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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 15.6%, down from 18.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 5.1%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network security enhancement with sturdy switches despite high costs
The Cisco Ethernet switches are primarily used as regular core switches for networking, distribution, and access levels. We also utilize Cisco Wi-Fi, VPN, and Wi-Fi controllers The Cisco Ethernet switches have improved our network's security, ensuring it is 100% secure by not allowing any…
Uri Harf - PeerSpot reviewer
Integration with cloud management simplifies network expansion
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is expensive, and this initial cost can be a barrier, especially for new businesses setting up from scratch. Although the machine is robust and lasts for years with rare technical issues, the initial price can be high. Sometimes, I have to offer alternatives like Aruba or HP, which might be cheaper.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more stable than other products."
"Remote access is a valuable feature."
"The solution is compatible with many brands, such as VMware."
"The features that I have found most valuable with Cisco switches are that once you get your configuration you can rest assured that it will work. The OS is not going to be failing intermittently or anything like that. Once you get your configuration end-goal right, the firmware and the OS are usually very stable enough to work a long time without support. Support is needed once in a while. My experience is that the Cisco switches are usually rocket."
"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the ability to manage the switches and the ability to have a certain level of familiarity with setting up and configuring the switches."
"The most valuable feature is that we create a network as a villain."
"I like their after-sales support more than anything because it's very good."
"Technical support has always been helpful."
"The most valuable feature of FortiSwitch is its user-friendly interface, which facilitates easy management and propagation of rules throughout the network."
"I like that everything flows back to FortiGate, which is the controller, management console, and firewall. There's one central point for the entire network, so the security, switching, wireless, etc., flows back to the FortiGate. The ease of management is what customers like. They don't need separate solutions like Cisco."
"Integration is good, as well as price and technical support."
"You can hook all the other components to be monitored. You can create policies and block certain people from accessing the Internet."
"This device is easy to use."
"My advice those using a firewall Fortigate is: use their APs because they work very well."
"It is easy to set up."
"I can say that the product is easy to use...The initial setup of the product was easy."
 

Cons

"The dashboard needs some minor improvements."
"The high price of the tool is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The installation is difficult and requires further training documentations."
"Cisco should consider adding a GUI as most vendors now offer the ability to manage switches via a graphical user interface, while Cisco switches are managed using pure CLI."
"The user interface, the UI, could be better."
"Cisco's pricing can be a concern, particularly with support fees."
"The ease of use of Cisco Ethernet Switches could improve. It is different to use them if you do not have prior knowledge."
"Cisco could also open the API up to work closely with other systems."
"Renewing the annual licenses for Secure the Switch FortiSwitch can be cumbersome, especially considering the relatively high cost of Fortinet licenses."
"It is always nice when something is cheaper."
"In the next release, I would like to see more outdoor products."
"The installation is not difficult. However, some features have to be activated from the CLI."
"One of the main challenges was integrating FortiSwitch with FortiGate, as the switches are managed through FortiGate rather than independently."
"I would rate technical support at eight. It's a potential area for improvement, possibly in terms of response time or quality."
"An area for improvement would be the segmentation and network in logic networks."
"The tool should improve its CLI."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In addition to the fees being high, you pay for support which is also on the higher side."
"Price-wise, Cisco Ethernet Switches is a product that falls a little bit on the expensive side."
"It's a little expensive."
"The equipment might be more expensive, but when you take total ownership of the configuration, maintenance, and analysis, then it's a large benefit. Sometimes customers see only the first cost of the switches and don't look any further. This is a weak point of Cisco."
"Cisco now has more products that are priced for small businesses, so they do have some cheaper models."
"The solution is not too expensive."
"I pay a fixed price on it. I'm not the person on the pursing, so I don't really compare."
"The price of this solution is high."
"It's affordable and there are no additional costs, just regular support, and license fees."
"The solution is expensive but overall the cost makes sense."
"It's affordable compared to other switching products, like Cisco switches."
"Licensing is billed annually and contracts are either one or three years in length."
"The cost appears to be high in comparison to other competing products although with this product you are paying for what you get."
"I rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten."
"You can buy this equipment in a multitude of ways. You can buy just the hardware, or you can buy the hardware and the licenses."
"The solution has reasonable pricing. The firewall costs around 500$ annually."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
847,625 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
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
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 ...
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?
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.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
Currently, compared to other vendors, there isn't a feature that stands out as needing improvement. However, the introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic dire...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
No data available
 

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: April 2025.
847,625 professionals have used our research since 2012.