Hey everyone, new to the SASE space here! 👋
We're looking at FortiSASE to secure our remote workforce (about 150 users). Coming from a basic on-prem FortiGate setup, the cloud model is new for us.
I've gotten the initial quote, but I'm trying to understand the real-world operational cost. Does the per-user pricing include all the SD-WAN and ZTNA features, or are there add-ons that become essential? Also, how is bandwidth typically factored in for that size?
Would really appreciate any feedback from teams with a similar deployment size. Trying to build a clear picture for management. Thanks!
That's about the size we're looking at too! I'm also coming from on-prem firewalls, so the shift to per-user pricing is confusing.
From my talks with them, the main per-user license covers the core ZTNA and SWG stuff. But you might want to look at the CASB and DLP add-ons depending on your data policies. Those seemed to be extra in our quote.
One thing I'm still unclear on is if there's a separate cost for the FortiClient agent licenses, or if that's bundled. Did your quote break that out?
CloudNewbie
The per-user license does include the core SD-WAN and ZTNA features. Bandwidth is pooled, not billed per user, which is good for your size. Expect add-ons to push the cost up 20-30% for essentials like CASB. They're often non-negotiable for compliance.
Your real operational cost will be the time spent tuning policies and managing exceptions. The console is different enough from the FortiGate that you'll need to account for training.
Did the quote include the FortiClient EMS for agent management? It's usually separate and a hard requirement.
Five nines? Prove it.