Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access Reviews

Our customers use Secure Access to capture log files of many different vendors out there. They're looking at their network, wireless servers, and anything that can capture log files. It seems to be one of the more cost-effective solutions. 

It offers better insight into what's going on in our customer's network and faster resolution for issues that are happening. It helps our customers find out what's going on.

The most valuable feature would be network management, separating the network management component from security. It can do both but we promote it on its own. It's a good solution to do network management. 

Secure Access is a strong platform. It's very user-friendly.

I have around two years of experience with FortiSwitch Secure Access. We deploy it 80% on-prem. 

The stability is pretty good. 

Scalability is also pretty good. Our clients are generally SMB. 

I would give their support an eight out of ten. 

The initial setup is somewhere between straightforward and complex. It takes just a couple of days to a few weeks depending on what you're doing. 

It could be simpler but compared to the competition, it's not so bad. 

I am a big supporter of Secure Access. 

I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

We use FortiSwitch in conjunction with a FortiGate Firewall, as it simplifies the configuration process. The firewall will push all the configurations via the FortiLinks to the switches, meaning that we don't need to configure them separately. This is particularly useful for customers who require the use of a FortiGate Firewall. FortiSwitch can be used to connect various endpoints, such as cameras, workstations, IoTs, WAPs, IP phones, and doors, as well as servers to the network infrastructure.

We use FortiSwitch a lot in the UAE and have not had any critical issues with the switches.

Deploying the solution is a breeze, even a novice can do it. All we need to do is use the web browser, and we can configure all our servers. The licensing is also straightforward and easy to understand. The graphical user interface is very user-friendly, so we don't need to be tech geniuses to use the solution.

I believe that stacking, a feature that is available in Huawei and Cisco, is not available in Fortinet products unless when managed by FortiGate. Adding stacking would be beneficial if Fortinet could incorporate it into their switches.

I have been using the solution for a few years.

The solution is very stable.

The solution is scalable.

We have approximately three big clients (with approx. 10,000 users) who are utilizing Fortinet switches.

When we encountered a FortiGate Firewall that had expired, our client asked for a new license. The response from their support team was incredibly fast, and we were able to get the license right away with the client present. Their support was nice.

Positive

The initial setup is easy. The solution comes with a default IP address and we only have to enter it in the web browser to connect.

Deployment was not difficult, depending on the size of the environment. For a single switch, it could take around two to three hours to complete. Overall, it was a straightforward process.

The solution is cheaper than Cisco but more expensive than Huawei.

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

Having the opportunity to use the entire Fortinet ecosystem, will make our life much simpler. As opposed to buying separate vendor products, with Fortinet we can use FortiNAC, Fortinet Access points, FortiSwitch, and FortiGate. This will save us time and effort and we can rest assured that Fortinet is always looking to provide great customer support.

The tool should improve its CLI. 

I have been working with the product for three months. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

I rate the product a nine out of ten. 

The tool's setup was very easy. 

We have seen ROI with the tool's use. 

The tool's pricing is fine. 

I rate Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access a nine out of ten. 

Usually, our customers have security devices for the network. We always suggest Fortinet to them, and depending on the number of users, we suggest different versions. If it's a new setup, then we provide FortiAP and FortiSwitch.

We don't need a controller to control the access points. The solution is very simple, and it's very easily available. It has simple configurations and is easy to use. It is easy to set it up.

The product must improve its prices.

I have been using the solution for three and a half years.

The solution’s stability is great. Since Fortinet is a security product, any Fortinet device is secured well. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

The tool is very scalable. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten. Our customers are SMBs.

Technical support is perfect. The technical team is good.

Positive

The initial setup is very easy and straightforward. It takes around half an hour to deploy the solution.

I rate the pricing a seven out of ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

Sophos is a competitor. However, we mainly use Fortinet.

The tool has high availability and easy configurations. It has multiple features and is a secure product. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

FortiSwitch is a great solution. It provides security access and can integrate with FortiGate. We use the devices for health environment for some companies who need to be secured.

The policies are very good.

We've had some issues with Layer 3 FortiSwitch. We can deploy the device in the cloud. However, we can't deploy this solution in complex environments easily. Sometimes, it can be challenging because configuring it for Layer 3 operations requires additional expertise and configuration.

I have been using Fortinet FortiSwitch as a partner for over a year.

The solution is scalable.

The customer service is pretty good and fast.

Positive

The solution is easy to deploy. Depending on the environment, it takes one to two days to complete. One to two network engineers can deploy the solution. I rate the deployment a nine out of ten.

The product is expensive than other vendor.

A couple of engineers are there for solution’s maintenance.

I recommend the solution. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

The feature I value most is the connection from other devices to the Fortigate, so you can manage them from the Fortigate device. You can also use the cloud to manage them and for protection. They know how to talk well to the firewalls.

In the next release, I would like to see more outdoor products. It would be great if the APs and the physical box could be weatherproof.

I have been using Fortinet for years.

I would rate the stability of this solution a 10, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.

I would rate the scalability of this solution a 10, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.

I would rate the initial setup a nine, on a scale from one to 10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best.

My advice those using a firewall Fortigate is: use their APs because they work very well.

We use this solution for our physical site. It is only for switches without secure access.

FortiSwitch Secure Access has a nice interface.

Personally, I don't really like this product. 

Fortinet FortiSwitch is oriented to secure, not for switching. Solutions like Cisco, Ruckus or Deeplink have more options to configure. With Fortiswitch you need to configure with the controller without many options. This means you have to deploy too many. It requires you to configure the solution, such as voice IP and then turn around the LLDP. The quality of voice is very manual.

Cisco and other vendors you can interface for a range between one and 48 ports, with Fortigate you need to do one by one. When working with 96 ports, I need to change them one by one, making it very manual to configure.

I would like Fortinet to make this product easier to configure.

I have been using Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access for one month.

Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access is stable.

The solution is easy to scale.

Fortinet's customer service is good.

Positive

The pricing for Fortinet FortiSwitch is not expensive. We have an annual contract. 

If someone is looking at this solution for switching, I would recommend it. On a scale from one to ten, I would rate it a nine.

We use this solution for access-level connectivity for phones and computers. Using it as an access point to connect to the switches directly for their POE.

The most valuable feature is that I can completely isolate devices that are compromising the network. 

I get all of my analytics from the FortiGate point of view. I have FortiGate, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiManager for all of my analytics. The analytics are collected from the switch and everything that is connected to the switch. I get a physical view of every single device that is connected to every point in my network.

I love the view, because I know which computer is connecting to what access point, as well as which computer or node is connecting to what switch and to what port. 

I don't like the way it's managed. For some of the smaller switches that we have, I was not able to log into it and manage it. I am not sure if it is something that I am missing or something that I am not doing correctly or if this applies to all switches. 

It had to be managed through the FortiGate firewall appliance, which to me is one of the downsides.

I am not sure if they have management outside of FortiGate itself.

The switches should have the capability to be managed without having to connect to FortiGate. You might have clients who are using Cisco or other solutions who would have to use FortiGate at the access level but won't be able to log in into the switch, then it would be completely useless to them and it becomes unmanaged.

There is no console port and nothing in the default IP that could help with this issue. I checked online and there was nothing available.

The dashboards are easy but a bit cloggy. The more switches that you connect the more cloggy it becomes.

We started using this solution three months ago.

This solution is stable. I love it!

I don't have to do anything. I can just see it from the FortiView, and I can point it out.

I never have issues. I don't even need to do many analytical watches, it makes life very easy.

This solution is scalable. We are a small site running only three switches, but from what I have heard, it's pretty easy to scale because of the looping feature. It uplinks and can automatically be used from your management console. I haven't done a big system, so I don't know what that would be like.

My entire company is running on Fortinet, and we have two people managing the entire environment for over forty users.

Fortinet support is fantastic, except for the morning hours. Morning hours, my time, they are very slow. I am GMT+3. Anything after three in the afternoon is very fast.

The support is generally fantastic. You can call them or write to them and they always give you a solution.

The KB online is on point.

Previously we were with Cisco, but we were already using FortiMail and received the distribution for Fortinet. We purchase Fortinet firewalls.

The firewall and the mail were already working for us, so we thought that would just do everything with Fortinet. Then we can use our company to demonstrate what Fortinet has to offer.

We have multifactor authentication running on Fortinet, FortiAnalyer, and FortiManager.

The initial setup was straightforward, it was pretty easy. Anyone can do it.

It took fifteen minutes to deploy.

I implemented this solution and did not use an integrator or a vendor.

It's affordable and there are no additional costs, just regular support, and license fees.

I am working on a roadmap to ensure that everything is running on a Secure Access and not just from the switches. I am currently working on introducing SSO and Active Directory. It's going to be extensive, where everything will be running on a secure level. 

This solution is affordable, it makes sense, and it's easy to manage so it saves you time in both practice and in technical training. You don't have to train anyone to work with Secure Access. If you are going to invest in training, just invest in the training for FortiGate. After that, your environment is good to go because everything else is self-explanatory and easy on the interface for the Secure Access and all of Fortinet solutions.

It makes economic and security sense for any organization that is intending to deploy this kind of solution. I wish that it had come sooner.

There are several switches that I have looked at, and when I am looking at the capabilities of other switches there is still much to be discovered on Fortinet. They don't have all of the capabilities, especially when it comes to the throughput.

I would rate this solution a six out of ten.