CISM at Exceed NetSec LLC
Real User
Top 5
Improves and increases the performance but performance issues should be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "We look at the traffic to segment the network and it improves and increases the performance. When we have a mobile connection and local laptops are on the same network. We have seen a big performance upgrade."
  • "Performance issues should be improved. We have problems when we have more mobile connections than local devices. Most of us have two to three devices."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is to analyze the internal traffic to see what's happening in the network. We can analyze the logs and push policies. In case something happens, after rebooting it, we can push the configuration back into the appliance. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is analyzing the traffic. When we call ISP and we do an upgrade, the performance is down and we can look into it and see where we're lacking and analyze the data and decide how to go about it - if it is from the firewall or the connection. 

We look at the traffic to segment the network and it improves and increases the performance. When we have a mobile connection and local laptops are on the same network. We have seen a big performance upgrade.  

What needs improvement?

Performance issues should be improved. We have problems when we have more mobile connections than local devices. Most of us have two to three devices. 

Finetuning and performance tuning need improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with FortiManager for around fifteen years. 

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. Throughout my career, my failure rates have been low. Some models have bugs on the flash drive. But it's usually from carelessness from the client's side. It's very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If you go above your box, you have to update it. It's not so scalable. But most firewalls are like this. Throughput makes a difference. We have to upgrade boxes every three to four years. 

How are customer service and support?

Their support is good. They respond well. Their response time is good and they can usually resolve the problem. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not very complex. I've been in this field for a long so I don't find it very complex. 

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

The pricing is reasonable. It's not very expensive, it is reasonably priced. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a seven out of ten. 

In the next release, I would like to see more performance-tuning. If they could work on that, that would be great. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
it_user1358559 - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect at IT Systems and Solutions sp. z o.o.
Real User
Good central management capability that simplifies work and saves us time
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the central configuration for firewall policies."
  • "Having FortiManager work with all of the Fortinet products would be a good improvement."

What is our primary use case?

FortiManager is used for centrally managing many FortiGate firewalls. It is a very good solution if you are using several of them.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the central configuration for firewall policies. This simplifies the management of many devices and acts as a central firewall policy object. It is sometimes used to deploy a VPN, where that is used to connect many FortiGate instances.

You don't need to log in to the devices many times. Instead, you can locally manage and copy the configuration to several of them.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet develops many different solutions but only some of them can be managed using FortiManager. For example, if you have a load balancer then you have to have a separate manager. Having FortiManager work with all of the Fortinet products would be a good improvement.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Some older versions of FortiManager, perhaps three or four years ago, had some issues with instability due to bugs. However, now, it is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale, although it can be costly. There is a limit to the number of devices that it can support, but additional FortiManagers can be used in this case.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have been in contact with the Fortinet technical support several times, and the support is good. The people are nice and they will also help you online.

How was the initial setup?

Until you have experience with it, this device is not simple to set up. You have to spend perhaps five to seven days to configure it properly, including the automation of certain tasks.

If you have a single person for the implementation, it will take approximately two weeks to deploy.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I find that this is a good solution and it gives me everything that I want. I would recommend it and people should definitely try it.

I would rate this solution an eight 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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Asst. Network Security Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Reasonably priced, and the centralized management helps to consolidate network security operations
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet has the option of synchronization in the cloud, so you can manage everything if you have a cloud account."
  • "The response times from technical support need to be a bit quicker."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider, reseller, and distributor. Fortinet FortiManager is one of the security products that we implement for our customers.

How has it helped my organization?

FortiManager is a benefit to our clients who have several Fortinet products in their ecosystem. For example, they may have different products such as FortiGate firewall, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiSandbox, and they can orchestrate them from FortiManager.

It also allows for multitenancy, where we can manage the security solutions of several different customers.

What is most valuable?

Fortinet has the option of synchronization in the cloud, so you can manage everything if you have a cloud account.

FortiManager supports orchestration in distributed environments and provides features such as automation and profiling. It allows you to push the configuration for new deployments, which makes the setup of new systems easier.

It fits well into either NOC or SOC environments to assist with managing the overall security solution.

What needs improvement?

The GUI and the whole process of configuration should be improved.

The response times from technical support need to be a bit quicker.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with FortiManager for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable, although if you are managing hardware appliances then there are some limitations. If you are using the VM then you can just upgrade your license and add resources.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support wait times are long and this is an area that should be improved. Raising a ticket through the portal will sometimes take more than 24 or 48 hours. The response time definitely needs to be a bit quicker.

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

I work with a variety of security vendors and have a lot of experience with Fortinet products. I also work with solutions from McAfee and Palo Alto.

I have also worked with the Cisco DNA Center and they have some futuristic options in the interface.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex and it will take only one or two hours to get the appliance online. After this, it will take time to populate the configuration with all of your assets. There is a lot of planning involved in this stage.

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

In comparison with other products, the price of FortiManager is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

In terms of deployment options, it has a lot of options for enterprise-level organizations such as telcos and banks. Overall, I think that this product is okay.

I would rate this solution an eight 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: Reseller.
PeerSpot user
Senior Security Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
MSP
Zero-touch provisioning lets you add new devices without configuring, but setup is a bit complex
Pros and Cons
  • "There is something called zero-touch provisioning, where you can add a new device without any configuration. You just add it to FortiManager and then forget about it."
  • "Setting up FortiManager can be complex because it involves changes from other devices and a lot of configuration."

What is most valuable?

There is something called zero-touch provisioning, where you can add a new device without any configuration. You just add it to FortiManager and then forget about it.

What needs improvement?

FortiManager could be simpler.

For how long have I used the solution?

I'm not using FortiManager at this company, but I've been using it with different organizations for maybe five years. So haven't been using it continuously. Sometimes it's a different solution.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would say that FortiManager is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's fairly easy to scale up FortiManager. I think it's suitable for large businesses. 

How are customer service and support?

Fortinet's support is good. 

How was the initial setup?

Setting up FortiManager can be complex because it involves changes from other devices and a lot of configuration. The time needed for deployment depends on the environment and size. For a small environment, it takes two or three days if it's the environment.

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

FortiManager is not too expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I rate FortiManager seven out of 10. I would recommend it to others.

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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Pre-Sales Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Easy to manage, good interface, and simple to use
Pros and Cons
  • "The best feature of Fortinet FortiManager is its ease of use. It is easy to manage the firewall from Fortinet FortiManager. Additionally, the interface is very good."
  • "The FortiManager is more complex and they can make it easier to use the VPN manager. All other features are okay. However, the VPN manager is more difficult and can cause some issues in the environment, if you do not have the experience to use it."

What is our primary use case?

I have used the FortiManager to implement and manage the Fortigate solution in one company that we implemented Fortinet. We use the FortiManager to manage all the Fortigates, firewalls, projects, and old projects.

What is most valuable?

The best feature of Fortinet FortiManager is its ease of use. It is easy to manage the firewall from Fortinet FortiManager. Additionally, the interface is very good.

What needs improvement?

The FortiManager is more complex and they can make it easier to use the VPN manager. All other features are okay. However, the VPN manager is more difficult and can cause some issues in the environment, if you do not have the experience to use it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used Fortinet FortiManager within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Fortinet FortiManager is very good.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

What about the implementation team?

The amount of technicians you would need for the implementation of Fortinet FortiManager depends on the environment. If you have many firewalls managed by FortiManager, you need more people. However, one person can manage the FortiManager, but you have the Fortigate environment to manage, you need more people, for example approximately four for the environment.

What other advice do I have?

I encourage the use of this solution. It is very good because they make it easy to manage the environment.

I rate Fortinet FortiManager a nine out of ten.

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