We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiManager and SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Network Management Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."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."
"FortiManager's most valuable feature is central management."
"The solution is very stable."
"The solution brings device management into one single pane of glass and is a pretty good product."
"It would normally take us a handful of days to install one FortiGate instance on one site. But with this technology, zero-touch deployment, we need just one hour or maybe as little as 30 minutes to install one site. It is much more efficient."
"Everybody is quite happy with the way that the graphical user interface works."
"Central management system for Fortinet devices that's simple, scalable, and stable, with a straightforward setup."
"The firmware version upgrades are the most valuable feature."
"The features we find most valuable is the configuration backup automation, the configuration compliance, the security vulnerability detection and upgrading devices."
"I use it for monitoring the entire network for the company. We oversee nodes down, we oversee devices heading up to crossing the threshold for CPU usage. We oversee power so power backups on the switches, we oversee if they're down or if they're failing. We oversee any node down or any router from any vendor."
"The most valuable features the solution offers are compliance, reliability, and information about reliability."
"It's perfect for network configuration management. It's easy to use."
"It allows us to manage backups in big companies. It is also useful in managing the configuration changes."
"SolarWinds NCM provides updates on the status of your network infrastructure. If any issues arise, such as a link failure or a device going offline, you will receive notifications and alerts. Additionally, if someone unplugs a cable, SolarWinds NCM will detect it. It also features a Topology Mapper that displays the connectivity of your network devices, giving you a visual representation of the network's structure. With SolarWinds NCM, you have a clear understanding of what's happening within your network and can generate comprehensive reports."
"The most valuable Real-time fault detection is beneficial as it enables the identification of changes made to a device's configuration through the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. This makes it easy to pinpoint which configurations were added or removed, potentially causing network issues. Such changes are saved in logs for future reference."
"The feature that I really enjoy is the ability to script changes across all of your devices."
"The solution has to be enhanced to manage new switches."
"There are a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, for example, the ZTP."
"The fabric for integrations or connections could be improved."
"FortiManager should improve the integration with third-party platforms."
"When I started, it was a bit difficult, however, now it's okay. It can be a bit complex for basic users."
"The dashboard could use some improvement."
"There may be a communication issue. However, other items may be the culprit, such as network connectivity. It depends on the customer's network."
"If you have more than one FortiMail device, you can't manage it then with FortiManager on FortiGate."
"I'd like to see additional features like support for devices that don't use CLI for configuration backups, expanded inventory support for other vendors beyond Cisco, and compatibility with newer SD WAN devices. These enhancements would further improve the product's versatility and utility for users. we hope for future enhancements, especially in supporting security devices that lack CLI backup options."
"Its customer service response could be faster."
"Its look and feel can be improved. They can also put in more effort into building the THWACK community and use the information about various customer issues and requests to build the new releases."
"When it comes to the way of managing the network devices, SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager should provide the simplest way that devices can relate to the server. For example, when we want to get the devices on board, we go by SSH to make the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager create the connectivity with the device. After that, we pull the configuration. It would be helpful if they could combine both so that everything will be done in one step."
"The solution could have better integration."
"Releasing a product compatible with operating systems other than Windows would be advantageous."
"I would like to see more integration tools. Something like dialysis, for example."
"For each device, when you open the network performance monitor, it will give you all of the information about the device, but many of the natural configuration management features are not on that page."
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Fortinet FortiManager is ranked 3rd in Network Management Applications with 61 reviews while SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is ranked 11th in Configuration Management with 22 reviews. Fortinet FortiManager is rated 8.0, while SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiManager writes "Easy to set up with good integration capabilities but we've had troubles when moving devices". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager writes "Streamlines network configuration and compliance processes through its centralized dashboard, although its compatibility with multi-vendor devices may present limitations". Fortinet FortiManager is most compared with Fortinet FortiGate Cloud, Fortinet FortiOS, Cisco DNA Center, Zabbix and Aruba Airwave, whereas SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is most compared with Cisco DNA Center, Cisco Prime, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, OpenText Network Node Manager i and HPE Intelligent Management Center. See our Fortinet FortiManager vs. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager report.
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