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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers cost-effective integration and ease of use, with Cisco providing better long-term returns for higher budgets.
Sentiment score
5.0
Meraki MS Switches offer mixed ROI; some benefit from reduced costs, while others struggle with high expenses and slow transitions.
The integration of Fortinet infrastructure, including FortiSwitches, is cost-effective compared to Cisco, especially when paired with Fortinet wireless solutions.
Network Security Engineer at STN Inc
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch support is highly rated for responsiveness and reliability, though some users suggest better speed and consistency.
Sentiment score
6.8
Meraki MS Switches excel in support with 24/7 availability, though users desire more experienced staff and streamlined communication.
Technical partners provide responses within a day for any technical queries.
Network Security Engineer at STN Inc
Customer support needs improvement in terms of speed and reliability.
senior technical administrator at Ogma Consulting
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Fortinet an eight.
CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited
The support is excellent and rated ten out of ten.
Sales Engineer at Phoenyx Commtech Pvt. Ltd.
If the devices are licensed, the support team will assist you depending on the severity level of the case.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
Cisco's tech support is pretty good, and I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Chief Technologies Officer at ASTORG PARTNERS
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is scalable and cost-effective, ideal for enterprises, with some fiber port limitations noted.
Sentiment score
7.3
Meraki MS Switches are scalable for small to medium businesses but face limitations and supply challenges for larger enterprises.
When used in a dedicated Fortinet infrastructure, FortiSwitch scalability is better than some other switches, like Cisco, Meraki, or Arista.
Network Security Engineer at STN Inc
Scalability is generally good, with transitions from gigabit to ten giga, twenty-five giga, and forty giga.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
They're quite scalable for my environment.
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is highly stable and reliable, with minor issues mainly due to vendor integration challenges.
Sentiment score
8.2
Meraki MS Switches are praised for reliability and stability, with minor issues and easy maintenance, ensuring minimal downtime.
There is room for improvement as it sometimes takes over an hour to push configurations onto the devices from the management tool.
senior technical administrator at Ogma Consulting
If something happens to the device or hardware, Cisco will automatically change the device by the next business day.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
We faced issues following firmware updates, which we now handle by performing updates outside of working hours.
Chief Technologies Officer at ASTORG PARTNERS
 

Room For Improvement

Pricing is high; improvements needed in automation, integration, user interfaces, management, certifications, features, support, and performance.
Meraki MS Switches face high pricing, cloud dependency, limited configuration, and demand improved local management and scalability features.
Sometimes, customer support does not provide prompt assistance, leaving projects hanging.
senior technical administrator at Ogma Consulting
The commercial aspect presents challenges, particularly with pricing, as customers often ask for Juniper or Cisco, brands they are more aware of, which makes awareness about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center another weak point.
CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited
There is room to improve the integration between FortiSwitch and other third-party solutions, as challenges arise when integrating with different vendors.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
When a switch disconnects from the internet, you can't make any changes to that switch.
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
Meraki should also consider improvements in stacking features, particularly in the lower-end models like NS130, where stacking isn't supported, unlike with Cisco traditional switching.
Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Meraki utilizes a cloud-based dashboard that necessitates a constant internet connection for configuration.
Lead IT Specialist at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiSwitch is competitively priced, sometimes seen as expensive, offers no extra licensing with FortiGate, and occasional discounts.
Meraki MS Switches are priced high but valued for features; multi-year contracts offer discounts, maintaining buyer interest.
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
Network Security Engineer at STN Inc
Pricing is competitive, although it's not the cheapest option.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
Meraki MS Switches, including their licensing, are somewhat expensive, particularly when compared with competitor solutions like HP.
IT System Administrator at Bouri
Pricing is affordable, and licenses for the cloud need to be purchased every three to five years.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
Meraki pricing is a little premium compared to other vendor products.
Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiSwitch offers centralized management, enhanced security, and efficient integration with FortiGate for flexible, cost-effective network control.
Meraki MS Switches provide centralized cloud management, intuitive dashboard, global multi-switch control, robust security, scalability, and zero-touch provisioning.
The main actual benefit that Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center brought to my customer's environment is secure connectivity while minimizing downtime from unexpected traffic or broadcasting.
CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited
This feature allows the switch's ports to be used as firewall ports, enhancing network security by enabling IPS and network profiling directly on the ports.
Network Security Engineer at STN Inc
It allows me to create VLANs, implement security measures, and push configurations using a single tool.
senior technical administrator at Ogma Consulting
Zero-Touch Provisioning helps streamline my deployments by ensuring that every system does not trust anybody or anything, requiring identification and authentication while implementing MFA.
Lead IT Specialist at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
One of the most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches is its precise traffic analytics capabilities, allowing us to query the system for any place at any time.
Chief Technologies Officer at ASTORG PARTNERS
The control plane is in the cloud, and the data plane is local, allowing manageability from anywhere.
Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
98
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 2.3%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 2.9%, down from 4.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Meraki MS Switches2.9%
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center2.3%
Other94.8%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Rutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited
Provides seamless traffic control and secure connectivity while minimizing downtime and optimizing resource allocation
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular ports. Currently, I am not identifying any weak points of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because it meets the customer's use case. However, the commercial aspect presents challenges, particularly with pricing, as customers often ask for Juniper or Cisco, brands they are more aware of, which makes awareness about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center another weak point.
JN
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
Central management and cloud dashboard streamline network monitoring while connectivity hiccups need addressing
I use Cisco products and Meraki MS Switches. I am a user on the user side. Network security is handled by our firewalls and other solutions. I have not explored the area of network management AI in Meraki MS Switches. For other switches, when you buy one, you can just start configuring, connect it to the network, and it works. With Meraki MS Switches, you have to first whitelist the MAC address, let it have internet, then you can manage it. They're deployed on-premises. They're quite acceptable, so I recommend them to those who want to use Meraki MS Switches. The biggest benefit that I see in Meraki MS Switches is central management and the cloud dashboard. I rate Meraki MS Switches 8 out of 10.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business54
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise22
 

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?
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular po...
What do you like most about Meraki MS Switches?
The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are their reliability and simplicity.
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
Meraki MS Switches are easy to manage, but I believe they are more suitable for use on the IT side because Meraki faces the internet, requiring an open connection through the internet for control. ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,425 professionals have used our research since 2012.