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Aruba Wireless vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
5.4
Aruba Wireless boosts productivity, flexibility, and cost savings, offering a valuable investment despite challenges in quantifying direct ROI.
Sentiment score
4.4
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers significant cost savings, enhanced security, and ease of deployment compared to competitors like Cisco and HPE.
There is no need to buy additional controllers for managing access points.
Consultant at Lantec
There are significant time savings, around thirty to forty percent, due to minimal disconnections.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
Aruba's support is praised for professionalism and expertise, but resolution speed and accessibility can be inconsistent.
Sentiment score
5.6
Fortinet FortiSwitch support receives mixed reviews, with commendable tier three service but issues in response speed and clarity.
I only needed support once or twice for a replacement, and it was handled smoothly without any difficulty.
IT Infrastructure at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate their technical support nine out of ten.
Sales Engineer at SGE
The customer support is good.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement 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
7.2
Aruba Wireless is praised for its scalability, adaptability, and ease of managing many devices across diverse environments.
Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch is praised for seamless scalability and integration, despite some pricing concerns, in both small and large networks.
The solution is scalable, as multiple sites connect seamlessly.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
It is easy to adapt and very scalable.
IT Infra Deputy Vice President at ESFB
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
8.4
Aruba Wireless is highly stable, reliable, handles high-density environments well, rarely needs reboots, and surpasses competitors in satisfaction.
Sentiment score
8.7
Fortinet FortiSwitch is praised for its stability, reliability, robust security, and minimal technical issues despite new market presence.
I have been using the product for the last nine years without facing any issues post-installation.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
I don't remember it going down during the years it existed.
IT Infrastructure at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aruba Wireless is stable.
IT Infra Deputy Vice President at ESFB
The tool is robust and lasts for three to four years without needing replacement.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access demonstrates great stability and reliability aspects.
Team Lead - Network and Security at Digitaltrack
The stability has been good overall.
IT Director at Rabbit Mart
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Wireless needs better stability, intuitive UI, support, documentation, reduced costs, and enhanced analytics, integration, and security.
Fortinet FortiSwitch needs better pricing, licensing, user interface, support, firmware clarity, security features, integration, stability, and scalability.
The product should be more affordable, especially the cloud and console for the Aruba product as it is currently very expensive.
Sales Engineer at SGE
While the technical specifications are satisfactory, the access points are expensive.
Consultant at Lantec
At the time of purchase, the prices were moderate, but now they are quite expensive.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
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
I would appreciate the ability to create an independent switch.
Team Lead - Network and Security at Digitaltrack
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Wireless pricing is competitive with low operational costs, offering value through versatile licensing and favorable comparisons to Cisco.
Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiSwitch pricing high yet justifiable due to robust functionality, reliability, and fewer licensing requirements.
The pricing seems reasonable compared to other brands; however, it is too expensive for smaller businesses.
Sales Engineer at SGE
The pricing can be expensive.
Consultant at Lantec
The initial prices were more affordable compared to the current high prices.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
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

Aruba Wireless excels in security, scalability, seamless connectivity, and user-friendly design, offering cost-effective and efficient network management.
Fortinet FortiSwitch integrates with FortiGate, offering seamless management, ease of deployment, advanced security features, and robust network visibility.
I do not need to buy a controller for the access point since the Aruba Access Point has a built-in virtual controller.
Consultant at Lantec
The Aruba Wireless solution has excellent roaming capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity.
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
It has many features and is integrated with Azure AD and multiple active directories, making authentication easy.
Senior Network Engineer at Zerone Technologies
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

Aruba Wireless
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
150
Ranking in other categories
Wireless LAN (1st)
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Aruba Wireless is designed for Wireless LAN and holds a mindshare of 13.9%, down 19.1% compared to last year.
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access, on the other hand, focuses on Ethernet Switches, holds 4.1% mindshare, down 5.6% since last year.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Wireless13.9%
Ruckus Wireless12.8%
Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN10.5%
Other62.8%
Wireless LAN
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access4.1%
Cisco Ethernet Switches10.3%
Aruba Switches8.4%
Other77.2%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

UM
IT Infra Deputy Vice President at ESFB
Strong performance supports network team effectively but guest access compatibility needs improvement
We connect the network using Aruba Wireless. We connect our office network, and we use it primarily within our network team Aruba Wireless has many features, especially their state-of-the-art controller, which can be connected to the cloud. They also have an unlimited lifetime warranty, which is…
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.
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Comparison Review

it_user212721 - PeerSpot reviewer
President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Mar 24, 2015
Cisco vs. Aruba Wireless Solutions
Cisco or Aruba Networks? If you are considering wireless access solutions, this is a common question that you are probably asking. You probably have sales people knocking at your door. How do you make sense of all the stories that you are presented with. If you have done any research, you are…
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business77
Midsize Enterprise47
Large Enterprise74
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
Aruba Wireless or Ruckus Wireless?
At my organization, we researched Ruckus Wireless among other solutions but ultimately chose Aruba wireless. What did we like about Ruckus? First, it was very easy to use, and anybody with minimal...
How does Cisco Wireless compare with Aruba Wireless?
On the most basic level, Cisco Wireless can offer a rather straightforward initial setup. In the span of about three hours, the basic framework can be set up. Step-by-step instructions are availabl...
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 do you like most about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
With FortiSwitch, you can easily identify who is connected to each port, disable ports as needed, and retrieve configurations from FortiGate when required.
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...
 

Also Known As

Aruba WLAN, HP WLAN, HP Wireless, Aruba Instant On AP Series Access Point
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Consulate Health Care, Los Angeles Unified School District, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), San Diego State University, KFC, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ruckus, Cisco and others in Wireless LAN. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.