Introduction
FortiPresence VM is a comprehensive data analytics solution designed for analyzing user traffic and deriving usage patterns. By capturing analytics of consumer traffic patterns, businesses can learn more about their customers. FortiPresence VM combines WiFi and analytics to deliver end-to-end solution by providing data needed to understand customer behaviour. It includes comprehensive dashboards for data analysis and reports.
FortiPresence VM is deployed locally on your site and consists of two virtual machines. All the analytics data collected and computed resides locally on the VMs.
The existing Fortinet access points deployed at business establishments are leveraged to detect WiFi signals from customer. In a typical business setup, visitor smartphones/devices probe for wireless access points, FortiPresence VM uses the signals emitted from these smartphones/devices to detect customer presence and record their location and movements. This information along with the social network authentication logins with Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, or FortiPresence using your WiFi infrastructure is then processed by the VMs and presented on the customizable dashboards on the FortiPresence VM GUI.
FortiPresence provides an end-to-end presence analytics solution with the following key features:
- Infrastructure Server — This server hosts all the infrastructure related services for SQL, NoSQL databases, Message Broker and a Local Simple Storage Service.
- Applications Server — This server hosts all the FortiPresence VM application related services like GUI and locationing services.
- Access Point Support — The FortiPresence VM solution supports all Fortinet wireless access points. FortiGate, FortiAPCloud wireless access points (send visitor data in the form of station reports directly to FortiPresence VM), and FortiWLC wireless access points (send visitor data in the form of station reports to the FortiWLC controller which redirects data to FortiPresence VM).
- Presence and Positioning Analytics — The customizable dashboards and reports provide real-time location trends and presence analytics with animated maps and video play options to view and compare visitor data across sites.
- Site and Portal Management — The sites can be located using Google maps/created and floors planned for effective visitor data analysis. The visitor can login into your WiFi infrastructure using Facebook, Google, Instagram, or LinkedIn social authentication, SMS-OTP authentication, or a customized visitor portal.
This is an example of FortiPresence VM in a retail setup.
- Smartphone emits a WiFi probe signal and the FortiAPs capture the MAC address information.
- FortiAPs or FortiWLC summarizes and forwards the data records.
- FortiPresence VM analytics engine receives data via a secure SSL connection and processes it.
FortiPresence is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant.
- MAC addresses are not stored in FortiPresence; each visitor is referred by a unique User Key.
- Personal details are not stored without the visitor’s consent - While logging on to the WiFi network, the visitor is presented with clear information about personal details being collected from the social network logins. Personal details, such as, name, gender, age, email etc. are stored only if the visitor gives an explicit consent, else such information is not stored.