We performed a comparison between Cisco Ethernet Switches and Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Based on the parameters we compared, Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access seems to be the superior solution for pricing and service and support. Users gave a similar rating for both products regarding ease of deployment. It’s important to note that, though there were no ROI reviews for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access, users of Cisco Ethernet Switches were less than pleased with the ROI they saw. In terms of features, users of Cisco Ethernet Switches felt the product wasn’t user-friendly, whereas users of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access felt the product needed more security features.
"The most valuable features of this solution are the auto-complete functionality and the end-to-end functionalities such as routing with the channel."
"Cisco switches have several valuable features like VLAN mapping. We seldom use that, but we find the security configurations helpful, like high availability with trading port channels and MAC filtering."
"The stability is 100%."
"The solution is a high-end router that can handle a huge network with tons of traffic."
"I like their after-sales support more than anything because it's very good."
"This product is widely available and the warranty is very good."
"The initial setup was for Cisco Ethernet Switches was straightforward."
"DNA Center is very interesting in automating the setup and monitoring as with each occurrence it gets easier to troubleshoot and provides an impression about what could be the problem."
"The tool provides a firewall and good performance."
"It can integrate well with other Fortinet products."
"It works really well, I think the equipment is solid, and the help is great."
"The most valuable feature is that I can completely isolate devices that are compromising 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."
"The product is a total solution with the FortiGate, switch, and access point. It is integrated with FortiGate, allowing us to manage all the equipment through it. You can handle everything from a single point."
"What I really love in FortiSwitch: its usability, the graphical user interface, and the ability to be managed by FortiGate."
"The most valuable feature of this product is its simplicity."
"Cisco is not user-friendly. It would be best if you had a technical expert. The graphical user interface is more like a command line, and most functionalities are on the command line."
"An area for improvement in Cisco Ethernet Switches is its command-line interface. It works differently than expected if you want to do some implementation. However, it works if it's a simple integration."
"We've had hardware problems like SSDs, ports, networking, things like that."
"In terms of features, they tick all the boxes as of now. That could be because we tailor the solution around the product. I have not seen anything that pulls me back or is not working well for me. However, there could be better integration with the network monitoring systems. It doesn't mean it is currently not there, but there could be better discoverability with some of the network monitoring systems to be able to have more visibility. When you're setting up a control room, you can have more visibility into what is going on in the network. It has been doing that, but it can do that more."
"Because of the cyber attacks, they should focus more on VoIP."
"We need more management tools for the solution."
"The initial setup for on-prem versions is complex and requires a trained, certified engineer."
"Cisco should strive to improve the software for its switches."
"We had experienced downtime. I would like to see it to be improved."
"Renewing the annual licenses for Secure the Switch FortiSwitch can be cumbersome, especially considering the relatively high cost of Fortinet licenses."
"They could provide integration with Fortinet Authenticator."
"The product's end-user protection feature needs improvement."
"The product's pricing needs improvement for small and medium businesses."
"The security of the solution could be a bit better."
"I believe that stacking, a feature that is available in Huawei and Cisco, is not available in Fortinet products."
"It would be easier if Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access could be managed via cloud, and this is something that could be improved in this product. Bandwidth display could also be better."
More Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access Pricing and Cost Advice →
Cisco Ethernet Switches is ranked 1st in Ethernet Switches with 128 reviews while Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is ranked 7th in Ethernet Switches with 41 reviews. Cisco Ethernet Switches is rated 8.6, while Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco Ethernet Switches writes "It's a solidly stable product from a leader in the field". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access writes "It's a strong product that's easy to manage and costs significantly less than competing solutions ". Cisco Ethernet Switches is most compared with Aruba Switches, D-Link Ethernet Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, NETGEAR Switches and Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches, whereas Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is most compared with Aruba Switches, Meraki MS Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, NETGEAR Switches and Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches. See our Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access report.
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We monitor all Ethernet Switches reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.