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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Juniper EX Series Ethernet ...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
14th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
66
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 1.5%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 3.4%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Aamir Riaz - PeerSpot reviewer
Handles network connectivity between data centers and supports internet applications
Thanks to the availability of a graphical user interface, installing the switches is not complicated, and configuring them is easier. The time required for deployment depends on the specifics of your project. Setting up a new data centre will generally take less time than migrating from other hardware. Migrating involves replicating the configuration of your existing environment, which can extend the time needed. To deploy the solution, you typically need support from a Fortinet engineer. Additionally, depending on your data centre, you might need about two to three other personnel.
Bona Chhith - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides campus switches and access switches that are simple to deploy, but the code isn't stable enough for a leaf and spine design
If we're building a data center and have Juniper, we have hundreds of Juniper switches in a leaf and spine design architecture, and it's horrible. Sometimes after an upgrade, half of the even port can't be detected. They don't recognize third-party SFPs, and now they claim that they don't support that anymore. There are a lot of issues with the hardware and software. Juniper needs to get their code up to par because it isn't stable enough for a leaf and spine design. If you have over 10,000 VMs or Mac addresses, it doesn't scale. I would love Juniper to have more stable features, hardware, and code. We have so many tickets open with Juniper. The switch reboot doesn't detect the port. About 80% of my problems aren't engineering problems, but are Juniper's problems. In comparison, Arista gives me 10% of the problems that Juniper gives me when it comes to hardware and software. It's falling behind compared to Palo Alto because of its features. Juniper's campus switches and data center switches for the leaf and spine design for the overlay and underlay is horrible. I wouldn't recommend that anyone use Juniper fabric, because there are so many problems, issues, and features that aren't supported.

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 is the port analytics."
"I like the solution's technical support. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten."
"The product's most valuable feature is its ability to manage switches from one central point."
"An affordable and stable solution for small-medium companies."
"All the features are necessary, like tracking evidence and IPS. However, I appreciate the ability to connect the logs and the dashboard functionality."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center's scalability is good."
"I have found the solution to be scalable."
"We are able to monitor everything that is happening on our network."
"It's pretty good as compared to other vendors."
"The solution is easy to use and has good integration."
"This solution is impeccable."
"The solution is certainly scalable."
"Junos OS is extremely flexible and easy to pick up."
"The feature I like the most is the ability to reword changes before committing to the change. We can always reword changes in 10 minutes if they don't work."
"I like the simplicity of it."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the Junos operating system."
 

Cons

"Before using FortiSwitch, you need several certifications."
"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"Does not have as many features as other solutions, such as segmentation and analytics engines."
"There could be more porting software options for easy deployment in the product."
"Managing the VLANs is an area where the solution lacks and needs to improve."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center needs to improve its UI and stability."
"Compatibility with infrastructure from other vendors like Cisco and Sophos can be further improved."
"With IT products, there is always room for improvement."
"The management tools are limited in their abilities, and suffer from upgrade problems."
"The initial setup for Juniper switches is complex. Juniper has a new program that solves that problem a little bit, but it is expensive, so I don't use it. It is Juniper Mesh, Juniper Wire, or something like that where you plug in a switch, and it goes out to their cloud, finds a config, and brings it down. So, you can do everything cloud-based, but there is a fee for that. It is expensive, so I've never used it. If we were starting, we would try to do something like that. It is more for a large enterprise for managing hundreds of switches versus what we're doing. They should make its price more cost-effective or include it for new or smaller companies."
"In an upcoming release, Juniper Ethernet Switches could improve by having more microservices."
"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see better integration with software-defined networking."
"The interface could be better. It needs improvement."
"Support could be improved."
"Improvements can be made in the web user interface and web management."
"More security could be provided, especially with the rising cyber-attacks in business organizations."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"It is reasonably priced."
"The product is less expensive than one of its competitors."
"This solution is expensive but it does not require a license."
"The solution is not expensive."
"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
"The solution's pricing is a little high. The solution deserves the current price it receives from its users."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"The maintenance cost is approximately €2,000 ($2,200 USD) per year, including support, for our entire fleet."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches are a less expensive solution than Cisco Ethernet Switches. There is only a one-time purchase for Juniper Ethernet Switches."
"The pricing for the support is very high."
"The product's pricing is less and almost half of Cisco's."
"There is a subscription payment model or you can purchase licenses on a one, two, and five-year basis. If you want decent support, the solution is not expensive."
"This solution is cheaper than Cisco or HP switches."
"The solution does not require a license to use it."
"We only pay for support."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
824,145 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
Compatibility with infrastructure from other vendors like Cisco and Sophos can be further improved. Sometimes there are bugs when integrating with Sophos and other products.
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Ethernet Switches?
If compared to Cisco, this is a well priced solution. Compared to HP, it is a little bit overpriced. Overall, they are priced in the middle compared to competitors.
What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Ethernet Switches?
Juniper EX model is ok for the campus network as the ex4300 is EOL in a few years and the new ex4400 is the standard. Now for the QFX model, 5k/10k in CRB mode IP fabric Ethernet switching is horri...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Juniper Ethernet Switches
 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs. Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,145 professionals have used our research since 2012.