Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Microsoft Entra ID comparison

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3,734 views|1,588 comparisons
93% willing to recommend
Fortinet Logo
5,329 views|3,738 comparisons
92% willing to recommend
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15,538 views|11,395 comparisons
94% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Sep 6, 2022

We performed a comparison between Azure Active Directory and Fortinet FortiAuthenticator based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Users of both solutions say that deployment is simple and easy.
  • Features: Users say both products have good stability, scalability, and security.

    Azure Active Directory users like the solution’s ease of use, single sign on, identity-based authentication, and its privileged access management. Users say the conditional access rules are a little limiting and that provisioning is not intuitive.

    Fortinet FortiAuthenticator users say the solution has an intuitive user interface, is easy to use, and has good integration with other Fortinet products. Reviewers mention that they want to see more integration capabilities with other products, and feel that it could offer more automation.
  • Pricing: Azure Active Directory users mention that the solution has various levels of licenses, with a free basic tier. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator users share mixed reviews on the pricing.
  • Service and Support: Most users of both solutions are satisfied with the level of support they receive.
  • ROI: Azure Active Directory users report a positive ROI. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator users do not mention ROI.

Comparison Results: Based on the parameters we compared, users favor Azure Active Directory over Fortinet FortiAuthenticator because it has a free option and users also report an ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. Microsoft Entra ID Report (Updated: May 2024).
769,630 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"You can make resources. You can import them from Azure or Active Directory and put them in an application. For example, if there is an application that uses a lot of Active Directory groups, you can make the groups available for people. If they need to access that application, you can tell them the resource groups you have for that application. People can do everything by themselves. They do not need anybody else. They can just go to the Omada portal, and they can do it all by themselves. That is terrific.""The most valuable aspects of Omada Identity for me are the automation capabilities.""The support for the validity of the resources is valuable. The tool allows resource assignments within a validity period so that the managers do not have to remember to revoke the access once the work is done.""The most valuable feature of Omada is its API connectivity, which allows seamless integration with various services like SAP, GRC, and Microsoft licenses.""The teams we work with at Omada provide great insights and support. Overall, it has been a pleasure working with them. That's the part we value the most.""When we started with identity and access management, we cleaned up and skipped 500 accounts. Therefore, there are a lot of people who are still in our system. Using this tool, we have cleaned up a lot of accounts for ourselves as well as our partners and suppliers. So, we can manage everything now.""The most valuable functionality of the solution for us is that when employees stop working for the municipality, they are automatically disabled in Active Directory. Omada controls that 100 percent. They are disabled for 30 days, and after that time Omada deletes the Active Directory account. The same type of thing happens when we employ a new person. Their information is automatically imported to Omada and they are equipped with the roles and rights so they can do their jobs.""I appreciate all the support we receive from Omada."

More Omada Identity Pros →

"The solution's most valuable aspect is that it easy to install. The user experience is very good.""The initial setup is very easy.""Features the addition and removal of access as needed for the VPN.""The feature I value the most is the one-time passwords because it helps to authenticate users so you know the timing of their usage.""The product is stable and reliable.""I work a lot with Fortinet products and I call the support often. They are very quick to respond and the support is very good.""The ease of use is really nice. Using Authenticator, I've been able to actually work better on my authentication due to the fact that I have a single fabric to authenticate control from my firewall and on my access points. Authentication takes place from this area.""The most valuable feature is the OTP on the mobile phone."

More Fortinet FortiAuthenticator Pros →

"The most valuable features of Azure ID are the single sign-on and OpenID Connect authentication.""It's definitely both stable and scalable.""Privileged Identity Management and Privileged Identity Management make controlling access considerably easier and ensure that authorized access is achieved.""Conditional Access is a helpful feature because it allows us to provide better security for our users.""Single sign-on is the reason we use AD.""Azure Active Directory has been very useful for our company, it is not difficult to use.""I would say that Azure AD's pricing is very reasonable because of the structure and in terms of the solution.""The way the laptops are joined is valuable. We can take advantage of that in terms of being able to log in and do things. It is easier to change passwords or set things up."

More Microsoft Entra ID Pros →

Cons
"The Omada support response time has room for improvement.""The user interface could be improved. The interface between Omada and the user is mainly text-based.""Improved traceability would be helpful for administrators. For example, let's say a user's permission is being revoked. We can only see the system that has carried out a particular action but not what triggered it. If an event definition or something has changed in the criteria for the permission being removed or something like that, we don't have immediate access to that information. It takes a little detective work.""Functionality and usability could be improved.""I would like to see them expand the functionality of the tool to continue to be competitive with the monsters out there. For example, they could add functionality on the authentication side, functionality that Octa and SailPoint have. But they should do that while maintaining the same simplicity that makes Omada a product of choice today.""When you do a recalculation of an identity, it's hard to understand what was incorrect before you started the recalculation, and which values are actually updated... all you see are all the new fields that are provisioned, instead of seeing only the fields that are changed.""The solution should be made more agile for customers to own or configure.""In our organization, all the data is event-driven, which means that if an attribute is changed in the source system, it can be updated within a few seconds in all end-user systems. There is room for improvement in Omada regarding that. Omada is still batch-based for some processes, so sometimes it can take an hour or even four hours before the execution is run and the update is sent."

More Omada Identity Cons →

"We had issues trying to integrate the keys properly during the initial setup.""Integration with FortiGate could be more fluid.""Integration with some other enterprise applications could be improved.""There are some protocols, such as SHA and SHA-2, that are not supported.""The product must provide 2FA for applications.""I would like to see integration and customization capabilities with the end-user portal to solve authentication issues with diverse implementation scenarios.""Fortinet FortiAuthenticator's initial setup process could be easier.""There are multiple areas that are in need of improvement. It is not a mature product."

More Fortinet FortiAuthenticator Cons →

"I think there is room for improvement with actually discussing, and advertising Microsoft as a an authenticator. Many people just get confused and use Google, and I think if Microsoft would make more of an effort to penetrate the market, that would be key.""Four years ago, we had an issue with Azure AD. We wanted to reverse sync from Azure AD to on-prem Active Directory, but we couldn't achieve this. Azure AD could connect only in one way, for example, from your site to Azure. If you needed to do the reverse and connect from Azure to on-prem, there was no way to achieve it. We asked Microsoft, and they told us that they don't support it.""The main issue is that because Active Directory is in the cloud, it will inevitably be dependent on internet connectivity.""Definitely, the price could be lower. When we moved from AWS to Azure, we started paying more.""The only issue with Azure AD is that it doesn't have control over the wifi network. You have to do something more to have a secure wifi network. To have it working, you need an active directory server on-premises to take care of the networks.""I think something that is key would be the group policies replication over the cloud, in order to prevent or to avoid relying on the on-premise Active Directory servers and to manage group policies.""There is no great solution in the cloud for Conditional Access authentication and RADIUS-type authentication.""I want better integration between Azure AD and the on-prem environment because there are currently limitations that can hamper employee experience. We use a feature called password writeback, that can be challenging to implement in a hybrid environment. Employees can change their passwords using a self-service password reset (SSPR) feature, which reflects from the cloud to the on-prem identity, but not the other way around. Currently, there is no way to reflect passwords from on-prem identities to the cloud."

More Microsoft Entra ID Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The pricing is too high for SMBs."
  • "Omada continues to be very competitive on pricing, especially on the Omada cloud product."
  • "The initial total cost of ownership to implement Omada Identity is not small. The TCO for the implementation is as high as any other solution. However, the cost of maintaining the solution is at par or lower than competitors, including adding more features or maintaining the system after the initial deployment or installation to make sure that they are available for users to use or extending the functionalities of those activities. Those maintenance costs are lower than other vendors, but the initial cost of getting the system installed is still high."
  • "It is licensed per managed user per year."
  • "There were a lot of administrator, partner, and supplier accounts for people who were no longer working for us but still in the system. So, we reduced the number of users no longer with the company, which saved us some money on licensing."
  • "It's a fair price for the on-premises system. Compared with what we had before, it's much cheaper and we get all the modules in one. We tried to go with the cloud, but it was far too expensive."
  • "From an on-prem point of view, the cost is quite transparent and reasonable. The direct cost is primarily for licenses and maintenance on licenses."
  • "My client deals directly with the Omada Identity team in terms of licensing. I never look at pricing, so I'm not aware of how much the solution costs, but it's worth the money. Often, when you begin to use Omada Identity and it takes a while to set up, it'll be irreversible, and you'd depend on and focus more on the functionality of the solution, rather than its price tag."
  • More Omada Identity Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "I would start off with a VM including the base license and scale according to the number of users you need to authenticate."
  • "You can pay as you go with them. You purchase a base license and add to it as needed."
  • "The product could be more competitively priced."
  • "It costs more to license the high-availability option."
  • "The licensing structure is cost-effective for us compared to some of the other solutions that have recurring monthly costs."
  • "FAC is an affordable solution for Middle Range (200E/400E) and also needs a package of mobility agents (2,000) perpetual."
  • "The cost of the license could be less expensive. The license is paid on a yearly basis."
  • "We pay for licensing on a yearly basis."
  • More Fortinet FortiAuthenticator Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The licensing cost is a bit prohibitive."
  • "The licensing is really not clear unless you are a premium client."
  • "Licensing is easy."
  • "It is a really nice tool and we have a license for the more complex model."
  • "It is not too expensive."
  • "It's really affordable."
  • "I do not have experience with pricing."
  • "Licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis and the cost depends on the number of users."
  • More Microsoft Entra ID Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:We don't have to go in and do a lot of the work that we did before. It may have saved us somewhere in the range of 10 to… more »
    Top Answer:My client deals directly with the Omada Identity team in terms of licensing. I never look at pricing, so I'm not aware… more »
    Top Answer:There are some technical bits and pieces that we have looked at that could be better. For instance, when you do a… more »
    Top Answer:The price is fine. I rate the pricing an eight and a half out of ten.
    Top Answer:The security space is changing. The product must provide passwordless and seamless connectivity. If a particular user is… more »
    Top Answer:We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo… more »
    Top Answer:It is very simple. The Active Directory functions are very easy for us. Its integration with anything is very easy. We… more »
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Omada Identity Suite, Omada Identity Cloud
    FortiAuthenticator
    Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator
    Learn More
    Omada
    Video Not Available
    Interactive Demo
    Omada
    Demo Not Available
    Fortinet
    Demo Not Available
    Overview

    Omada Identity delivers an end-to-end identity and access management solution with essential identity governance functionality for secure, compliant, and efficient administration of all users' access rights across on-premises or cloud-based systems. The solution provides configurable best practice processes that covers all identity and access related scenarios from providing an access risk overview, management of identities lifecycle, to automated enforcement of policies.

    Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is the primary secure point of approved access into the Fortinet network, authorizing users, reviewing access permissions, and relaying the information to all Fortigate devices for comparison with identity-based protocols. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is a top-ranked authorization and SSO solution.

    Appropriate secure access is fundamental to every role in an enterprise ecosystem. It is an integral function of every organization to ensure that every access and privilege is secure and to mitigate any possible risk to an organization. Approved users should only have access to the necessary information when they need it, from the appropriate location(s) to safeguard an organization's security at all times.

    Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is available as an appliance, virtual machine, or in the cloud.

    Fortinet FortiAuthenticator Methods

    • FSSO: FortiAuthenticator Single sign-on user will easily identify users and assign role or group access based on preset identity-based protocols. FortiAuthenticator integrates well with third-party LDAP or active directories, is very flexible, and combines these methods to provide effective security.

    • Active Directory Polling: Active directory access is securely identified by consistent polling of domain controllers. As users log in, username, IP address, and other details are logged into the database and can be shared across devices as directed by FortiAuthenticator protocols.

    • FortiAuthenticator Portal and Widgets: If a user system does not support AP polling, or for other reasons it is not feasible, FortiAuthenticator offers a unique secure authentication portal. Users can be manually authenticated and, to diminish the effect of numerous logins, an intuitive set of widgets is available to integrate into an organization's ecosystem that will automatically grant access to users when they access the organization's intranet homepage.

    • RADIUS Accounting Login: For organizations that use RADIUS authentication, RADIUS Accounting is available for user identification. This process will prompt user access information (IP and group, etc.) and eliminate the need for multiple levels of authentication.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Ernesto C., Presales Engineer at a comms service provider, shares,

    ”Key Features and Benefits

    1. Two-factor/OTP Authentication with FortiToken: Enforce user-based policies. Fortitoken is available in soft and hard versions for flexible usage. Most Valuable in Mobile Phones App for OTP.
    2. Integration with LDAP and AD: This solution integrates with existing enterprise systems and technologies from diverse vendors of user information management systems.
    3. LPAD/AD/RADIUS/SYSLOG/KERBEROS/REST API/FSSO and Web Portals: There is flexible integration with these services.
    4. It is usable in network, WAN, wireless, and VPN Scenarios.
    5. The domain and guest-users support are good.”

    Ibrahim M., Senior Network & Security Engineer at a tech services company, relates, "The initial setup is a valuable point on Fortinet products. Most of the time, putting the theory into practice on the devices is quite friendly and straightforward. As long as you can read English you can find your way around the solution and make it work. This is a high value point on Fortinet - the way everything is laid out in the web UI is user-friendly and quite straightforward. The UI is quite simple."




    Microsoft Entra ID, previously known as Azure AD (Active Directory), is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution. Designed to help organizations of all sizes manage user identities and create an intelligent security perimeter around their cloud and on-premise resources. Microsoft Entra ID or Azure AD is integral to the Microsoft 365 and Azure ecosystems. It provides a robust set of capabilities to manage users and groups and secure access to applications in a centralized, streamlined manner.

    Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a login system, morphing into a sophisticated identity and access management (IAM) solution for the modern, hybrid workplace. Imagine a single vault for all your digital keys – that's the essence of Entra ID's identity management. It acts as a central repository for user identities, encompassing usernames, passwords, and even additional attributes like department or employee role.

    These capabilities enabled simplified administration using a unified platform for adding, modifying, and deleting user accounts. Users no longer need to remember login credentials for a plethora of applications. Entra ID streamlines access by using the same identity across various cloud services and on-premises resources (if integrated). Centralized identity management allows for stricter enforcement of security policies and password complexity requirements across the organization.

    Authentication sits at the heart of the solution, ensuring only authorized users gain access to sensitive resources. It employs a multi-pronged approach:

    • Password Authentication: The traditional method of username and password is still supported, but Entra ID encourages stronger authentication methods.
    • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding an extra layer of security, MFA requires users to verify their identity beyond just a password – through a code sent to their phone, fingerprint recognition, or a security key.
    • Single Sign-On (SSO): This user-friendly feature eliminates the need to enter credentials repeatedly. Users sign in once to Entra ID and gain seamless access to all authorized applications, boosting productivity.
    • Conditional Access Policies: Providing granular control over how and when users can access resources. Based on conditions like user role, location, device state, and the application being accessed, Conditional Access policies help ensure that only the right people under the right conditions can access sensitive resources.
    • Seamless Integration: Seamless integration with thousands of SaaS applications, Microsoft 365, and on-premises applications via Application Proxy or third-party identity bridges.
    • Advanced Security Reports and Alerts: Sophisticated security monitoring, reporting tools, and automated alerts. These features enable to identify potential security issues, such as atypical behavior or attempted identity attacks, allowing for swift remediation actions.

    For organizations with on-premises infrastructure, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) offers hybrid identity options. This allows for a smooth integration between on-premises Active Directory and Entra ID, providing a consistent identity for users across both environments. It enables organizations to leverage their existing investments in on-premises infrastructure while taking advantage of cloud scalability and flexibility.

    In conclusion, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a comprehensive IAM solution that addresses the complex challenges of managing and securing identities in a cloud-centric world. Its blend of ease of use, security, and integration capabilities makes it an essential component of modern IT infrastructure, supporting both operational efficiency and strategic business objectives.

    Additional links:

        Sample Customers
        Bayer, ECCO Shoes, Vattenfall, NuStar Energy, Unicredit, Schiphol Group
        Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
        Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.
        Top Industries
        REVIEWERS
        Government16%
        Retailer13%
        Financial Services Firm11%
        Computer Software Company11%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Financial Services Firm16%
        Computer Software Company13%
        Manufacturing Company7%
        Government7%
        REVIEWERS
        Computer Software Company28%
        Comms Service Provider16%
        Healthcare Company8%
        Computer Retailer4%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Computer Software Company20%
        Comms Service Provider10%
        Government8%
        Manufacturing Company7%
        REVIEWERS
        Financial Services Firm14%
        Computer Software Company14%
        Educational Organization5%
        Non Profit5%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Educational Organization26%
        Computer Software Company12%
        Financial Services Firm9%
        Government6%
        Company Size
        REVIEWERS
        Small Business17%
        Midsize Enterprise6%
        Large Enterprise77%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Small Business17%
        Midsize Enterprise14%
        Large Enterprise68%
        REVIEWERS
        Small Business57%
        Midsize Enterprise26%
        Large Enterprise17%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Small Business31%
        Midsize Enterprise19%
        Large Enterprise50%
        REVIEWERS
        Small Business33%
        Midsize Enterprise14%
        Large Enterprise53%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Small Business18%
        Midsize Enterprise34%
        Large Enterprise47%
        Buyer's Guide
        Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. Microsoft Entra ID
        May 2024
        Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. Microsoft Entra ID and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
        769,630 professionals have used our research since 2012.

        Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is ranked 5th in Single Sign-On (SSO) with 52 reviews while Microsoft Entra ID is ranked 1st in Single Sign-On (SSO) with 190 reviews. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is rated 8.0, while Microsoft Entra ID is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator writes "A reasonably priced solution that can be scaled toward different functionalities and offers flexible SMS messaging". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Entra ID writes "Allows users to authenticate from home and has excellent integrations in a simple, stable solution". Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is most compared with Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine), Fortinet FortiToken, Fortinet FortiNAC, Cisco Duo and CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, whereas Microsoft Entra ID is most compared with Microsoft Intune, Google Cloud Identity, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Cisco Duo and PingFederate. See our Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. Microsoft Entra ID report.

        See our list of best Single Sign-On (SSO) vendors, best Authentication Systems vendors, and best Identity Management (IM) vendors.

        We monitor all Single Sign-On (SSO) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.