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Arista Networks Platform vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Arista Networks Platform
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (3rd)
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Arista Networks Platform is 3.2%, down from 5.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 5.5%, down from 5.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

MarekSzafrański - PeerSpot reviewer
Affordable for enterprise-sized companies
Speaking about whether the product enhanced our company's data center scalability, I would say that it was a solution that was used in a banking company, where it served as a replacement for Cisco. Though Arista Networks Platform is similar to Cisco IOS CLI, I feel that the former product offers better prices compared to the latter tool. Arista Networks Platform office is more efficient at a lower cost. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. The tool is stable and cheaper than Cisco. I would say that Arista Networks Platform is 100 percent compatible with the existing infrastructure in my company. The impact of the tool's network telemetry on our company's troubleshooting practices was just good for the scope for which I need the product. I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.
SherifAbdelrahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient integration allows streamlined network management with a straightforward setup
I use it for retail business. We are using the FortiSwitch solution for our voice switches and access points as well It has helped us by providing easy management from a single platform through the firewall interface. It's very easy to manage and provides all the insights and vulnerabilities,…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I find the operational system used by Arista to be very valuable, and the hardware is exceptionally nice. Arista has a unified operational system called EOS that is easy to set up and replicate on other devices. The ease of configuration and transition between devices is a significant advantage for me."
"They support open standard features."
"We find the CloudVision switching feature of this solution really useful."
"It's an extremely reliable platform for the network switches we use."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"Arista's customer service is excellent."
"The best part is the single operating system that they have. Regardless of your model, it's the same operating system functioning across the board, which means you don't have to worry about backward compatibilities between your older switches and the new ones that you deploy."
"The solution has good load latency. They're the market leader in this aspect right now."
"The tool's setup was very easy."
"What stands out is the effective management and enhanced security provided by the solution's function as an extension of the firewall."
"It is a cheap and secure solution. The job switching and security features are better than other solutions."
"The most valuable feature would be network management, separating the network management component from security. It can do both but we promote it on its own. It's a good solution to do network management."
"I would rate the the ease of management and scalability within our network architecture an eight out of ten, with ten being best."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access has good scalability."
"What I really love in FortiSwitch: its usability, the graphical user interface, and the ability to be managed by FortiGate."
"The most valuable feature of this product is its simplicity."
 

Cons

"Something that you will often hear about Arista products is that the price is a bit too high and, like with Cisco, we sometimes have problems with our customers because of its pricing."
"The intent-based networking management, together with the provider of these solutions that are already free, would be beneficial."
"The solution is a bit pricey."
"The solution’s pricing could be better."
"I want the solution to include a unified controller."
"The solution needs to accommodate new features."
"A smoother transition between ISPs during failover would improve the user experience by reducing unnecessary notifications and interruptions."
"They should expand further into campus networks."
"In the next release, I would like to see more outdoor products."
"The solution has SD-WAN but it doesn't have SDN. This should be added."
"Technical support needs to take a different approach and pricing should appear more competitive."
"The solution could provide an active VPN."
"More integration would be helpful, especially since we sometimes have devices from other companies. Improved interoperability would be very beneficial."
"The reporting capabilities should be included."
"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 initial setup is pretty easy; we have built a knowledge base. But there's a learning curve for beginners."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is pretty pricey for a networking platform. It is on par with Cisco."
"Arista is very expensive. Not everybody is in a position to spend $70,000 to $80,000 for one switch."
"There is an annual license required to use the Arista Networks Platform."
"The price of the Arista Networks Platform could be less expensive for the hardware and license."
"Network devices are generally expensive. However, during the evaluation, Arista was the most inexpensive vendor."
"The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000."
"I remember that when our customers were offered the Arista Networks Platform, they used a checklist to compare the prices between Arista and Cisco for their requirements, and found that the prices were almost the same."
"Specific tools definitely require a license for the subscription. But we are not using these tools in our environment. In terms of licensing, you need to spend approximately $10,000 per month."
"The price is good."
"The tool's pricing is fine."
"The cost appears to be high in comparison to other competing products although with this product you are paying for what you get."
"Price-wise, I find Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access to be an okay product. It is not an expensive product."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access requires a license and the price is expensive."
"The pricing for Fortinet FortiSwitch is not expensive."
"The solution has reasonable pricing. The firewall costs around 500$ annually."
"We have to pay for the solution's subscription."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Arista Networks Platform?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?
Compared to Cisco, Arista routers are significantly cheaper. The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000.
What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?
Arista Networks is currently less popular as they were initially more focused on data centers than campus networks. They should expand further into campus networks.
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
With FortiSwitch, you can easily identify who is connected to each port, disable ports as needed, and retrieve configurations from FortiGate when required.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
Currently, I don't have an opinion about the price as I focus on implementation and am not informed about pricing in comparison to other vendors.
 

Also Known As

7000 Series
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Internet Services
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Arista Networks Platform vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.