We performed a comparison between Cisco Ethernet Switches and Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Based on the parameters we compared, Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access seems to be the superior solution for pricing and service and support. Users gave a similar rating for both products regarding ease of deployment. It’s important to note that, though there were no ROI reviews for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access, users of Cisco Ethernet Switches were less than pleased with the ROI they saw. In terms of features, users of Cisco Ethernet Switches felt the product wasn’t user-friendly, whereas users of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access felt the product needed more security features.
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more stable than other products."
"For me, the initial setup was easy and straightforward, but for some of our customers who are not as familiar with networking, it can be complicated."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are rugged, secure, and scalable. It provides smart devices and reliable switches."
"The features that I have found most valuable are that it is easy to use and it has good technical support."
"Cisco as a whole is flexible."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches have good performance."
"The features that I have found most valuable are the core reliability and the switching group. All the features are very generic switching features with high reliability. That is the main key point I can highlight."
"We only use the basic features and we find that it works well."
"The most valuable feature is the security switch."
"One of the most feature-packed switching solutions you can implement."
"It is easy to set up."
"It is very user-friendly. There is no need to use command lines to configure it or to do anything in it. You hardly use command lines, which makes it different from Cisco. In Cisco, the CLI is your best friend. Fortinet has the lowest TCO, so you can use its integrated components without having to buy additional licenses. They provide centralized management without needing to buy or acquire additional licenses. You have an integral or complete vision through a single pane of glass, and you can see everything from one single console without having to buy additional licenses, which is a plus. It works the same way when you add wireless. You can see everything from FortiGate. It has a security processor, which is another plus. It does not have a standard desktop processor. It has a multi-threat security processor, and it is built by Fortinet. So, all the components that you include in a Fortinet solution are proprietary and work in an integral way. It has one single solution, whereas other brands, such as Palo Alto and Check Point, have been acquiring certain solutions, and they're not fully integrated. With Fortinet, everything is integrated. If you start building on Fortinet, everything that you expand to the local LAN or WAN is integrated. You don't have to pay for professional services and other things to do that. Their technical information is also very good. Most of their information is based on how-to, and it can be found online, which is something my clients like."
"What I actually use in this deployment are Forti APs (Fortinet Access Points). So, I can see all my office infrastructure from a single console, which is handy. One FortiGate, one FortiSwitch, and five access points, everything under good control. It's really nice to see it all together like this."
"The tool's setup was very easy."
"It can integrate well with other Fortinet products."
"I would rate the the ease of management and scalability within our network architecture an eight out of ten, with ten being best."
"If we can have fewer bugs on our switches, that would be great. We had bugs that caused the switch to reboot. There is probably a problem with the software."
"In terms of features, all features are there. I can't find anything new that needs to be added. Its price, however, is a bit higher than other brands and can be improved."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches is a very expensive solution."
"We are less in the Cloud because the Cloud technologies didn't work so well. That happened in all of the companies where I've been engaged."
"The interface and dashboard could look better."
"The solution needs to work on lowering the amount of bugs. We find them quite regularly."
"We have supply issues when ordering switches. It used to be a minimum of six to eight weeks. Now it has become around six months. That's the only issue we have."
"The technical support could improve, they are about average quality."
"While Fortinet is good for school boards and mid-sized businesses, enterprise-class networks require a zero-trust solution. If you're building a zero-trust network with end-to-end security, that's where Fortinet falls behind Cisco, HPE, and Aruba."
"The product must improve its prices."
"It is always nice when something is cheaper."
"The range of products could improve from Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access."
"We had experienced downtime. I would like to see it to be improved."
"The product's end-user protection feature needs improvement."
"Its cloud features could be better."
"An area for improvement would be the segmentation and network in logic networks."
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Cisco Ethernet Switches is ranked 1st in Ethernet Switches with 128 reviews while Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is ranked 7th in Ethernet Switches with 41 reviews. Cisco Ethernet Switches is rated 8.6, while Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco Ethernet Switches writes "It's a solidly stable product from a leader in the field". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access writes "It's a strong product that's easy to manage and costs significantly less than competing solutions ". Cisco Ethernet Switches is most compared with Aruba Switches, D-Link Ethernet Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, NETGEAR Switches and Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches, whereas Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is most compared with Aruba Switches, Meraki MS Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, NETGEAR Switches and Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches. See our Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access report.
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We monitor all Ethernet Switches reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.