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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs NETGEAR 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
8.0
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NETGEAR Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
54
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (5th), AV Over IP Switching (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 1.4%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 9.7%, up from 9.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Aamir Riaz - PeerSpot reviewer
May 14, 2024
Handles network connectivity between data centers and supports internet applications
We use Fortinet FortiSwitch—Data Center to switch and manage our data centres. It handles network connectivity between them and supports our internet applications All the features are necessary, like tracking evidence and IPS. However, I appreciate the ability to connect the logs and the…
Beenish Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 10, 2024
Helps with infrastructure planning and provides flexibility to leverage and connect more devices
The solution helps with infrastructure planning. If you have a point-of-sale system, you can use these switches to connect the internet devices through the right Ethernet cable.  That gives more flexibility instead of trying to get the Ethernet cable in the infrastructure wall. We use these…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The single pane of glass that helps us manage everything through FortiManager is the most important feature."
"SD-WAN and the security fabric are essential features of the product."
"We are able to monitor everything that is happening on our network."
"The product is stable."
"The interface is very straightforward."
"It is very stable."
"The solution has made configuration and setup very, very easy."
"The initial setup was simple."
"The cloud management has just been huge for us. We have 80 clients and they all have switches... With the cloud-managed Insight ones... we know more information without having to do complicated SNMP traps. We get nice emails, we get a web interface, and we're not having to wait for our RMM tools to get SNMP traffic to notify us. We don't have to do complicated configurations."
"The solution is very powerful and versatile."
"Its setup, usage, and access are most valuable. It is a very easy switch to set up."
"The solution helps transfer data."
"The tool is crucial in our network setup, especially in our bank's customer service operations. It connects ATMs and links different branches and service centers. Each branch and service center has its network node connected through these switches."
"The solution is reliable and it is easy to setup."
"The tool is stable."
"One of the biggest benefits of the remote management is that it's easy to use and you can use it from a mobile device or tablet with the app they've developed... If one of my engineers is out in the field at a client and an alert comes in from another client, that engineer can take that alert and look at it in real-time."
 

Cons

"Managing the VLANs is an area where the solution lacks and needs to improve."
"FortiSwitch should improve the FortiGate map. The diagram cannot move automatically to show the switch. The map does not map the physical location. It cannot move or touch the diagram."
"Does not have as many features as other solutions, such as segmentation and analytics engines."
"They could improve availability and security by detecting and preventing switch attacks."
"The tool is not easy to use."
"The product must improve the latency in the management center."
"With IT products, there is always room for improvement."
"The solution can improve by upgrading QSFP+, it is very limited and must be supported more than it is now. If we need FortiSwitches to support all the QSFP ports our budgets would have to be very large."
"NETGEAR Switches could be more secure. Scalability could also be better. This infrastructure is a bit old, and we need something that will be more secure. Something that will introduce WLAN, and we will need the knowledge to go with that. Some of the switches were used for more than seven years. I think it was just their lifespan that was exhausted. But other than that, there haven't been any issues that required us to complain or get concerned."
"The product could be more robust."
"What I'd like to see is more compatibility with virtual stacking, so that 4300-series switches and 3300-series switches will actually stack together and that virtual switch stacks, themselves, are not limited to just six devices, so that they can create larger loops with more bandwidth and more redundancy."
"An area for improvement would be creating a wizard that can do a lot of common stuff. Instead of having some manual configuration for common features, they may want to have a single wizard that could be put in place which would let you walk through creating multiple VLANs and different routes between VLANs in a wizard. Then, you wouldn't have to dig in so deep."
"The product's stability has certain shortcomings that need improvement."
"Support could be improved."
"The main negative thing is the speed. When you use the portal, if you have a lot of customers and locations in the portal, and you need to scroll through those clients or those locations, it takes a pretty long time to load those pages and to select the client. That's the problem in the portal on the laptop, and it's the same problem in the portal on the app."
"The tool is good, but we probably need another model with PoE connections. Our office plans to switch from analog phone lines to VoIP next year, and we need a model that supports this transition and can handle the required technology. Additionally, improved support for newer technologies like Wi-Fi would be beneficial."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution, which is expensive."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"The product is less expensive than one of its competitors."
"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
"It is reasonably priced."
"This solution is expensive but it does not require a license."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"I believe that the pricing is reasonable."
"You get what you pay for. From a price comparison, there are cheaper switch makers on the market that are definitely less expensive than NETGEAR. They give you the same functionality, but they don't come with a name. There are solutions like Ubiquiti that are very good. They have the ease of setup, and I find NETGEAR battling a little bit in comparison to Ubiquiti."
"Compared to other large names in the marketplace, the price of NETGEAR's product is extremely cost-effective compared to what Cisco or Extreme offer."
"From a price perspective, the solution comes in higher than a small business product from their competitors. The solution is a bit higher, but it's a fraction of the cost compared to an enterprise switch. For example, a Cisco Catalyst can run approximately $13,000, where their Small Business Series may run $800 on the Cisco side. With NETGEAR, it falls in around the $1,000 to $2,000 range for most of what we use it for. Essentially, at this price point, you're getting a lot of enterprise grade features (e.g., that you would on a Catalyst) on an M4300."
"They're good value. They're good entry-level switches. I know Cisco generally has a lot more capability. But, for an organization this size, we don't need that. So they're good value for the cost and what we need."
"For its price, it scales well."
"It is a slightly expensive product."
"For the price, they're good. If you look at Ubiquity switches (which have cloud features too) or even the regular NETGEAR GS switches, these are still price-competitive and come with the cloud features, which is just amazing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
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?
On a scale of one to ten, where ten is expensive, I would rate the cost as seven. The pricing and licensing specifics are handled by my networking and Alliance teams, so I do not have detailed info...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center could integrate AI capabilities for easier management, accessibility, and configuration, similar to what Juniper offers. Enhancing security on the firewall and th...
How do NETGEAR switches compare with Cisco ethernet switches?
NetGear switches have a lot to offer. They have high availability, zero-downtime stacking, L2 and L3 functionality, and are AV-over-IP ready. NetGear switches also have a command line interface and...
Which switches are better - Ubiquiti Unifi or Netgear?
Ubiquiti Unifi offers a great set of features. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and also doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfi...
What do you like most about NETGEAR Switches?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. I have not faced any issues with the product whatsoever.
 

Also Known As

No data available
NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs. NETGEAR Switches and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.