FortiManager is the centralised management and SD-WAN orchestration platform for Fortinet deployments, essential in any multi-site SD-WAN rollout where consistent policy, automated provisioning, and operational visibility are required. Without FortiManager, managing SD-WAN policy across dozens or hundreds of FortiGate branches becomes an unscalable per-device operation.
The SD-WAN Orchestrator within FortiManager provides a purpose-built workflow for SD-WAN deployment: define WAN links and their SLA targets, create application steering rules, set load-balancing and failover policies, and deploy the entire configuration to all branches simultaneously. Changes to SD-WAN policy — such as adding a new SaaS application route or adjusting SLA thresholds — propagate across all sites in minutes.
Zero Touch Provisioning dramatically reduces the operational cost of branch expansion. Physical FortiGate appliances ship pre-registered to FortiManager using their serial numbers. The branch site installs the device, connects WAN and LAN cables, and powers on. FortiManager automatically applies the correct provisioning template, configuring all SD-WAN, NGFW, VPN, and security settings without any manual CLI or GUI intervention at the branch.