Fortinet FortiManager Reviews

We primarily use the solution for managing firewalls. 

We enjoy the centralization of all roles and objects and so on.

As a manager, you can manage 50 or 40 firewalls with only one product.

The initial setup is easy.

It is stable. 

The solution should be more open to other products. FortiManager must be able to manage other products from other vendors. While it's perfect for other Forti products, it's not ideal for everything.

This is not available to work with many other vendors in the cloud. In the end, you want only one view of your own security view of everything, which is impossible with FortiManager.

Of course, this is the case with Palo Alto as well.

I've been using the solution for seven or eight years. 

It is a stable, reliable product. The solution has good performance. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash. 

The product is likely scalable, however, we haven't pushed it. 

We have no experience with many numbers, such as 200 or 600 devices. We scale up to 60 firewalls. 

Forti support is quite good.

We work with Fortinet and Palo Alto.

The initial setup was not complex. However, we did the initial setup seven years ago.

We are Fortinet partners at this moment.

I'm not sure of the exact version we are on. I'm more on the sales side. 

We manage from Spain many firewalls around the world, and at this moment, it's very necessary to have FortiManager. It's just too bad we can't manage other vendors. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I'd rate it higher if it offered more outside-brand integrations. 

Our client was at the start of a network automation journey. They were a multi-brand network environment and they started investing in the FortiManager to support their vision of network and security orchestration.

That was their first step in a series of steps to build up their security capabilities or at least to get better visibility on the security topics within their environment. With a different team, they also deployed the Nessus and Lansweeper in the same environment to do automated vulnerability sweeps. Before I left that customer, there were plans of deploying additional Fortinet products - FortiAnalyzer, for example. I left the customer team in February this year, so I'm not updated anymore on what's happening there. 

This was the first time for me to work with the FortiManager or a similar product. It was an interesting learning for me personally, to understand how we could do centralized management of these firewalls. At the same time, while we were deploying the solution, I considered how useful it would be in collaboration with other Fortinet products, for example, the Analyzer, and the FortiSIEM, to really get automated security responses. That's what the vision was.

To have a quicker response to security events, the customer wanted to eventually acquire the capabilities to do automated security responses, just to make it faster to respond to security events. Even without the security orchestration, just the fact that the customer could request the firewall team to configure a job that would roll out a configuration on the firewalls and it could be deployed across all the firewalls through the FortiManager. That was a big improvement compared to deploying the new firewall rule on each firewall sequentially. So being able to roll it out to all the firewalls in the same change, was a big improvement in terms of being able to respond more quickly to any security events.

The initial setup was straightforward. 

Within the management of some features on FortiManager, specifically the management of user objects used for VPN service, FortiManager is quite weak. This was the case as of the time when we deployed them, which was one software cycle ago. I don't know whether that deficiency was fixed, however, we found it was easier to make changes to the VPN user objects, and local user objects. It was much easier to make the changes directly on the firewall than with FortiManager because in FortiManager you have to go through different windows, and even the CLI, in order to make the changes to the user database. It's just a matter of improving the UI, being able to manipulate objects that could be manipulated using the firewall GUI for example. It's just about expanding the features of the product so that whatever you can do on the firewall, you can also do it at the same level of convenience on the FortiManager.

I used the solution for a while. I used it just last year. The project ended in February this year, so it has been several months now since I last touched FortiManager.

The solution was stable. I left that customer last February, so I don't know how it is now. At the point I left, it was stable. 

With regards to scalability, with the on-prem solution, I would say it won't be as scalable as a more virtual solution, either on the cloud or on-prem. With virtualized environments, you can scale easily. With appliances, you do have hard limits in terms of capabilities. Once the number of devices exceeds the limits of the product, then you have no choice but to upgrade to a higher model of FortiManager.

We have two clients who use FortiManager in their environment.

The overall support was okay. We only had issues really when we raised several tickets to help solve the synchronization of the user objects, I felt it took much longer than it should have. It took several weeks before we finally definitively were told it won't work and this is what we need to do. Therefore, it took much longer than I felt it should have taken. For other topics that we raised during the deployment, they were quite helpful, however.

I helped the project team in implementing it. It was the first time that we implemented FortiManager.

The initial setup was straightforward. If you wanted just to do the basic configuration, it's quite straightforward.  

That said, it was straightforward except we had some big issues, and big challenges in our first attempt to put all the devices in the same ADOM as each device had a fair amount of custom firewall rules and custom firewall objects already existing, and each firewall at the branch site was also acting as a local VPN hub. 

We had a lot of local user objects and we discovered quite quickly that when we had a lot of user objects for the same user, but on different firewalls, when we wanted to put them into the same ADOM, it created a huge challenge in synchronizing user objects because these user objects on different firewalls are considered to be different user objects owned by the same physical person. They had the same username and the same authentication credentials, so it created an issue in synchronization.

Eventually, after consulting with Fortinet, we had to redo our design. That was the only hiccup we had in the design during implementation. Had we known about this requirement, had we understood that particular technical constraint earlier, our design from the beginning would have been much different.

The deployment itself took four months. 

We had two technical people who set up the solution, however, neither were full-time. You only really need one full-time person.

The licenses that we purchased as part of the project were for three years. I don't remember the price anymore. I can't recall the monthly license fee. In any case, the licenses were purchased for three-year periods.

I'd rate the product eight out of ten.

FortiManager is software that enables you to manage the solution from a central point. For instance, we had 50 sites and were able to manage all the sites from a central management console. This solution is deployed on-premises. My company was using version 7.

There were 5,000 people using this solution in my company.

We had a security policy that was deployed on all the devices, and we managed it from only one place. We didn't have to manage it on each piece of equipment. Second, regarding the configuration of SD-WAN, we could build configuration templates on FortiManager and push the templates from FortiManager to the different Fortigate units.

This solution enables you to centralize the rules and the configuration of all the equipment.

One of the biggest limitations is the grammar of the API – not the API itself. It was not very well done.

The CLI could be enhanced.

Stability was good.

Scalability was very good.

Technical support was excellent. We bought the optional support, so we paid an additional fee.

We had dedicated support just for us. We had one person who was really good and helped us design the solution. We had a very good design, so the deployment was good afterward.

Setup is of medium difficulty. It's not that complicated, but it's not easy. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate it a 3. It's not a simple plug and play, but it's not that difficult either.

For the design and deployment, we used four people. For maintenance, we only needed one part-time engineer per year.

We used an external company to run the deployment, and it took us three months to finish the design of the solution and three months to deploy all the boxes and all sites.

We had some people who were helping us deploy because there were several sites all over the country, so there were some people who were going on-site.

For the licensing fee, we paid around 10,000 to 15,000 euros. 

I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.

My advice is to know your product before you start using it.

My experience with Fortinet products is primarily with Fortinet FortiManager. I have attended training on FortiSandbox and FortiWeb as well.

Fortinet solutions are used by my clients across every sector.

They are also used in the healthcare sector for financial purposes.

Fortinet FortiManager can centrally manage all FortiGates and is effective for the deployment of updates and patches.

We use centralized policy management for policy management.

It helps streamline policy creation and policy enforcement.

I do not use Fortinet FortiManager daily, but I can speak with my security team and ask them what areas need future improvement for Fortinet FortiManager.

When I installed it, I found it somewhat difficult to set up.

I would rate their support at between eight and nine, which I consider great support.

I still have experience with ESET and Fortinet products. My other colleague has more in-depth experience with Fortinet FortiManager and uses it more daily in that particular area, as I do not use it as regularly and my other colleagues are more involved in that area.

My overall rating for Fortinet FortiManager is seven.

The solution can be deployed on the cloud or on-premise and it is used for managing network solutions.

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiManager are the overall management it provides and its ease of use.

The solution has to be enhanced to manage new switches.

I have been using Fortinet FortiManager for approximately two years.

The solution is highly stable and has good performance.

The solution is best suited for SMPs but not enterprises. If the company has many switches and access points and traffics with customization Fortinet FortiManager is not the correct solution.

The scalability of the solution is good. For example, you can use virtual machines and upgrade the license to scale.

I have not used vendor support.

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiManager can be simple. However, if the company has third-party systems from different vendors it can be complicated.

The price of Fortinet FortiManager is inexpensive.

Aruba is a better solution because it has more power.

I rate Fortinet FortiManager a five out of ten.

I primarily use FortiManager to manage FortiGate in a single console.

FortiManager has made it easier to push policy and has saved us money by providing free training.

FortiManager's best feature is the integration of administrator users.

FortiManager could be more user-friendly.

I've been using FortiManager for over three years.

I haven't seen any performance or stability issues with FortiManager.

The on-prem version of FortiManager is not very scalable.

The initial setup was complicated.

FortiManager isn't expensive, but its cost is dependent on which services are required. It has no extra or hidden fees.

I would give FortiManager a rating of nine out of ten.

I primarily use FortiManager for network automation and central management.

FortiManager's most valuable feature is central management.

In the next release, FortiManager should include more protection features.

I've been working with FortiManager for about a year.

FortiManager's stability is excellent - I would rate it ten out of ten.

FortiManager is easy to scale up and down.

Fortinet's technical support is hands-on and provides a good service.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward.

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

FortiManager is most suitable for the enterprise level. I would recommend FortiManager and give it a rating of ten out of ten.

I primarily use FortiManager to manage central policies and maintain a single pane of glass.

FortiManager's most valuable features are web-based or web-rule-based policies, SD-WAN, and the ease of upgrading to new firmware.

FortiManager would be improved by putting everything into a single console, including Microsoft O365 integration. Its stability could also be better.

I've been using FortiManager for three years.

FortiManager is pretty stable, but there are some bugs - for example, with some of the OCVPNs not getting managed properly.

FortiManager is scalable.

Fortinet's technical support is helpful.

I previously worked with Check Point and ASA but switched to FortiManager as it's more cost-effective.

The initial setup is pretty easy and took around one day for fifteen devices.

FortiManager is reasonably priced - I pay around US$40,0000 per year, which covers fifty locations.

FortiManager is the best suite for SMBs, and I would rate it as six out of ten.

FortiManager, we're just managing our FortiGates deployed in our different sites, and we are monitoring our MSSP solution there from the FortiManager. There are different sites and different clients that have their different FortiGates. The FortiManager manages all FortiGates. We push templates. If there are any changes in the FortiGate, we're just not doing that directly to the FortiGate, we are managing it via FortiManager.

It was very amazing. The things were very clear. I pushed templates from FortiManager to our site, and they were deployed successfully. It was quite enjoyable.

The templates are great. They are very helpful. You make a template and push it to the FortiGate, and it's been working fine.

It's pretty user-friendly.

Technical support is helpful.

The solution can scale.

It's stable. 

I didn't use the alternative FortiManager yet, so I'm happy with the FortiManager right now. If I use some other product, then I should be able to isolate things, and I'd like some sort of isolation feature in the product. There's nothing I can say that's a negative point. 

When I started, it was a bit difficult, however, now it's okay. It can be a bit complex for basic users.

If I'm defining a subnet, I need to define it in two different locations. We have to create the subnet and then name it as well. So there are two different ways to define a single subnet, and it should only be one.

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. 

The solution is scalable. We have a lot of customers on the product and some are expanding.

Technical support is very helpful and responsive. Every time we open a ticket, they help us and make sure it's resolved. 

We did not previously use a different solution. 

I didn't deploy FortiManager. I'm just operating it. When I joined the company, it was already deployed, and we didn't deploy any other FortiManager. I didn't work on implementation. My understanding, however, is that it would not be that difficult. 

Compared to competitors like Cisco, Fortinet is very reasonable. 

We didn't research any other solutions. We like and prefer FortiManager.

We are Fortinet partners.

The solution is deployed on-premises in our data center.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

We use it to manage the FortiGate and install it on several sites. You can see the lock, and if there is a problem inside the network, the FortiGate sends a warning to the Fortinet FortiManager. It allows you to check and know what the problem is. If we use the Fortinet FortiManager to replicate the configuration and want to install ten FortiGate on ten sites, you don't have to set configuration on all ten. You can configure one FortiGate and the Fortinet FortiManager to replicate the configuration on all orders of FortiGate. You can manage the bandwidth and decide to set it. For example, the IT team can use two megabytes, and the commercial team can use one gigabyte. In addition, you can configure it at your ease.

You cannot integrate with other solutions, so they should allow integration with Cisco and Juniper. It'd be great if we could log into other provider equipment on Fortinet FortiManager.

We have been using this solution for five years. It is deployed on cloud. We are satisfied with Fortinet FortiManager because it's a very interesting solution.

It is stable but also depends on the type of internet connection that you have. If your internet connection is stable, the Fortinet FortiManager allows different sites to be easily accessible.

It is a scalable solution. Our customers are big enterprises and corporate clients.

When you have some problem, they are always available to help.

The initial setup is easy compared to Cisco Solutions because you just have to click when configuring. Whereas with Cisco, you have to set CMI commands.

I rate this solution a nine out of ten. I do not have specific details about the licensing costs. Compared to competitors like Panorama, Fortinet FortiManager is cheaper.

Companies are interested in this solution. We help about five clients install the solution on their sites.