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Aruba Wireless vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
8.4
Many users report positive ROI from Aruba Wireless, citing productivity boosts and cost-effective, downtime-reducing infrastructure solutions despite valuation challenges.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers cost-effective, secure network access with ROI benefits, though less ideal for smaller setups due to licensing.
There is no need to buy additional controllers for managing access points.
There are significant time savings, around thirty to forty percent, due to minimal disconnections.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
Aruba Wireless customer service varies, with mixed feedback on phone support but generally positive views on online and technical help.
Sentiment score
6.8
Fortinet FortiSwitch support is inconsistent, with mixed reviews on response time and depth compared to industry leaders.
I only needed support once or twice for a replacement, and it was handled smoothly without any difficulty.
I would rate their technical support nine out of ten.
The customer support is good.
It's a potential area for improvement, possibly in terms of response time or quality.
My local support is working fine, and I have my connection with my account manager in the public company of Fortinet.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Aruba Wireless scales for diverse enterprises, offering flexible deployment, centralized management, and robust performance despite some hardware limitations.
Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers adaptable network solutions, ideal for varying enterprise sizes, but pricing may limit large-scale scalability.
The solution is scalable, as multiple sites connect seamlessly.
For enterprise solutions, it's extendable easily with options for edge connectivity or stackable devices.
You just need to connect another switch or replace the current one, and it integrates well with the existing setup.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
Aruba Wireless is highly reliable, stable, and effective across environments, with minor issues resolved by updates, rated highly by users.
Sentiment score
8.7
Fortinet FortiSwitch is considered stable, secure, and reliable, with minor configuration issues and room for improvement.
I have been using the product for the last nine years without facing any issues post-installation.
I don't remember it going down during the years it existed.
The stability has been good overall.
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Wireless needs improved usability, stability, security, integration, cost-effectiveness, bug resolution, and enhanced features for better user experience.
Fortinet FortiSwitch needs pricing, manageability, support, integration improvements, and enhanced features to effectively compete with HP and Cisco.
The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive.
At the time of purchase, the prices were moderate, but now they are quite expensive.
While the technical specifications are satisfactory, the access points are expensive.
The introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic directly on the switch.
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Wireless offers competitive pricing, with costs justified by performance, though initial setup and licensing can be expensive.
Enterprise buyers view Fortinet FortiSwitch as a mid-priced solution, cheaper than Cisco but costlier than Huawei, with complex licensing.
The pricing can be expensive.
The initial prices were more affordable compared to the current high prices.
It is very high compared to other products.
It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Wireless excels in security, scalability, and management, offering integrated solutions with advanced features and cost-effective deployment.
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access integrates with FortiGate for centralized control, robust security, and efficient network management and access.
I am very satisfied with the roaming feature, as it ensures connectivity when moving from one location to another.
It has many features and is integrated with Azure AD and multiple active directories, making authentication easy.
I do not need to buy a controller for the access point since the Aruba Access Point has a built-in virtual controller.
The powerful integration capabilities allow us to manage all devices from a single interface through the firewall.
One of the main features is the integration with FortiGate.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Wireless
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
147
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (1st)
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Aruba Wireless is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 18.3%, down 23.7% compared to last year.
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access, on the other hand, focuses on Ethernet Switches, holds 5.4% mindshare, down 6.0% since last year.
Wireless LAN
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad_Faisal - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience seamless connectivity with top-notch roaming capabilities
The Aruba Wireless solution has excellent roaming capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity. Once installed, Aruba Wireless works robustly without overheating issues. This is particularly effective compared to other products I've used, like FortiMonitor and FortiAPs, which sometimes heat up. I am very satisfied with the roaming feature, as it ensures connectivity when moving from one location to another. The product's stability, after setting it up, adds to its value.
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,…
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 24, 2015
Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions
Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did we like about Ruckus? First, it was very easy to use, and anybody with minimal...
How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are availabl...
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

Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: March 2025.
842,388 professionals have used our research since 2012.