Aruba ClearPass vs Fortinet FortiNAC comparison

Cancel
You must select at least 2 products to compare!
HPE Aruba Networking Logo
20,030 views|13,681 comparisons
Fortinet Logo
12,135 views|7,918 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Sep 7, 2022

We performed a comparison between Aruba Clearpass vs Fortinet FortiNAC based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Aruba ClearPass reviewers say that although deployment is not so complex, it is definitely not easy, either. They mention that users need to have some technical expertise to install it. Most Fortinet FortiNAC users say that its deployment is not easy.
  • Features: Users of both solutions are happy with their security and authentication features.

    Aruba ClearPass users like the solution’s ease of use, stable policy management platform, and reliability. Many users would like to see improved cloud deployment options.

    Fortinet FortiNAC users like the solution’s user account customization, device profiling, endpoint compliance, access controls, and automations. Reviewers mention that the interface could use improvement, and that its stability and scalability could be better.
  • Pricing: Aruba ClearPass users consider the solution to be expensive. Fortinet FortiNAC users share mixed reviews on the solution’s pricing.
  • Service and Support: Aruba ClearPass users say the technical support they have received is exceptional, and they are very satisfied. FortiNAC users share mixed reviews regarding the technical support.
  • ROI: Aruba ClearPass users report a positive ROI. Fortinet FortiNAC users do not mention ROI.

Comparison Results: Aruba ClearPass seems to be slightly more favorable because users consider it to be more scalable and stable than Fortinet FortiNAC. Aruba ClearPass users are also very satisfied with the technical support, and report an ROI as well.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba ClearPass vs. Fortinet FortiNAC Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 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
"ClearPass is open to any operating system or mobile app.""Aruba has improved my organization because it supported me on my level of access.""Aruba ClearPass's most valuable features are simple accessing, operating, and management. Additionally, the dashboard and performance work well.""Gives us network access control, visibility, scalability, security, and control in what is becoming an uncontrollable, inundated BYOD and IoT world.""The web dashboard and the policy manager are very intuitive and very easy for the engineers to use.""A lot of the issues in Forescout are mitigated in Aruba ClearPass, it supports all the expected protocols.""The most valuable feature of Aruba ClearPass is its ease of use and the GUI is user-friendly.""It is a robust product."

More Aruba ClearPass Pros →

"The device fingerprinting feature allowed for easy creation and enforcement of access policies.""The features are more expandable.""Fortinet FortiNAC is both scalable and stable.""Compared to other NAC vendors, Fortinet’s user interface is more user-friendly.""There are some features that are working well.""The most valuable feature of the solution is having visibility over the IoT devices on the network.""The most valuable features of the solution are the user-friendliness, the graphical interface, and the technical support. The interface is very nice and the customization is good.""The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiNAC are user device management and there are plenty of policies."

More Fortinet FortiNAC Pros →

Cons
"ClearPass isn't hard to set up, but it takes a long time.""There is room for improvement in the support.""The solution should be more precise for VMs and allow for management of the entire system.""Some functions could be improved.""The user interface could be more polished and modern. It would be useful to have more options for automation.""There is room for improvement in terms of scalability.""The platform's API integration could be better. Additionally, its pricing could be affordable.""They should include SMP functionalities."

More Aruba ClearPass Cons →

"Fortinet FortiNAC's device compatibility could be improved, particularly for VoIP devices.""The dashboard needs to improve.""Our users have been asking for simpler documentation and training materials to facilitate the deployment process.""Keeping the hard disk on the one series will be easier for the distributor and will keep the prices lower for the customer.""There could be better integration with legacy equipment. It integrates perfectly with all Fortinet solutions, but if you look at other third-party integrations—not on the networking part; but more on the security infrastructure part—it's more limited.""The course content could be improved, it's not that simple to work through.""Technical support could improve their response times.""FortiNAC could be more scalable."

More Fortinet FortiNAC Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Licensing and pricing are extremely straightforward."
  • "Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (POC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability.​"
  • "​Cost is important. I switched because Aruba's costs were well below Cisco's."
  • "We pay an annual licensing fee for Aruba and there are no additional costs."
  • "The pricing is not bad and everything is included."
  • "It is affordable. In Lebanon, companies are small, and they do not have a big budget. They cannot invest a lot of money, and Aruba ClearPass is quite affordable for them."
  • "The licensing model is very straightforward. There are two types of licensing for Aruba ClearPass, a perpetual license, and a subscription. Both of them are straightforward. We don't need to read an ordering guide, it's very clear."
  • "Aruba is a little more expensive than other products in the market here."
  • More Aruba ClearPass Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It's a subscription-based license, which is based on the usage and number of concurrent users."
  • "The licensing fees are a little bit high."
  • "The pricing is similar to that of other solutions."
  • "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."
  • "For the projects that we do the Fortinet FortiNAC is affordable."
  • "It's a pricey solution."
  • "The solution is expensive. However, it is not as expensive as other solutions, such as Cisco ISE."
  • "The price of Fortinet FortiNAC is less than Cisco's solution. However, the price could improve by being reduced."
  • More Fortinet FortiNAC Pricing and Cost Advice →

    report
    Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Access Control (NAC) solutions are best for your needs.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: Aruba ClearPass is a Network Access Control tool that gives secure network access to multiple device types. You can adapt the policies to VPN access, wired, or wireless access. You can securely… more »
    Top Answer:I've done quite a lot of work with ClearPass, and not a lot with FortiNAC/Bradford. ClearPass incorporates a number of different functions including ClearPass Guest for creating complex wireless… more »
    Top Answer:Aruba ClearPass's most valuable feature is dynamic segmentation.
    Top Answer:Cisco ISE uses AI endpoint analytics to identify new devices based on their behavior. It will also notify you if someone plugs in with a device that is not allowed and will block it. The user… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable aspect of Fortinet FortiNAC is the control it offers.
    Top Answer:The product itself is inexpensive, but the licensing is expensive.
    Ranking
    Views
    20,030
    Comparisons
    13,681
    Reviews
    31
    Average Words per Review
    406
    Rating
    8.5
    Views
    12,135
    Comparisons
    7,918
    Reviews
    20
    Average Words per Review
    413
    Rating
    7.9
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Avenda eTIPS
    FortiNAC, Bradford Networks, Bradford Networks Sentry, Network Sentry Family
    Learn More
    Overview

    Aruba ClearPass is a network access control (NAC) solution that provides a range of security and access management capabilities for wired, wireless, and VPN networks. ClearPass enables organizations to secure their networks and devices, enforce security policies, and provide secure access to network resources.

    Aruba ClearPass Features

    Aruba ClearPass has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Device profiling: Aruba ClearPass automatically profiles and classifies network devices based on type, manufacturer, operating system, and more, to help organizations secure their networks.
    • Guest management: The solution provides a secure and easy-to-use guest management system for organizations to provide guest access to their networks.
    • User-friendly interface: The Aruba ClearPass includes a user-friendly interface, enabling administrators to easily manage and enforce security policies, monitor network activity, and respond to security threats.
    • Policy enforcement: Users can enforce security policies based on device type, user role, and other factors, to help secure their networks and devices.
    • Threat detection and response: With its real-time monitoring and threat detection capabilities, organizations are able to quickly identify and respond to security threats.
    • Authentication and authorization: Aruba ClearPass offers a range of authentication and authorization methods, including certificate-based authentication and 802.1X, to provide secure access to network resources.
    • Reporting and analytics: The solution Includes real-time reporting and analytics capabilities, enabling administrators to monitor network activity, track security incidents, and improve security over time.

    Aruba ClearPass Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Aruba ClearPass. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Comprehensive solution: Aruba ClearPass integrates with a range of network security technologies, including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and VPN gateways, to provide a comprehensive security solution.
    • Scalability: Designed to scale from small to large organizations, ClearPass provides a solution that can grow with an organization's needs.
    • Increased visibility: By implementing Aruba ClearPass, administrators can monitor network activity, track security incidents, and improve security over time.
    • Improved user productivity: The solution’s secure and seamless access to network resources helps users be more productive and access the resources they need, when they need them.
    • Better business agility: With the solution, organizations can quickly respond to security threats and enforce security policies, improving overall business agility.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Aruba ClearPass is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it’s easy to use, has a valuable Guest Captive Portal and virtual security enforcement, and has a good web dashboard and policy manager.

    “It is easy to use and more integrated with the Aruba wireless networks,” says Muhammad N., Network & Information Security Engineer at a healthcare company.

    Ammar F., Head of IT at Hubtech, explains, “What I like most about Aruba ClearPass is that it has the best enforcement feature for the network. I also like its Guest Captive Portal and virtual security enforcement features, but the virtual security enforcement feature is still under testing by my company. Aruba ClearPass also has a wonderful UI which I find valuable."

    Another PeerSpot reviewer mentions, "The web dashboard and the policy manager are very intuitive and very easy for the engineers to use."

    Fortinet's FortiNAC is a network access control solution that provides visibility, control, and automated response for everything that connects to the network, enhancing the security fabric. FortiNAC protects against Internet of Things (IoT) threats, extends control to third-party devices, and orchestrates automated responses to a variety of networking events.

    Using many information and behavior sources, FortiNAC delivers extensive profiling of even headless devices on your network, allowing you to precisely identify what's on your network.

    You can change the configurations of switches and wireless equipment from more than 70 vendors to implement micro-segmentation regulations. You can also extend the security fabric's reach in diverse contexts.

    With FortiNac, you can respond in seconds to events in your network to stop attacks from spreading. When the relevant behavior is seen, FortiNAC offers a rich and customized set of automation policies that can rapidly trigger configuration changes.

    Fortinet FortiNAC Features

    Fortinet FortiNAC has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Agent or agentless (automated) scanning of the network for device detection and classification
    • Generates a list of all the devices on the network.
    • Evaluates the risk of each network endpoint.
    • Consolidates the architecture to make deployment and management easier
    • Gives wide support for third-party network devices to maintain compatibility with current network infrastructure,
    • Automates the process of onboarding a large number of endpoints, users, and visitors.
    • Enables network segmentation and enforces dynamic network access restriction.
    • Reduces the time it takes to contain a problem from days to seconds.
    • Reduces investigation time by reporting events to SIEM with detailed contextual data.

    Fortinet FortiNAC Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing DX Spectrum. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Automatic response: FortiNAC will continuously monitor the network, analyzing endpoints to ensure they meet their profile. FortiNAC will rescan devices to verify that MAC-address spoofing does not compromise the security of your network access. FortiNAC can also keep an eye out for unusual traffic patterns. The FortiGate appliances are used in conjunction with this passive anomaly detection. When a compromised or vulnerable endpoint is identified as a threat, FortiNAC initiates a real-time automatic response to confine the endpoint.

    • Total device visibility: FortiNAC monitors the entire network and provides total visibility. FortiNAC searches your network for users, applications, and devices. FortiNAC may then profile each element based on observed attributes and reactions, as well as drawing on FortiGuard's IoT Services, a cloud-based database for identification look-ups, using up to 21 distinct techniques.
    • Dynamic network management: Once the devices and users have been identified, FortiNAC allows for extensive network segmentation to allow devices and users access to critical resources while preventing unauthorized access. FortiNAC employs dynamic role-based network access control to conceptually establish network segments by grouping similar applications and data together to restrict access to a certain set of users and/or devices. If a device is compromised in this way, its capacity to travel through the network and target other assets is constrained. FortiNAC assists in the protection of sensitive data and assets while maintaining compliance with internal, industry, and government standards and directives. Assuring the integrity of devices before they join the network reduces the chance of malware spreading.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Fortinet FortiNAC stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust network segmentation and its device visibility. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:

    A Senior Proposal Manager at a tech services company writes of the solution, “The network segmentation is the most important part of the solution. The integration with the Zero Trust Access solution is a crucial part of segmenting your network.”

    Eranjaya K., Security Engineer at Eguardian lanka, notes, “We use Fortinet FortiNAC to receive excellent visibility of our network for traffic and what devices are connected to prevent attacks.” He adds, “I have found Fortinet FortiNAC to be scalable.”

    Sample Customers
    Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
    Isavia, Pepperdine University, Medical University of South Carolina, Columbia University Medical Center, Utah Valley University
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider18%
    Computer Software Company18%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Healthcare Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Comms Service Provider6%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider24%
    Financial Services Firm16%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Manufacturing Company12%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization32%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Comms Service Provider6%
    Government5%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise35%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business23%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise60%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business51%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise26%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise43%
    Large Enterprise38%
    Buyer's Guide
    Aruba ClearPass vs. Fortinet FortiNAC
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba ClearPass vs. Fortinet FortiNAC and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Aruba ClearPass is ranked 2nd in Network Access Control (NAC) with 75 reviews while Fortinet FortiNAC is ranked 4th in Network Access Control (NAC) with 42 reviews. Aruba ClearPass is rated 8.6, while Fortinet FortiNAC is rated 7.6. The top reviewer of Aruba ClearPass writes "Easy to use, multifeatured, and reliable policy management platform for identity authentication and new device onboarding". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Fortinet FortiNAC writes "I like the solution's native integration with other devices from the same vendor". Aruba ClearPass is most compared with Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine), Forescout Platform, Microsoft Intune, Ruckus Cloudpath and macmon Network Access Control, whereas Fortinet FortiNAC is most compared with Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine), Forescout Platform, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, Fortinet FortiClient and Portnox CORE. See our Aruba ClearPass vs. Fortinet FortiNAC report.

    See our list of best Network Access Control (NAC) vendors.

    We monitor all Network Access Control (NAC) 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.