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Cisco Catalyst Switches 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer long-term performance, operational efficiency, and consistent uptime, despite high costs and occasional third-party disruptions.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers cost-effective, secure network access with ROI benefits, though less ideal for smaller setups due to licensing.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches support receives mixed reviews, ranging from efficient and expert service to dissatisfaction with delays and support inefficiencies.
Sentiment score
6.8
Fortinet FortiSwitch support is inconsistent, with mixed reviews on response time and depth compared to industry leaders.
Cisco's support is good, one of the best supports that you will get.
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
7.6
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer scalability and performance, making them a popular choice for medium to large enterprises despite challenges.
Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers adaptable network solutions, ideal for varying enterprise sizes, but pricing may limit large-scale scalability.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable, and I would rate them eight to nine out of ten for scalability.
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
8.3
Cisco Catalyst Switches are renowned for long-term reliability, with improvements addressing earlier hardware issues and minimal maintenance needs.
Sentiment score
8.7
Fortinet FortiSwitch is considered stable, secure, and reliable, with minor configuration issues and room for improvement.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
The stability has been good overall.
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Catalyst Switches require better pricing, user-friendly interfaces, third-party compatibility, enhanced security, adaptability, and faster delivery.
Fortinet FortiSwitch needs pricing, manageability, support, integration improvements, and enhanced features to effectively compete with HP and Cisco.
Cisco Catalyst Switches could be a little bit cheaper as they are very costly.
The introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic directly on the switch.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Catalyst Switches are costly but valued for quality, reliability, support, with complex licensing and potential cost-saving subscriptions.
Enterprise buyers view Fortinet FortiSwitch as a mid-priced solution, cheaper than Cisco but costlier than Huawei, with complex licensing.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Switches are renowned for their security, reliability, performance, and manageability, with excellent support and extensive documentation.
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access integrates with FortiGate for centralized control, robust security, and efficient network management and access.
The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support.
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

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
173
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
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
 

Featured Reviews

SameerBali - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and stable catalyst switch; can be easily installed
I like Cisco Catalyst Switches because most of the time, we can do what we want with the product. Cisco has good guidelines that enable us to implement anything, so we can have a multiple ability product on most of the network equipment worldwide. Cisco has communities or forums that help us implement more complicated areas in terms of network, so in addition, Cisco is not just a network equipment company, because they provide us most of the solutions, development, protocols, and new technologies, more than any other company in the world. I also like the availability of Cisco Catalyst Switches, including scalability and reliability. You can find all these in this product.
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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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
63%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
3%
Financial Services Firm
3%
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

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
What do you like most about Cisco Catalyst Switches?
We are a vendor for the healthcare sector, especially hospitals, and normally, we use a full Cisco solution for stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...
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 pricing is considered high due to the currency exchange changes in our region. It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,020 professionals have used our research since 2012.