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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
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
7.6
Number of Reviews
46
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,…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features are the Stacking and the capacity of the switches because they have more throughput. Layer 2 is also part of its rich feature set."
"One of the most valuable features is the MatchBox Switch."
"One good feature is UPOE. Another is having a built-in controller, the customer doesn't have to ask for another controller. For example, you get a built-in controller with the C650. And two-port is one of the premium factors from Cisco."
"Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime."
"Catalyst Switches are reliable. We don't have major problems like lost connections, and we only have a minor issue with something every few months. In the last five years, a switch broke down once, and that was due to human error."
"The new series has lots of great features, it's really lovely. From a management perspective, or a policy creation perspective, which we are seeing in the Catalyst 9000 series it is great."
"We decreased budgets on the support corporate network and increased user satisfaction."
"The most valuable feature is how easy it is to use."
"The technical support has been very good."
"The integration with the whole platform, so there's one dashboard for everything. It is one of the most valuable features."
"Deploying the solution is a breeze, even a novice can do it."
"The powerful integration capabilities allow us to manage all devices from a single interface through the firewall."
"The tool's setup was very easy."
"It is a cheap and secure solution. The job switching and security features are better than other solutions."
"The tool provides a firewall and good performance."
"I would rate the the ease of management and scalability within our network architecture an eight out of ten, with ten being best."
 

Cons

"Needs to improve cloud services and mobile software."
"The technical response could be faster in the future."
"Catalyst Switches could be more secure."
"The solution could improve security."
"Out of the competition, Cisco switches are easily the most expensive."
"The solution’s licensing could be improved."
"The solution could improve by allowing administrators to create scripts to help automate processes to make tasks easier."
"The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"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."
"An area for improvement would be the segmentation and network in logic networks."
"The security of the solution could be a bit better."
"It could be simpler but compared to the competition, it's not so bad."
"Its cloud features could be better."
"The installation is not difficult. However, some features have to be activated from the CLI."
"FortiSwitch offers eight and 24-port models. They don't have a 16-port model, which can be an issue for some clients."
"More integration would be helpful, especially since we sometimes have devices from other companies. Improved interoperability would be very beneficial."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the features-to-pricing ratio at six out of 10. My advice about licensing is that you should have a perpetual license, not one that is subscription-based."
"I rate the overall product a six out of ten from a price perspective since it is an expensive tool."
"The pricing of Cisco Catalyst Switches could be better in general. There is an annual license required."
"The cost of this solution could be less expensive, and we are on an annual license."
"Licensing is on a yearly basis. We usually spend up to $20,000."
"Pricing from Cisco is expensive but we pay for the reliability."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is a very expensive solution."
"The cost of a license before COVID and before the lockdown was approximately three lakh 70,000 in Indian Rupees. After this COVID situation, the cost has gone down to two lakh 46,000 rupees."
"Licensing is easy: FortiCare and that's it."
"The solution has reasonable pricing. The firewall costs around 500$ annually."
"The product is costly for SMB customers compared to other brands available in the market."
"The product's pricing is less compared to other enterprise solutions."
"We have to renew and pay for the licenses."
"The product's pricing is good."
"The solution is expensive but overall the cost makes sense."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access requires a license and the price is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
62%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
3%
Financial Services Firm
3%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
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: December 2024.
823,795 professionals have used our research since 2012.