Fortinet FortiManager vs SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager comparison

"Setup, setting policies, and reporting were all very easy. We had no issues whatsoever getting the solution up and running."

"Central management system for Fortinet devices that's simple, scalable, and stable, with a straightforward setup."

"It would normally take us a handful of days to install one FortiGate instance on one site. But with this technology, zero-touch deployment, we need just one hour or maybe as little as 30 minutes to install one site. It is much more efficient."

"The solution brings device management into one single pane of glass and is a pretty good product."

"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."

"The initial setup was straightforward."

"Centralized configuration is the most helpful feature. I like the ability to create templates and push them to all the devices at the same time. I also like that I can see the the logs with one device to provide zero touch on all other products."

"The setup is very simple."

"The most valuable Real-time fault detection is beneficial as it enables the identification of changes made to a device's configuration through the SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager. This makes it easy to pinpoint which configurations were added or removed, potentially causing network issues. Such changes are saved in logs for future reference."

"SolarWinds NCM provides updates on the status of your network infrastructure. If any issues arise, such as a link failure or a device going offline, you will receive notifications and alerts. Additionally, if someone unplugs a cable, SolarWinds NCM will detect it. It also features a Topology Mapper that displays the connectivity of your network devices, giving you a visual representation of the network's structure. With SolarWinds NCM, you have a clear understanding of what's happening within your network and can generate comprehensive reports."

"The solution's view is very nice, and they have a great customized dashboard."

"The installation is straightforward."

"The scanning features have proven to be highly valuable, particularly due to the comprehensive information they provide."

"I use it for monitoring the entire network for the company. We oversee nodes down, we oversee devices heading up to crossing the threshold for CPU usage. We oversee power so power backups on the switches, we oversee if they're down or if they're failing. We oversee any node down or any router from any vendor."

"What's nice with NCM is you can set up policies that you can then check against the configs to ensure that your device configs adhere to a baseline or standard that you've set in place."

"The network performance monitoring of SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is a vital feature"

"The GUI is not ideal."

"The product is not very stable."

"The solution could improve by having better integration with other solutions other than Fortinet."

"FortiManager would be improved by putting everything into a single console, including Microsoft O365 integration."

"I didn't like the connectivity with FortiManager and FortiSwitch, which was buggy and annoying and had fewer features."

"The information extraction through command lines was could improve to some extent. Although there were some command lines available, there were not enough options. For instance, I needed to obtain the management IP address of my two Fortigates, but the Fortinet FortiManager did not provide me with the IP address on the LAN interface. I attempted to find this information through the command line but was unsuccessful. I also searched for articles on the internet, but could not find a solution. This is an aspect that could be improved or potentially there is a method to access this information that I have yet to discover."

"FortiManager should improve the integration with third-party platforms."

"The price always has room for improvement."

"Releasing a product compatible with operating systems other than Windows would be advantageous."

"I'd like to see additional features like support for devices that don't use CLI for configuration backups, expanded inventory support for other vendors beyond Cisco, and compatibility with newer SD WAN devices. These enhancements would further improve the product's versatility and utility for users. we hope for future enhancements, especially in supporting security devices that lack CLI backup options."

"The solution could improve by being more secure."

"The network flow is a problem for this solution."

"We want to be able to store it in a data warehouse format and integrate it with Google single sign-on."

"Its look and feel can be improved. They can also put in more effort into building the THWACK community and use the information about various customer issues and requests to build the new releases."

"I would like to see more integration tools. Something like dialysis, for example."

"The only thing that requires some experience, and training doesn't fix, is how to set up your custom policy-based reports to check compliance."

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

"I hope that the prices will become more competitive in subsequent releases, as the current pricing is perceived as somewhat elevated."

"The pricing model is affordable."

"Pricing could improve a little bit so I rate it a seven out of ten."

"The price point is very good."

"The licensing costs depend on how many devices you want to use."

"FortiManager is a bit expensive - I would rate its pricing three out of ten."

"Compared to Check Point or Cisco, Fortinet FortiManager is more affordable but it is still on the higher end."

"Additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee are inevitable."

"The price of the solution is high compared to other solutions."

"There is a license for the use of this solution and it is priced well, there is a lot of value for the money."

"We have to pay additionally for its support and maintenance."

"With a minimal bundle, we pay about $3000 a year in licensing costs. If you have multiple devices in your network, you must buy the bundle, which is 100% identical for your infrastructure. If you have 15 devices, you need 15 licenses, for example. That's one bundle. You don't pay for anything over and above that."

"Pricing is reasonable and competitive."

"You have a base license for 50 devices, and then you can add more licenses as you go."

"Available at a moderate price"