ICT System Specialist at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Log management that is scalable, easy to use, and priced well
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is simple and easy to navigate."
  • "One of the main disadvantages is not having a direct link to the security policy when you see something in the log."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer to manage services for our customers. We use it for log management.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is easy. For customers with basic knowledge, and for those who do not have a technical background, Fortinet is quite good and it should be the first choice.

The interface is simple and easy to navigate.

What needs improvement?

One of the main disadvantages is not having a direct link to the security policy when you see something in the log. You should be able to right-click and go directly to the security policy. When you compare with Checkpoint, they are very good with reporting and logging, and when you right-click on the log you can go to the policy and edit it.

In the next release, I would like to have a feature added where you can right-click and it takes you directly to the policy to edit it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for four years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is solution is very scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I don't have any issues with technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Everything with Fortinet is straightforward.

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

When comparing with other solutions such as Checkpoint and Cisco, Fortinet is priced well.

What other advice do I have?

I am an expert in Juniper and Fortinet at a professional level.

Previously in another company, we were service providers, and I did the implementation for service delivery cargo, and for an enterprise company, I did the firewall migration.

I would recommend Fortinet FortiAnalyzer.

I would rate this solution 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
Technical lead at Rogers Capital Technology Services Ltd
Reseller
Offers customized reports but their support needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The program is stable and it gives me great visibility."
  • "The technical support is not very good."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this solution is to deep-dive and get deep visibility analyzing of logs and proxy of the network. In other words, to get good customized reports.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution allows us to see what our users do on their computers. Some way they work all day long, but then we see that they have been surfing on net, using YouTube, streaming or looking at Facebook. It is therefore a very handy program. 

What is most valuable?

I am very impressed by the new version's security - on-premise or on the cloud. We have integrated the program with FortiView to get a better-customized log and more scalability on the application. The newer version is also much faster than the previous one and we have more visibility on whatever is happening on our system. 

What needs improvement?

Reporting wasn't very good in the previous version, but I believe it has greatly improved. The newer version has more features and the quality of reporting is better too. 

I would also like to see an improvement in the rebooting.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for about 13 years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is good - better than the previous version. Even the hardware had changed from DCVs to some STVs so now the hardware and software are more powerful compared to the previous version. We are now able to do 14-hour functionality. The program is disabled on the FortiManager by default, but we can enable it via the console in order to get the same visibility on the FortiAnalyzer. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the program is good and we are hoping to increase our usage. I would like to see new features and better functionality, though. For the scalability of the FortiAnalyzer, we need to take into consideration the time it will take to load 30 users instead of only 14. So maybe we would perhaps need an upgrade license for FortiAnalyzer deployment in that case.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support isn't very good, I rate it a 2 out of 5. I don't really rely on their support because in the past I had some issues and the support team could not help me. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was really straightforward. The duration of the deployment depends on the requirements of the customer and the kind of reports they want to get. It can be customized to the client's specifications. Some only use it for visibility while others want to get detailed reports. If the requirements are complex, it will take around two days. Otherwise, it will take a few hours. It is very easy to deploy the FortiAnalyzer. 

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

This program is quite expensive. We have to renew the hardware every year and the hardware is very expensive. And we need to renew the licensing for application control too. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution a 6 out of 10. It is a good security firmware for automation. From a single dashboard we can get all the logs and traffic information on our firewall. We can get more visibility, so there is no need for the engineer to go in each and every firewall to get information. 

Even if we don't use the FortiAnalyzer, we can use a FortiCloud to send a log. But we are still using a cloud-based solution. We are using our internet bandwidth to send logs. That's in real-time or scheduling. If bandwidth is the key factor, I will not recommend the customer to use a FortiCloud. And even if you are using the FortiCloud, the basic free version, you have a retention log for only seven days. If you want to have a longer retention log, let's say for one year, then you need to create a subscription with FortiGate. In that case, it is better to have a FortiAnalyzer on-premise. Always try to listen to your customer.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
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Information Security Specialist at Ministry of Heritage and Culture
Real User
Good network protection and web filtering capabilities with responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The IBS (Intent Based Segmentation) and application web filtering are the most valuable aspects of the solution."
  • "The solution could use more graphics and be more specific in the dashboard. This way, I'm able to understand everything and effectively understand what's going on, including what's incoming and outgoing. Right now, I have to look up everything. I need a dashboard so that I can see specific items right there in one place."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution to protect the network and to control how the users access and use the internet.

What is most valuable?

The IBS (Intent Based Segmentation) and application web filtering are the most valuable aspects of the solution.

What needs improvement?

The solution is quite expensive.

The solution could use more graphics and be more specific in the dashboard. This way, I'm able to understand everything and effectively understand what's going on, including what's incoming and outgoing. Right now, I have to look up everything. I need a dashboard so that I can see specific items right there in one place.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for three years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 600 users and do plan to increase usage in the future.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good. We've talked with them a few times. We have third-party support here in Oman.

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

I didn't previously use another solution.

What about the implementation team?

A third party vendor assisted us with the implementation.

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

We have around 12 devices and yearly we spend approximately $14,000.

What other advice do I have?

We are using the private cloud deployment model.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten. I don't have much to compare it to, but it's been fairly good.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Network Administrator at a university with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Useful reports assist with identifying and optimizing bandwidth usage
Pros and Cons
  • "We use this functionality every day, and obtain reports on things like how many people are using the VPN, which websites are being accessed, and whether hackers are trying to penetrate into our network."
  • "When somebody is new to the system they find it difficult to perform certain operations, like backups, and to see where the reports are."

What is our primary use case?

This solution is mainly used for reporting. We collect data from the FortiGate and analyze it with this appliance.

We have a physical device that is deployed on-premises.

How has it helped my organization?

Using this solution has allowed us to identify which applications are consuming the most bandwidth. We can also see the times at which bandwidth is most utilized. This has allowed us to manage our bandwidth and blend better.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is reporting. We use this functionality every day, and obtain reports on things like how many people are using the VPN, which websites are being accessed, and whether hackers are trying to penetrate into our network.

What needs improvement?

Every time there is a firmware upgrade the interface changes, and you'll have to maneuver that interface to see how to use it.

When somebody is new to the system they find it difficult to perform certain operations, like backups, and to see where the reports are. A more user-friendly interface would be an improvement.

I would like to see support for analyzing the wireless site, without going through the controller. For example, I would like to see a report on the full data including the APs that were up or down, and whether something has been upgraded.

For how long have I used the solution?

This is the first year that we are using this solution.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiAnalyzer is a good product that is stable. It is used on a daily basis.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

My understanding from the literature is that you can connect up to two FortiGate devices, or firewalls. Right now I have two 900D firewalls connected in the same network.

We have approximately twenty-five hundred users, including students and staff. There are six people who manage this solution. At this time, the current solution is enough and we do not need to increase its usage.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support for this solution is powerful and good.

We have a support contract and Fortinet handles the maintenance of this solution. If we face any problem we can just contact them and they will help. For example, last month we were not able to get a report from the FortiGate, and they managed to help us by formatting the disk on FortiAnalyzer. Now, we are able to get the report that we want.

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

We did not have another analyzer solution prior to this one.

How was the initial setup?

I struggled a little bit with the initial setup because it was a new concept to me. I looked at some videos on YouTube, as well as the Fortinet website.

What about the implementation team?

We had another company perform the actual deployment for us, but we had to provide input to guide them on how to set it up for us. They were very professional and very good.

We started with the 800C, then, later on, we moved to the 900D. The same company handled both deployments and they did a great job.

The deployment took less than a week. There was fine-tuning that had to be done on a regular basis until we got the reports that we wanted from it.

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

Our licensing fees are on a yearly basis. We have several products including Fortinet Wireless, FortiGate Firewalls, and FortiAnalyzer, which are bundled together and cost approximately $50,000 USD annually. We don't pay anything else in addition to the standard licensing fees.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

A company implemented a POC for us, and after that, we found that this could be a good product for our purposes.

What other advice do I have?

FortiAnalyzer is a good product, and anybody who implements this solution will get good results from it. The support from Fortinet is awesome.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Consultor de Seguridad at Netrix, LLC (X956)
MSP
It supports SQL for logging and reporting
Pros and Cons
  • "It supports SQL for logging and reporting. Log data is inserted into the SQL database for log view and report generation."
  • "It is very important that FAZ can support FortiController as the architecture designed for the network. FortiController should be registered in FAZ at least for event logs."

What is our primary use case?

It receives logs from the FortiGate 5000 Series (about 12 FortiGate blades), and it was configured for keep logs for about 1,050 days. The logs are divided by archive (raw logs) and analytics (logs indexed in a database). 

The use case is primarily for getting graphical data to make quick decisions.

How has it helped my organization?

FAZ has improved the organization because it stores events in the past so we can correlate incidents using another monitor tools; the problem is that it can´t recognize logs from FortiController blades, not even specifying it as a syslog device so this is a big lack. Devices from another brand are compatible only as syslog devices if they support.

What is most valuable?

It supports SQL for logging and reporting. Log data is inserted into the SQL database for log view and report generation. 

Another feature is the custom reports, where you can obtain a chart builder from a log view: traffic, event, or security log.

What needs improvement?

It is very important that FAZ can support FortiController as the architecture designed for the network. FortiController should be registered in FAZ at least for event logs.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues at all. It is a reliable product.  

The problems come when you are using different OS versions between FortiGate and FortiAnalyzer.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No scalability issues. You should know how many logs per second or minute are generated in your network to avoid issues with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support with Fortinet has risen considerably. Now, they respond in three to four hours instead of two days.

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

We did not use a previous solution.

How was the initial setup?

The FAZ includes a wizard, which is very simple to follow during the initial setup.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it in-house. We have had some experience implementing FAZ.

What was our ROI?

I do not have this value yet.

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

The cost and pricing should be in accordance with the calculation of log storage capacity for a time period required for historical analysis.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not look at any other options, because Fortinet was elected for use by the end user.

What other advice do I have?

My only experience is with a very important customer, the most recognized in Latin America.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are Grupo CEPRA, a channel for Fortinet sales.
PeerSpot user
it_user369339 - PeerSpot reviewer
Project manager at IRIDIS Group
Vendor
Our company uses a virtual infrastructure. Implementing this product supplements the protection of our infrastructure.

What is most valuable?

The key functions for us are the next-gen firewall and network analytics. To ensure the best protection, we need to constantly analyze the situation in the network, as well as internal and external threats, as well as actual AV protection. The Fortinet products and FortiGuard services give us all of this.

How has it helped my organization?

Our company uses a virtual infrastructure. Implementing this product supplements the protection of our infrastructure.

What needs improvement?

The current version of the product is easy to use. Based on my experience, I can't recommend any areas of improvement. It's important, however, to know what you want prior to implementation. Otherwise, it may not meet your future needs based on the initial configurations.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've used it for about four months.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

During installation, we had no problems with deployment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have had no problems with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have had no problems with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

The level of local customer service was very good. Per our request, tested the product. We got all answers to our questions from technical support. I rate both of them highly.

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

We used Wallix AdminBastion together with it.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

A successful implementation for this product depends on how clearly the customer understands what they have and what they need in the future. In most cases, the customer turns out to be unsatisfied when it's unclear that they knew what they wanted prior to implementation. My main recommendation is to implement it together with the vendor, writing down the tasks, solutions, and the expected result before you begin.

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

I think Fortinet has a balanced offering of prices and licenses.

What other advice do I have?

Fortinet's strategy is based on the dividing the product line depending on functionality. This allows customers to choose only the necessary feature set for them.

The Fortinet product line is wide – you can choose from SOHO to Enterprise, and from hardware to virtual solution. The presence of a free client (Win/Android/OS X) provides protection for client workstations. Each customer will be able to find the most suitable solution for them.

The balanced policy product line and licensing allows customers to choose only the necessary feature set for them. Also you can easily migrate from other vendors using single tools for conversion. Another tool helps you plan the placement of Wi-Fi points in the building. Also, it's very important that equipment has international and national certification such as PCI, DSS, etc. Presentation of products for SDN (Software-defined Networks including SDDC - Software-defined Data Center) confirms the company's leading position in the market.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Alireza Ghahrood - PeerSpot reviewer
Alireza GhahroodConsultant & Instructor -Cyber Security,GovernanceRIskCompliance (CISO as a Services) at Independent
Top 10Real User

I think Fortinet has a balanced offering of prices and licenses.

%50 %50

PeerSpot user
Regional Head at MASS INFONET (P) LTD.
Real User
Enables us to see what the user is doing and what sites he goes to
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution allows for a lot of customization."
  • "Their in-house technical support is extremely slow to respond. We have our own in-house team to manage issues so clients don't have to wait over two weeks for a response to issues."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily distribute this product to our clients.

What is most valuable?

When you need the reporting on the ISP, you will hand it to FortiAnalyzer. It works amazingly well. 

With FortiAnalyzer, you can see what the user is doing and what sites he goes to. You can also see how much quota there is and how much (size-wise) you want to hit, as well as what the incoming or outbound traffic is, and if it is through the ISP or not. Basically, you can see absolutely all activity using FortiAnalyzer.

The solution is very complete.

The product is very simple to use. 

It's regularly updated with many versions constantly adding more content and information.

The solution has sandboxing, IPS, and DPS as well.

The solution allows for a lot of customization.

Whether it's FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiGate, FortiIP, and FortiSwitch you can manage everything through a single console. That is the beauty of Fortinet. It's the security fabrics on offer. When you use the security fabrics, harnessing that control on a single dashboard makes everything so easy and manageable. 

What needs improvement?

There aren't any features missing. It's very complete.

Their in-house technical support is extremely slow to respond. We have our own in-house team to manage issues so clients don't have to wait over two weeks for a response to issues.

The solution has some limitations. We use MNC, and it has a US patent. Here we can do this thing but we maybe can't do that thing. They provide some documents to customers, but the customers want remote support to take on and/or finish the work. That's why I have the deployment team in place. It's a team within our team.

For how long have I used the solution?

We don't really use the solution. We sell the solution to our clients.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've never had issues with stability. It's excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. If a company needs to scale the solution, they are able to do so very easily.

How are customer service and support?

We have our own technical support offering and have 22 people handling everything from tickets to critical issues. It's L3 support, not L2 or L1.

Fortinet's support, on the other hand, has a slow response time. That's why we handle issues. If you put in a ticket with Fortinet, you may not get a response for 15 or 20 days. Our response time is much quicker.

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

We deal specifically in Fortinet products. We don't sell other solutions to our clients.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex at all. It's very straightforward.

Deployment is very easy. If you're using multiple gateways you can just connect through a single gateway. 

What other advice do I have?

We are an official partner and distributor of Fortinet in Maharashtra and Goa. We have only Fortinet products, and we are the sales stockist and we also offer our services. We have a limited portfolio and handle products such as FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiSwitch, and FortiED as well as FortiAnalyzer.

You can see in the Gartner report, Fortinet remains in the top tier of products, alongside Palo Alto and Check Point. Even Sophos and Sonic Wall aren't as highly ranked as Fortinet.

There isn't much competition locally on the market here. Palo Alto is technically a competitor, however, it lacks a few things that Fortinet already has.

I would definitely recommend the product. In fact, I would recommend the whole Fortinet portfolio to each and every client. Of course, which product would depend on the client requirements. All are excellent.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. Technical support is lacking, however, we have an internal team that can fulfill those needs.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Distributor
PeerSpot user
Pre-sales Engineer at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
Reseller
A stable solution that provides information about the state of all firewalls
Pros and Cons
  • "The most important feature is to be able to get reports or information about the state of all firewalls."
  • "Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is not in the cloud environment like some of the other products. There could be a possibility of extending its functionality to the cloud environment. If possible, they could have a deal with or integrate with other firewall manufacturers, like Palo Alto and Cisco, and mix the information. It is a difficult functionality. I don't know if any product in the market provides such functionality."

What is most valuable?

The most important feature is to be able to get reports or information about the state of all firewalls.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is not in the cloud environment like some of the other products. There could be a possibility of extending its functionality to the cloud environment. 

If possible, they could have a deal with or integrate with other firewall manufacturers, like Palo Alto and Cisco, and mix the information. It is a difficult functionality. I don't know if any product in the market provides such functionality.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for around one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable up to the maximum requirement of our customers. Our customers don't require a lot of firewalls, such as 100 or 1,000.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have contacted their technical support, and there was no problem. In general, we can directly communicate with their technical support and technicians.

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

I have used products from Palo Alto and Cisco.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex. The configuration of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is easy for basic information. The configuration can be complex if you want to do a lot of reporting.

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

It is not very expensive when customers understand the value of this product and the importance of the information that it provides for security. 

What other advice do I have?

We are a reseller. We have some customers who use this product, and I help them with the configuration of the basic features. 

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is useful for seeing the problems of the network and analyzing what is happening in your network. If you have an attack or some security problem, you can immediately see the information in the logs. 

I would rate Fortinet FortiAnalyzer an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiAnalyzer Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiAnalyzer Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.