The IT team is wondering whether they will need to continue using MDM tools for future FortiClient upgrades.
AnswerA
ExplanationAccording to the FortiSASE 7.6 Feature Administration Guide and the latest updates to the NSE 5 SASE curriculum, FortiSASE has introduced native lifecycle management for FortiClient agents to reduce the operational burden on IT teams who previously relied solely on third-party MDM (Mobile Device Management) or GPO (Group Policy Objects) for every update.
The Endpoint Upgrade feature, found under System > Endpoint Upgrade in the FortiSASE portal, allows administrators to perform the following:
Centralized Version Control: Administrators can see which versions are currently deployed and which 'Recommended' versions are available from FortiGuard.
Scheduled Rollouts: You can choose to upgrade all endpoints or specific endpoint groups at a designated time, ensuring that upgrades do not disrupt business operations.
Status Monitoring: The portal provides a real-time dashboard showing the progress of the upgrade (e.g., Downloading, Installing, Reboot Pending, or Success).
Manual vs. Managed: While MDM is still highly recommended for the initial onboarding (the first time FortiClient is installed and connected to the SASE cloud), all subsequent upgrades can be handled natively by the FortiSASE portal.
Why other options are incorrect:
Option B: Manual upgrades are inefficient for large-scale deployments (~400 users in this scenario) and are not the intended 'feature-rich' solution provided by FortiSASE.
Option C: 'Onboarding' refers to the initial setup. Re-onboarding every time a version changes would be redundant and counterproductive.
Option D: While the system can manage the upgrade, it is not 'auto-upgraded on demand' by the client itself without administrative configuration in the portal. The administrator must still define the target version and schedule.