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Ahmed Dandousha - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 10
Lacking performance, and more integrated needed but beneficial device management
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiManager are the overall management it provides and its ease of use."
  • "The solution has to be enhanced to manage new switches."

What is our primary use case?

The solution can be deployed on the cloud or on-premise and it is used for managing network solutions.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiManager are the overall management it provides and its ease of use.

What needs improvement?

The solution has to be enhanced to manage new switches.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiManager for approximately two years.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiManager
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiManager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is highly stable and has good performance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is best suited for SMPs but not enterprises. If the company has many switches and access points and traffics with customization Fortinet FortiManager is not the correct solution.

The scalability of the solution is good. For example, you can use virtual machines and upgrade the license to scale.

How are customer service and support?

I have not used vendor support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiManager can be simple. However, if the company has third-party systems from different vendors it can be complicated.

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

The price of Fortinet FortiManager is inexpensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Aruba is a better solution because it has more power.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortinet FortiManager a five out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Yuvaraj P - PeerSpot reviewer
Network & Security Engineer at Viroka Technology Private Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Affordable solution that makes it easier to push policy
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiManager's best feature is the integration of administrator users."
  • "FortiManager could be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use FortiManager to manage FortiGate in a single console.

How has it helped my organization?

FortiManager has made it easier to push policy and has saved us money by providing free training.

What is most valuable?

FortiManager's best feature is the integration of administrator users.

What needs improvement?

FortiManager could be more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using FortiManager for over three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't seen any performance or stability issues with FortiManager.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The on-prem version of FortiManager is not very scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was complicated.

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

FortiManager isn't expensive, but its cost is dependent on which services are required. It has no extra or hidden fees.

What other advice do I have?

I would give FortiManager a rating of nine 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
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiManager
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiManager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1247817 - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Technical Specialist at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
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?

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.

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.

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
PeerSpot user
Security Manager at Alternative Solutions
Real User
Top 5
The best stability for application control and inspections
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has the best stability for application control and inspections."
  • "The fabric for integrations or connections could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I am a systems integrator and work with customers to integrate the solution. 

What is most valuable?

The solution has the best stability for application control and inspections. 

What needs improvement?

The fabric for integrations or connections could be improved. This would make a big difference for some customers. 

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 scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable so I rate scalability a ten out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

Support has an overall lack of knowledge. We have opened many tickets for support but they don't even answer them. 

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

Pricing could improve a little bit so I rate it a seven out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

It is important to select the features you need at the outset. Some customers don't do this correctly so their hardware doesn't perform as well. Take into account the applications you want to run on the solution when selecting features. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer2012637 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Architect at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5
The single-pane device management is great but bugs cause stability issues
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution brings device management into one single pane of glass and is a pretty good product."
  • "The solution has some bugs."

What is our primary use case?

Our company recommends the solution to customers as a single management platform for multiple Fortinet devices such as FortiAP, FortiSwitch, and FortiGate. 

What is most valuable?

The solution brings device management into one single pane of glass and is a pretty good product. 

What needs improvement?

The solution has some bugs that we have to fix for customers. We provide feedback about these issues to Fortinet for future development or updates. 

More software stability is needed to prevent breakdowns. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for one month. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is pretty stable and integrates well with cloud tools. 

More stability and bug fixes are needed to prevent breakdowns. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is pretty scalable and can support 4,000 devices on a single pane. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support could be better because it takes them awhile to handle items. More technical resources and knowledge are needed within the technical support department. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is straightforward. 

It is important to design and test systems to ensure they align with best practices in the security domain. 

What about the implementation team?

We implement the solution for customers. Deployments are quick and take a couple of minutes to a couple of hours depending on use cases. 

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

The pricing is based on a licensing model by feature. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution is used widely and is good for small or medium-sized enterprises. It can be scaled further for larger enterprises. 

I recommend the solution and rate it 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
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
Borey Soen - PeerSpot reviewer
Networks & Securities solutions Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Real User
It has a good dashboard and allows you to manage multiple devices from a single console
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiManager allows you to manage multiple FortiGate devices from a single console, and this is a valuable product feature."
  • "Areas for improvement in Fortinet FortiManager are scalability and stability."

What is our primary use case?

I use Fortinet FortiManager for managing my FortiGate devices.

What is most valuable?

What I like best about Fortinet FortiManager is that you can use it with FortiGate. You can manage FortiGate devices through it. I also like that Fortinet FortiManager allows you to manage multiple FortiGate devices from a single console.

The Fortinet FortiManager dashboard is good, which is another pro of the product.

What needs improvement?

Areas for improvement in Fortinet FortiManager are scalability and stability.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Fortinet FortiManager for three years. I'm still using the product.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiManager could be more stable, so it's a seven out of ten for me.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'd give five out of ten for Fortinet FortiManager, scalability-wise. It's in the middle.

How are customer service and support?

I have experience contacting the technical support for Fortinet FortiManager. I'm giving the team an eight out of ten because I found it challenging to get support. Fortinet FortiManager technical support can be difficult to contact.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Fortinet FortiManager has a simple setup.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented Fortinet FortiManager because it's just a process of downloading the product.

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

Fortinet FortiManager is a low-priced product.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Cisco and Palo Alto Networks, but I found Fortinet FortiManager better and easier to manage.

What other advice do I have?

I'm using Fortinet products, Fortinet FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer.

My company has between three to four Fortinet FortiManager users.

Fortinet FortiManager is a product I recommend to others.

I'm rating the product as nine out of ten because it still has room for improvement stability-wise. Its technical support also needs improvement.

My company is a Fortinet partner.

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
reviewer1487874 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Network Consultant, Sr Network Engineer at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees
Consultant
Intuitive multi-use solution suitable for large companies with experienced technical staff
Pros and Cons
  • "The SD-WAN deployment environment, and the SD-WAN templates are particularly useful. Managing the solution is very intuitive. The initial setup of the solution was very straightforward."
  • "The interface could be improved. It is split up into different areas, which makes it more difficult to navigate and get the right section of the correct file. The solution is quite expensive, so it would not be suitable for small to medium sized organizations."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for SD-WAN customers, deployment, and interface management.

What is most valuable?

The SD-WAN deployment environment, and the SD-WAN templates are particularly useful for us. Also, we have found that managing the solution is very intuitive, which is perfect for us.

What needs improvement?

The interface could be improved. It is split up into different areas, which makes it more difficult to navigate and get the right section of the correct file.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for over two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have found the solution to be stable during our time using it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have found the solution to be easily scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We have direct support, and sometimes issues aren't resolved as quickly as we would like them to be. However, they are always willing to help, and they will escalate issues if they aren't resolved to our liking.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution was very straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was carried out in-house.

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

The solution requires you to have a license for every device, as well as for any advanced features being used, which makes it costly for high-volume users. However, for a large-scale environment with a lot of customers we have found it to be a worthwhile investment.

What other advice do I have?

This product requires knowledge of firewalls in order for the initial setup to be straightforward, and to ensure the product is effective once installed. We also found that deployment is easy through this solution. 

The solution requires updates, during which it needs to communicate with the Fortinet Cloud. However, it can do this automatically, if the firewalls are set up correctly.

The solution is quite expensive, so it would not be suitable for small to medium sized organizations.

I would rate this solution as eight 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
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiManager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiManager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.