Fortinet FortiSIEM vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security comparison

Fortinet and IBM are both solutions in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category. Fortinet is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.1, while IBM is ranked #58. Fortinet holds a 3.3% mindshare in SIEM, compared to IBM’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 82% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Fortinet FortiSIEM

Read 75 Fortinet FortiSIEM reviews

5,537 Views
4,042 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Read 4 IBM Watson for Cyber Security reviews

517 Views
486 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiSIEM

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

Fortinet FortiSIEM and IBM Watson for Cyber Security compete in the security information and event management category. IBM Watson has the upper hand due to its advanced AI-driven features.

Features: Fortinet FortiSIEM offers extensive logging capabilities, broad integration options, and strong event management. IBM Watson for Cyber Security provides AI-driven threat detection, automated event correlation, and intuitive insights.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiSIEM needs better scalability, improved performance during high log ingestion, and enhanced user experience. IBM Watson requires more customization options, streamlined threat hunting processes, and a better interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiSIEM is straightforward to deploy with good documentation but has a steep learning curve. IBM Watson offers smooth deployment due to its cloud-based nature but has a complex setup. Both products have highly-rated customer service, with Fortinet noted for personalized support.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiSIEM is cost-effective with favorable ROI. IBM Watson for Cyber Security is more expensive, but users find the investment worthwhile due to its advanced AI capabilities and proactive threat intelligence.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiSIEM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiSIEM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security

September 2025

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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 FortiSIEM

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

7th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

58th

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSIEM is 3.3%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Watson for Cyber Security is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiSIEM	3.3%
IBM Watson for Cyber Security	0.4%
Other	96.3%

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Featured Reviews

Oliver Jackson

Network Engineer at Laminar Communications Pty Ltd

Systems monitoring enhanced by firewall and intrusion detection features

My primary use case for Fortinet FortiSIEM is systems monitoring and alerting. I use it for standard functions like log monitoring, incident detection, and notification. My customers are mostly medium-sized enterprises ranging from engineering companies, mining companies, independent schools, and…

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Elena Stefanovska

Sales Account Manager at InTec System

Knowledgeable support, reliable, and useful compliance policies

IBM Watson for Cyber Security can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud and it is used as a SIEM solution The most valuable features of IBM Watson for Cyber Security are ease of use and out-of-the-box reports and compliance policies. Additionally, if there are aspects that are missing IBM add…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is used as an alerting platform."

"The most valuable features of the solution is its integration with other technologies, especially its ability to collect logs from Cisco and Aruba devices along with Fortinet products."

"It works well with medium to large-scale enterprises."

"To add workers and even collectors is pretty easy."

"FortiSIEM allows you to match IPs with threat intelligence feeds from sources like Kaspersky or Anomali, adding valuable context."

"It provides extensive logging and record-keeping for internal networks, cloud applications, and services as well as perimeter physical network security."

"Fortinet FortiSIEM is less costly than other products and is available 24/7."

"There are things like dashboards and reports (pre-configured and custom) that let me know that things are operating the way they should be, and when they are not."

More Fortinet FortiSIEM pros

"The most valuable feature of this product is innovation, where the research and upgrading of technology never ends."

"The most valuable features of IBM Watson for Cyber Security are ease of use and out-of-the-box reports and compliance policies. Additionally, if there are aspects that are missing IBM add them in the next release."

"The customer support is very good."

"IBM Watson for Cyber Security is very stable."

Cons

"When an alert triggers in Fortinet FortiSIEM, the layout or format can feel limited"

"I would like to see more integration with other platforms."

"The deployment of the platform took some time to set up and configure."

"They need to integrate better with Cisco and Palo Alto."

"The dashboards need to be improved. It gives you so much detail, but sometimes too much detail, especially to an executive, it's too much."

"The policy editing should be easier. Right now, it's too hard."

"The challenge I face with Fortinet FortiSIEM is the lack of support."

"The log collection and configuration management are not great."

More Fortinet FortiSIEM cons

"They need to continue to build the AI capabilities."

"In the future, I would like to see threat intelligence included."

"The dashboard could improve in IBM Watson for Cyber Security."

"This is an expensive product, so making it more cost-effective would be an improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is expensive. The license is scalable. If there are 10 devices it is simple to license."

"Its price can be better. We are Fortinet partners, so we can get discounts, but its price can be an issue at the beginning for others. There is a licensing scheme for every case. There are three licensing schemes that we can choose from."

"Fortinet FortiSIEM is not an expensive solution."

"The tool is really expensive. For what the tool does for our team, the price is fair."

"There are additional features that cost more than the standard licensing fees."

"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing charges attached to the product. The free version license of the product is available for two months."

"The price is competitive."

"We bought the perpetual license, so we own the product, but there is a three-year support renewal fee for that."

More Fortinet FortiSIEM pricing and cost advice

"IBM Watson for Cyber Security is very simple to license and is priced well."

"The price of this solution should be lower, although I understand why IBM charges a premium price."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	34
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	23

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiSIEM?

Fortinet FortiSIEM needs to provide better API integrations to users.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSIEM?

I am not familiar with the price and cost of Fortinet FortiSIEM. I cannot tell you if it is high, expensive, or low. However, I can say that it is cost-effective as it provides everything needed.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSIEM?

Regarding Fortinet FortiSIEM, I cannot identify any specific areas for improvement because I can find everything I need. For the time being, I cannot find a real point for improvement. Everything i...

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Comparisons

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Compared 11% of the time

Wazuh vs Fortinet FortiSIEM

Compared 11% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Fortinet FortiSIEM

Compared 11% of the time

ManageEngine Log360 vs Fortinet FortiSIEM

Compared 6% of the time

LogRhythm SIEM vs Fortinet FortiSIEM

Compared 5% of the time

More Fortinet FortiSIEM Competitors

IBM Security QRadar vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 52% of the time

Logsign Next-Gen SIEM vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 30% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 18% of the time

More IBM Watson for Cyber Security Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiSIEM

October 2025

Download Fortinet FortiSIEM product report

Buyer's Guide

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

September 2025

Download IBM Watson for Cyber Security product report

Also Known As

FortiSIEM, AccelOps

No data available

Overview

FortiSIEM (formerly AccelOps 4) provides an actionable security intelligence platform to monitor security, performance and compliance through a single pane of glass.

Companies around the world use FortiSIEM for the following use cases:

Threat management and intelligence that provide situational awareness and anomaly detection
Alleviating compliance mandate concerns for PCI, HIPAA and SOX
Managing “alert overload”
Handling the “too many tools” reporting issue
Addressing the MSPs/MSSPs pain of meeting service level agreements

Fortinet

Watson for cyber security can draw security intelligence from millions of security blogs, online forums and white papers - so you can see threats unseen by other systems.

IBM

Sample Customers

FortiSIEM has hundreds of customers worldwide in markets including managed services, technology, financial services, healthcare, and government. Customers include Aruba Networks, Compushare, Port of San Diego, Cleveland Indians, Infoblox, Healthways, and Referentia.

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiSIEM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security

September 2025

Free Report: Fortinet FortiSIEM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSIEM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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