Sachin Vinay - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Amrita
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
User friendly and easy to set up with a great split tunneling feature
Pros and Cons
  • "You can scale the product."
  • "FortiClient is not great in Linux."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution completely for VPN purposes. We have infrastructure VPNs, and our clients are completely relying on FortiClient.

How has it helped my organization?

We are providing SSL VPNs with separate IDs for all the clients. With the FortiClient software, they can use our service even from home, with all kinds of solutions - like public VDA. They can access the VDA from their home with FortiClient. They just need to connect to the solution and be directly accessible to this local VDA service.

What is most valuable?

It's a completely user-friendly solution for any kind of platform, including Linux, Windows, Mac, et cetera. Our clients rely entirely on FortiClient.

It has a great split tunneling feature. The split tunneling feature is good in cases when we want to browse the internet through the ISP connection without going through our organization. It's for the client to browse the internet without going through our organization. The remaining traffic will go through a web firewall, and only the public features will go through their ISP.

The solution is stable.

You can scale the product.

The solution is easy to set up, deploys quickly, and doesn't take too many people in terms of handling the setup.

Technical support is good.

It works well with other Fortinet products.

What needs improvement?

FortiClient is not great in Linux. Our clients report issues from some of their Linux versions where FortiClient has some issues. In Windows, it is perfectly fine. In Mac OS also, it is excellent; however, in Linux, it is somewhat tough to handle.

We would like to see user-based authentication. It is already there. However, we are not able to save profiles completely in many of the releases. We will need to type these user-based things again and again on each connection fail. Therefore, once it gets connected, it is not completely up. We need to connect again after a session time-out.

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For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for eight to nine years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales well. It's not an issue at all.

We have between 4,000 and 5,000 users on the solution. Maybe 3,000 students will use it, and around 2,000 faculty.

We do have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support has been good. We've found them to be helpful and responsive.

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

We have used other private VPN solutions. For example, OpenVPN. FortiClient, however, completely works well with FortiGate solutions which is why we moved on with FortiClient.

How was the initial setup?

We required two people to handle the setup process. It's completely configurable. We were able to have everything up and running in two or three days. It's pretty straightforward and doesn't take a long time. Our network administrators handled the setup. We have two people handling maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

We didn't need any outside assistance. We handled everything in-house.

What was our ROI?

We have seen an ROI as it allows our users to work from home, which saves in-office resources. It's helped us cut down on our budget.

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

We license FortiClient as a VPN and don't require any other licenses.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and end-user.

I can't say which version number we are on at this time. We're likely on the most up-to-date version.

We like that the solution provides us with a more secure feeling. Also, client connectivity is not that difficult to configure. With the DNA in FortiClient, we can directly use the server from home. It is completely user-friendly and less time-consuming. Users can improve their production time greatly.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Security architect at ASD
Real User
Easy to configure and access in a work from home setup
Pros and Cons
  • "I find it very easy to configure and also very stable."
  • "An area of improvement could be better integration with the active directory. I did not find it easy to configure."

What is our primary use case?

It's useful to permit users working from home to connect to the internal infrastructure, sort of as an on-prem resource, in a secure way.

What is most valuable?

I find it very easy to configure and also very stable. It integrates well with Windows 10.

What needs improvement?

An area of improvement could be better integration with the active directory. I did not find it easy to configure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I worked with different versions of Fortinet for two years, specifically in 2019 and 2020. I used it to configure the server part of the FortiClient.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's not very scalable. We don't have a lot of availability. We only have one gateway and the clients connect to it.

It depends on the product you buy based on the performance, but you can start from 200 and above.

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and support are good. Although, the only point I don't like is that they take too much time to escalate the case. You have to do a lot of things yourself, even if it's something that needs their attention, so it's quite difficult to escalate it a little bit.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite easy. It's not so much about the technical staff as it is about the initial configuration on the firewall side. This includes setting up certificates for secure connections and creating groups for users. It requires understanding what is needed for each group and user and then configuring it accordingly. If it's a new deployment, it's quite easy. However, it could be more difficult if you need to replicate it from other systems.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment process involved several steps to ensure the solution was properly configured and accessible.

First of all, we had to configure the company's firewall to ensure it was deployed correctly. Then we had to configure the interface to connect to the system, set up certificate group user policies, and configure all the necessary steps. After that, we had to install FortiClient and configure it correctly to ensure the resources were accessible.

The deployment process took around two weeks to complete, but that was because we had to ensure everything was configured correctly and tested thoroughly before it could be fully implemented.

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

There are no licensing fees for the VPN.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiClient
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiClient. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Enterprise Solutions Consultant at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 5
Powerful with good connectivity and the ability to expand
Pros and Cons
  • "It is very powerful."
  • "The solution requires skillful users."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution support on the customer's network. It's a VPN product. We enter into their network and give support. 

What is most valuable?

It's good to use the solution with other solutions. There's good connectivity.

It is very powerful. 

The solution is good for scalability. 

If you are knowledgable, it can be set up rather easily.

What needs improvement?

The solution requires skillful users. 

There are a lot of requirements. It makes it a bit complex to use. 

Security could always be improved. This is true for every VPN provider. We are seeing quantum computers, and it's only a matter of time before we will be using something like this we'll need security to match, including quantum-safe keys for VPNs and so on. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for two to four years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale, at least for my purposes. I'm not sure if there is a limit to how large it can scale. It can scale security-wise. Users can move from a simple password to two-factor authentication. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has not been used. We don't have any issues with the problem.

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

I work with a lot of clients and therefore use a lot of VPN solutions. For example, we also use Palo Alto or OpenVPN. OpenVPN is simpler to use. 

How was the initial setup?

I find the solution very easy to set up as I am knowledgeable. 

The solution can be deployed in ten minutes. If you need to configure something, it might take five minutes more on a new computer. 

The deployment is very easy. You simply download the solution from Fortinet, and the installation software is simple to click through, so long as you don't need too many configurations. 

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

I can't speak to the pricing. The customer handled the costs. 

What other advice do I have?

We're using the latest version of the solution. 

We use the solution personally as our clients use the product. 

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. I'd recommend the solution to others. It is a very good product. OpenVPN is also quite a good solution as well. 

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
Mohd FauzanRahim - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Measat Broadcast Network System
Real User
Top 5
Helpful support, good reliability, and offers great VPN capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "It's very stable."
  • "We'd like to see a deployment wizard to help implementation become streamlined."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the VPN.

What is most valuable?

The VPN capabilities are good. 

It's very stable. 

It can scale well.

Techical support has been helpful.

What needs improvement?

We'd like to have a guided config process. We'd like it so that, when you want to configure something or allow new segments or servers, you launch a wizard, which will guide you on how to configure it.

We'd also like to see a deployment wizard to help implementation become streamlined. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. I'd rate the stability five out of five. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have about 300 people using the solution right now. 

The scaling is pretty good. I would rate it four out of five in terms of its scaling capabilities. 

How are customer service and support?

I've had a positive experience with technical support. They are very good. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I did not previously use a different solution. 

How was the initial setup?

I was in the company when they were refreshing the hardware. I handled the setup. It's not very straightforward in that there are many steps involved. You have to define the separate routing and then deal with the portal for separate applications, and then have a policy for that. It took one or two days to do the deployment. 

We only need two people to maintain the solution internally. 

What about the implementation team?

We had the help of a consultant, a reseller. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We may have compared this solution to Check Point. We found Fortinet to be simpler and had better compatibility.

What other advice do I have?

We are customers and end-users. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
AGM at Partex Star Group
Real User
Secure VPN access for remote network users that is free but takes to long to install
Pros and Cons
  • "It supports securely connections for VPN users from outside our environment during the lockdown."
  • "It seems to be more scalable than we thought."
  • "The technical support from Fortinet and local vendors is good."
  • "It takes too long to install."
  • "The user interface could be more inviting."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use for FortiClient is just for its capability to securely connect VPN users from outside our environment during the lockdown. It has strong authentication.  

We use it for a VPN client for our network users. They just connect to our network in order to get access to our enterprise environment and for the EFT (Electronic File Transfer) system.  

What is most valuable?

FortiClient is valuable because it is free for us to use to provide VPN services to the people who need to access our network from external locations.  

What needs improvement?

This product is very good. Graphically, it is okay, but this may be one area where it could be better. It should be more graphically inviting. It is okay as it is, but it could be improved.  

If I compare FortiClient VPN and OpenVPN, FortiClient VPN takes too much time while installing on someone's computer or laptop. I do not know why that is. The installation takes too much time compared to OpenVPN. OpenVPN is a very light software. It is installed in a couple of seconds. It does not make sense that FortiClient takes so long to install. I just feel it is a problem that could be addressed.  

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Fortinet FortiClient since February or March of 2020. So it is a little over six months.  

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is definitely stable.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think this solution has good scalability. Originally when I installed it I thought maybe 30 or 40 or 50 users could be connected with this extra VPN. It would have been okay if it could just do that. But now, I connected about 200 users and they are able to connect using this VPN software and they can securely access my network from outside our physical location. The performance has not degraded.  

How are customer service and technical support?

I have had some experience with Fortinet's technical support. If I feel I have the need for some support, I can contact the local Fortinet representative. I can also contact some good local vendors. I can talk with them as well and get support easily. I do sometimes reach out to get support from the local vendors that I have a good relationship with. That is why I can get good support from them as well as from Fortinet. Support is no problem.  

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

We used another VPN solution before FortiClient VPN. It was called OpenVPN. That is an open-source solution and we still use it.  

Both of these VPN solutions are good. But, also it depends on routing or which kind of traffic I am permitting. With my Fortinet VPN, I grant access to those users who want access to my EFT network. I just connect with them through FortiClient. Other VPN users can connect still with OpenVPN to access the corporate network.  

We were interested in implementing an SD-WAN (Software-defined Wide Area Network) for better access for our employees during the lockdown. We just wanted to implement SD-WAN technology to help remote workers access the office network. We configured the FortiClient VPN just for these users. That is the reason why we took on Fortinet FortiClient.  

We have a long-term plan. We just want to use one firewall in our data centers. At present, our whole network is in our head office. This network will not be there anymore. It will be migrated to one of our data centers.  

There are about 200 users who we have currently given this VPN access to.  

Other than OpenVPN we used Cisco for an internet solution. It was three years back that we were using the Cisco-based system solution. But, this is not exactly the same as what we use Fortinet for now.  

How was the initial setup?

I think FortiClient is very easy to configure, definitely. That is the VPN only. There is also an option to use FortiClient as an antivirus solution and it is also free. Some of my colleagues told me that they are using FortiClient already for an antivirus solution. I have not yet used that or tried to configure it so I do not know if that is more complicated.  

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

The product we are using is not subscription-based. This is a free version. I just downloaded from the Fortinet website and it is free to use.  

What other advice do I have?

I can definitely encourage other people to use the FortiClient VPN. FortiClient is a pretty great solution for the VPN.  

On a scale from one to ten (where one is the worst and ten is the best), I can rate FortiClient as a seven-out-of-ten from my experience with this product over the past six months.  

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Director at Guangdong Technion Institute of Technology
Real User
Easy to setup, priced well, and you can automatically assign VPNs to specific users
Pros and Cons
  • "When the user gets authenticated, I can assign a different VPN or network to each user."
  • "I think that FortiClient can enhance the multifactor authentication."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is as a firewall. 

I have two Fortinet perimeter firewall boxes in my local data center. The two boxes also provide the SSL VPN functionalities, intended for authorized users only. Not everyone in my organization has access.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of FortiClient are that it can be integrated with Active Directory to the central authentication and that I can manage the permissions.

When the user gets authenticated, I can assign a different VPN or network to each user.

It's a  good solution for the IT department to control the access permission. I find this quite useful.

What needs improvement?

I think that FortiClient can enhance the multifactor authentication. Currently, if you want to enable dynamic tokens with FortiClient authentication, you only have one option, which is supplied by Fortinet.

You cannot integrate FortiClient VPN with Google authenticator or Microsoft authenticator, it's impossible. I think that they can improve this module.

In the next release of this solution, if they could improve the MFA, it would be a perfect solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution since March of 2018, almost two and a half years. 

We are always using the latest version, as they regularly update their software.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They say that it can support more than 1,000 concurrent users, so I would agree that it is scalable. We have 800 users.

Because we have only authorized certain people to use it, it is restricted to the IT department. This has less than ten people in other departments. There is a total of approximately 20 people who maintain this solution.

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

I have used several solutions. Previously, I worked with Cisco AnyConnect Access VPN and also Pulse VPN, which is originated by Juniper.

We use these other solutions to access other organizations. It is not a decision to switch. These other solutions have been provided by previous employers.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy and quite straightforward.

If you are an experienced network engineer then you can easily configure that to a VPN feature in less than half an hour.

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

FortiClient is quite reasonably priced. 

You can get the firewall box rather than just the SSL VPN box. When you purchase extra hardware, you are not restricted in the number of end users. 

This compares favorably to other solutions such as Cisco AnyConnects or Pulse VPN, where you have to pay extra for the end-user license and it gets quite expensive.

What other advice do I have?

If you are thinking to adopt the Fortinet SSL VPN, you have to consider the security level, because, by default, FortiClients can only integrate with FortiToken with a very limited license that will give you two. You can purchase additional FortiToken licenses for the MFA, or you can change to another solution, or the final option is to have the security level compromised, where the users just have user passwords to get authenticated.

If users share their password with other users then the account is compromised. You cannot use multifactor authentication to prevent or to mitigate that risk. If you choose to use FortiClient you have to consider that feature.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sutjipto Budiman - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at Widya Presisi Solusi
Real User
Top 10
Free to use, user-friendly and offers good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The VPN has proven to be quite useful."
  • "We'd like to be able to properly encrypt the data more effectively."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the VPN as well as for end protection. Those are the only two use cases for us. We don't use it for anything else.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has improved our organization as the VPN has allowed us to work from home, which has been quite handy during COVID. We don't need to be at the office to access the VPN. We can work from anywhere. It's made work much more flexible.

What is most valuable?

The anti-virus that the product offers is the most valuable aspect of the solution for us.

The VPN has proven to be quite useful. We access the VPN through FortiClient. 

The stability is very good.

Technical support is okay.

The version we have is free to use. It doesn't cost us anything.

We've found the solution to be very user-friendly. It's easy to navigate.

What needs improvement?

I'm now looking for some sort of option that can maybe be centrally located. We want the IP in our office to centralize the settings and so on. The one that we use, hasn't had that kind of capability to push the settings.

We'd like to be able to properly encrypt the data more effectively. We want them to offer encryption of the hard drive.

The initial setup can sometimes be complex.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a while now. It's likely been about five or so years. I've had some time to get to know it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is pretty good. there are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. Its performance is reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We use the solution on every PC right now. We use FortiClient, and we are happy with it, however, we do not have plans to increase the usage as our employee count has remained the same and we haven't added anyone to our team.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is okay. It's been fine. If we need assistance, we simply create a ticket. It's not hard to get a hold of them. I would say that we are satisfied with the level of support.

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

We used McAfee previously. It was the standard one that is already installed in the software. It's pre-installed software that was available on the computer. However, we needed to centralize the system. That's why we use FortiClient now instead.

How was the initial setup?

I haven't handled the initial setup personally. Usually, it's handled by my IT team. They are the ones that install it for me. I don't know whether it's complex, or not. However, from my point of view, sometimes I've heard that it has failed, and therefore it's possible it's quite complex.

Since I didn't handle the initial setup, and can't speak to how much time the deployment actually took.

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

We are currently using the free version of the solution. We don't pay a licensing fee to use the solution.

What other advice do I have?

We are Fortinet partners.

I would recommend the solution to other users and companies. It's a very useful tool and I have enjoyed working with it. It meets our expectations.

I would rate the solution at 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
Luca Toni - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Security and Privacy at AD2000 Srl
Real User
Top 5
A scalable and easy-to-deploy solution, but its visibility of the end-user action should be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiClient's scalability is very good because it has no limitations."
  • "Fortinet FortiClient should improve its visibility of the consumption of traffic and end-user action, which is very low."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiClient based on the end user's firewall structure. If my customer uses a FortiGate firewall, we usually use Fortinet FortiClient for the VPN instead of a WatchGuard.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet FortiClient's scalability is very good because it has no limitations.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiClient should improve its visibility of the consumption of traffic and end-user action, which is very low.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiClient for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We didn't face any problems with Fortinet FortiClient's stability.

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

I previously used a solution called WatchGuard.

How was the initial setup?

Fortinet FortiClient's initial setup is quite simple.

What about the implementation team?

Fortinet FortiClient's deployment took around five to ten minutes. We manually set up the software while configuring the end-user device. We deployed the solution through an in-house team.

What other advice do I have?

I would not recommend Fortinet FortiClient to other users because of its low visibility of end-user actions.

Overall, I rate Fortinet FortiClient a seven 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
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.