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Arista Networks Platform vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access 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
6.3
Arista Networks Platform offers cost-effective solutions with high ROI, saving time and resources in global data center deployments.
Sentiment score
4.4
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers significant cost savings, enhanced security, and ease of deployment compared to competitors like Cisco and HPE.
I saved between five to six hours using Arista Networks Platform, as it takes less time to actually add your APs to the dashboard and deployment is quite fast and easy.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
I have seen a return on investment from using Arista Networks Platform in terms of fewer employees needed during installation and deployment.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
In the data center, there is no comparison in terms of technicality or return of investment.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.6
Arista Networks' support is fast, highly rated, responsive, and effective, though documentation could improve, with positive pricing feedback.
Sentiment score
5.6
Fortinet FortiSwitch support receives mixed reviews, with commendable tier three service but issues in response speed and clarity.
They provide instant support and maintain commitments regarding replacement products.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
We would rate the customer support as a nine to 9.5 out of ten.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
All network engineers from the organization were present in the program, and the Arista engineer provided a solution in less than five minutes.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
They are knowledgeable, professional, and assist with any issues.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
My local support is working fine, and I have my connection with my account manager in the public company of Fortinet.
IT Director at Rabbit Mart
It's a potential area for improvement, possibly in terms of response time or quality.
Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Arista Networks Platform is scalable, user-friendly, future-proof, but cost-effectiveness varies by deals and regions.
Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch is praised for seamless scalability and integration, despite some pricing concerns, in both small and large networks.
Arista Networks Platform's focus on GPU-based and high-speed switches is a smart move for next-generation AI-based data center solutions.
Network Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Scalability is a key feature of Arista, owing to the possibilities to manage the entire data center network from a single console.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
We can easily scale up with Arista Networks Platform, as it is not difficult, and they have a platform that encourages scalability.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
For enterprise solutions, it's extendable easily with options for edge connectivity or stackable devices.
IT Director at Rabbit Mart
You just need to connect another switch or replace the current one, and it integrates well with the existing setup.
Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
With uniform Fortinet FortiGate switches, adding or removing switches without reconfiguring individually is straightforward.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Arista Networks Platform is praised for its stability and reliability, with minimal downtime and vulnerabilities, especially in consistent configurations.
Sentiment score
8.7
Fortinet FortiSwitch is praised for its stability, reliability, robust security, and minimal technical issues despite new market presence.
Arista is the only IT product that has the minimum vulnerabilities, so it is a very stable product.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
The amount of failure is low because we have tested a Huawei platform of the same grade beside Arista Networks Platform, and Arista Networks Platform always won.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
I have not had any downtime using Arista Networks Platform.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
The tool is robust and lasts for three to four years without needing replacement.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
The stability has been good overall.
IT Director at Rabbit Mart
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Arista Networks Platform faces high costs, a complex interface, stability issues, unclear documentation, and needs better integration and features.
Fortinet FortiSwitch needs better pricing, licensing, user interface, support, firmware clarity, security features, integration, stability, and scalability.
Using AI, I can understand how my entire organization operates and what kind of applications are being used, what the peak times are, where there is a bottleneck if any exists.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Scalability at every single step has a huge upgrade cost which is required for port mapping, connectivity, and transceivers certified by Arista Networks Platform, then the fabric upgrades from a software firmware level.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Feature-wise, it addresses most customer requirements.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
The introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic directly on the switch.
Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The machine is robust and lasts for years with rare technical issues.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
 

Setup Cost

Arista Networks is costlier than alternatives like Cisco, with high hardware and licensing expenses, challenging budgets, especially in developing regions.
Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiSwitch pricing high yet justifiable due to robust functionality, reliability, and fewer licensing requirements.
Compared to Cisco, Arista routers are significantly cheaper.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
You get a 48 gigs, a 25 Gbps or a 40 Gbps switching fabric at a price of $30-40,000 from Netgear super-fast clusters, whereas Arista Networks Platform is going to cost you three times that.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Arista products are perceived as costly, especially compared to competitors like Cisco.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
IT Director at Rabbit Mart
The initial cost of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is high compared to other options.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
 

Valuable Features

Arista Networks Platform is favored for its low latency, scalability, and efficient management, ideal for data centers.
Fortinet FortiSwitch integrates with FortiGate, offering seamless management, ease of deployment, advanced security features, and robust network visibility.
Features include plug-and-play auto-discovery, allowing centralized configuration and management.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
The best features Arista Networks Platform offers are the dashboards where you can see all your APs that have been deployed and installed across all locations, making it quite unique to access, manage, and monitor performance from that dashboard.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
Arista Networks Platform is known for ultra-low latency, having the fastest backplane ever built.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
This centralized management saves time and ensures seamless scalability.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
The powerful integration capabilities allow us to manage all devices from a single interface through the firewall.
IT Director at Rabbit Mart
One of the main features is the integration with FortiGate.
Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Arista Networks Platform
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (3rd)
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
12th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Arista Networks Platform is 3.2%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 4.2%, down from 5.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Arista Networks Platform3.2%
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access4.2%
Other92.6%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Dibyendu Das - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Ultra-low latency networking has delivered reliable video workflows and critical operations
The support of Arista Networks Platform is quite complex; it is not very easy to configure. It needs a lot of network expertise for token sheddings and different kinds of configurations. It is very difficult to configure because Arista Networks Platform does not have a flexible GUI like Huawei or Netgear; everything is a very CLI kind of mainframe architecture. Scalability at every single step has a huge upgrade cost which is required for port mapping, connectivity, and transceivers certified by Arista Networks Platform, then the fabric upgrades from a software firmware level. Arista Networks Platform should improve commercial aspects to be affordable. There is no path for growth with a perfect score because the focus is more on reducing costs globally.
Uri Harf - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
Integration with cloud management simplifies network expansion
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is expensive, and this initial cost can be a barrier, especially for new businesses setting up from scratch. Although the machine is robust and lasts for years with rare technical issues, the initial price can be high. Sometimes, I have to offer alternatives like Aruba or HP, which might be cheaper.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?
As for the licensing model of Arista Networks Platform, I would describe it as moderate—neither too expensive nor too cheap compared to Cisco.
What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?
I found that Arista Networks Platform could improve by introducing a feature that combines configuration for both switches and access points into a single portal. Currently, you need to juggle betw...
What is your primary use case for Arista Networks Platform?
I currently use Arista products, including Arista wireless solutions like CVQ and Agni solutions, which come with a AAA server, as well as ClearPass from Aruba. I am using Arista Networks Platform ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
The initial cost of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is high compared to other options. Although robust and rarely needs replacement, it can be overqualified for some jobs, which affects the re...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
I would appreciate the ability to create an independent switch. I am aware of the pricing and licensing of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access, and I previously rated it a six because I wanted the...
 

Also Known As

7000 Series
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Internet Services
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Arista Networks Platform vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.