Fortinet SOAR Security Orchestration and Automation

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Fortinet SOAR is a game-changer for security teams, allowing them to automate and orchestrate their incident response and threat hunting efforts.

With Fortinet SOAR, you can streamline your security operations by integrating multiple tools and technologies into a single platform.

This platform provides a centralized view of your security posture, enabling you to quickly identify and respond to threats.

Fortinet SOAR's automation capabilities help reduce the workload of security analysts, freeing them up to focus on high-priority tasks and strategic initiatives.

What is SOAR?

SOAR is a security orchestration, automation, and response solution that simplifies security operations for organizations. It's designed to address the challenges faced by security teams, including alert fatigue and context switching.

FortiSOAR, a leading SOAR solution, is integrated into the Fortinet Security Fabric and offers a custom automated framework that unifies operations and eliminates alert fatigue. This allows enterprises to adapt and optimize their security process.

A SOAR solution acts as a security operations hub, where organizations integrate their existing security tools, automate repetitive tasks, and standardize incident response procedures. This helps to streamline security operations and improve response times.

Credit: youtube.com, SOAR for MSSPs: Fortinet FortiSOAR Explained

FortiSOAR can be deployed as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, on-premises, or through managed security service providers (MSSPs). This flexibility makes it easier for organizations to implement and manage their SOAR solution.

With FortiSOAR, organizations can integrate more than 350 security products and perform over 3,000 actions, increasing SOC team productivity and accelerating response times. This reduces containment times from hours to seconds, making it easier to identify, defend, and counter threats.

Key Features and Functionality

Fortinet's FortiSOAR offers a wide range of features to support security teams. It provides security incident response, automating alert triage, investigation, and response workflows, integrating with other security tools.

FortiSOAR's case and workforce management features include tools for managing task assignments, tracking work queues, and handling team scheduling. This helps streamline team workflows and ensure that tasks are completed efficiently.

The platform's threat intelligence integration incorporates intelligence from FortiGuard Labs and other public sources to enrich investigations and support threat hunting. This feature is particularly useful for threat analysts who need to stay up-to-date with the latest threats.

Credit: youtube.com, FortiAnalyzer SOAR 6.4 Overview

Asset and vulnerability management are also key features of FortiSOAR. It offers risk-based views of assets, vulnerability tracking, and automated mitigation workflows intended to improve operational efficiency.

FortiSOAR's compliance automation aims to simplify IT/OT compliance management through task automation, detailed reporting, and tracking of service-level agreements (SLAs).

Here are some of the key features of FortiSOAR:

  • Security incident response
  • Case and workforce management
  • Threat intelligence integration
  • Asset and vulnerability management
  • Compliance automation
  • OT security management
  • Generative AI assistance
  • Playbook designer
  • Deployment options
  • Content hub

Benefits and Use Cases

FortiSOAR offers a range of benefits that can help streamline your security operations. It unburdens security teams from managing too many tools, investigating too many alerts, and performing manual and repetitive processes that slow down response.

FortiSOAR centralizes, standardizes, and automates IT/OT security operations and critical enterprise functions. With broad integrations, rich use-case functions, hundreds of pre-built workflows, and simple playbook creation, FortiSOAR supports best-in-class procedures tailored to your specific needs.

FortiSOAR is a 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for SOAR. This recognition is based on 87 reviews from Fortinet customers, with a 98% willingness to recommend and 4.9/5-star rating.

Here are some of the key use cases for FortiSOAR:

  • Fortinet CVE Analysis
  • Accelerate Security Operations with SOAR
  • SOAR (Security, Orchestration, Automation, And...
  • SOAR (segurança, orquestração, automação e resposta)

Customer and Enterprise Recognition

Credit: youtube.com, Fortinet Named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™ : Enterprise Firewall Solutions | Fortinet

Fortinet's FortiSOAR has been recognized as a 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response.

FortiSOAR excelled in all categories, including product capabilities, support/delivery, user willingness to recommend, review volume, and review market coverage.

Based on 87 reviews in the 18 months ending November 30, 2024, FortiSOAR has increased its leadership position with advanced features supporting GenAI, OT environments, compliance, and IT/NOC operations.

FortiSOAR provides a single point of control, resolving collaboration complexities by offering a war room, module builder, and granular RBAC.

The solution has helped organizations seamlessly connect teams together, meeting nearly 100% of their requirements, including incident management, threat landscape reporting, and automation.

FortiSOAR has been praised for its excellent performance, with the support service being particularly good.

One reviewer in manufacturing noted that FortiSOAR helped them provide threat response by integrating the entire OT ecosystem, giving them deep visibility into OT assets and associated vulnerabilities.

FortiSOAR's FortiAI feature has also been highlighted as a standout, allowing users to ask for recommendations in layman's language and receive remediation actions and playbook creation assistance.

FortiAI and Ecosystem

Credit: youtube.com, Proactive Defense with FortiAI: Unleash AI-Driven Threat Hunting | GenAI

FortiAI seamlessly integrates with FortiSOAR to inform and accelerate tasks such as threat investigation, response, and playbook building. This integration helps security teams make better informed decisions and rapidly respond to threats.

The FortiAI and FortiSOAR ML-based Recommendation Engine work together to help security teams save time on even the most complex tasks. This collaboration enables security teams to automate security analyst activities and simplify tasks.

By leveraging FortiAI and the FortiSOAR ecosystem, security teams can streamline their workflow, reduce manual effort, and focus on high-priority tasks.

FortiAI: Generative AI Power

FortiAI is a game-changer for security analysts. It uses natural language and generative AI to guide and simplify their work.

FortiAI seamlessly integrates into the FortiSOAR analyst experience, making it easy to use. This integration informs and accelerates tasks such as threat investigation and response.

FortiAI and the FortiSOAR ML-based Recommendation Engine help security teams make better informed decisions. They rapidly respond to threats and save time on complex tasks.

With FortiAI, security teams can automate security analyst activities, freeing up time for more important tasks.

Ecosystem

Credit: youtube.com, FortiAI in action - Pablosec Solutions

FortiAI's ecosystem is designed to be highly scalable and flexible, allowing it to adapt to a wide range of use cases.

FortiAI's modular architecture enables it to integrate with various data sources, including structured and unstructured data, and can be easily scaled up or down to meet changing business needs.

This flexibility is made possible by FortiAI's ability to learn from diverse data sources and adapt its models to new data streams.

FortiAI's ecosystem is built on a foundation of open standards and APIs, allowing for seamless integration with other systems and tools.

By leveraging open standards, FortiAI's ecosystem can be easily extended and customized to meet the specific needs of different industries and use cases.

FortiAI's ability to integrate with other systems and tools enables businesses to create a unified view of their data and gain a more complete understanding of their operations.

This unified view can be used to identify new business opportunities, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs.

Credit: youtube.com, Fortinet AI-Powered Transformation

FortiAI's ecosystem is designed to be highly secure, with multiple layers of protection in place to safeguard sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access.

FortiAI's security features include encryption, access controls, and anomaly detection, providing a robust defense against cyber threats.

By leveraging FortiAI's secure ecosystem, businesses can have confidence in their ability to protect sensitive data and maintain the trust of their customers.

For another approach, see: Secure Webforms Embedded in Webflow

Management and Operations

FortiSOAR offers robust management and operations capabilities to support the security needs of organizations. It provides OT asset and vulnerability management features to help protect operational technology systems.

The integration of OT and IT systems creates new risks, and FortiSOAR addresses these risks by enabling integrated OT security operations. This includes ICS-specific threat views and OT-specific playbooks.

FortiSOAR supports the deployment models required by managed security service providers (MSSPs), enabling shared and dedicated tenant setups. This flexibility allows MSSPs to customize services and manage costs effectively.

Credit: youtube.com, SOAR On-ramp with FortiSOAR Management Extension Application | SOAR

The solution offers per-tenant playbooks, alerts, and dashboards, which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each tenant. This level of customization is particularly beneficial for MSSPs who need to manage multiple clients with different security requirements.

By aligning with best practices recommended by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), FortiSOAR helps ensure protection for OT environments. This ensures that organizations can rely on FortiSOAR to meet their security needs and maintain compliance.

Automation and Customization

FortiSOAR simplifies compliance management by automating advisory updates, compliance tasks, and reporting, making it easier to track and maintain compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and US NERC CIP.

The platform offers a visual drag-and-drop interface for creating custom playbooks, eliminating the need for technical coding skills and allowing users to design and simulate workflows. This low-code development approach makes it easier to implement and adapt automation to different needs.

FortiSOAR's solution packs include resources such as connectors for integration with various platforms, global variables for simulations, and pre-defined playbooks for common tasks like onboarding employees and configuring access to services. These playbooks can be used to automate tasks like creating accounts, configuring mailboxes, and managing server access.

Credit: youtube.com, FortiSOAR: Automatizando Segurança para Bloquear Comunicação Maliciosa com FortiSOAR | SOAR

Here are some examples of FortiSOAR solution packs:

  • Connectors: Integration with Exchange, Active Directory, MySQL, and SSH for communication and execution of tasks across platforms.
  • Global variables: A demo mode for simulations without affecting live environments.
  • Playbooks: Predefined workflows to onboard/offboard employees, create or disable user accounts on systems, and configure access to services like MySQL and SSH.

FortiSOAR's customization options also include access to a scripting section, allowing for further customization when needed. However, it's worth noting that the platform's focus on no-code logic may leave some users feeling limited in their ability to customize their workflows.

Solution Pack Examples

Automation and Customization can be achieved through various solution packs. One example is the integration with Exchange, Active Directory, MySQL, and SSH for communication and execution of tasks across platforms.

The FortiSOAR Solution Pack includes connectors that enable integration with these systems.

Predefined workflows, or playbooks, are also included in the solution pack. These workflows help automate tasks such as onboarding/offboarding employees, creating or disabling user accounts on systems, and configuring access to services like MySQL and SSH.

Automated playbooks can handle creating accounts, configuring mailboxes, and managing server access.

Here are some examples of the resources included in the FortiSOAR Solution Pack:

  • Connectors: Integration with Exchange, Active Directory, MySQL, and SSH
  • Global variables: A demo mode for simulations without affecting live environments
  • Playbooks: Predefined workflows for onboarding/offboarding employees and configuring access to services

Custom Playbook Creation

Credit: youtube.com, Platform Academy Session #21 - August 4th, 2022 - Getting Started with Playbook Experience

Custom Playbook Creation is a powerful feature in FortiSOAR that allows users to design and simulate workflows without requiring technical coding skills. This is made possible through a visual drag-and-drop interface.

The platform includes access to various prebuilt playbooks from the FortiSOAR Content Hub, which can be easily implemented and adapted to different needs. This low-code development approach streamlines the process of creating custom playbooks.

The Recommendation Engine provides inline guidance, helping users make the most of the platform's features and functionality. This can be a significant time-saver, especially for those new to automation and customization.

However, it's worth noting that FortiSOAR's focus on no-code logic may leave some users wanting for more advanced customization options. While scripting is still possible with Python, it's not necessarily the first option that comes to mind when using the platform.

Pricing and Alternatives

Fortinet FortiSOAR's pricing can be a challenge, especially in regions like Africa where foreign exchange is a struggle.

Credit: youtube.com, Fortinet FortiGate Middle-range Firewall | Models Price/Cost

The solution is indeed expensive, which might be a barrier for some organizations.

Fortinet FortiSOAR is a pricey option, but it's worth considering the benefits it offers.

Here's a brief comparison of Fortinet FortiSOAR with other products:

Pricing

Pricing can be a major concern for businesses, especially when it comes to solutions like Fortinet FortiSOAR.

The cost of Fortinet FortiSOAR is a significant factor to consider, as it's described as an expensive solution.

In some regions, like Africa, the foreign exchange struggles can make the solution even more pricey.

Fortinet FortiSOAR is specifically noted as being expensive, which may be a deterrent for some businesses.

Here's a brief rundown of the pricing situation:

This high price point may lead businesses to explore alternative solutions that better fit their budget.

Compare alternatives

When evaluating pricing and alternatives for a network security solution, it's essential to consider Fortinet FortiSOAR's features and capabilities.

Fortinet FortiSOAR allows you to track ROI, MTTD, and MTTR with configurable reports and dashboards.

Credit: youtube.com, comparing alternatives

One of the key advantages of Fortinet FortiSOAR is its ability to scale your network security solution with a multi-tenant distributed architecture from a single, collaborative console.

This architecture enables you to manage your network security solution more efficiently, which can be a significant cost-saver in the long run.

Here are some key features of Fortinet FortiSOAR that set it apart from other products:

  • Track ROI, MTTD, and MTTR with configurable reports and dashboards.
  • Scale your network security solution with a multi-tenant distributed architecture from a single, collaborative console.

Limitations and Mindshare

Fortinet FortiSOAR has some notable limitations that can impact its ease of use and overall user experience. These limitations were reported by users on Gartner Peer Insights, citing issues with connector development complexity and limited integration with certain data sources.

One of the main challenges users face is the complexity of connector development, which can be time-intensive and difficult for those unfamiliar with connector creation. The platform also struggles with integration with certain data sources, hindering its ability to provide bi-directional communication across the entire security tech stack.

Credit: youtube.com, Consolidate Cybersecurity with Extended Detection and Response with FortiXDR | Security Operations

The cost of FortiSOAR can be excessive for some organizations, and the platform's administration features are not user-friendly, making it difficult for teams to manage and configure without significant experience or training. The documentation, especially regarding integrations with third-party tools, is often inadequate, leading to challenges during setup and integration.

Here are some of the key limitations of FortiSOAR, as reported by users:

  • Connector development complexity
  • Limited integration with certain data sources
  • Complex administration
  • Insufficient documentation
  • High initial setup complexity
  • Playbook and dashboard complexity
  • Cost concerns

In terms of market share, FortiSOAR holds a 4.3% share of the Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR) market, according to recent data. This puts it behind Microsoft Sentinel, which has a 16.3% market share, and Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR, which has a 9.7% market share.

A unique perspective: Is It Safe to Share Imei Number

Limitations

Limitations can be a major obstacle when implementing a new platform like FortiSOAR. One of the key limitations is the complexity of connector development, which can be a challenge for users who are unfamiliar with creating connectors.

Users have reported that developing a connector can be a time-intensive process, especially if the desired product lacks a prebuilt connector in FortiSOAR. This can be frustrating for teams who need to integrate with multiple data sources.

Security Logo
Credit: pexels.com, Security Logo

The platform's administration features are also not user-friendly, making it difficult for teams to manage and configure without significant experience or training. This can lead to a steep learning curve for new users.

According to user reviews, FortiSOAR struggles to integrate with certain data sources, which can hinder its ability to provide bi-directional communication across the entire security tech stack.

The platform's playbook design and reporting features can be overly complex, with too many options that may overwhelm users, especially during initial implementation.

Here are some specific limitations of FortiSOAR that users have reported:

  • Connector development complexity
  • Limited integration with some data sources
  • Complex administration
  • Insufficient documentation
  • High initial setup complexity
  • Playbook and dashboard complexity
  • Cost concerns

The high cost of FortiSOAR can be a significant concern for some organizations, especially those with limited budgets.

Mindshare

Fortinet FortiSOAR has a relatively small mindshare in the SOAR market, with a market share of just 4.3%. This is a significant gap compared to other players in the market.

Microsoft Sentinel, on the other hand, has a much larger mindshare, with a market share of 16.3%. This suggests that the product has gained significant traction among customers and is a major player in the SOAR market.

Smart home wireless network router device
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Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR also has a notable mindshare, with a market share of 9.7%. This is a respectable share, but still lags behind Microsoft Sentinel.

The majority of the SOAR market, 69.7%, is made up of other products and vendors. This indicates that the market is highly fragmented and there is still room for new players to enter and gain mindshare.

Learning and Resources

Fortinet Soar is an AI-powered security operations platform that provides real-time threat intelligence and incident response.

It offers a comprehensive training program that covers security operations, threat intelligence, and incident response.

The program includes interactive modules, live-fire exercises, and hands-on training, making it an engaging and effective way to learn.

Fortinet Soar also provides access to a vast library of training resources, including video tutorials, webinars, and documentation.

These resources are designed to help users get the most out of the platform and stay up-to-date with the latest security threats and best practices.

Fortinet's expert security professionals are available to provide guidance and support through live webinars and Q&A sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between SOAR and SIEM?

SIEM focuses on security event visibility and analysis, while SOAR automates incident response processes, offering a complementary approach to comprehensive security

Thomas Goodwin

Lead Writer

Thomas Goodwin is a seasoned writer with a passion for exploring the intersection of technology and business. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for simplifying complex concepts, he has established himself as a trusted voice in the tech industry. Thomas's writing portfolio spans a range of topics, including Azure Virtual Desktop and Cloud Computing Costs.

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