Meraki MS Switches and Fortinet FortiSwitch compete in the network switch category. Meraki has an advantage in ease of setup and cloud management, while Fortinet stands out in integration with FortiGate for security.
Features: Meraki MS Switches offer cloud-based management, zero-touch deployment, and strong security features integrated into a user-friendly dashboard. Fortinet FortiSwitch provides enhanced visibility and security when integrated with FortiGate, offering a seamless experience within the security fabric.
Room for Improvement: Meraki MS Switches need more configuration options and lower pricing to improve competitiveness. They also have a dependency on cloud connectivity. Fortinet FortiSwitch requires better integration and ease of VLAN management, with improvements needed in pricing and stability.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both Meraki and Fortinet offer options for on-premises and hybrid cloud deployment. Meraki's cloud management is noted for simplicity, while customer service is generally well-regarded. Meraki's technical support can be fragmented, whereas Fortinet provides prompt and clear support.
Pricing and ROI: Meraki MS Switches are more expensive due to their subscription licensing model but are feature-rich, offering good long-term value. Fortinet FortiSwitch is typically lower in cost, appealing to budget-conscious buyers while still presenting a strong ROI potential.
With 10 or 40 GE access ports and a high-throughput backbone, FortiSwitch Data Center Switches are ideal for the top-of-rack (ToR) server or firewall-aggregation applications. The high-speed switching fabric is also well suited for enterprise network core or backbone network installations.
Meraki MS Switches are first-line cloud-managed access and aggregation switches that combine the benefits of cloud-based centralized management with a reliable access platform. With cloud management, thousands of switch ports can be configured and monitored instantly over the web.
Meraki MS Switches Features
Meraki MS Switches have many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
Meraki MS Switches Benefits
There are many benefits to implementing Meraki MS Switches. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Meraki MS Switches is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are its accessibility, application visibility, and flexibility features.
Jóhann T., IT Manager at Sund Upper Secondary School, says, “Accessibility is what I find most valuable in Meraki MS Switches, because I'm able to check things and see if they're working, without being on-site at all times.”
A Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company mentions, "The top feature of Meraki MS switches for me is Layer 7 application visibility. Another positive in general is that you don't need to set up a console to the switch itself; it dials into a single dashboard where you can completely manage all your network devices."
John M., user at Baseline Consulting, LLC, comments, "I like the flexibility of the Meraki firewall. It gives you the ability to lock things down. Having multiple VLANs is helpful for the switching infrastructure and firewall. It's crucial when you have a public-facing VLAN, a private-facing VLAN, and a secure VLAN."
PeerSpot user William M., Consulting Engineer at IV4, expresses, "It is easy to deploy, maintain, and update. It has been trouble-free so far. I am still a Cisco command-line bigot, but the web interface makes it a lot easier for our help desk to interact with a client. When the clients call in and say that they aren't able to connect, it takes the help desk 10 minutes or less to look at everything in the enterprise or location. They can look at the firewall, switches, or access points in the dashboard. That's why I like the dashboard."
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