Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Aruba Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
81
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 13.3%, up from 12.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 6.2%, up from 6.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Michael-Sugg - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 6, 2022
As a managed service provider, it's important to have a solution that can manage everything from one console
There are some growing pains with Aruba Central. When you first launch the wireless access points or switches, a lot of updates are needed to get Aruba Central ready, especially on the access points, so the initial deployment time could improve. I would hope that I could just turn it on and leave the updates until later on. The switches themselves probably did okay. I'm primarily referring to the wireless access points. There was a lot of back and forth before everything was in sync. It took hours. I can't think of any missing features, but it would be nice if there were a free version of Aruba Central for my small business clients that doesn't have as many features.
SherifAbdelrahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 11, 2024
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

"When it comes to basic L2 switching, we've found that Aruba switches are very user-friendly in terms of configuration and management. I haven't had the opportunity to utilize Aruba Central for managing the switches yet, so I can't speak to that aspect. However, overall, we've found the deployment process for Aruba switches to be very straightforward."
"We didn't experience any stability or scalability issues until now with Aruba Switches"
"This is a very stable product with good performance."
"It is pretty easy to implement the product."
"The most valuable feature is the switches are reliable and replaced for free if anything goes wrong."
"All of the networking products that we use are Aruba, so we use Aruba Central to manage them."
"It can scale well."
"The speed of the processor allows for quicker boot-up times compared to Cisco switches."
"It can integrate well with other Fortinet products."
"My advice those using a firewall Fortigate is: use their APs because they work very well."
"One of the most feature-packed switching solutions you can implement."
"The integration with the whole platform, so there's one dashboard for everything. It is one of the most valuable features."
"The most valuable feature of this product is its simplicity."
"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 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."
"It's easy to be configured and powerful in terms of performance."
 

Cons

"Aruba Switches' price could improve, if they were less expensive it would be beneficial."
"The licensing model could be improved."
"From an improvement perspective, I want Aruba Switches to have a longer life since it doesn't work properly after five years of use."
"The main issue we had with the Aruba Switches was that they would heat up easily when placed outside. We have two locations with no cover in the corridor and it's a historical building. We experienced outages on the first batch of Aruba Switches we received, which we never had with the Dell Switches, for example, even though Dell Switches are not as well-known. However, the Dell Switches had been outside for a few years and we never had any issues with them. In contrast, we encountered an issue with the Aruba Switch after only one week of being outside when it shut down in security mode."
"The initial setup is not easy."
"The firmware in this solution has a lot of bugs that become noticeable when you have complex implementations."
"In the next release, I would like to see network access control on the switches themselves. I would like to see security functionalities when it comes to monitoring the bit of the wireless section of the switches."
"The power supplies are generally susceptible to power fluctuations and failure due to these fluctuations."
"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."
"We've had some issues with Layer 3 FortiSwitch. We can deploy the device in the cloud. However, we can't deploy this solution in complex environments easily."
"In the next release, I would like to see more outdoor products."
"The installation is not difficult. However, some features have to be activated from the CLI."
"I feel that the product's stability is an area where improvements are required."
"The pricing is considered high due to the currency exchange changes in our region."
"I would like Fortinet to make this product easier to configure."
"The tool should improve its CLI."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco has a higher cost than Aruba Switches."
"Aruba Switches are less expensive than Cisco."
"Aruba Switches are very expensive."
"There is not a switch that I would give more than six out of ten for pricing because, over the last year, the prices have been increasing very high."
"There are no licensing costs for the Aruba Switches."
"Our customers may want better pricing but we are a reseller and a partner, and the pricing that we get is good."
"The product is a bit expensive."
"Aruba switches cost between $500 and $600 more than similar products by Huawei, as well as many other brands."
"We have to pay for the solution's subscription."
"The solution has reasonable pricing. The firewall costs around 500$ annually."
"The product's pricing is good."
"I rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten."
"The product's pricing is less compared to other enterprise solutions."
"The solution is expensive but overall the cost makes sense."
"The price is good."
"You can buy this equipment in a multitude of ways. You can buy just the hardware, or you can buy the hardware and the licenses."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
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 Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
The power supplies are generally susceptible to power fluctuations and failure due to these fluctuations.
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?
The product pricing seems to be mid-range. The licensing structure is not uniform and can be difficult to understand. I rate the pricing around five or six out of ten.
 

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.