IT and Operations Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
The stability is relatively poor, as it has taken us roughly 12 months to get the network access control to be functional
Pros and Cons
  • "When it works, it's great. It keeps things off the network which are supposed to be off the network."
  • "The technical support is bad. We've had to escalate to Tier 2 and Tier 3. My customer relationship manager on the other side of this has stopped returning phone calls and emails, because there has been such a constant back and forth."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is that we are using it as a network access control (NAC), preventing external devices from plugging into the network or foreign computers from joining the network.

We are using the latest version.

How has it helped my organization?

When it works, it's great. It keeps things off the network which are supposed to be off the network.

What is most valuable?

When it works, doing what it's supposed to.

What needs improvement?

Not using a Java front-end would be fantastic. It takes forever to load the system up and get in there to configure everything. It is too slow to do anything at all.

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiNAC
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiNAC. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is relatively poor, as it has taken us roughly 12 months to get the network access control to be functional. It took us six months to get the USB lockdown to work appropriately. It still false flags mice, etc. On top of it, it broke once we finally got the network access control working. It literally took us 12 months for people to be blocked on an Ethernet connection, and it takes about 90 seconds to knock them off. Even then, it's only 50/50. We have escalated this every week for 12 months, and I'm not sure we'll be renewing this contract.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is bad. We've had to escalate to Tier 2 and Tier 3. My customer relationship manager on the other side of this has stopped returning phone calls and emails, because there has been such a constant back and forth.

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

We didn't have something prior. We had someone do a security audit on us, and they made some recommendations of things that we were missing. We contacted a managed service provider to recommend things to fix these issues, and this was one of those things. We went with what the managed service provider recommended as a solution along with having a short timeframe.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was highly complex. Every time you get one piece to work, everything else breaks. We have not been able to get a full solution in place.

What about the implementation team?

We used a managed service provider to help get everything up and running.

The process was frustrating. The managed a lot of our network as is, and they've done several of these setups. They moved from the previous version to the newest version, and they have even stopped recommending it as a solution because they don't want to do this again with another customer.

What other advice do I have?

Look into the complexity of using tools. Anything that is difficult to manage will probably be painful to maintain.

We have a very aggressive roadmap with a fairly mature security posture. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user1232502 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cybersecurity Solution Architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It is a scalable product and the technical support is excellent
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup was easy and straightforward."
  • "The dashboard needs to improve."

What is most valuable?

We are only consultants, so we implement FortiNAC for our customers. The good part about FortiNAC is that it works seamlessly across either public cloud, private cloud, a hybrid one or on premises. So, depending on the client's requirements, I usually suggest that they go for public cloud where they have remote locations, and that they go for an application where they have a large deployment, adequate network and technical staff to support the requests.

The features we generally propose is basically agent-based authentication and the agent case solution product for wireless endpoints, which allow them to do automatic registration, and the third would be the health checks.

What needs improvement?

Something that the developers of FortiNAC might look at to improve, is more integration with third-party products. The dashboard also needs to improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using FortiNAC for almost a year now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiNAC is quite a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FortiNAC is a highly scalable product. The licenses remain unlimited. It's a subscription-based license, which is based on the usage and number of concurrent users. So the good part is that it can be deployed out of any environment.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support for us has been extremely good and the local support is excellent. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy and straightforward. The deployment can be done within a day.

What other advice do I have?

The good thing about FortiNAC is that it's more vendor agnostic. And then we have the deployed FortiNAC activate solution, which are different kinds of firewalls, which works perfectly fine. 

On a scale from one to 10, my rating for this program will be a nine. Additional features that I would like to see included in the next release of this solution is more integration with third-party products and probably some improvements on the dashboard.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

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

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiNAC
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiNAC. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technology Consultant Team Head at Ignite Solutions
Real User
Top 20
User-friendly and easy to implement
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution is very easy to implement and use. The interface is user-friendly."
  • "The reporting capability needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and this is one of the products that we implement for our customers. It is used as part of the network security and protects our clients.

What is most valuable?

This solution is very easy to implement and use.

The interface is user-friendly.

The most valuable feature for us is the support for iOS and iPhones.

What needs improvement?

The problem with Fortinet is that if you want to be 100% secure then you have to buy other products. It should support better integration with third-party solutions.

The reporting capability needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using FortiNAC for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiNAC is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution, although the scalability also depends on the other products that it is integrated with. Our customers are medium-sized and enterprise-level organizations. Our clients have about 500 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

This solution is so stable that we have not had any problems and never needed to contact technical support.

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

I am also working with Cisco ISE. It is very complicated compared to FortiNAC.

How was the initial setup?

It is very easy and straightforward to implement.

What about the implementation team?

Three of our engineers were involved in the deployment. One of them focuses on security and the others take care of networking.

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

The licensing fees are a little bit high.

What other advice do I have?

I try to push the use of this product because sometimes, the complicated solutions like Cisco ISE sometimes make the customers feel annoyed.

My advice to anybody who is considering this solution is that if the budget allows it, the entire security solution should be made up of Fortinet products. They integrate well and it will be better overall. A complete and secure solution will include products like FortiSandbox and FortiAnalyzer as well.

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
PeerSpot user
Eranjaya-Kumarasiri - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at Eguardian lanka
Reseller
Scalable, reliable, and good network viability
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortinet FortiNAC is a stable solution."
  • "The deployment of Fortinet FortiNAC could be better. When we are deploying the solution we have some level of dependencies with other vendors for their connection to Fortinet FortiNAC. Without these dependencies, it would be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiNAC to receive excellent visibility of our network for traffic and what devices are connected to prevent attacks.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiNAC could further improve its network visibility.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiNAC for two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiNAC is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found Fortinet FortiNAC to be scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment of Fortinet FortiNAC could be better. When we are deploying the solution we have some level of dependencies with other vendors for their connection to Fortinet FortiNAC. Without these dependencies, it would be better.

What other advice do I have?

Overall I am satisfied with the solution.

My advice to others wanting to implement Fortinet FortiNAC I would recommend before the start of the deployment to have a good summary of the documents ready. It makes it easier to follow the guides and have knowledge of their network beforehand.

I rate Fortinet FortiNAC an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Technical Presales Engineer at Dristi Tech Pvt.ltd
Real User
User friendly with a good graphical interface and excellent community support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of the solution are the user-friendliness, the graphical interface, and the technical support. The interface is very nice and the customization is good."
  • "For our organization and our clients, the price is the main concern. They should work to make it more competitive."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is generally used for compliance and other related items such as network visibility. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the solution are the user-friendliness, the graphical interface, and the technical support. The interface is very nice and the customization is good.

Overall, our clients seem to be quite pleased with the product.

What needs improvement?

For our organization and our clients, the price is the main concern. They should work to make it more competitive.

Customization could be improved in future releases.

For how long have I used the solution?

I recently deployed the product. I've been using it for about a year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Regarding scaling, I don't believe I would know about the requirements related to scaling the product. However, in terms of the device itself, my client is fully sufficient with the license. He has the number of devices he needs in order to monitor everything. I don't believe our client has scaled it, so I don't know how easy or difficult scaling is.

Our clients are largely medium-sized enterprises and may have up to about 400 devices on site. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I've never reached out to technical support myself and have never opened a support ticket, but I have heard that the solution is quite good at handling customer queries.

We've used community support and it's been quite good. We've found most of the answers to our queries using it.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite straightforward. We didn't run into any complexities during the implementation.

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

We're a Fortinet partner.

I would recommend the product to others. Usability is a crucial thing for networking and this product offers that. I'm not familiar with other NAC products. However, I think every organization should be implementing NAC. That does not always mean just FortiNAC products. There are other NAC products as well. We are very fortunate to have access to such products that continue to help our customers.

Overall, I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I don't exactly remember the version our clients are using currently, however, and I believe it is vm based for 2000 devices.

We don't actually use the solution in our own organization, but we have deployed it and we provide service, support, and monitoring on the devices to our clients.

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
it_user371772 - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Support Manager at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
It allows for easy management without using consoles. There were ​issues with hosts not being updated with accurate host names.

Valuable Features

Auto Switch port Tagging – Allows for easy management without using consoles.

Improvements to My Organization

Currently this product manages access to our Wi-Fi network, it also us used to prevent rouge devices from gaining access to our LAN.

Use of Solution

I've used it for one and a half years.

Deployment Issues

It deployed just fine for us.

Stability Issues

Issues with polling switches, hosts not being updated with accurate host names affected its stability.

Scalability Issues

It scaled well enough for us.

Customer Service and Technical Support

As there is currently not any UK based support – Poor.

Initial Setup

Personally did not set up the product but rather complex overhearing conversations.

Other Advice

This is a very complex product which is very good when used correctly, it has control over fundamental parts of your network so correct configuration and implementation strategy is a must.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System Security Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Good compliance checks and security features with the capability to scale significantly
Pros and Cons
  • "Compliance checks are a good feature. Compliance check is for windows updates and for antivirus updates, etc."
  • "The implementation process needs improvement. Right now, it's somewhat complicated. They could create some templates to facilitate implementation. Right now everything is done manually, and it just takes a really long time at the initial setup."

How has it helped my organization?

You can simply control whole network even you can check your switches configuration

What is most valuable?

Compliance checks are a good feature. Compliance check is for windows updates and for antivirus updates, etc. 

Security is also good. No guest can enter without credentials, such as usernames and passwords. You have full visibility, which is very good.

What needs improvement?

The implementation process needs improvement. Right now, it's somewhat complicated. They could create some templates to facilitate implementation. Right now everything is done manually, and it just takes a really long time at the initial setup.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is easily scalable. Once you have one working correctly, you can expand easily to make it as big as you want. However, setting up the first properly takes time.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've contacted technical support three or four times. They have been very good.

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

We didn't previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex. How long it takes to deploy depends on the complexity of the project, for example, if you are setting up the solution at branches or just at one location. So long as the team is cooperating and coordinating, it shouldn't take more than three months. You only need one to two engineers to deploy the solution. Afterward, you may only need one person for maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

You need professional engineers to set up the solution. Only trained and experienced people will be able to handle the implementation.

What other advice do I have?

We use the on-premises deployment model.

In terms of advice I'd give to others, I'd say the most important thing to worry about is organizing the network, like active directory groups and groups of users, etc. Organize the groups with VLAN IDs that are not too specific and the VLANs should be on all company switches.

I'd rate the solution 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.
PeerSpot user
Senior Information Technology Officer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Good reporting tools, interface, dashboard, and overall support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is good at giving a deep dive into each product. It tells you, for example, what is connected to the network. It gives us good reporting tools."
  • "I think the network devices need to give more information."

What is most valuable?

The solution is good at giving a deep dive into each product. It tells you, for example, what is connected to the network. It gives us good reporting tools.

What needs improvement?

I think the network devices need to give more information.

In the next release, we'd like to see more information on controlling, for example, adding more policies etc. We should get more information about IoT devices, and have more information available for the users.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for one year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability can be improved.

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution is good, so I've had no reason to contact Technical Support.

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

This is the first product we have used.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. You only need one person for deployment and maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

We used a consultant to assist with implementation. They were good. We didn't have a problem with them.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated so many other products but we found the features of this solution to be the most valuable.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution at a seven or eight out of 10. If they improved their network devices and their IoT product I would rate them higher. The solution is pretty inexpensive. That's why we are using it. I am satisfied with the interface, the dashboard, and the overall support.

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 FortiNAC Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiNAC Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.