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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 73 Fortinet FortiManager reviews
    • 6,044 Views
    • 1,451 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, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others in Network Management Applications.

    DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
    To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: May 2026).
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    May 2026
    Download the complete report
    Helped 893,311 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
    6.8
    Number of Reviews
    73
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (3rd)
     

    Featured Reviews

    ZeeshanAli1 - PeerSpot reviewer
    ZeeshanAli1
    Senior Network Engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
    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
    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 customer service and support for this solution is good."
    "The product has a lot of features and capabilities."
    "Cisco Prime allows us to manage all the wireless controllers and access points."
    "Cisco Prime is a good tool for inventory monitoring and wireless management."
    "The solution's configuration management tool is amazing because it centralizes and pushes configurations which saves a lot of volume and effort."
    "If an AP or any wireless device goes into critical mode, Cisco Prime sends an alert. That is the most helpful feature."
    "Cisco Prime can help customers fix their Wi-Fi issues with scientific and digital data."
    "Cisco Prime is very good management-wise, giving you the ability to upgrade switches remotely, schedule the upgrade time, perform backups, and monitor the health of all networks."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
    "The SD-WAN deployment environment, and the SD-WAN templates are particularly useful for us."
    "FortiManager is the best suite for SMBs."
    "We like the central management capabilities."
    "I pushed templates from FortiManager to our site, and they were deployed successfully."
    "It's a scalable product."
    "The setup is very simple."
    "I like the features on offer, for example SD-WAN; it's one single configuration point for everything, especially when you have a headquarters and branch, and the VPN is also beneficial, with very good correlation between FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager, and we find the pricing to be fair."
    "FortiManager's ability to scale is good."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pros
     

    Cons

    "The onboarding process could be improved and developed to enhance compatibility for non-Cisco devices."
    "The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."
    "Cisco Prime is slow at times, we often have to restart the database to run reports or to gain access."
    "If you think about a centralized monitoring system, Cisco Prime is not good because it does not support third-party vendors like Palo Alto or FortiGate."
    "We would like to see the inclusion of detailed alerts."
    "The reporting feature of Cisco Prime should be improved."
    "Lacking in integration with a SIEM tool."
    "This solution could be improved if it could monitor configuration changes."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
    "Configuring Fortinet without internet access is challenging."
    "The solution could improve by having better integration with other solutions other than Fortinet."
    "Wizards could be improved in pushing policies."
    "The presence of Fortinet in our region (Nigeria) needs to be stronger."
    "I would like to be able to manage other products such as Endpoint and FortiAnalyzer through FortiManager. That is, the integration with other solutions needs to be improved."
    "There is a degradation of performance if we activate logs on FortiManager."
    "FortiManager could be more user-friendly."
    "The solution requires you to have a license for every device, as well as for any advanced features being used, which makes it costly for high-volume users."
    More Fortinet FortiManager cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "We update the license every five years."
    "You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."
    "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 cost is quite high."
    "I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "Cisco Prime is an expensive solution."
    "The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
    "The price of Fortinet FortiManager is inexpensive."
    "Fortinet FortiManager is a low-priced product."
    "FortiManager is a bit expensive - I would rate its pricing three out of ten."
    "On a scale from one to ten with one being the highest price and ten being the lowest price, I would rate FortiManager's price at three."
    "Fortinet is a high-end product and the cost is high. They should consider reducing the price, especially for existing customers."
    "Fortinet FortiManager can be expensive."
    "I hope that the prices will become more competitive in subsequent releases, as the current pricing is perceived as somewhat elevated."
    "The licensing costs depend on how many devices you want to use."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pricing and cost advice
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Government
    12%
    Construction Company
    9%
    Manufacturing Company
    7%
    Comms Service Provider
    7%
    Financial Services Firm
    10%
    Computer Software Company
    10%
    Manufacturing Company
    9%
    Comms Service Provider
    7%
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
    By reviewers
    Company SizeCount
    Small Business9
    Midsize Enterprise5
    Large Enterprise24
    By reviewers
    Company SizeCount
    Small Business35
    Midsize Enterprise17
    Large Enterprise19
     

    Questions from the Community

    Ask a question
    Earn 20 points
    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 would like to see functionality that simplifies my life. I understand that adding new devices should be simplified.
    See all answers
     

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    Compared 9% of the time
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    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 38% of the time
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 8% of the time
    Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 7% of the time
    Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 5% of the time
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 4% of the time
    More Fortinet FortiManager Competitors
     

    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    May 2026
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiManager
    May 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
    May 2026
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