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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 95% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.
Cisco Prime [EOL]
Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews
    91% willing to recommend
    Fortinet FortiManager
    Read 72 Fortinet FortiManager reviews
    • 4,954 Views
    • 892 Comparison Views
    95% 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, Fortinet, NetScaler and others in Network Management Applications.

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    To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: January 2026).
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    January 2026
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    Helped 882,103 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
    6.9
    Number of Reviews
    72
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (3rd)
     

    Featured Reviews

    AR
    AndrewRichardson
    Network Engineer at Edmonton Catholic School Board
    Has an easy implementation process, but the performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive
    The project implementation was easy overall. Adapting Cisco's solutions to our specific environment required effort, as their documentation only covers some network scenarios. The deployment didn't happen all at once; it was staged and controlled to ensure a smooth transition. We started with a small test environment before gradually rolling it out to all campuses. This gradual approach helped mitigate the risk of any issues arising across multiple locations simultaneously, especially on a critical day like Monday morning. We have a team of three executives working on the process. Their job roles included network specialists and a manager. It requires maintenance, which is included in the annual cost. We receive updates and support as part of the renewal process.
    Read full review
    SudeepMaydeo - PeerSpot reviewer
    SudeepMaydeo
    Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
    Ensures seamless integration and centralized visibility for network security operations
    The version upgrade from a single dashboard for all the firewalls in one click is the beauty of Fortinet FortiManager as the most impactful feature in managing our network security. Fortinet FortiManager's policy management enhances our security protocols by enabling us and giving integrated centralized visibility, which has proven to be very healthy. Because of this, we have identified some of the vulnerabilities in our systems, and we mitigated them through Fortinet FortiManager. The central dashboards and the visibility are what appealed to us to go with Fortinet FortiManager. Fortinet FortiManager has adapted to changes in our network scale and complexity as we have geographically 18 international locations, all equipped with firewalls and some cybersecurity initiatives and IT infrastructure initiatives.
    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 feature of Cisco Prime is the heat maps."
    "The installation is easy."
    "The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management."
    "Cisco Prime is helpful as it provides us with real-time monitoring. This allows us to be proactive in our environment."
    "The product's most valuable features are monitoring and configuration."
    "What I found most beneficial from Cisco Prime is that it gives you an insight into what your network does, even when you're not actively monitoring what's going on with your network."
    "We use the solution to control the physical service station that is part of the SCADA network. We connect and control them remotely."
    "Cisco Prime, from a management perspective, has good reporting."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
    "It's a scalable product."
    "Centralized configuration is the most helpful feature. I like the ability to create templates and push them to all the devices at the same time. I also like that I can see the the logs with one device to provide zero touch on all other products."
    "FortiManager's most valuable feature is central management."
    "The centralized management of policies and certificates, coupled with the capability to handle multi-site deployments effectively, provides streamlined operations."
    "There is something called zero-touch provisioning, where you can add a new device without any configuration. You just add it to FortiManager and then forget about it."
    "The product is a combination of management and monitoring from the same interface."
    "Fortinet has the option of synchronization in the cloud, so you can manage everything if you have a cloud account."
    "I like the rapid deployment feature. I also like that it's easy to troubleshoot. FortiManager is amazing because we can have a centralized policy. All our devices are integrated, and we can also engage in troubleshooting. We can use it for different deployments. One fantastic feature is the ability to create a version and deploy it immediately."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pros
     

    Cons

    "Cisco Prime could improve the notifications in the system. Having more details about what is happening would be useful, such as traffic numbers or who is connected. We can see them through the firewall controller, but it would be better if you can see them from one place."
    "Cisco needs to improve Prime's monitoring tab. If any device goes down, there is a 15-second lapse before we know. It would be much better if we were alerted two or three minutes before a device is about to fail, so we can dispatch a field engineer and avoid network downtime. I would like to see a feature that allows you to access the devices directly from Prime's monitoring tab. That would make work easier for us."
    "There is room for improvement in the Access layer."
    "The user interface of Cisco Prime could be more user-friendly and increase its performance."
    "This solution could be improved if it could monitor configuration changes."
    "The onboarding process could be improved and developed to enhance compatibility for non-Cisco devices."
    "The product's pricing can be cheaper."
    "Maybe it could be a little cheaper."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
    "For the IPSEC tunnels, Fortimanager doesn't have all of the features that are available on Fortigate."
    "Fortinet is releasing quite a lot of new versions and I would say that most of the versions are not well tested before they're pushed out. Even the new versions sometimes are a bit buggy before it's all correct."
    "Regional support in African countries needs to be improved."
    "It requires a lot of resources. This is the main challenge."
    "You cannot integrate with other solutions."
    "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."
    "When we have a specific configuration pushed it does take some time to be deployed on the actual firewall."
    "The graphical user interface could use improvement as it appears complex and not user-friendly."
    More Fortinet FortiManager cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."
    "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."
    "If we have a license for Cisco DNA, we can use the same license for Cisco Prime."
    "The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    "The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments."
    "Cisco Prime is an expensive solution."
    "The cost is quite high."
    "We update the license every five years."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
    "Compared to Check Point or Cisco, Fortinet FortiManager is more affordable but it is still on the higher end."
    "The licensing costs depend on how many devices you want to use."
    "Fortinet FortiManager operates on a licensing system that is dependent on the number of devices being managed. Yearly subscription renewal is necessary to continue using the service. Although there is a cost associated with Fortinet FortiManager, its price is undoubtedly justified by the value it provides in terms of the purpose it serves."
    "For us, it is a little bit expensive."
    "The license model they use depends on the size and is not limited to the users."
    "I hope that the prices will become more competitive in subsequent releases, as the current pricing is perceived as somewhat elevated."
    "The pricing model is affordable."
    "Our organization pays a monthly license fee for the solution."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pricing and cost advice
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Government
    13%
    Computer Software Company
    12%
    Manufacturing Company
    9%
    Healthcare Company
    8%
    Computer Software Company
    11%
    Financial Services Firm
    9%
    Manufacturing Company
    8%
    Comms Service Provider
    8%
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
    By reviewers
    Company SizeCount
    Small Business9
    Midsize Enterprise4
    Large Enterprise24
    By reviewers
    Company SizeCount
    Small Business35
    Midsize Enterprise16
    Large Enterprise19
     

    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?
    I am satisfied with the licensing cost, and I would rate it an 8.5.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiManager?
    I do not use Fortinet FortiManager daily, but I can speak with my security team and ask them what areas need future improvement for Fortinet FortiManager. When I installed it, I found it somewhat d...
    See all answers
     

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    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    February 2026
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiManager
    February 2026
    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 offers centralized management for FortiGate devices, ensuring easy synchronization with cloud accounts, automation, and policy deployment, enhancing network security and performance.

    Fortinet FortiManager provides comprehensive oversight and streamlined operations for FortiGate environments. It centralizes the administration of firewalls and other Fortinet devices, simplifying their configuration and deployment. Users benefit from its efficient automation and policy management capabilities, which reduce implementation times and enhance security protocols. FortiManager features seamless integration and robust monitoring within a single interface, offering visibility across network operations. While it requires improvements in documentation, platform integration, and licensing clarity, it remains an essential tool for large-scale network management.

    What are the standout features?
    • Centralized Management: Simplifies administration of multiple devices from one console.
    • Automation: Speeds up policy deployment and reduces manual tasks.
    • Zero-Touch Provisioning: Facilitates easy device setup and deployment.
    • SD-WAN Management: Provides tools for managing wide area networks effectively.
    • Intuitive GUI: Offers a user-friendly management interface.
    Why should users consider Fortinet FortiManager?
    • Ease of Use: Users appreciate the straightforward management processes.
    • Scalability: Adaptability to large-scale network demands.
    • Comprehensive Visibility: Detailed insights into network performance and security.
    • Reduced Implementation Time: Faster setup and configuration processes.

    In the finance and healthcare industries, Fortinet FortiManager enhances security and compliance by streamlining policy management and deployment across multiple sites. Retail sectors benefit from its scalable network management, ensuring continuous and reliable connectivity across branches. Education institutions use it to manage complex security infrastructures, effectively handling multiple devices and networks to safeguard sensitive data.

    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
    January 2026
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    We monitor all Network Management Applications 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.