Skip to main content

Guided Onboarding

Guided onboarding helps you become familiar with the platform faster. It presents your setup as a series of tasks and walks you through each one.

On first login, your first network is already created, and a guided panel is displayed to lead you through the remaining steps. Guided onboarding is available to any new organization.

Collector setup​

The first task guides you through installing a Forward Collector on your local machine. The panel waits until the collector comes online before continuing.

Follow the wizard, name the collector, download and run the collector installer and enter the authorization key when prompted. This should install the collector successfully.

Install Collector

To learn more about collectors, see Forward Collector.

Add sources​

Next, select from a list of supported source types to collect from. Supported types include:

  • Standalone network devices, including Cisco ACI fabric, Cisco Meraki, Arista VeloCloud
  • VMware vCenter, VMware NSX-T
  • Cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP, IBM)
  • Alkira CXP

Choose Device Types

For standalone network devices, devices can be added in three ways:

  1. Subnet scan: scan a subnet to discover devices.
  2. CSV import: upload a CSV file with device details.
  3. Manual: add a device by entering its details manually.

Pick an option and enter the required device details. Learn more about Adding Devices at, Devices Setup.

Add Devices

At the end of each flow, the panel confirms how many devices were added and gives you a link to the Sources page. You can then choose from Mark as complete or Add more devices.

Mark as Complete

To change your sources later, select Sources under Network from the main menu on the left.

For more on configuring sources, see Collector configuration.

Take a snapshot​

Once the devices are added, take a snapshot to collect from all sources and build the network model. The panel shows snapshot progress as it runs.

Take Snapshot

For more on taking a snapshot, see Network Collection

Complete all tasks under onboard​

Onboarding tasks also includes common setup actions that are part of the platform:

  • Invite coworkers: Add teammates to your organization so they can sign in and help with onboarding. See Accounts for details.
  • Add a snapshot schedule: Set a schedule of how often Forward collects from your network, so your model stays up to date automatically. See Collection Settings for details.
  • Assign locations: Group your devices by site or location, so the topology reflects how your network is laid out. See Locations for details.

At any time you can return to the onboarding setup by selecting Setup: in progress at the top of the page.

note

All tasks under Onboard section should be finished and Marked as complete for the tasks/features under Explore section to become available.

Explore the platform​

After you finish the first set of tasks, a second set of Explore tasks appears. These introduce key features in a guided way. Each task includes a button that takes you to the feature, so you do not have to find it yourself.

  • Forward AI — Ask a question in plain language, such as one about CVEs, and you are taken straight to the matching page. This is the fastest way to explore the platform, since you can ask about paths, security posture, or vulnerabilities without learning any query syntax. See Forward AI. Ask Forward AI

  • Network Insights — Review the operational health and security posture of your network at a glance, including scorecards and KPIs derived from your snapshot. See Insights Dashboard. View Insights

  • Network Maps — Explore custom, shareable topology views of your network. Use them to lay out devices, add annotations, and build clear diagrams for your team. Click View now to add a network map. See Network Maps. Create Network Maps

When you finish a task, click Mark as Complete. After completing all tasks under the Onboard and Explore sections, click Mark onboarding as complete.

When you complete all tasks, you are taken to the Health Overview page and shown a confirmation message. The Setup: in progress option then disappears, since onboarding only needs to be done once. Health Overview

note
  • Onboarding remembers your progress. If you close the browser and return, you resume at the step you left.
  • Onboarding is shared across all org admins. You can invite a coworker, and they can complete the remaining steps.