Cisco Catalyst Switches and Fortinet FortiSwitch compete in the network switching category. Cisco Catalyst tends to have an advantage in reliability and feature set, whereas Fortinet FortiSwitch excels in integration with security solutions, particularly when paired with FortiGate.
Features: Cisco Catalyst Switches are known for their rich feature set including VLAN management, PoE capabilities, and advanced security options. User reviews often mention their ease of configuration and strong technical support. Fortinet FortiSwitch focuses on seamless integration with FortiGate, providing robust security features, centralized management, and straightforward usability.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Catalyst Switches are often criticized for their high cost and complex licensing models, with suggestions to simplify licensing and reduce prices. Fortinet FortiSwitch users suggest improved integration of wireless products and enhancing the user interface. Both products could improve in terms of operational streamlining and cost-effectiveness.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Catalyst Switches are typically deployed on-premises, though some users choose cloud setups. Technical support is generally well-received, albeit with occasional reports of delays. Fortinet FortiSwitch users benefit greatly from its integration with FortiGate, supporting hybrid and on-premises deployments. Fortinet's customer service is praised for its responsiveness and reliability, although integration challenges with non-Fortinet products persist.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Catalyst Switches are perceived as expensive with a complex licensing model, yet users view them as a worthwhile investment due to their reliability and features, though the ROI may be prolonged. Fortinet FortiSwitch is considered more cost-effective, especially in FortiGate-based environments. Users find that FortiSwitch offers good value for money with a quicker ROI than Cisco. While both solutions incur high initial costs, they ultimately provide solid returns over time.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are a reliable and scalable network switching and routing solution, focusing on VLANs and VLAN switching. They are used as access switches, distribution switches, and core switches in various environments, deployed on-premises, and used for long connections. The switches are easy to configure, install, and upgrade and offer good pricing.
The most valuable features include warranty and firmware support, stability, security, good performance, flexibility, etc. The Cisco Catalyst Switches have provided a stable solution for the organizations and are widely used, trusted, and well-known in the networking industry.
With 10 or 40 GE access ports and a high-throughput backbone, FortiSwitch Data Center Switches are ideal for the top-of-rack (ToR) server or firewall-aggregation applications. The high-speed switching fabric is also well suited for enterprise network core or backbone network installations.
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