We used Fortinet FortiManager for managing multiple firewalls, because they had six or seven branches, so they need a single point of management. The Fortinet FortiAnalyzer was used for getting the logs out of all of these books, to store them in one place.
Presales Technical Specialist at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Simplified central management system with good stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
- "Central management system for Fortinet devices that's simple, scalable, and stable, with a straightforward setup."
- "This solution needs more experienced technical support staff. There's nothing special about it compared to other vendors."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable about Fortinet FortiManager is its simplicity. I didn't see anything special about it compared to other vendors, and I'm working with multiple vendors, but when talking about this solution, it's always the simplicity that's valuable.
What needs improvement?
There's nothing special about it compared to other vendors, except for its simplicity.
This solution needs more experienced technical support staff.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've worked with Fortinet FortiManager for three years.
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February 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability for this solution is good. I didn't see any issues with our customer.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I wasn't able to try Fortinet FortiManager on enterprise customers, or large-scale customers, but for small and medium-sized businesses, it was more than okay. It's scalable.
How are customer service and support?
How good the technical support will be depends on the product where we need them. For the firewalls, all of them are good. For Fortinet FortiManager, I didn't see a lot of experienced people in there, but I didn't need them for complicated issues. It's the technical support team for firewalls who was very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for this solution was straightforward. As for its deployment, the design and planning took around three months, e.g. we talked about the design, project plan, scope of work, etc. Implementation just took one week.
What was our ROI?
For the ROI, for a five-year project, Fortinet FortiManager would be the best option to use.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an affordable solution, and it's based on the number of devices. I did read that the licensing model has changed recently, but I'm not using the new licensing model.
What other advice do I have?
There was a solution we used last 2021. We implemented Fortinet, and it was the major project we were dealing with at the time. We used everything from Fortinet, e.g. analytics management, logs, etc. It was only Fortinet we implemented, and not any other solution.
We implemented Fortinet FortiManager for orchestration and management, then for the loads, we implemented Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. For firewalls, we have 4800F and 60F. We've implemented them in multiple sites, so those were the main components.
During the implementation, I jumped between versions and did some upgrades, because with Fortinet, there are new versions that only work for short periods, so I had to upgrade the version multiple times during the implementation.
The deployment for Fortinet FortiManager was via a virtual machine, and it was on private cloud. We used the customer infrastructure to implement and install Fortinet FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer, so that particular cloud was owned by the customer, so there's no cloud provider for that.
We have 500 users of this solution. It was a medium-sized project.
I didn't see anything missing on Fortinet FortiManager. I like it the way it is. I'm happy with it, so I can't think of anything they should add in terms of features.
I would give Fortinet FortiManager the highest score because even a junior can implement it. It does not require too much knowledge or scale to implement a project, so I'm rating it a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Network Delivery Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Nice interface, good support, and the intrusion prevention features improve our security
Pros and Cons
- "Everybody is quite happy with the way that the graphical user interface works."
- "We have experienced a series of minor bugs that necessitated contacted technical support on several occasions."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is internal security domain protection in corporate sites.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is intrusion protection.
Everybody is quite happy with the way that the graphical user interface works.
The redundancy and resiliency are quite good.
What needs improvement?
We have experienced a series of minor bugs that necessitated contacted technical support on several occasions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been dealing with Fortinet FortiManager for about four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a resilient product. There are bugs in the system but the vendor has been very responsive in terms of fixing them or looking to them. None of the bugs were major, so we just had to use work-arounds until a new version came out that fixed them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability with FortiManager is fine.
The ability to upgrade, or downgrade if necessary, is very good.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have made quite a lot of support calls to deal with bugs and other issues. The technical support is very responsive and there was no problem with it. I would say that they are excellent. My only problem is that we needed them perhaps slightly too often.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward.
Our deployment took about six months in total, although we were limited in resources and the requirements of operational handover. My engineering group has to stick to documentation and testing and requirements from the operations team. There were no issues with the deployment. Rather, that is how long it generally takes.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house team is responsible for deployment and maintenance. We have about 10 engineers, although they support all of our networking products.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are features that come at a cost that is in addition to the standard license.
What other advice do I have?
In general, I have no serious concerns about this product so I have no problems recommending it. It has all of the features that I need, as far as I'm concerned. Certainly, there's nothing that would cause me to suggest that people not use it.
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.
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Fortinet FortiManager
February 2025
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Cybersecurity services engineer at Sahara Net
Is stable and easy to implement, but the user interface needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "Centralized configuration is the most helpful feature. I like the ability to create templates and push them to all the devices at the same time. I also like that I can see the the logs with one device to provide zero touch on all other products."
- "I would like to be able to manage other products such as Endpoint and FortiAnalyzer through FortiManager. That is, the integration with other solutions needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiManager for centralized management of all Fortinet products. I have done SD-LAN configuration for multiple branches through FortiManager. It was easier for me to do it through this solution and push it to all the the branches.
What is most valuable?
Centralized configuration is the most helpful feature. I like the ability to create templates and push them to all the devices at the same time. I also like that I can see the the logs with one device to provide zero touch on all other products.
What needs improvement?
I would like to be able to manage other products such as Endpoint and FortiAnalyzer through FortiManager. That is, the integration with other solutions needs to be improved.
It would be helpful if we can manage all Fortinet products with a simpler GUI. FortiManager's GUI is complicated in comparison to that of FortiGate.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Fortinet FortiManager for a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate FortiManager's stability at nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
On a scale from one to ten with one being the worst and ten being the best, FortiManager's scalability would be eight. It is a good solution for medium and enterprise companies.
How are customer service and support?
FortiManager's technical support is great, and I'd give them a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
FortiManager's initial setup is a simple process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
On a scale from one to ten with one being the highest price and ten being the lowest price, I would rate FortiManager's price at three.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We compared FortiManager with Palo Alto Panorama. The user interface for Panorama is more user-friendly than that of FortiManager. Using certain commands and troubleshooting are also easier with Panorama.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would give FortiManager a rating of 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: Reseller
Consultant at AMH Consulting Group
Easy configuration and scalable with an easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "You can configure it at your ease."
- "You cannot integrate with other solutions."
What is most valuable?
We use it to manage the FortiGate and install it on several sites. You can see the lock, and if there is a problem inside the network, the FortiGate sends a warning to the Fortinet FortiManager. It allows you to check and know what the problem is. If we use the Fortinet FortiManager to replicate the configuration and want to install ten FortiGate on ten sites, you don't have to set configuration on all ten. You can configure one FortiGate and the Fortinet FortiManager to replicate the configuration on all orders of FortiGate. You can manage the bandwidth and decide to set it. For example, the IT team can use two megabytes, and the commercial team can use one gigabyte. In addition, you can configure it at your ease.
What needs improvement?
You cannot integrate with other solutions, so they should allow integration with Cisco and Juniper. It'd be great if we could log into other provider equipment on Fortinet FortiManager.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for five years. It is deployed on cloud. We are satisfied with Fortinet FortiManager because it's a very interesting solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable but also depends on the type of internet connection that you have. If your internet connection is stable, the Fortinet FortiManager allows different sites to be easily accessible.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Our customers are big enterprises and corporate clients.
How are customer service and support?
When you have some problem, they are always available to help.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy compared to Cisco Solutions because you just have to click when configuring. Whereas with Cisco, you have to set CMI commands.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate this solution a nine out of ten. I do not have specific details about the licensing costs. Compared to competitors like Panorama, Fortinet FortiManager is cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
Companies are interested in this solution. We help about five clients install the solution on their sites.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Network administrator at PISystems
Has automation capabilities, improves our security operations, and centralizes management
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the centralized management console."
- "Configuring Fortinet without internet access is challenging."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiManager for centralized management of our Fortinet devices, including switches and firewalls. This single console allows us to manage multiple devices efficiently.
How has it helped my organization?
We can push device configurations and policy management through FortiManager.
It has improved our security operations.
FortiManager has automation capabilities that positively impact our operational efficiency.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the centralized management console.
What needs improvement?
Configuring Fortinet without internet access is challenging.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am currently in the process of integrating Fortinet FortiManager.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiManager is scalable but scaling is costly.
How are customer service and support?
I am satisfied with the technical support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I can complete the deployment myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It can be expensive. Some competing solutions in the market, like Sophos and SonicWALL, offer lower costs of up to 40 percent.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiManager 8 out of 10.
I recommend it but be aware that Fortinet firewalls managed by FortiManager may require weekly updates due to known bugs on the Fortinet servers.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
Improves and increases the performance but performance issues should be improved
Pros and Cons
- "We look at the traffic to segment the network and it improves and increases the performance. When we have a mobile connection and local laptops are on the same network. We have seen a big performance upgrade."
- "Performance issues should be improved. We have problems when we have more mobile connections than local devices. Most of us have two to three devices."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is to analyze the internal traffic to see what's happening in the network. We can analyze the logs and push policies. In case something happens, after rebooting it, we can push the configuration back into the appliance.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is analyzing the traffic. When we call ISP and we do an upgrade, the performance is down and we can look into it and see where we're lacking and analyze the data and decide how to go about it - if it is from the firewall or the connection.
We look at the traffic to segment the network and it improves and increases the performance. When we have a mobile connection and local laptops are on the same network. We have seen a big performance upgrade.
What needs improvement?
Performance issues should be improved. We have problems when we have more mobile connections than local devices. Most of us have two to three devices.
Finetuning and performance tuning need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiManager for around fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good. Throughout my career, my failure rates have been low. Some models have bugs on the flash drive. But it's usually from carelessness from the client's side. It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you go above your box, you have to update it. It's not so scalable. But most firewalls are like this. Throughput makes a difference. We have to upgrade boxes every three to four years.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support is good. They respond well. Their response time is good and they can usually resolve the problem.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not very complex. I've been in this field for a long so I don't find it very complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is reasonable. It's not very expensive, it is reasonably priced.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a seven out of ten.
In the next release, I would like to see more performance-tuning. If they could work on that, that would be great.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Infrastructure and Cloud Architect at Vizion network
Easy to use, reliable centralized management, with good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the centralized management of the firewalls."
- "It's a difficult process to transfer one interface from one virtual domain to another."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is the management of firewalls.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the centralized management of the firewalls. By unifying the deployment process of the policies among many of the firewalls, or virtual domains that you have, and it is very easy to install and use.
What needs improvement?
The user interface itself has areas that need improvement.
It would be very useful if they come up with a feature or a process that makes the transition of the interfaces between virtual domains easier. It's a difficult process to transfer one interface from one virtual domain to another.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiManager for a few years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a very good solution. It's a stable and reliable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a very scalable solution. It has been designed for a large environment.
The concept of using a FortiManager is when you have a scalable modular infrastructure and several firewalls or Fortinet devices that you want to manage in a centralized environment.
We have three people using this solution and they are infrastructure engineers.
In our type of business, there is no plan or place for more expansion or improvement as we have a certain set of business services. The firewall is protecting our network and Fortinet devices are very limited in our company.
In our business, we cannot see a future for improving or expanding the use of FortiManager for some time.
How are customer service and technical support?
The Fortinet technical support is very good. It's a good team.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we did not use a different solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy and took less than an hour to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
I did not use a vendor. I did it myself.
What was our ROI?
We are not yet at a point where we can see a return of investment. It's going to take some time for our new project, which is still in the deployment process, to start paying back the investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing costs depend on how many devices you want to use. It's based on the licensing model and the number of devices you add to the system.
The more devices you add to FortiManager, the more you need to pay.
I am not aware of any additional costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other options as we already had FortiGate devices. FortiManager was the only option.
What other advice do I have?
You have to plan everything with very specific details before deploying the FortiManager, otherwise, it will be complex.
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.
Senior Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Expandable and useful for management purposes but the price may be high for smaller environments
Pros and Cons
- "It's a scalable product."
- "The GUI is not ideal."
What is our primary use case?
We are one of the partners, so we are using it for customer testing for managers, owners, and others at head office. We are looking at FortiManager in terms of quality deployment and ability to manage everything. We're using it for management.
How has it helped my organization?
We are using a VM version and can scale it as we need. It depends on our license, however, we find we can scale.
What is most valuable?
The general policy, its integration, and deployment are all easy. We don't have a lot of devices, however, it creates a center where we can manage everything. The initial setup is very simple.
The solution is stable.
It's a scalable product.
What needs improvement?
The GUI is not ideal. It needs to be improved. It should be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for around two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is a stable one. From time to time, we may see bugs, however, overall, it's a stable one. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable.
How are customer service and support?
The support has been good. They are helpful and responsive. We're pleased with the level of service we get.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I don't have much experience with the other products compared to this product. The main reason that it's been chosen for clients is it's very well integrated with the rest of the Fortinet environment. For example, if somebody has an environment in SuccessFactors, FortiManager is good.
How was the initial setup?
It's very simple to set up the solution. It's not overly complex or difficult. The documentation helps with any complexity.
I'd rate the solution four out of five in terms of ease of deployment.
You just need a single engineer, a software engineer, to set up and maintain the solution. Someone who has Fortigate knowledge should have no problem handling the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When you are going for a massive FortiGate environment, the costs compared to your investment would be fine. However, if you're going for below ten devices, the cost will be a little bit high. You would have to justify the expense.
I'd rate it a three out of five in terms of availability.
What other advice do I have?
We are a Fortinet partner.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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