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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Cisco Ethernet Switches customer service is efficient and reliable, though occasionally slow, especially for complex issues.
No sentiment score available
Fortinet FortiSwitch support receives mixed reviews, with varying response times and effectiveness, often compared to Cisco's superior service.
It takes two to three days for Cisco support to address issues.
My local support is working fine, and I have my connection with my account manager in the public company of Fortinet.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
4.7
Cisco Ethernet Switches are criticized for high costs, complexity, and compatibility issues, with calls for improved support and features.
Sentiment score
5.3
Fortinet FortiSwitch users cite high pricing, limited features, slow support, and desire better scalability, integration, and documentation.
The pricing and hardware warranty renewal costs are more expensive than other products.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Cisco Ethernet Switches are globally preferred for their resilience, scalability, modular integration, despite cost and configuration challenges.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers adaptable network solutions, ideal for varying enterprise sizes, but pricing may limit large-scale scalability.
The latest products do not allow integration with the earlier environment.
For enterprise solutions, it's extendable easily with options for edge connectivity or stackable devices.
 

Setup Cost

Sentiment score
5.4
Cisco Ethernet Switches are costly but valued for reliability; competitors like HPE offer cheaper alternatives, influencing budget-focused buyers.
No sentiment score available
Fortinet FortiSwitch is seen as costly yet feature-rich, with mixed affordability reviews and flexible licensing options.
Cisco Ethernet switches are priced at a rating of nine, indicating they are expensive.
It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
Cisco Ethernet Switches are praised for their reliability, durability, and stable performance, scoring high in user satisfaction ratings.
Sentiment score
8.7
Fortinet FortiSwitch is stable and reliable, delivering robust performance and strong security despite some minor configuration issues.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
8.3
Cisco Ethernet Switches are valued for reliability, scalability, power-saving features, advanced security, and efficient management with user-friendly interfaces.
Sentiment score
8.2
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers seamless FortiGate integration, advanced security, user-friendly management, PoE support, and cost-effectiveness compared to competitors.
The Cisco Ethernet switches are sturdy products that do not require any kind of maintenance.
The powerful integration capabilities allow us to manage all devices from a single interface through the firewall.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
132
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 Cisco Ethernet Switches is 19.3%, down from 20.1% 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

Ronald Van Rees - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers a power stacking feature and enhances port speed with impressive stability
The vendor is presently working with large digital network architectures and additional software, as it is now willing to become a software-focused company instead of a hardware one. Cisco Ethernet Switches presently provide two options, either the user can utilize the basic features or the advanced software. Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately for an extensive period of three or five years. As part of the advanced features in the solution, there is Digital Network Architecture (DNA) that provides insights, multiple dashboards and monitoring capabilities over Nexus and Catalyst switches from Cisco. Sometimes, customers need to buy features for Cisco Ethernet Switches that they do not require or use. The basic switches like the C1000 from the vendor don't have the DNA feature, but advanced version switches like Cisco Ethernet Switches have made the add-on purchases mandatory to avail certain features, which makes it difficult for several users.
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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816,816 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

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 ...
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...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
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.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
FortiSwitch offers eight and 24-port models. They don't have a 16-port model, which can be an issue for some clients. If clients don't need twenty-four ports, they must settle for eight ports. Unfo...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,816 professionals have used our research since 2012.