I've had some initial configuration issues, particularly with storage, that I haven't encountered with Cisco switches. In my experience, the response after configuration changes can be slow. In future releases, I would like to see more integration capabilities. More integration would be helpful, especially since we sometimes have devices from other companies. Improved interoperability would be very beneficial.
Renewing the annual licenses for Secure the Switch FortiSwitch can be cumbersome, especially considering the relatively high cost of Fortinet licenses. While the switch itself functions well, the pricing structure for licensing can be a drawback. Regarding the major drawbacks of using FortiSwitch in our organization, one drawback I've encountered is related to the changes in their operating system upgrades. While upgrading from version 6.4 to 7.2, FortiSwitch tends to make significant alterations without clear documentation of where features or settings have been relocated. This lack of transparency can make navigating and understanding the updated operating system challenging, causing frustration and inefficiency.
There is a bit of a learning curve with the initial setup. For data centers and large enterprises, Cisco has advantages, but FortiSwitches make a lot of sense for certain applications.
The pricing could be improved, and it could be easier to configure. As Fortinet comes up with different firmware and updates, I am sure these problems will decrease. They will finetune their upgrades and firmware to make upgrading to the next versions easy.
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
They should enhance the solution's orchestration level. Also, they should integrate it with other Fortinet solutions. In addition, they should improve the cloud features and certain functionalities on the switching front.
I believe that stacking, a feature that is available in Huawei and Cisco, is not available in Fortinet products unless when managed by FortiGate. Adding stacking would be beneficial if Fortinet could incorporate it into their switches.
Some people know Cisco or other products when they were doing university or studies, so they feel more confident with them rather than FortiSwitch. This is a barrier. Most people know Fortinet as a security product bundle, and if you tell them to opt for FortiSwitch, it's a little bit complicated for them to swap their Cisco product for Fortinet. I'd like to see more integration with different platforms.
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 reporting capabilities should be included. As it is now, this can be purchased separately but competing solutions include it free of charge with the hardware. In the future, we would like to be able to connect a SIM card and have 3G or 4G connectively directly on the device. This would work as a backup if our primary internet goes down.
It would be easier if Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access could be managed via cloud, and this is something that could be improved in this product. In the next release of this product, it would be great if they could display or show the bandwidth in a better way.
An area for improvement would be the segmentation and network in logic networks. In the next release, I would like to see a new dashboard with more information.
In Fortinet, the packet reconstruction in the SD-WAN solution needs a little bit of improvement. When it comes to the Secure Access to the switches or the mix of Fortinet solution, the very small ones do not have the capability to use fiber cables. So, the small FortiGates have to work with the copper cables and cannot use fiber cables. Even though they have the capacity and throughput on all technical connectors, they don't have the interfaces, which is one of the good things with Cisco. They just add models to it. You buy the independent models, and you add them.
The security of the solution could be a bit better. We've tried to mobilize the infrastructure of the network, however, with security, it's tricky. We've had issues with faulty switches. Right now we have only two firewalls and we're trying to change to a new firewall and fix a faulty switch. We're looking to change in the next three to six months to help us move away from faulty lines. The fiber optic switch needs to be changed a bit. The specifications need to be adjusted.
IT consulant at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
Real User
2021-01-10T08:06:18Z
Jan 10, 2021
I can tell you from personal experience, while the interface is clear for somebody in the IT business, it really isn't clear for a novice. It would also help if they lowered the cost of their service. Their terminology could be better. The terminology is all IT. It's an IT dictionary, and I believe that there has to be a way to state things in clear, plain old English, and I would like to see more of that.
There are currently issues with some of the switches, problems with the firmware. I think they need to check the firmware, especially, with the new FortiGate firmware integration and they need to offer a strong switching feature like Cisco, especially in the VLAN management systems and integration.
The product could be improved with additional security-related features, you can never have enough. Otherwise, I find it quite an easy product to use. Scalability could also be improved. For additional features, I would again mention the security and it would be nice if the 4G system was directly on the operating system.
Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
2019-11-28T11:33:00Z
Nov 28, 2019
I don't like the way it's managed. For some of the smaller switches that we have, I was not able to log into it and manage it. I am not sure if it is something that I am missing or something that I am not doing correctly or if this applies to all switches. It had to be managed through the FortiGate firewall appliance, which to me is one of the downsides. I am not sure if they have management outside of FortiGate itself. The switches should have the capability to be managed without having to connect to FortiGate. You might have clients who are using Cisco or other solutions who would have to use FortiGate at the access level but won't be able to log in into the switch, then it would be completely useless to them and it becomes unmanaged. There is no console port and nothing in the default IP that could help with this issue. I checked online and there was nothing available. The dashboards are easy but a bit cloggy. The more switches that you connect the more cloggy it becomes.
I think that Fortinet needs to focus on its pricing and improving the packages offered to users. When our company offers a client the FortiSwitches product, the customer ends up comparing FortiSwitch's pricing directly with HP and Cisco. Both of these other products cost less but they have fewer features. Fortinet needs to bring the price down to levels that are more competitive at-a-glance with these other products. If they do that, they will take more of the market because they have more features and clients will compare by features rather than by price. It is actually justified as it stands to charge more, but customers often only see the price tag. Another thing that could be improved, although it is not actually part of the product itself, is the technical support. The technical support team is slow to respond and the responses are not always complete.
Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access is a secure, high-performance, and easy-to-manage switch. Fortinet FortiSwitch is the best solution for threat-conscious enterprises of all sizes because it is secure, simple, and scalable. Secure Access, which is tightly integrated into the Fortinet Security Fabric via FortiLink, may be handled directly from the FortiGate interface.
Regardless of how people and devices connect to the network, this single-pane-of-glass administration provides total...
I've had some initial configuration issues, particularly with storage, that I haven't encountered with Cisco switches. In my experience, the response after configuration changes can be slow. In future releases, I would like to see more integration capabilities. More integration would be helpful, especially since we sometimes have devices from other companies. Improved interoperability would be very beneficial.
It is always nice when something is cheaper.
Renewing the annual licenses for Secure the Switch FortiSwitch can be cumbersome, especially considering the relatively high cost of Fortinet licenses. While the switch itself functions well, the pricing structure for licensing can be a drawback. Regarding the major drawbacks of using FortiSwitch in our organization, one drawback I've encountered is related to the changes in their operating system upgrades. While upgrading from version 6.4 to 7.2, FortiSwitch tends to make significant alterations without clear documentation of where features or settings have been relocated. This lack of transparency can make navigating and understanding the updated operating system challenging, causing frustration and inefficiency.
There is a bit of a learning curve with the initial setup. For data centers and large enterprises, Cisco has advantages, but FortiSwitches make a lot of sense for certain applications.
The product could have better prices, analytics, and better graphs.
The pricing could be improved, and it could be easier to configure. As Fortinet comes up with different firmware and updates, I am sure these problems will decrease. They will finetune their upgrades and firmware to make upgrading to the next versions easy.
I feel that the product's stability is an area where improvements are required.
The tool should improve its CLI.
The product must improve its prices.
We haven't had any problems with FortiSwitch.
They should enhance the solution's orchestration level. Also, they should integrate it with other Fortinet solutions. In addition, they should improve the cloud features and certain functionalities on the switching front.
I believe that stacking, a feature that is available in Huawei and Cisco, is not available in Fortinet products unless when managed by FortiGate. Adding stacking would be beneficial if Fortinet could incorporate it into their switches.
In the next release, I would like to see more outdoor products. It would be great if the APs and the physical box could be weatherproof.
Some people know Cisco or other products when they were doing university or studies, so they feel more confident with them rather than FortiSwitch. This is a barrier. Most people know Fortinet as a security product bundle, and if you tell them to opt for FortiSwitch, it's a little bit complicated for them to swap their Cisco product for Fortinet. I'd like to see more integration with different platforms.
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 central management needs improvement. The initial setup could be easier.
The reporting capabilities should be included. As it is now, this can be purchased separately but competing solutions include it free of charge with the hardware. In the future, we would like to be able to connect a SIM card and have 3G or 4G connectively directly on the device. This would work as a backup if our primary internet goes down.
It would be easier if Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access could be managed via cloud, and this is something that could be improved in this product. In the next release of this product, it would be great if they could display or show the bandwidth in a better way.
An area for improvement would be the segmentation and network in logic networks. In the next release, I would like to see a new dashboard with more information.
The range of products could improve from Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access.
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.
In Fortinet, the packet reconstruction in the SD-WAN solution needs a little bit of improvement. When it comes to the Secure Access to the switches or the mix of Fortinet solution, the very small ones do not have the capability to use fiber cables. So, the small FortiGates have to work with the copper cables and cannot use fiber cables. Even though they have the capacity and throughput on all technical connectors, they don't have the interfaces, which is one of the good things with Cisco. They just add models to it. You buy the independent models, and you add them.
The security of the solution could be a bit better. We've tried to mobilize the infrastructure of the network, however, with security, it's tricky. We've had issues with faulty switches. Right now we have only two firewalls and we're trying to change to a new firewall and fix a faulty switch. We're looking to change in the next three to six months to help us move away from faulty lines. The fiber optic switch needs to be changed a bit. The specifications need to be adjusted.
I can tell you from personal experience, while the interface is clear for somebody in the IT business, it really isn't clear for a novice. It would also help if they lowered the cost of their service. Their terminology could be better. The terminology is all IT. It's an IT dictionary, and I believe that there has to be a way to state things in clear, plain old English, and I would like to see more of that.
There are currently issues with some of the switches, problems with the firmware. I think they need to check the firmware, especially, with the new FortiGate firmware integration and they need to offer a strong switching feature like Cisco, especially in the VLAN management systems and integration.
The product could be improved with additional security-related features, you can never have enough. Otherwise, I find it quite an easy product to use. Scalability could also be improved. For additional features, I would again mention the security and it would be nice if the 4G system was directly on the operating system.
The technical support could be improved.
I don't like the way it's managed. For some of the smaller switches that we have, I was not able to log into it and manage it. I am not sure if it is something that I am missing or something that I am not doing correctly or if this applies to all switches. It had to be managed through the FortiGate firewall appliance, which to me is one of the downsides. I am not sure if they have management outside of FortiGate itself. The switches should have the capability to be managed without having to connect to FortiGate. You might have clients who are using Cisco or other solutions who would have to use FortiGate at the access level but won't be able to log in into the switch, then it would be completely useless to them and it becomes unmanaged. There is no console port and nothing in the default IP that could help with this issue. I checked online and there was nothing available. The dashboards are easy but a bit cloggy. The more switches that you connect the more cloggy it becomes.
In terms of improvements, the solution has SD-WAN but it doesn't have SDN. This should be added. The solution can only be managed by FortiGate.
I think that Fortinet needs to focus on its pricing and improving the packages offered to users. When our company offers a client the FortiSwitches product, the customer ends up comparing FortiSwitch's pricing directly with HP and Cisco. Both of these other products cost less but they have fewer features. Fortinet needs to bring the price down to levels that are more competitive at-a-glance with these other products. If they do that, they will take more of the market because they have more features and clients will compare by features rather than by price. It is actually justified as it stands to charge more, but customers often only see the price tag. Another thing that could be improved, although it is not actually part of the product itself, is the technical support. The technical support team is slow to respond and the responses are not always complete.