We performed a comparison between Pulse Connect Secure and Fortinet FortiClient based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Based on the parameters we compared, Pulse Connect Secure comes out ahead of Fortinet. Our reviewers found that Fortinet FortiClient lacks automation in its initial setup and some users experienced difficulty when trying to reach technical support.
"It's an ideal gateway solution for small and medium businesses, i.e., around 300 devices can be easily handled."
"The solution has good performance."
"The EMS server gives us good control and central management."
"FortiClient's most valuable features are that it's fast and safe."
"It has a very easy-to-use interface. It has ease of management, and all the modules are there. SKUs are also easily identifiable. Whatever is required in the firewall is already there in it. It's very advanced, and analytics reporting is very good. They also have cloud reporting. You get all the services that are available for your device in the cloud. You just have to subscribe. It's very easy. There's a lot of demand for this solution because it's an all-in-one solution. The throughput is very high."
"The ability to reroute traffic from the user, connecting you to the internet rather than passing through our network area, is very useful."
"It's very stable."
"For our clients with remote sites and deployed firewalls, the filtering and authentication features are very helpful."
"The VPN connection is the feature that I like the most."
"The most valuable feature is that it's easy to deploy. Deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting are very easy."
"It's a very convenient and user-friendly application."
"The solution helps with principal decisions. It also helps with the security and configuration of many technologies."
"It's quite stable."
"The best feature of Pulse Connect Secure is the good security it provides. It gives a secure connection to your network."
"The most valuable features of the solution are reliability and uptime."
"The most valuable feature is being able to securely connect and use virtual desktops."
"From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy."
"The new UI that they are providing right now is very good."
"There must be a more easy-to-use GUI."
"The connectivity could be improved."
"The current version of this solution does not show the malicious websites that have been visited. They should add this to an upcoming release."
"Occasionally, the solution may provide a slow connection. In addition, there may be initialization and authorization issues that one may need to take care of while using the solution."
"The memory check needs to be improved, giving better visibility into the run-time memory."
"In terms of improvements, their SSL VPN tunnel can be a lot better. I've seen other products that have got much better VPN features than Fortinet. Some of my colleagues get this error called "License not available." When they get this error, they have to uninstall and reinstall it. This kind of problem is there, and sometimes, we have to open a case with Fortinet to resolve it. Their support is quick, so we are able to resolve and move forward. In terms of new features, when it is connecting, it should check the endpoint and say whether the end client is actually safe enough or whether there is a vulnerability. It should give a pop-up on the client itself. Because I'm on the admin side, I can also see this information in the log. However, if a non-IT user, such as a user from finance, is working on this and there is some problem, he or she would not know about this and would call IT admin to say that this is not working. If the users get a message explaining why and what is happening, it is easy for them to understand."
"It would be extremely useful to have an automatic updating feature."
"FortiClient's encryption key could be stronger so that it's not broken too easily."
"The initial setup was probably more complex. The configuration was somewhat unclear."
"Pulse Connect Secure could improve the reporting, it is lacking in detail and should take the report automatically."
"User experience and after-sales support could be better. For example, over the last couple of years, when this COVID scenario was going on, there were multiple attacks on these types of solutions. SQL has been attacked numerous times, and there were a lot of vulnerabilities, and our customers had to update and upgrade the devices every two weeks or every month. This was a headache. It could also be more scalable."
"Zero test FDP (Fraud Protection and Prevention) should be improved."
"This solution normally works but at times, we have had trouble with connectivity."
"The solution can be improved by addressing the failure to connect on public 2-step networks."
"Pulse Connect Secure could improve by having better integration with NAC solutions, such as Cisco ClearPass integration with Pulse Connect Secure. Additionally, they need better integration with Microsoft Azure AD and Azure Authenticator."
"At the moment, Pulse Connect Secure is a pretty good solution, and I don't see any issues with it. Currently, I'm not aware of a new or additional feature that's needed in Pulse Connect Secure, but it would be good if the team could look at how the speed of connection could be increased. Though it's quite seamless and I didn't face any problem with the speed, it would be better to improve the speed and keep going forward, especially as the industry's changing and people would love connections to be a lot faster."
"The support team of the product needs improvement. Sometimes we have issues with multiple authentications, but there is no help from the support team."
Fortinet FortiClient is ranked 2nd in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN with 85 reviews while Ivanti Connect Secure is ranked 7th in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN with 25 reviews. Fortinet FortiClient is rated 8.0, while Ivanti Connect Secure is rated 7.6. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiClient writes "Easy to set up and user-friendly with good support ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Ivanti Connect Secure writes "Beneficial multi-factor authentications, useful SSL VPNs, and simple initial setup". Fortinet FortiClient is most compared with OpenVPN Access Server, Fortinet FortiEDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway and CrowdStrike Falcon, whereas Ivanti Connect Secure is most compared with OpenVPN Access Server, Ivanti Tunnel, Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, Citrix Gateway and Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway. See our Fortinet FortiClient vs. Ivanti Connect Secure report.
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