Comparison
ManySignal vs FortiSOAR: agentic SOC vs Fortinet's SOAR platform
FortiSOAR is most powerful inside the Fortinet Security Fabric. ManySignal is an agentic SOC that works across vendor environments. The comparison matters when you're deciding whether to deepen a single-vendor ecosystem or operate autonomous investigation across a mixed stack.
FortiSOAR
Fortinet-native SOAR platform
Originally CyberSponse, acquired by Fortinet. Best when you already run FortiGate, FortiEDR, and FortiSIEM — native Fabric orchestration gives tight policy and telemetry integration. Bought by Fortinet-centric enterprises with SOAR engineering capacity.
ManySignal
Agentic SOC + MDR platform
Vendor-agnostic agentic SOC: AI agents triage every alert, build entity-graph context, and execute governed autonomous response. Not tied to a single vendor ecosystem. Available as self-operated or fully managed MDR.
Who buys each
Fabric depth vs stack agnosticism
FortiSOAR resonates in organisations where the Fortinet Fabric is the strategic security platform. ManySignal resonates in teams that want autonomous outcomes without tying their SOC to one vendor's ecosystem.
Feature comparison
| Capability | ManySignal | FortiSOAR |
|---|---|---|
| Product category | Agentic SOC + MDR platform | SOAR platform (Fortinet) |
| Detection surface | Shipped detections across endpoint, cloud, identity, network, and email | No native detection engine; alerts flow from FortiSIEM, FortiEDR, or third-party tools |
| Entity graph | Persistent cross-source entity graph: users, devices, IPs, applications, linked over time | Asset and incident records; entity relationships require custom configuration in the FortiSOAR schema |
| Behavioural baselines | Per-entity ML baselines used in every alert's confidence scoring | Not a core FortiSOAR capability; baselines come from FortiSIEM or FortiAnalyzer |
| Triage agent | Autonomous agent investigates every alert end-to-end and produces a confidence-weighted verdict | Playbook automation handles enrichment; analyst-driven triage for alert types without a matching playbook |
| Verdict on every alert | Structured true/false-positive verdict on 100% of alerts with full evidence chain | Outcome depends on playbook coverage and analyst review; no platform-level verdict model |
| Response autonomy ladder | Configurable tiers: notify → contain → remediate, per alert class with blast-radius limits | Playbooks support automated response; autonomy governance must be engineered per playbook |
| Blast-radius limits | Built-in guardrails cap automated actions by scope and impact class | Conditional logic within playbooks; no native platform-wide blast-radius concept |
| Per-tenant kill switch | One-click pause of all automated response per tenant, logged | Playbooks and jobs can be individually disabled; no unified kill switch |
| Evidence trail | Immutable per-alert evidence log with reasoning steps and operator attestation | Audit trail captures playbook execution events; analyst notes supplement automated logs |
| Connector count | 300+ managed integrations, vendor-agnostic | Strong integration with the Fortinet Security Fabric; third-party connectors available but strength is in Fortinet tooling |
| Fortinet fabric integration | Integrates with Fortinet tools as data sources and response targets; no native Fabric orchestration | Native Fortinet Security Fabric orchestration; tight FortiGate, FortiEDR, FortiAnalyzer integration |
| Ingestion pricing model | Per-endpoint/user; no per-GB or per-alert charges | Licensed per FortiSOAR instance/node; pricing tied to Fortinet platform licensing |
| Deployment model | Cloud-native SaaS, multi-tenant with strong tenant isolation | On-premises or private cloud; cloud-hosted available but Fortinet shops typically run on-premises |
| Best-fit team size | Mid-market to enterprise; MSPs and MSSPs | Organisations running the Fortinet Security Fabric with SOC engineering resources |
| MDR option | ManySignal MDR: 24/7 managed coverage on the same platform | No native MDR service; Fortinet has separate managed service partnerships |
| Licensing model | Outcome-based: protected assets, not alert or event volume | Instance and feature-based licensing within Fortinet platform agreements |
| Primary UI paradigm | Agent workbench: verdicts, evidence, and autonomy controls first | Incident management + playbook builder; Fortinet-familiar UI for organisations in the Fabric ecosystem |
Reflects publicly available information, provided in good faith. Verify current capabilities with each vendor.
Where each product genuinely wins
FortiSOAR genuine strengths
- Fortinet Security Fabric integration. Native orchestration of FortiGate policies, FortiEDR containment, FortiAnalyzer telemetry, and FortiSIEM correlation — the depth of integration across Fortinet's portfolio is a genuine advantage in Fortinet shops.
- On-premises deployment. FortiSOAR's on-premises model suits organisations with air-gap requirements or OT/ICS environments where cloud SaaS isn't viable.
- Fortinet licensing bundling. For organisations already in Fortinet enterprise agreements, FortiSOAR adds SOC automation without a separate procurement process.
- Customisation depth. FortiSOAR's data schema and playbook model supports highly customised SOC workflows for mature engineering teams.
ManySignal genuine strengths
- Vendor-agnostic autonomous triage. Triage agents produce verdicts across all alert types from any vendor's tooling — no Fabric tie-in required, no playbook per alert type.
- Entity graph. Cross-source entity graph provides persistent investigative context that FortiSOAR's record model does not replicate.
- Built-in governance. Autonomy ladder, blast-radius limits, and per-tenant kill switch are platform primitives — not engineering projects requiring SOAR specialists.
- MDR option. ManySignal MDR provides 24/7 managed coverage without a separate Fortinet managed service engagement.
Moving from FortiSOAR to ManySignal
FortiSOAR migrations are typically more involved when Fortinet Fabric orchestration is central. A phased approach preserves existing Fabric response actions while introducing autonomous triage.
Weeks 1–2
Playbook audit
Map all FortiSOAR playbooks. Separate triage/enrichment logic (ManySignal replaces) from Fabric response actions (FortiGate blocks, FortiEDR quarantine) that can continue.
Weeks 3–4
Parallel triage
ManySignal ingests from the same sources. Both platforms triage live alerts. Compare verdicts against analyst ground truth over a statistically meaningful sample.
Weeks 5–6
Retire triage playbooks
Sunset FortiSOAR triage and enrichment playbooks. Wire ManySignal verdicts as triggers for remaining Fabric response playbooks. Validate end-to-end response flow.
Weeks 7–8
Enable autonomy tiers
Activate ManySignal autonomous response on validated alert classes. Retain FortiSOAR only for Fabric orchestration if required, or migrate those actions to ManySignal's Fortinet integrations.
Decision guide
Choose ManySignal if...
- Your security stack is multi-vendor and not anchored to the Fortinet ecosystem.
- You want autonomous triage on every alert without playbook engineering per alert type.
- Governed autonomous response with blast-radius limits is a compliance requirement.
- You want MDR coverage on the same platform without a separate managed service.
- Cloud-native SaaS deployment is preferred or required.
Choose FortiSOAR if...
- You're deeply committed to the Fortinet Security Fabric and want native Fabric SOAR.
- On-premises deployment is a regulatory or OT/ICS architectural requirement.
- FortiSOAR is already in your Fortinet enterprise agreement — additional procurement isn't needed.
- You have SOAR engineering capacity and want playbook-level control of Fabric orchestration.
- Your primary response surface is Fortinet tooling (FortiGate, FortiEDR) and native API depth matters.
ManySignal vs FortiSOAR: common questions
We run FortiGate, FortiEDR, and FortiSIEM. Is FortiSOAR the obvious SOAR choice?
Within a complete Fortinet Security Fabric deployment, FortiSOAR's native orchestration across FortiGate, FortiEDR, and FortiAnalyzer is a genuine advantage — the integrations are deep, policy synchronisation is tighter, and the data model is consistent. ManySignal integrates with Fortinet tools but doesn't have the same native Fabric orchestration. If you're evaluating whether to add SOC automation vs augment detection and response intelligence, the comparison changes — ManySignal adds investigation agents and autonomous triage that FortiSOAR doesn't ship natively.
FortiSOAR is typically deployed on-premises. Is that still common?
FortiSOAR's roots and most mature deployment pattern is on-premises, which suits organisations with data residency requirements or operational technology environments that are air-gapped or semi-isolated. ManySignal is cloud-native SaaS, which is a meaningful difference for organisations with those constraints.
We have custom FortiSOAR playbooks. What's the migration cost?
Downstream orchestration playbooks — Fortinet policy pushes, ticket creation, alert routing — can continue running during transition. The triage and enrichment playbooks are the candidates for retirement. A parallel-run approach over 4–6 weeks is typical: ManySignal runs against the same alerts, the team validates verdict quality, then overlapping triage playbooks are retired.
Can ManySignal execute response actions against Fortinet infrastructure?
Yes. ManySignal's integration library includes FortiGate firewall policy actions, FortiEDR endpoint containment, and FortiAnalyzer log retrieval. The difference from FortiSOAR is that ManySignal's agent decides when and whether to execute those actions based on autonomous triage, while FortiSOAR executes whatever playbook a human authored.
Does ManySignal work in OT/ICS environments?
ManySignal is primarily designed for IT and cloud environments. For organisations with significant OT/ICS scope where FortiSOAR and FortiNet industrial products are already operating, FortiSOAR's native Fabric integration is likely a better fit. Verify OT coverage requirements with both vendors.
How does ManySignal's autonomy governance compare to FortiSOAR's playbook model?
FortiSOAR automation runs what its playbooks prescribe — governance is implicit in how the playbooks are authored. ManySignal ships explicit autonomy governance: per-action-class policies (autonomous, approval-gated, recommend-only), blast-radius limits that cap the scope of any single automated action, a kill switch for global autonomy disable, and dry-run previews before deployment. The governance model is a platform feature, not a playbook convention.
Which platform handles the multi-vendor response action breadth better?
Both platforms support multi-vendor response. FortiSOAR's depth is strongest within the Fortinet Fabric — FortiGate, FortiEDR, FortiAnalyzer actions are natively tight. ManySignal's 300+ integrations cover a broader cross-vendor surface — AWS, Okta, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto, Slack, Jira — with equivalent depth across vendors. For organisations running a mixed vendor environment outside the Fortinet Fabric, ManySignal's breadth is more useful.
What is the typical contract and evaluation process for each platform?
FortiSOAR evaluation typically runs through Fortinet's enterprise sales process and often bundles with other Fabric licenses. ManySignal evaluations are independent — a 30-day proof-of-concept is available during which ManySignal connects to your environment and generates verdicts on your live alert queue. The evaluation includes a baseline MTTR measurement so the improvement is data-driven, not anecdotal.
Related comparisons
See the agentic SOC in action
Watch AI agents work a real alert queue — verdicts, evidence, and confidence scores included. In-house SOC or MDR, your call.