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ITAndOpe6381 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT and Operations Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
The stability is relatively poor, as it has taken us roughly 12 months to get the network access control to be functional
Pros and Cons
  • "When it works, it's great. It keeps things off the network which are supposed to be off the network."
  • "The technical support is bad. We've had to escalate to Tier 2 and Tier 3. My customer relationship manager on the other side of this has stopped returning phone calls and emails, because there has been such a constant back and forth."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is that we are using it as a network access control (NAC), preventing external devices from plugging into the network or foreign computers from joining the network.

We are using the latest version.

How has it helped my organization?

When it works, it's great. It keeps things off the network which are supposed to be off the network.

What is most valuable?

When it works, doing what it's supposed to.

What needs improvement?

Not using a Java front-end would be fantastic. It takes forever to load the system up and get in there to configure everything. It is too slow to do anything at all.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiNAC
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiNAC. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
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For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is relatively poor, as it has taken us roughly 12 months to get the network access control to be functional. It took us six months to get the USB lockdown to work appropriately. It still false flags mice, etc. On top of it, it broke once we finally got the network access control working. It literally took us 12 months for people to be blocked on an Ethernet connection, and it takes about 90 seconds to knock them off. Even then, it's only 50/50. We have escalated this every week for 12 months, and I'm not sure we'll be renewing this contract.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is bad. We've had to escalate to Tier 2 and Tier 3. My customer relationship manager on the other side of this has stopped returning phone calls and emails, because there has been such a constant back and forth.

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

We didn't have something prior. We had someone do a security audit on us, and they made some recommendations of things that we were missing. We contacted a managed service provider to recommend things to fix these issues, and this was one of those things. We went with what the managed service provider recommended as a solution along with having a short timeframe.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was highly complex. Every time you get one piece to work, everything else breaks. We have not been able to get a full solution in place.

What about the implementation team?

We used a managed service provider to help get everything up and running.

The process was frustrating. The managed a lot of our network as is, and they've done several of these setups. They moved from the previous version to the newest version, and they have even stopped recommending it as a solution because they don't want to do this again with another customer.

What other advice do I have?

Look into the complexity of using tools. Anything that is difficult to manage will probably be painful to maintain.

We have a very aggressive roadmap with a fairly mature security posture. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Tecnical manager at Watronix Information Technology Ltd
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Adds an extra layer of security, and is user-friendly, but the device compatibility can be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The ease of deployment is valuable."
  • "Fortinet FortiNAC's device compatibility could be improved, particularly for VoIP devices."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiNAC to control user access and enforce system policies.

How has it helped my organization?

Fortinet FortiNAC helps add an extra layer of security.

What is most valuable?

The ease of deployment is valuable.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiNAC's device compatibility could be improved, particularly for VoIP devices.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiNAC for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have experienced stability issues, particularly with the latest firmware versions. The extended development cycle for these updates makes us hesitant to adopt new products immediately upon their release.

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiNAC a seven out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiNAC is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

When I compare the support of Fortinet to Cisco, I find it to be good but not as good as Cisco's.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We previously used Cisco ISE and switched to Fortinet FortiNAC because the users found it more user-friendly and it was cheaper.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment is straightforward and takes around 60 days to complete.

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

Fortinet FortiNAC is reasonably priced.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortinet FortiNAC 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
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiNAC
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiNAC. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Kitsana Saengphet - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Manager at OPTIMIZED SOLUTION COLTD
Reseller
Top 10
Provides efficient identity protection features and good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's most valuable feature is its ability to protect devices connected to network service."
  • "The product could be more user-friendly in terms of GUI."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiNAC for network access and identity protection.

What is most valuable?

The product's most valuable feature is its ability to protect devices connected to network service.

What needs improvement?

The product could be more user-friendly in terms of GUI than HPE. The configuration needs improvement as well.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Fortinet FortiNAC for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable platform. I rate its stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the product’s scalability an eight out of ten. We have 100 users for it.

How are customer service and support?

The product’s technical support services are good. Although sometimes, they respond slowly.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

I rate Fortinet FortiNAC’s initial setup process a seven out of ten. It takes two days to complete. The deployment process involves configuring the network access policies within the Azure environment.

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

It is a reasonable product.

What other advice do I have?

It is a good product considering network security. It supports multiple devices and is easy to use. I can repair the box quickly in case of some failure. I rate it an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Business Develop Manager at Cosmos Business Systems
Real User
It's configurable and easy to use, but it could be more scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The users say that FortiNAC is configurable and easy to use."
  • "FortiNAC could be more scalable."

What is our primary use case?

FortiNAC provides authentication services for clients.

What is most valuable?

The users say that FortiNAC is configurable and easy to use. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using FortiNAC for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiNAC's performance is excellent.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiNAC could be more scalable. 

How was the initial setup?

Setting up FortiNAC is straightforward, and it takes about a week to deploy. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortinet FortiNAC seven out of 10. It's a configurable product that integrates well with the other Fortinet products. It's easy to use and has a lot of features. It's tough for me to give a product a perfect 10. It must be simple, scalable, stable, and have excellent features covering almost all our technological needs. 

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: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Ahmet Coruk - PeerSpot reviewer
Co-founder at Korunet
Real User
Account customization, multiple languages available, and effective device blocking
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiNAC has good user account customization."
  • "Integration is hard in Fortinet FortiNAC, but they are evolving and getting better. For example, with Cisco, Aruba, Huawei, and Extreme devices, Fortinet FortiNAC is working properly, but some other devices have problems."

What is our primary use case?

We installed Fortinet FortiNAC in a large company in a VM environment. They have a lot of end-users and complex user account needs. For example, some of the VIPs and different guests all need different access permissions and some of them are connected through the Active Directory credentials which we have to have a portal page for them to gain access. 

Another layer of complexity is different users are receiving accounts from many departments. For example, the customer's IT department gives them access and they send the credentials to the guest by email. The IT department can limit their account in different ways, such as only allowing the account access for a period of time.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiNAC has good user account customization. 

We can change the logo for the portals to meet the customer's needs. The portal default language is English but it supports all languages, such as Turkish. The portal can be optimized very easily. 

Device profiling is a good feature, we can block devices, such as iOS or Android.

Endpoint compliance is a great feature that allows us to restrict and quarantine devices. For example, if a device is not using the latest version of an operating system or antivirus program we can detect it and prohibit their access. If certain conditions are met with the customer's policies, we can let them have access. Otherwise, our endpoints compliance rules block or quarantine their devices on the network.

What needs improvement?

Integration is hard in Fortinet FortiNAC, but they are evolving and getting better. For example, with Cisco, Aruba, Huawei, and Extreme devices, Fortinet FortiNAC is working properly, but some other devices have problems.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiNAC for a couple of months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiNAC can extend your existing network. For example, if you have to put another switch, access point, or another networking device to complete the site we can with one or two clicks add these devices and the same rules and policies. It is highly scalable and can extend your infrastructure.

We currently have two customers using Fortinet FortiNAC

How was the initial setup?

The installation is not straightforward, it can be hard.  The documentation should be better in explaining to process in more detail. The installation requires too much experience and knowledge about network infrastructure. It's not easy, you have to be an expert.

The difficulty level of the installation and time depends on many factors. For example, one of our customer's installations was simple because they only had to block one site and only had one hardware vendor, such as Cisco. 

Our second installation was more difficult because the customer had many different hardware vendors, such as Cisco, Huawei, Aruba, and Extreme as part of their infrastructure. This requires configuring different settings on every device, it can be complicated. This can take a lot of time.

What about the implementation team?

We do the implementation and the amount of staff needed depends on the size of the infrastructure and hardware vendors involved. If it is a smaller environment with a single vendor then the process could take two to three days.

If the customer size is very large and they are using the different sites and cities, and many different network infrastructures, the implementation would take time and you would have to manage everything well. When you have a complex network, it can take approximately15 days to implement. The number of vendors they're working with can increase the implementation time duration. If companies only have one vendor, it's easy, but two or three different vendor integration is a little bit harder and takes time. 

Customer's needs are very important, because some customers, only want that 1x configuration. However, other customers want 1x configuration, custom portal pages, and many endpoint compliance rules. The more features the more time it will take.

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

The price of the license required is based on how many users are going to be using the solution. If you want more users you can upgrade your license.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other NAC solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Fortinet FortiNAC to others because we did evaluate other NAC solutions and this solution is very good compared to the others. The best benefit of Fortinet FortiNAC is the stability and it can work with other vendors. Some NAC products only work with their products and do not support other vendors.

The major benefit I have found is that this solution can work with other products. A customer typically has more than one vendor, such as access points, printers, and other network products. A lot of the other vendors only are working with their products. It's very important for me that Fortinet FortiNAC can work with the other vendors properly and can integrate easily. When I check the Fortinet website, it shows every vendor's details with an explanation about the integration of the Fortinet FortiNAC. For example, you can find out how to integrate the Fortinet FortiNAC with the Cisco wireless controller. I can find the documents, turn to the pages and find all the information I need. I can find it very easily.

I rate Fortinet FortiNAC a 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
Ertuğrul Oruç - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at F2
Real User
Top 20
Provides good profiling features, but the integration capabilities need improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The product offers good profiling features and can support various vendor products."
  • "FortiNAC could improve integration with other vendors."

What is most valuable?

The product offers good profiling features and can support various vendor products.

What needs improvement?

FortiNAC could improve integration with other vendors and enhance stability to compete more effectively with solutions like Cisco ISE.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using both FortiNAC for about four years.

How are customer service and support?

We contacted Fortinet's technical support, who helped resolve our issues.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Cisco ISE is more stable but comes at a higher cost than FortiNAC.

How was the initial setup?

Deploying FortiNAC can be time-consuming, especially considering the integration challenges with other vendors.

What other advice do I have?

Integrating FortiNAC with other vendors can be challenging, especially for Ruckus and Intelisys. We find Cisco ISE more comfortable for vendor integration.

I recommend FortiNAC, but with the caveat that users may encounter challenges with integration and stability.

I rate it a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
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PeerSpot user
Boniphace Mkindi - PeerSpot reviewer
Telecommunications Engineer at TZ Telecom Ltd.
Real User
A one-time product solution for a customer that’s a good system with good features, but the interface could be better
Pros and Cons
  • "The features are more expandable."
  • "The interface works fine, but it could be better."

What is our primary use case?

The customer required centralizing control to control access, detection, and network control. He requested processing a simple management point, the access, the devices, and distribution, and wanted to manage all the customer devices. He had a history of working with FortiNAC devices and wanted us to do the same. So I installed the product to understand it. 

What is most valuable?

The features are more expandable. 

What needs improvement?

The interface works fine, but it could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

It was for a one-time product solution for a customer for about one year, and I'm still maintaining it. So far, we've had one client for it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We never had to use customer service or support, so it expired.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

It was easy to set up the product. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
it_user1232502 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cybersecurity Solution Architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It is a scalable product and the technical support is excellent
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup was easy and straightforward."
  • "The dashboard needs to improve."

What is most valuable?

We are only consultants, so we implement FortiNAC for our customers. The good part about FortiNAC is that it works seamlessly across either public cloud, private cloud, a hybrid one or on premises. So, depending on the client's requirements, I usually suggest that they go for public cloud where they have remote locations, and that they go for an application where they have a large deployment, adequate network and technical staff to support the requests.

The features we generally propose is basically agent-based authentication and the agent case solution product for wireless endpoints, which allow them to do automatic registration, and the third would be the health checks.

What needs improvement?

Something that the developers of FortiNAC might look at to improve, is more integration with third-party products. The dashboard also needs to improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using FortiNAC for almost a year now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiNAC is quite a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiNAC is a highly scalable product. The licenses remain unlimited. It's a subscription-based license, which is based on the usage and number of concurrent users. So the good part is that it can be deployed out of any environment.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support for us has been extremely good and the local support is excellent. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy and straightforward. The deployment can be done within a day.

What other advice do I have?

The good thing about FortiNAC is that it's more vendor agnostic. And then we have the deployed FortiNAC activate solution, which are different kinds of firewalls, which works perfectly fine. 

On a scale from one to 10, my rating for this program will be a nine. Additional features that I would like to see included in the next release of this solution is more integration with third-party products and probably some improvements on the dashboard.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiNAC Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiNAC Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.