Kehinde Bankole - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager IP Network Security Planning at MTN
Real User
Top 10
Easy to setup, learn, and use
Pros and Cons
  • "The user interface is very easy to navigate."
  • "Regional support in African countries needs to be improved."

What is most valuable?

The user interface is very easy to navigate. It is comfortable to use.

What needs improvement?

Regional support in African countries needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using FortiManager for less than a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

So far, FortiManager has been really stable.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiManager
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiManager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,236 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not pushed our usage to the point where we have had to scale, yet.

How are customer service and support?

The platform does not have proper support for Africans.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and not as cumbersome as some other products.

Our deployment took a month or two because of the change management. 

What other advice do I have?

My advice to anybody who is researching this product is that it is quite easy to use and the learning curve is not steep.

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
Borey Soen - PeerSpot reviewer
Networks & Securities solutions Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Real User
It has a good dashboard and allows you to manage multiple devices from a single console
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiManager allows you to manage multiple FortiGate devices from a single console, and this is a valuable product feature."
  • "Areas for improvement in Fortinet FortiManager are scalability and stability."

What is our primary use case?

I use Fortinet FortiManager for managing my FortiGate devices.

What is most valuable?

What I like best about Fortinet FortiManager is that you can use it with FortiGate. You can manage FortiGate devices through it. I also like that Fortinet FortiManager allows you to manage multiple FortiGate devices from a single console.

The Fortinet FortiManager dashboard is good, which is another pro of the product.

What needs improvement?

Areas for improvement in Fortinet FortiManager are scalability and stability.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Fortinet FortiManager for three years. I'm still using the product.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiManager could be more stable, so it's a seven out of ten for me.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'd give five out of ten for Fortinet FortiManager, scalability-wise. It's in the middle.

How are customer service and support?

I have experience contacting the technical support for Fortinet FortiManager. I'm giving the team an eight out of ten because I found it challenging to get support. Fortinet FortiManager technical support can be difficult to contact.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Fortinet FortiManager has a simple setup.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented Fortinet FortiManager because it's just a process of downloading the product.

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

Fortinet FortiManager is a low-priced product.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Cisco and Palo Alto Networks, but I found Fortinet FortiManager better and easier to manage.

What other advice do I have?

I'm using Fortinet products, Fortinet FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer.

My company has between three to four Fortinet FortiManager users.

Fortinet FortiManager is a product I recommend to others.

I'm rating the product as nine out of ten because it still has room for improvement stability-wise. Its technical support also needs improvement.

My company is a Fortinet partner.

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
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiManager
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiManager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,236 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Group Head of IT at a maritime company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Good Protection with multiple features in one box, but there are visibility issues and the price could be reduced
Pros and Cons
  • "It has multiple features in one box, which helps to avoid needing a lot of equipment. This is something that makes them unique."
  • "We have some visibility issues with the reporting."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution as our core Firewall.

How has it helped my organization?

As our core firewall, it provides us with good protection.

What is most valuable?

The functionality is good. It has good features and it works well for us.

It has multiple features in one box, which helps to avoid needing a lot of equipment. This is something that makes them unique.

What needs improvement?

We have some visibility issues with the reporting. As the reporting is not properly available, we have to use many tools to get a meaningful outcome of the reports.

There should be training available for the clients. Cisco, for example, provides training hours or credits at the time of purchase. People should get some kind of coaching on how to use this solution and various features rather than depending upon the support partners.

The reports are available separately, but they should be a part of the standard product.

For how long have I used the solution?

With this company, I have been working with Fortinet FortiManager for a year and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It has good stability. It's reliable as far as the production environment is concerned. It is working well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For us, it is fine as it is, because we don't have a large environment, and don't need such requirements.

It does provide the scalability for larger organizations with more sites. They may need to upgrade or maybe attach more devices.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have good access to the portal, and the information can be pulled from there. The department is also helpful.

Our experience with technical support has been good.

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

Previously, we used another solution. We did a complete overhaul of our network architecture, which was the main reason we brought Fortinet FortiManager into our environment.

How was the initial setup?

With some help, the initial setup was fine.

What about the implementation team?

We had engaged the partner to implement this solution for us.

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

Fortinet is a high-end product and the cost is high. They should consider reducing the price, especially for existing customers.

If you want to add something or if you want to resubscribe, there should be some advantage given to the existing customers. 

In my opinion, in general, the prices are high.

What other advice do I have?

Currently, it is fulfilling our requirements. We don't have any immediate plans to change, and we don't have any expansion possibility as such, because there is no expansion in our environment.

It is everyone's own choice what they want in their environment and what they want to prioritize.

Because I have some reservations, I would rate Fortinet FortiManager a seven 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
Network Delivery Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Nice interface, good support, and the intrusion prevention features improve our security
Pros and Cons
  • "Everybody is quite happy with the way that the graphical user interface works."
  • "We have experienced a series of minor bugs that necessitated contacted technical support on several occasions."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is internal security domain protection in corporate sites.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is intrusion protection.

Everybody is quite happy with the way that the graphical user interface works.

The redundancy and resiliency are quite good.

What needs improvement?

We have experienced a series of minor bugs that necessitated contacted technical support on several occasions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been dealing with Fortinet FortiManager for about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a resilient product. There are bugs in the system but the vendor has been very responsive in terms of fixing them or looking to them. None of the bugs were major, so we just had to use work-arounds until a new version came out that fixed them.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability with FortiManager is fine.

The ability to upgrade, or downgrade if necessary, is very good.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have made quite a lot of support calls to deal with bugs and other issues. The technical support is very responsive and there was no problem with it. I would say that they are excellent. My only problem is that we needed them perhaps slightly too often.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward.

Our deployment took about six months in total, although we were limited in resources and the requirements of operational handover. My engineering group has to stick to documentation and testing and requirements from the operations team. There were no issues with the deployment. Rather, that is how long it generally takes.

What about the implementation team?

Our in-house team is responsible for deployment and maintenance. We have about 10 engineers, although they support all of our networking products.

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

There are features that come at a cost that is in addition to the standard license.

What other advice do I have?

In general, I have no serious concerns about this product so I have no problems recommending it. It has all of the features that I need, as far as I'm concerned. Certainly, there's nothing that would cause me to suggest that people not use it.

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
HarshanaSilva - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Expandable and useful for management purposes but the price may be high for smaller environments
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a scalable product."
  • "The GUI is not ideal."

What is our primary use case?

We are one of the partners, so we are using it for customer testing for managers, owners, and others at head office. We are looking at FortiManager in terms of quality deployment and ability to manage everything. We're using it for management.

How has it helped my organization?

We are using a VM version and can scale it as we need. It depends on our license, however, we find we can scale.

What is most valuable?

The general policy, its integration, and deployment are all easy. We don't have a lot of devices, however, it creates a center where we can manage everything. The initial setup is very simple. 

The solution is stable. 

It's a scalable product.

What needs improvement?

The GUI is not ideal. It needs to be improved. It should be more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for around two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is a stable one. From time to time, we may see bugs, however, overall, it's a stable one. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable. 

How are customer service and support?

The support has been good. They are helpful and responsive. We're pleased with the level of service we get.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I don't have much experience with the other products compared to this product. The main reason that it's been chosen for clients is it's very well integrated with the rest of the Fortinet environment. For example, if somebody has an environment in SuccessFactors, FortiManager is good.

How was the initial setup?

It's very simple to set up the solution. It's not overly complex or difficult. The documentation helps with any complexity.

I'd rate the solution four out of five in terms of ease of deployment. 

You just need a single engineer, a software engineer, to set up and maintain the solution. Someone who has Fortigate knowledge should have no problem handling the solution. 

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

When you are going for a massive FortiGate environment, the costs compared to your investment would be fine. However, if you're going for below ten devices, the cost will be a little bit high. You would have to justify the expense. 

I'd rate it a three out of five in terms of availability.

What other advice do I have?

We are a Fortinet partner. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Real User
Easy firmware upgrades but some stability issues
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiManager's most valuable features are web-based or web-rule-based policies, SD-WAN, and the ease of upgrading to new firmware."
  • "FortiManager would be improved by putting everything into a single console, including Microsoft O365 integration."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use FortiManager to manage central policies and maintain a single pane of glass.

What is most valuable?

FortiManager's most valuable features are web-based or web-rule-based policies, SD-WAN, and the ease of upgrading to new firmware.

What needs improvement?

FortiManager would be improved by putting everything into a single console, including Microsoft O365 integration. Its stability could also be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using FortiManager for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiManager is pretty stable, but there are some bugs - for example, with some of the OCVPNs not getting managed properly.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiManager is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Fortinet's technical support is helpful.

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

I previously worked with Check Point and ASA but switched to FortiManager as it's more cost-effective.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty easy and took around one day for fifteen devices.

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

FortiManager is reasonably priced - I pay around US$40,0000 per year, which covers fifty locations.

What other advice do I have?

FortiManager is the best suite for SMBs, and I would rate it as six out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Infrastructure and Cloud Architect at Vizion network
Real User
Easy to use, reliable centralized management, with good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the centralized management of the firewalls."
  • "It's a difficult process to transfer one interface from one virtual domain to another."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is the management of firewalls.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the centralized management of the firewalls. By unifying the deployment process of the policies among many of the firewalls, or virtual domains that you have, and it is very easy to install and use.

What needs improvement?

The user interface itself has areas that need improvement.

It would be very useful if they come up with a feature or a process that makes the transition of the interfaces between virtual domains easier. It's a difficult process to transfer one interface from one virtual domain to another.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiManager for a few years.

We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a very good solution. It's a stable and reliable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a very scalable solution. It has been designed for a large environment. 

The concept of using a FortiManager is when you have a scalable modular infrastructure and several firewalls or Fortinet devices that you want to manage in a centralized environment.

We have three people using this solution and they are infrastructure engineers.

In our type of business, there is no plan or place for more expansion or improvement as we have a certain set of business services. The firewall is protecting our network and Fortinet devices are very limited in our company.

In our business, we cannot see a future for improving or expanding the use of FortiManager for some time.

How are customer service and technical support?

The Fortinet technical support is very good. It's a good team.

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

Previously, we did not use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and took less than an hour to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

I did not use a vendor. I did it myself.

What was our ROI?

We are not yet at a point where we can see a return of investment. It's going to take some time for our new project, which is still in the deployment process, to start paying back the investment.

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

The licensing costs depend on how many devices you want to use. It's based on the licensing model and the number of devices you add to the system.

The more devices you add to FortiManager, the more you need to pay.

I am not aware of any additional costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other options as we already had FortiGate devices. FortiManager was the only option.

What other advice do I have?

You have to plan everything with very specific details before deploying the FortiManager, otherwise, it will be complex.

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
Security Engineer at MTDS
MSP
Good central management but bad stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The central management feature is the most valuable to me."
  • "The product is not very stable."

What is our primary use case?

It is used to manage several firewalls, primarily for setting policies and as a central management point for all the firewalls.

What is most valuable?

The central management feature is the most valuable to me.

What needs improvement?

We find that several vulnerabilities are showing up every week, so we have to check every time with the customer to make sure everything is okay and to apply patches when needed. The frequency is a little disarming. So, the product is not very stable. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Fortinet FortiManager for a year. We are currently using the latest release, version 7.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability a four out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

There is not an issue with the technical team. It's more about the product itself.

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

The pricing model is affordable. Largely, customers opt for this solution because it has a low price. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate the product a five out of ten, mainly because of its stability and also because the technology is not as advanced as some of its competitors, such as Palo Alto and Check Point.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiManager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiManager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.