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Cisco Prime [EOL] vs Fortinet FortiManager comparison

Cisco and Fortinet are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Additionally, 91% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.
Cisco Prime [EOL]
Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews
    91% willing to recommend
    Fortinet FortiManager
    Read 66 Fortinet FortiManager reviews
    • 912 Views
    • 680 Comparison Views
    94% willing to recommend
     

    Comparison Buyer's Guide

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    Executive Summary
    We performed a comparison between Cisco Prime [EOL] and Fortinet FortiManager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NetScaler and others in Network Management Applications.

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    To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: April 2025).
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    April 2025
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    Helped 848,207 peers since 2012

    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 Prime [EOL]
    Average Rating
    7.8
    Reviews Sentiment
    6.5
    Number of Reviews
    35
    Ranking in other categories
    No ranking in other categories
    Fortinet FortiManager
    Average Rating
    8.0
    Reviews Sentiment
    7.2
    Number of Reviews
    66
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (4th)
     

    Featured Reviews

    ZeeshanAli1 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Robust, cost-effective, and provides good visibility, but the scalability could improve
    We are extremely satisfied with the reliability and robustness of Cisco Prime Infrastructure, which we have been using for many years. Compared to newer products such as DNS centers or others, it has proven to be much more stable, which is important for large-scale operations. Stability is a primary concern for us, and we are glad that Cisco Prime Infrastructure meets our expectations in that regard. Furthermore, in regards to Legacy Plus new hardware, Cisco Prime has proven to be a reliable and adaptable solution thus far. Not only can it support older hardware, but it also has the capability to handle new features with the latest updates. If we consider new solutions such as DNS Center, we may have to sacrifice some legacy features that we still rely on. We may need to continue using these legacy features for a few more years due to various reasons such as budget constraints or the site not being a high priority. However, if we switch to a new product at this stage, we may lose a lot of the monitoring and other capabilities that we have with Cisco Prime. We have a close relationship with Cisco and understand that they are not prioritizing investments in Cisco Prime as they are encouraging customers to adopt the Cisco DNA Center. This means that we don't anticipate many new features to be added to the product in the future. While we know that we will eventually have to transition to a new solution, in the meantime, we plan to do a quick refresh of our legacy products.
    Read full review
    HamedWasel - PeerSpot reviewer
    Easy to set up with good integration capabilities but we've had troubles when moving devices
    We've faced an issue when we need to move devices. Templates need to be recreated instead of having the policies, et cetera, cut and pasted over. Everything should just move over when we need to move devices instead of recreating everything from scratch. For the IPSEC tunnels, Fortimanager doesn't have all of the features that are available on Fortigate.
    Read full review

    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 is the assistance for network support."
    "We use this solution to troubleshoot our wireless systems, specifically regarding signal strength."
    "The most valuable feature of Cisco Prime is its excellent audio and video conferencing with clear quality and no interruptions."
    "If an AP or any wireless device goes into critical mode, Cisco Prime sends an alert. That is the most helpful feature."
    "Has a good wireless heatmap and search management features."
    "The endpoint information Cisco Prime generates helps us troubleshoot, and it's also useful for compliance reporting and endpoint identification."
    "The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management."
    "I have found the solution to be scalable."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
    "You can configure it at your ease."
    "The most valuable feature is the centralized management console."
    "FortiManager helps automate configuration deployment, allowing us to plan and schedule configurations."
    "The centralized management of policies and certificates, coupled with the capability to handle multi-site deployments effectively, provides streamlined operations."
    "The firewall configuration has more capabilities than the other firewall management systems that I have worked with."
    "It's a scalable product."
    "FortiManager's ability to scale is good."
    "The solution is very stable."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pros
     

    Cons

    "They can also improve the management of more enterprise devices."
    "Cisco Prime could improve the graphical user interface."
    "The onboarding process could be improved and developed to enhance compatibility for non-Cisco devices."
    "The reporting could be simplified and the information made clearer to the user."
    "The reporting feature of Cisco Prime should be improved."
    "The solution is not easy to configure."
    "The solution has issues with real time monitoring of devices and NetFlow such as inadequate visualization for reports, sources, and destinations."
    "If you look at some of the wireless site-survey tools that are available in the commercial space, Cisco should include similar solutions, which would help our on-plant engineers when they're doing a site survey."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
    "Wizards could be improved in pushing policies."
    "The graphics interface between Fortinet FortiManager and any Forti products should be standardized."
    "I didn't like the connectivity with FortiManager and FortiSwitch, which was buggy and annoying and had fewer features."
    "Having FortiManager work with all of the Fortinet products would be a good improvement."
    "It requires a lot of resources. This is the main challenge."
    "The SD-WAN solution is difficult to manage on FortiManager because you need to share some configurations on the firewall side. Sometimes you lose all connectivity with the firewall, so it is challenging to apply the default configuration to the SD-WAN solution."
    "It would be better if it were easier to run a routing protocol. In the next release, I would like them to enhance some features in the GUI rather than CLI or OSP. For example, whenever a customer generates an ISP directly on the firewall, it's complicated to configure the routing protocol."
    "The GUI could be updated. It's not as good as it could be and is something the solution should improve in an upcoming release."
    More Fortinet FortiManager cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "The cost is quite high."
    "If we have a license for Cisco DNA, we can use the same license for Cisco Prime."
    "We update the license every five years."
    "The price of Cisco Prime was reasonable because we purchased it as part of a Cisco One package. The package was a bundle of Cisco solutions together, such as Cisco ISE and CMX. The price is reasonable com compared to other solutions."
    "The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments."
    "I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."
    "I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
    "The price point is very good."
    "On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."
    "I hope that the prices will become more competitive in subsequent releases, as the current pricing is perceived as somewhat elevated."
    "Fortinet FortiManager is costly."
    "In comparison with other products, the price of FortiManager is reasonable."
    "For us, it is a little bit expensive."
    "Pricing could improve a little bit so I rate it a seven out of ten."
    "FortiManager isn't expensive, but its cost is dependent on which services are required."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pricing and cost advice
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Computer Software Company
    16%
    Government
    14%
    Manufacturing Company
    8%
    Educational Organization
    6%
    Computer Software Company
    18%
    Financial Services Firm
    10%
    Manufacturing Company
    8%
    Comms Service Provider
    7%
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
     

    Questions from the Community

    What do you like most about Cisco Prime?
    The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Cisco Prime?
    The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive.
    See all answers
    What is your primary use case for Cisco Prime?
    We use Cisco Prime for centralized configuration management backups and monitoring.
    See all answers
    What do you like most about Fortinet FortiManager?
    The most valuable feature is the centralized management console.
    See all answers
    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiManager?
    Pricing is reasonable and does not pose challenges.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiManager?
    The graphical user interface could use improvement as it appears complex and not user-friendly. Better integration of Fortinet ADC into FortiManager would be beneficial.
    See all answers
     

    Comparisons

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    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 17% of the time
    Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 12% of the time
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 11% of the time
    NetMaster Network Intelligence vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    NetMaster Network Intelligence vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 6% of the time
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] Competitors
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 69% of the time
    Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 9% of the time
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 7% of the time
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 4% of the time
    Fortinet FortiWeb vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiWeb vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 3% of the time
    More Fortinet FortiManager Competitors
     

    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    April 2025
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiManager
    April 2025
    Fortinet FortiManager reportDownload Fortinet FortiManager product report
     

    Also Known As

    Cisco Prime Infrastructure
    No data available
     

    Overview

    Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

    Cisco

    Fortinet FortiManager is used for centralized management of FortiGate firewalls, utilizing zero-touch deployment techniques to optimize configuration and deployment, reducing installation time and errors while improving network security and efficiency.

    By centralizing policy management and monitoring across devices and locations, Fortinet FortiManager enhances security and operational efficiency. Automation tools simplify management, control, and consistent configuration across environments. It offers scalability for managing large numbers of devices, beneficial for organizations seeking unified threat protection and streamlined administration from one console. The platform integrates effortlessly with Fortinet products, supporting zero-touch provisioning, SD-WAN, and traffic analysis. Although intuitive, the graphical interface and overall performance require refinement, alongside enhanced support and documentation for troubleshooting and configuration.

    What are the key features of Fortinet FortiManager?
    • Centralized Management: Streamlines device configuration across multiple systems.
    • Automation Tools: Simplifies implementation and maintenance of configurations.
    • Zero-Touch Provisioning: Reduces setup time and minimizes errors.
    • SD-WAN Support: Enhances wide-area network efficiency and effectiveness.
    • Traffic Analysis: Monitors network traffic for improved security insights.
    • Policy Pushing: Facilitates efficient deployment of security rules.
    What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?
    • Operational Efficiency: Reduces installation time and configuration errors.
    • Scalability: Supports management of numerous devices.
    • Improved Security: Centralized management enhances threat protection.
    • Time Savings: Automation reduces manual intervention needs.
    • Cost-Effectiveness: Simplified administration can lower management costs.

    Fortinet FortiManager is implemented across diverse industries like telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, where centralized management and enhanced security are crucial. Its ability to streamline processes and integrate with existing Fortinet products makes it ideal for organizations looking to maintain robust network security standards.

    Fortinet
     

    Sample Customers

    Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare
    Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    April 2025
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