Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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 64 Fortinet FortiManager reviews
    • 964 Views
    • 719 Comparison Views
    94% willing to recommend
     

    Comparison Buyer's Guide

    Download the report
    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, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

    DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
    To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: March 2025).
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    March 2025
    Download the complete report
    Helped 842,651 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
    64
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (3rd)
     

    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

    "We use this solution to troubleshoot our wireless systems, specifically regarding signal strength."
    "The most valuable feature of Cisco Prime is the heat maps."
    "Cisco Prime has been around for a long time, and it keeps getting better and better."
    "The most valuable is the assistance for network support."
    "Cisco Prime is helpful as it provides us with real-time monitoring. This allows us to be proactive in our environment."
    "I have found the solution to be scalable."
    "The technical support team is very good."
    "The installation is easy."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
    "The capability of centralized management is valuable. We can configure all firewall boxes with the same configuration."
    "I pushed templates from FortiManager to our site, and they were deployed successfully."
    "FortiManager enables us to set unified firewall policies from one centralized dashboard, reducing human error. If you do not have a central dashboard, there's a chance you might set a policy on one firewall and forget to do it for another."
    "The reports feature is excellent."
    "The user interface, along with user-friendly planning features, makes it straightforward to configure desired settings."
    "It's a scalable product."
    "The centralized management of policies and certificates, coupled with the capability to handle multi-site deployments effectively, provides streamlined operations."
    "We look at the traffic to segment the network and it improves and increases the performance. When we have a mobile connection and local laptops are on the same network. We have seen a big performance upgrade."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pros
     

    Cons

    "Cisco Prime's initial setup is complex."
    "It should be able to monitor Palo Alto, Juniper, and Check Point products - not just Cisco solutions."
    "The reporting feature of Cisco Prime should be improved."
    "The solution can be slow at times."
    "The solution is not easy to configure."
    "They could consider offering more flexible pricing options for their customers."
    "The product needs to improve its interface and reporting."
    "The product's pricing can be cheaper."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
    "Wizards could be improved in pushing policies."
    "For the IPSEC tunnels, Fortimanager doesn't have all of the features that are available on Fortigate."
    "Within the management of some features on FortiManager, specifically the management of user objects used for VPN service, FortiManager is quite weak."
    "We have experienced a series of minor bugs that necessitated contacted technical support on several occasions."
    "The solution has to be enhanced to manage new switches."
    "The interface could be improved. It is split up into different areas, which makes it more difficult to navigate and get the right section of the correct file. The solution is quite expensive, so it would not be suitable for small to medium sized organizations."
    "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."
    "Troubleshooting for Fortinet products is more difficult than competing products like Cisco and Palo Alto."
    More Fortinet FortiManager cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."
    "Cisco Prime is an expensive solution."
    "I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "The cost is quite high."
    "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 product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    "You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
    "The price of Fortinet FortiManager is inexpensive."
    "This is an affordable solution, and its licensing model is based on the number of devices."
    "Pricing could improve a little bit so I rate it a seven out of ten."
    "Compared to Check Point or Cisco, Fortinet FortiManager is more affordable but it is still on the higher end."
    "Fortinet FortiManager is costly."
    "The license model they use depends on the size and is not limited to the users."
    "Fortinet is a high-end product and the cost is high. They should consider reducing the price, especially for existing customers."
    "In comparison with other products, the price of FortiManager is reasonable."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pricing and cost advice
    report
    See which vendors are best for you
    Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Management Applications solutions are best for your needs.
    See recommendations
    842,651 professionals have used our research since 2012.
     

    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Computer Software Company
    16%
    Government
    13%
    Manufacturing Company
    8%
    Educational Organization
    7%
    Computer Software Company
    18%
    Financial Services Firm
    10%
    Manufacturing Company
    9%
    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

    Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 53% of the time
    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 15% 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 10% of the time
    HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 5% of the time
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] Competitors
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 68% 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 5% 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]
    March 2025
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiManager
    March 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
    March 2025
    Download Free Report
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications. Updated: March 2025.
    DOWNLOAD NOW
    842,651 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    See our list of best Network Management Applications vendors.

    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.