We performed a comparison between Cisco Catalyst Switches and Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Ubiquiti Networks and others in Ethernet Switches."Perpetual POE is a valuable feature, because when the switch reboots, access points do not."
"Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution."
"Scalable, stable, and reliable product that's easy to install. Technical support is dependable and can be contacted in a variety of ways, e.g. through their ticketing system, hotline number, and community forum."
"The solution highly scalable."
"Their technical support is good, one of the best in the industry."
"The solution is good for computation and backup."
"Technical support is always very helpful and fast to respond."
"The 802.1X port security and other security features work well and help keep the network secure."
"What I really love in FortiSwitch: its usability, the graphical user interface, and the ability to be managed by FortiGate."
"The technical support has been very good."
"It works really well, I think the equipment is solid, and the help is great."
"I would rate the the ease of management and scalability within our network architecture an eight out of ten, with ten being best."
"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 stands out is the effective management and enhanced security provided by the solution's function as an extension of the firewall."
"Stability and scalability for this product are very good. Setup is easy and deployment can be completed within minutes. The technical support for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is good."
"The most valuable feature of FortiSwitch is its user-friendly interface, which facilitates easy management and propagation of rules throughout the network."
"Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have."
"My company would prefer that the price was more cost-effective."
"First of all, there are some features that take a long time to get implemented, and other vendors have them for a long time before them. For example, it took a long time to have a way to commit change with the timer, so it gets undone if the user doesn't accept the change after it's done. Like, having to say the changes be done, and everything works fine. In the end, everything works fine, but it didn't exist. That's just an example of stuff that came late to Catalyst."
"Its price can be improved. Some devices can be very expensive."
"We would like the solution to be more stable."
"Pricing for this product is on the higher end, and is something that could be improved. Security could also be increased."
"Its initial setup can be simpler, and it would be great if we can work with a reference architecture. Cisco has the capability to provide a very integrated solution. They have DNA Center, Cisco ISE, Cisco Prime, FMC, and AMP. We are looking at all the products, but it is rather complex to pick out the right licenses that you need. The license structure is a bit complex. Sometimes, there is an overlap in products, which does not really make sense. For example, you have DNA Center and Cisco Prime, and it is not really clear what you would use for what exactly. There is a lot of information on the Cisco website, but it takes a while to go through all this and look at the presentations that are available from Cisco Live. These presentations are appreciated, but sometimes, they are a bit too much like bullet points. You don't exactly know what's behind it, so you have to do a second guess. Overall, there is a lot of information but not always to the point."
"Price could be lower."
"Technical support needs to take a different approach and pricing should appear more competitive."
"The security of the solution could be a bit better."
"FortiSwitch requires periodic firmware updates. It can be a little difficult because the switches aren't connected to the internet, so you cannot upgrade the firmware remotely. You need to go to the site and do it manually because it's a closed network."
"The product must improve its prices."
"I would like Fortinet to make this product easier to configure."
"If you contact Fortinet, it's a bit difficult. Most of the time, they send you just links and documents to read for troubleshooting. When you contact support, you don't need documents. You want someone that can understand your problem, give a hand, and help you. I'm not impressed by the support really."
"The product's pricing needs improvement for small and medium businesses."
"When we started using the solution, it was quite complex but then it became easier to use. It takes a while to get used to the interface."
More Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access Pricing and Cost Advice →
Cisco Catalyst Switches doesn't meet the minimum requirements to be ranked in Ethernet Switches with 171 reviews while Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is ranked 7th in Ethernet Switches with 41 reviews. Cisco Catalyst Switches is rated 8.6, while Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco Catalyst Switches writes "Reliable and stable catalyst switch; can be easily installed". 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 Catalyst Switches is most compared with Arista Networks Platform, Dell PowerConnect Switches, Cisco Nexus, HPE ProCurve and ExtremeSwitching, whereas Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is most compared with Cisco Ethernet Switches, Aruba Switches, Meraki MS Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and NETGEAR Switches.
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