What is the purpose of configuring user groups in FortiGate?

Configuring user groups in FortiGate serves the purpose of simplifying policy management by allowing administrators to apply rules to a group of users rather than creating individual policies for each user. This approach streamlines the configuration process, making it more efficient to manage permissions, access controls, and security policies across large organizations with multiple users.

When a user group is defined, it groups together users with similar access needs, which means that changes to access policies can be made at the group level instead of dealing with the complexity of managing each user's individual policies. This not only eases the administrative burden but also helps in maintaining consistency across access controls.

When user groups are effectively utilized, it becomes easier to adjust permissions as organizational needs evolve, enhancing the overall security posture of the network while minimizing administrative overhead.