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Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Symantec VIP Access Manager comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 11, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator
Ranking in Authentication Systems
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (10th), Identity Management (IM) (15th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (2nd)
Symantec VIP Access Manager
Ranking in Authentication Systems
12th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Access Management (22nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is 3.0%, down from 7.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec VIP Access Manager is 1.9%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Authentication Systems Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator3.0%
Symantec VIP Access Manager1.9%
Other95.1%
Authentication Systems
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2848395 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Business Development Manager at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Multi-factor security has improved device protection but still needs broader application coverage
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator could be improved in its cost structure. Although it is not expensive, other solutions offer more value for less money. Cisco Duo provides better value in this regard and connects to web applications much more easily, scaling effectively in that sense. While I have never used Cisco Duo to secure other devices in IoT environments, I know Cisco Duo is capable of doing so, whereas Fortinet FortiAuthenticator cannot. Additionally, Cisco Duo is also cheaper. These are the main reasons why we switched away from Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, as it was very limited compared to other solutions available. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator was primarily missing the ability to scale to web applications.
Berk Onur - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Consultant at Cyberwise
With its mobile application, this tool offers a convenient and user-friendly experience to its users
To improve the tool, I think that the solution should consider integrations with other cybersecurity and IT technologies, such as Privileged Access Management and Site Integration. Additionally, the implementation of second-factor authentication via Symantec VIP Access Manager, CyberArk, and Delinea, among other technologies, could be best for the product. While the existing technology is okay, improving the integration capabilities for Symantec VIP Access Manager would benefit the product. I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company. While many cybersecurity solutions can function independently, they often lack integration with our systems due to missed integration points. Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most important feature is the security capability because it provides a substantial amount of security for admin-related activities."
"The most valuable features are the performance and ease of use."
"FortiAuthenticator has created a straightforward easy-to-use product."
"This is a very important product if a company wants to use a VPN."
"It made things much easier for dealing with users BYOD for our secured wireless networks."
"Fulfilled our requirement at a good price."
"FortiAuthenticator centralizes the management and storage of user identity information, thereby increasing the efficiency of administration and increasing the control over who accesses the network."
"The biggest advantages of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator are that it's easy to deploy, easy to manage, and the GUI is a very strong interface."
"Integration with Citrix Access Gateway, Microsoft Office 365 and Single Sign-On (through Symantec Validation and ID Protection Access Manager) has increased the productivity of the employees for accessing resources."
"Pricing was about 25% of the old solution, saving us about $500,000 over three years for 10,000 users."
"It's a good tool. It's pretty straightforward."
"The main benefit of Symantec VIP is that it provides strong authentication while keeping it as a very user friendly experience."
"VIP is a strong, cloud-based authentication service that enables organizations to secure access to networks and applications to prevent unauthorized logins to company resources, even when passwords have been compromised or shared."
"It is easy to use."
"Mostly from a product expert's point of view, it provides solutions for my clients."
"If you're looking for a fairly lightweight client that works very well for remote access purposes, I think Symantec is definitely a good product."
 

Cons

"The GUI has some shortcomings and can be made better. The GUI is not great."
"It does not consider customer requirements."
"If you can't authenticate to protect transactions, and the security is weak, it's a problem."
"Their technical staff needs improvement because they take too much time to resolve issues."
"The hardware aspect of the solution could be improved. We are not really able to understand the hardware capabilities of the device."
"If two-factor authentication is needed also for the end-devices, for example endpoints or servers, I think FortiAuthenticator is not yet the most mature solution."
"These are the main reasons why we switched away from Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, as it was very limited compared to other solutions available."
"Other features that would improve the product are a single sign-on where people can use their Gmail ID to log-in, etc."
"Our only issue was with user training. The additional challenge was not well received."
"Maybe Symantec could consider providing a step-by-step guide for first-time users."
"In my opinion, for this solution, the technical support is not so expert when we talk about integration using the API."
"In the next release, I would like the ability to work offline with remote access."
"The gateway server is a RADIUS server, but it lacks the functionality of returning RADIUS attributes other than those that are required for the gateway to authenticate the users."
"Technical support is one of the worst problems."
"It gets out of sync with Active Directory or whatever it might be, whatever the authentication piece is on Active Directory, and they just reset it on the backend. I never have to contact the vendor."
"There are some shortcomings on the reporting side, such as how many connections you can get per month."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would start off with a VM including the base license and scale according to the number of users you need to authenticate."
"I rate its pricing a three to five out of ten."
"I would rate the pricing a four out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. It is not that costly. It is cheap, easy to manage, easy to install, and easy to configure."
"The customers need to pay for licenses, and some pay on a yearly basis while others pay on a three-yearly or five-yearly basis. Also, it is not an expensive solution."
"Between paying them to help with the configuration, the box itself, and the support, it came to like $12,500, including a three-year service agreement."
"I price of the solution is expensive."
"I rate the price of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator a three out of five."
"I rate the product price as two or three on a one-to-ten scale, where one is expensive, and ten is cheap."
"There are additional costs for maintenance."
"Licensing and pricing seems very fair."
"There is a one-time setup fee plus the licenses are provided as per the number of users. For SMS and voice calls, the costs are separate."
"I can say that the solution is worth the money."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Construction Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Fortinet can make Fortinet FortiAuthenticator better by having a cloud version of it. Currently, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is only available for on-premises, and it is an on-premises solution. It...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is primarily used for authenticating admin users, including remote admin use cases. Remote admin use cases utilize Fortinet FortiAuthenticator to securely authenticate a...
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Also Known As

FortiAuthenticator
Symantec VIP
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Maine Medical Center, Aria S.p.A
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
914,322 professionals have used our research since 2012.