I use Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for data analysis and security purposes. It is also used for analyzing logs and services.
External reviews
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Impressive dashboard detail enhances log and threat analysis, though support services require improvement
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The dashboard of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is outstanding with very detailed information. Its services are highly efficient when analyzing logs and services. Users provide feedback that they are highly satisfied with the log analysis and high security for their network. Fortinet FortiAnalyzer also has impressive threat detection capabilities.
What needs improvement?
I do not have recommendations for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer itself, but the support services need improvement. The support engineers are very slow and incompetent. They are undisciplined when we try to contact them, which is disappointing for us and our clients.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for around six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give Fortinet FortiAnalyzer a stability rating of ten out of ten as I use it extensively.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is a scalable product, and I rate it a nine out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The support service is very slow and incompetent. The support engineers lack discipline, and both we and our clients experience disappointment with their service.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Negative
How was the initial setup?
The configuration process for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer took around two and a half days. It is a complex procedure and could be made easier.
What about the implementation team?
Two people, including myself and a colleague, took part in the installation.
What was our ROI?
Clients achieve cost efficiencies when using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer compared to third-party log analyzers, which are significantly more expensive.
What other advice do I have?
For the overall rating, I would give Fortinet FortiAnalyzer a seven out of ten. The reasons for not rating it higher include issues with support and some concerns with FortiGate.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Simplifying log management by displaying detailed access information
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiAnalyzer primarily for log retention storage. Fortinet FortiAnalyzer allows us to store logs for up to one year, and we base the license on the amount of data received daily, whether 5 GB, 2 GB, or 3 GB. We perform this setup in a VMware environment. This involves downloading the OVA file from the Fortinet Support Portal, installing it, activating the license, and allocating the necessary storage space. This process ensures we can save logs for up to a year as per Fortinet's standard retention period.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is its ability to simplify and display logs clearly, providing details like which IPs are accessing the system, the destination, and the policies applied. This visualization and detail make managing logs more straightforward. In conjunction with our VMware setup, Fortinet FortiAnalyzer enhances organizational efficiency, meeting the standard log retention period for up to a year.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer could improve by offering more detailed packet inspection information, especially where packets get dropped. Currently, it informs us that a packet has been dropped, but it does not give the reasons for the block. Enhanced deep inspection features would make troubleshooting easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer has daily updates with fixes, which means we need to schedule downtime for upgrades. This is not ideal in a production environment. On the other hand, it remains stable during implementation for one or two years. However, security breaches and vulnerabilities do exist, but Fortinet provides quick patches. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We plan Fortinet FortiAnalyzer scalability based on customer suggestions for up to five years. It typically handles three to five years of expansion effectively. There is uncertainty beyond five years due to potential changes in requirements.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good, and I rate it ten out of ten. Although Fortinet supports frequent updates, we need to allocate downtime for these activities, which is not ideal.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is user-friendly. It provides public knowledge articles which are helpful for clarity and troubleshooting. The support available is good.
What about the implementation team?
We are a solution provider, and I have experience working on multiple Fortinet products.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When comparing the price of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer to other products, I would give it a rating of seven out of ten. Costs reflect the feature set offered, similar to how costs vary between an iPhone and an Android phone. Customer requirements dictate purchasing decisions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have used Check Point and FortiManager. I do not have experience with Cisco's security products or FortiMail.
What other advice do I have?
While Fortinet FortiAnalyzer has some deep inspection limitations, I would recommend it to enterprise customers. I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Unified log management and correlation enhance security management for moderate network deployments
What is our primary use case?
I am a customer as well as a partner of Fortinet. I work with telecom service providers in India, and I partner with Fortinet to resell their solutions to our end customers. I also use Fortinet appliances in our own network for securing our network and our data.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer provides good correlation capability from the logs generated by Fortinet appliances. It serves as a single log management and analysis platform for various Fortinet appliances, including FortiGate, FortiSwitches, and FortiWi-Fi access points. This makes it a unified platform for numerous Fortinet appliances. It helps in security management by aggregating logs across all devices and offers a single platform for monitoring.
What needs improvement?
Currently, Fortinet FortiAnalyzer provides a very basic level of correlation facilities. I would like to see improvements in the integration of better correlation capabilities. This would help in analyzing various security incidents and events more effectively by delivering a handful of relevant logs instead of thousands, allowing me to pinpoint issues with minimal effort and time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have approximately 15 years of experience with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I think Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is quite stable. I would rate its stability as a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer as a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Fortinet is fantastic and I would rate it as nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is straightforward. It comes in two variants: a physical appliance and a virtual appliance. It can be installed on any server hardware, and the documentation from Fortinet is excellent, providing necessary help when required.
What was our ROI?
The ROI is pretty good. Fortinet is highly efficient for moderate deployments and provides a secure platform for medium-sized networks and data centers. The pricing is very competitive, especially in the Indian market, providing excellent ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In the Indian market, Fortinet's pricing is very competitive, allowing us to win most of our deals. It is supportive in terms of pricing, offering a good balance for mid-sized enterprises.
What other advice do I have?
Based on my experience, I would recommend Fortinet FortiAnalyzer wherever there are more than ten FortiGate devices. It is effective for small and medium enterprise deployments but may not be suitable for large enterprises or high-grade data centers which might require solutions like Palo Alto or Check Point. I rate the overall solution as eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Gain valuable insights and manage resources efficiently with enhanced reporting capabilities
What is our primary use case?
I deployed FortiAnalyzer in three projects. I configured it to manage approximately 50 Fortinet devices.
What is most valuable?
My job was to add new FortiGates and to analyze data on FortiAnalyzer. The system provides valuable insights through information, graphics, and reports. FortiAnalyzer allows easy configuration of routing status protocols, IP interfaces, and DNS settings. Its operation system makes it easier than using Cisco's iOS.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes, there is a problem with CPU consumption, where one process consumes 100%, and I need to restart FortiAnalyzer to fix this. I am not familiar with the processes of scalability.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Fortinet Solutions for about three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The version I used was 7.4.2. We faced some CPU consumption issues, which caused the machine to slow down and required a restart of FortiAnalyzer. However, this issue was addressed in later versions.
How are customer service and support?
Sometimes, I need to consult FortinetDocs to understand integration. It is not very easy.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and more straightforward than Cisco. It is easy when equipped with the necessary information like device name, IP address, and SNMP configurations.
What was our ROI?
The impact of the tool is low when the functionalities are inaccessible due to resource consumption. When operations run smoothly, FortiAnalyzer delivers efficiency yet does not significantly impact costs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am a technical engineer, so I am not privy to pricing details.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend FortiAnalyzer to companies that have two or more FortiGates for easier report generation and to execute actions through Playbooks.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Enables flexible and comprehensive reporting across all syslog-enabled devices
What is our primary use case?
I use FortiAnalyzer to report on these other devices because they have two firewalls, so it's an accessible place to find out what is happening across your Fortinet setup.
What is most valuable?
I mainly use it for reporting. It also integrates other security solutions around. It can report onto anything that has a syslog on the network. It doesn't have to be a Fortinet product. It integrates within FortiGate and you can find the reports there. It's a very flexible and rich tool, providing custom reports along with default reports.
What needs improvement?
The only issue is the cost of the licenses. When licensing, each device is licensed separately, such as the firewall, which can become expensive. It sometimes becomes difficult to explain to management why the cost is so high. Other than that, I haven't faced any challenges.
For how long have I used the solution?
All these products were bought in at the same time, about four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Understanding how it works so far, I think it shouldn't be difficult to scale.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support would be rated an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I haven't evaluated log management tools like Splunk on this platform, I've just explored just the open-source tools.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up FortiAnalyzer was not complicated. It took a day or a few hours.
What was our ROI?
Being not a commercial entity, my focus is on keeping the environment safe and informed. I can't really specify a value or ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I can't calculate costs per user. We buy it as one solution as part of a package with the firewall and the analyzer, which makes it difficult to calculate individually.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have not evaluated other branded log management tools. Perhaps only open-source tools, not brands like Splunk.
What other advice do I have?
There's a lot of material available for FortiAnalyzer to help you understand how it works, which is well documented and makes life easier if you don't know anything. This makes it easy to configure and use. I would recommend it to anyone.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Strong network visibility and streamlined investigations for improved troubleshooting
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiAnalyzer for network security operations, primarily to integrate it with FortiGate firewall and Palo Alto for our firewall operations. FortiAnalyzer provides a very suitable solution for FortiGate firewall since they come from the same vendor, so the integration is very strong.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of FortiAnalyzer is its visibility, especially in network investigations. When incidents occur in our network, we need to investigate these issues, and FortiAnalyzer provides very strong insights and visibility for troubleshooting and investigation.
The solution helps in correlating logs centrally, which is beneficial for customers with multiple branches. It is also very suitable for FortiGate firewall operations, and the integration with other Fortinet solutions is strong.
What needs improvement?
A possible improvement for FortiAnalyzer could be in threat intelligence. This feature might be enhanced to provide better insights and more efficient operations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiAnalyzer for almost 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. I would rate its stability as a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiAnalyzer is a scalable product. I would rate its scalability as a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
FortiAnalyzer has a very responsive technical support team. They are very good and provide excellent assistance.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used other firewalls such as Citrix NetScaler and Palo Alto. The choice to use FortiAnalyzer was primarily because of the strong integration it offers with FortiGate firewall, due to the same vendor relationship.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of FortiAnalyzer was easy. The configuration involved setting up an IP address and integrating with the FortiGate firewall.
What about the implementation team?
I set up FortiAnalyzer by myself. We have a team of five engineers who maintain all data center infrastructures.
What was our ROI?
By choosing Fortinet's security fabric solutions, we can receive discounts from the vendor, which effectively reduces costs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of pricing, FortiAnalyzer is not expensive.
I would rate the pricing as an eight out of ten.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have worked with Citrix NetScaler ADC and Fortinet's FortiADC, however, FortiAnalyzer was chosen for its strong integration with FortiGate firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
I strongly recommend FortiAnalyzer for users who are already using other Fortinet solutions.
Overall, I rate FortiAnalyzer as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Enables us to gain clearer view of threats through advanced analytics and comprehensive reporting
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer in our organization is to gain more visibility into traffic, such as creating reports on highest bandwidth users over time. It also serves as a central log repository, aiding in threat detection by showing indicators of compromise and emerging threats.
What is most valuable?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer comes with a lot of prebuilt reports out of the box, making it easy for our team to generate necessary reports without much struggle. It provides better visibility, allowing us to have a clearer view of threats. The advanced analytics capabilities aid in threat detection by providing visibility into indicators of compromise.
What needs improvement?
One area for improvement could be better support for third-party products, as it doesn't have as much visibility with these compared to Fortinet's own products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There have been no significant performance or stability issues with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. Sizing is always done well beforehand.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is scalable, especially for the VM versions, as additional space can be provisioned from the servers as needed.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service and support for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer are quite helpful and responsive. I have interacted with them multiple times without any complaints.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I do not have experience working with any other log management solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process was straightforward. It involved running the OVA on a virtual environment, setting up IPs, DNS, and static cloud, followed by accessing the web interface for integration with other products.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not interact with the pricing or licensing component of the business, so I do not know about it.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. It provides valuable tools for the organization by presenting better reports that help in management decision-making. It is a valuable solution that can be improved by enhancing its third-party product support.
Overall, I would rate Fortinet FortiAnalyzer nine out of ten.
Useful to analyze logs and generate reports
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution in my company to analyze logs and generate reports.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of the solution are report generation and traffic logs. The online traffic report in Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is very good. There are different types of reports that one can generate with the tool.
What needs improvement?
From my point of view, I think everything is okay with the product.
I need some improvements in the support team since it is an area where there are certain shortcomings.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
The IT team in our company uses the product for report generation. There are around 200 users in our organization, including our core IT team.
My company gets the product updated with the help of Fortinet's support team. My organization downloads the tool's firmware and updates the solution. The tool offers an easy setup phase.
How are customer service and support?
I am a little bit disappointed with the support offered by Fortinet. Sometimes, the support team does not offer timely support or respond to our company's queries. Every time, the support team asks for logs and configuration from my company. Dealing with the support team is a very tedious task. I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When it came to monitoring and reporting purposes, I used to only use FortiGate's inbuilt features for logs and traffic monitoring. It was only after a while that my company started to use Fortinet FortiAnalyzer.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the product's initial setup phase a ten out of ten, where one means it was a difficult process, and ten means it was an easy phase.
The solution can be deployed in a day.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product's prices are a bit higher than the other solutions available in the market, but I would say that the tool's quality and support are areas that are good.
What other advice do I have?
Regarding the support, if a customer wants to support or any technical help with the area of configuration, I think the support team must in a timely manner help the customers and understand their problems.
I rate the tool a nine out of ten.
Offers visibility and helps to analyze the traffic but improvement is needed in pricing
What is our primary use case?
Our use case for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is analyzing traffic. We use it to investigate complaints about account access, check if something is blocked or working, and understand what's happening inside them.
What is most valuable?
The solution provides visibility into traffic. We can view everything from one platform.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer needs to improve its pricing flexibility.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for a couple of months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool's stability a seven out of ten. We have experienced downtime and glitches while using it. These were during the deployment stages, and the vendor helped to fix them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate Fortinet FortiAnalyzer's scalability a nine out of ten. My company has 100 users.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Palo Alto Panorama before Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. I think Palo Alto Panorama is better. It offers more functionality. We typically need separate solutions for different needs with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer, but Palo Alto Panorama bundles everything into one package. Whether deploying and managing firewalls, analyzing traffic, or managing users, Palo Alto Panorama consolidates it into a single dashboard.
How was the initial setup?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer's deployment is easy.
What about the implementation team?
The tool's deployment was done by a third party.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate Fortinet FortiAnalyzer's pricing as five out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
We recently switched to the product and are in the stages of a learning curve. I rate the overall product a five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Offers fast report generation and logging with easy deployment
What is our primary use case?
As part of a company, we manage customers of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. The solution is used to analyze and locate traffic in a particular network.
How has it helped my organization?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer has helped my organization improve operational efficiency. The company has been using it for ten years.
What is most valuable?
Report generation is very easy when using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. Checking and reading the logs becomes seamless with the solution. Fortinet FortiAnalyzer also allows fast logging on a license when requesting information. For example, when you are trying to locate a logged destination or using the tool to find an error or fault, the basic networking is very fast.
What needs improvement?
The upgrade process for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is slow.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiAnalyzer for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable.
How was the initial setup?
It's easy to deploy Fortinet FortiAnalyzer. The solution needs to be upgraded every two or three years. The product is very easy to maintain.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Due to the multiple features and the large environment compatibility, the solution is quite expensive. I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
At our company, Kibana is sometimes used to pull logs and develop graphical representations from it.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. I would advise others never to jump into upgrading to the latest firmware; wait until the present environment products are being used. There have been bad releases in the past, so everyone needs to carefully analyze options.