and deploy it immediately.

What needs improvement?

It would be better if it were easier to run a routing protocol. In the next release, I would like them to enhance some features in the GUI rather than CLI or OSP. For example, whenever a customer generates an ISP directly on the firewall, it's complicated to configure the routing protocol. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiManager for about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiManager is a stable product.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give stability a ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiManager is a scalable solution.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give scalability a nine.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support was amazing.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We used Palo Alto before. Most of our customers are running Cisco EAC and would like to block some websites. But next-generation features aren't available. So we have to use a FortiGate tool. Considering the costs and the fact that it's easy to deploy, it was the better solution. And most importantly, VPN is free. We don't need to buy a VPN license to configure it.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution. You need two people to implement this solution. A security architect and an engineer are enough.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiManager a nine.

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
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiManager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiManager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.