Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Prisma SD-WAN comparison

Cisco and Palo Alto Networks are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.0, while Palo Alto Networks is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4. Cisco holds a 10.5% mindshare in SDW, compared to Palo Alto Networks’s 5.4% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Prisma SD-WAN and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN are two leading solutions in the market. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN seems to have the upper hand due to its robust features despite its higher price.

Features: Prisma SD-WAN reviews highlight easy integration, effective bandwidth management, and extensive security measures. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN reviews emphasize advanced routing capabilities, comprehensive analytics, and seamless scalability.

Room for Improvement: Users suggest that Prisma SD-WAN could improve its reporting functions and range of third-party integrations. For Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, the feedback points to a need for better documentation and more user-friendly setup processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Prisma SD-WAN is praised for its straightforward deployment model and responsive customer service. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, although noted for a steeper learning curve during deployment, receives high marks for its knowledgeable support team.

Pricing and ROI: Prisma SD-WAN is noted for its lower setup costs and positive ROI, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious users. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, despite its higher initial investment, is viewed as delivering substantial long-term ROI due to its extensive feature set and scalability.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN

January 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 881,665 peers since 2012

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

5.8

Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.

Sentiment score

6.4

Users reported reduced WAN costs, improved service reliability, and significant savings with potential ROI within a year.

Sentiment score

7.6

Transitioning to Prisma SD-WAN reduced costs by 50%, improved stability, and replaced expensive MPLS links with affordable broadband.

Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.

Bart Homblé

BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks

It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.

Bernard Samontanes

Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

They are now back to do that with the remainder of their company, so they've realized the value in 12 months and are willing to invest in the remainder of their organization.

Wayne Kilbride

Information Technology Consultant at Island Networks

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN report

Prisma SD-WAN helps reduce network costs.

Srinivas-S

Senior IT Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Prisma SD-WAN report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.

Sentiment score

7.4

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN support is generally praised for responsiveness and efficiency, despite occasional delay issues, rated highly by users.

Sentiment score

6.7

Palo Alto's Prisma SD-WAN support is effective but occasionally slow, with a need for training and faster responses.

The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.

Alexandre Menezes

IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The principal third-level support is very good.

Marco Flores

Technology supervisor at a non-profit with 1-10 employees

I would consider Cisco support a 10 out of 10.

Wayne Kilbride

Information Technology Consultant at Island Networks

I would rate Cisco's support, their customer service, and technical support as excellent.

Henry Rosenstiehl

Solution Architect at Sonda S.A.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN report

They respond promptly and are good at finding issues.

Adekunle Kembi

Owner

I would rate the support at minimum eight plus.

Srinivas-S

Senior IT Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Since we are at a premium level, customer service is rated at eight or 8.9 out of ten.

Sureshot

Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Prisma SD-WAN report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.

Sentiment score

7.4

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is scalable, supporting extensive networks and preferred for seamless scaling in complex environments across various sectors.

Sentiment score

7.6

Prisma SD-WAN efficiently supports scalable complex networks, praised for ease of deployment and site addition despite documentation concerns.

They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.

reviewer2667480

Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.

FatmaSamy

General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Cisco SD-WAN is highly scalable and can be expanded to more than 10,000 sites.

SreejeshSoman

Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd

The ease of configuration and features like zero-touch provisioning enhance the scalability of Cisco SD-WAN, especially in disaster recovery situations.

Igor Van Den Ouden

Engineer at Routz

It is done through static whitelisting of the IPs, which is not a scalable solution since IPs can change at any time.

Danish Nazir

Network Manager at HPCL

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN report

Everything is managed by the service provider, Palo Alto Networks, allowing me to manage my infrastructure without overheads or extra costs to adapt the management infrastructure to the actual needs of the field.

Engineerinfosec67

Presale Engineer at Westcon-Comstor

I rate it a ten out of ten since we can easily scale by just paying for additional licenses as needed.

Sureshot

Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Scalability is a significant concern for us due to the poor documentation that limits our ability to understand and utilize their system effectively.

reviewer2706744

Cybersecurity Analyst at a government with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Prisma SD-WAN report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.

Sentiment score

7.4

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is reliable overall, with stability varying by configuration, despite minor bugs and integration challenges.

Sentiment score

7.8

Prisma SD-WAN is noted for high stability and reliability, with improved performance and rare downtime, despite complex setup.

We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.

Ricardo Biggs

Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

Juan Frias

CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

While some software-related issues and bugs were encountered, they did not cause the whole environment to crash.

Igor Van Den Ouden

Engineer at Routz

A simple issue in the control connections between the fabric causes numerous complexities.

Danish Nazir

Network Manager at HPCL

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN report

Stability is high, I rate it 9.8 out of ten.

Sureshot

Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Prisma SD-WAN is an absolutely stable solution.

Engineerinfosec67

Presale Engineer at Westcon-Comstor

Our engineers make the system appear stable through effective management.

Kevin Fitzsimmons

At Messer Manager, Network & Communications (Americas) at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Prisma SD-WAN report

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN suffers from high costs, complex configuration, and lacks user-friendly features, hindered by complicated licensing.

Prisma SD-WAN needs better usability, technical support, integration, and competitively priced features, with improvements in security and automation.

These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.

Elvis Mahadeo

Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company

It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.

Pravin Mandlik

Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Now, they change frequently, making it difficult to obtain long-term support.

Marco Flores

Technology supervisor at a non-profit with 1-10 employees

Including more features like integrating with Splunk for monitoring vulnerabilities would help eliminate the need for other SOC solutions.

SreejeshSoman

Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd

The negative, or the downside of Cisco is the knowledge base; you need to be a little bit more tech-savvy and network-savvy to work with Cisco, while Juniper is a lot more user-friendly from what I can see, especially in terms of configuration and any kind of roll back.

Wayne Kilbride

Information Technology Consultant at Island Networks

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN report

Scalability is a significant concern for us due to the poor documentation that limits our ability to understand and utilize their system effectively.

reviewer2706744

Cybersecurity Analyst at a government with 201-500 employees

If there were an option to extend management to other firewalls, users could perform staggered migrations.

Sureshot

Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

It would be beneficial if the solution integrated the SD-WAN features of Prisma SD-WAN with the security features of Palo Alto's next-generation firewalls.

Engineerinfosec67

Presale Engineer at Westcon-Comstor

For more quotes and insights, download the Prisma SD-WAN report

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is costly with hidden fees, prompting a shift from Capex to Opex to manage expenses.

Prisma SD-WAN offers premium pricing but valued functionality and integration, ideal for medium to large enterprises, with package discounts.

Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.

AiméKouchade

Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios

It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

NilsPaley

IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1

It is about 20% cheaper.

MithatBulut

Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Its pricing is justifiable due to the comprehensive solution it offers.

SreejeshSoman

Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd

It is also relatively cost-effective for smaller businesses when using the Meraki version.

Igor Van Den Ouden

Engineer at Routz

The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.

Marco Flores

Technology supervisor at a non-profit with 1-10 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN report

The solution is not cost-effective for smaller environments and is more suitable for medium to large companies.

Engineerinfosec67

Presale Engineer at Westcon-Comstor

The price for Prisma is a bit high.

Sureshot

Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

The product could be a bit cheaper for the services it provides.

John Helsmoortel

CTO at a engineering company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Prisma SD-WAN report

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is praised for its centralized management, integrated security, zero-touch provisioning, scalability, and cloud cost savings.

Prisma SD-WAN enhances network resilience with seamless integration, intelligent routing, centralized management, and optimal connectivity across multiple sites.

The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.

Viraj Fernandopulle

General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.

We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.

VINAY GUJARATHI

Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions

They put in a thing called the FortiCookbook, which is very easy to read with real-life scenarios that make networking tasks like joining networks very straightforward.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

It also provides robust security features, including port security, analysis, mirroring, and multiple other security solutions.

Marco Flores

Technology supervisor at a non-profit with 1-10 employees

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN has integrated security features which include base firewall, URL filtering, IPS, and secure segmentation.

Henry Rosenstiehl

Solution Architect at Sonda S.A.

Integration capabilities provide comprehensive security.

SreejeshSoman

Technical Consultant at Vertex Techno Solutions (B) Pvt Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN report

By reducing the need for expensive internet connections, Prisma SD-WAN allows customers to achieve cost savings.

Engineerinfosec67

Presale Engineer at Westcon-Comstor

Prisma is a mature platform in terms of security.

Sureshot

Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

The most valuable feature is the single pane of glass, especially since we have Palo Alto firewalls.

John Helsmoortel

CTO at a engineering company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Prisma SD-WAN report

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 13.2%, down from 19.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is 10.5%, down from 15.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Prisma SD-WAN is 5.4%, down from 5.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	13.2%
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN	10.5%
Prisma SD-WAN	5.4%
Other	70.9%

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

Read full review

Danish Nazir

Network Manager at HPCL

Faced complex visibility and policy challenges but have improved basic traffic routing control

I have found some other solutions more insightful and user-friendly as compared to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, but the basic SD-WAN functionality is good enough. I am using it only because it was done as a pilot project, specifically for my 60 to 70 sites. For the majority of the sites, I am using Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN solution and I found that more viable and more in alignment with my requirements. For example, there is not any Internet Service Database available in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN intrinsically. If I want to write a policy based on applications, I am not able to write it, at least in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Viptela deployment that we have done, and that is fairly easy to do in Fortinet. The second issue is the logging capability. I think the visibility that Fortinet Secure SD-WAN has is not even comparable. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN does not provide that sort of insight or control as far as traffic steering is concerned. With respect to the SLAs, I barely know which sort of SLAs are violated in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, so I do not have clear visibility on where the traffic is moving from at my spoke or hub locations. I believe Fortinet gives me a very clear picture of where the traffic is going. Overall visibility, whether it is data traffic or logs, is much better in Fortinet compared to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. The complexity of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Viptela is noticeable and quite complicated to configure. If something breaks, you have to involve TAC and others to fix it. On the contrary, you can work with underlays. Even if your IPsec overlay tunnel is down, it does not impact your production. Thus, we find Fortinet's solution significantly better than Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN solution. I have used Application-aware Routing in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. However, I found it to be very complicated, especially regarding policy writing. For my breakout of VC traffic, we had to write a bunch of IP addresses for Zoom, Webex, and others. Presently, it can only identify Webex as an application, and I highly doubt whether there is any application identification for Zoom and other platforms, as we were not able to find it during our implementation. It is done through static whitelisting of the IPs, which is not a scalable solution since IPs can change at any time. Overall, the application-aware routing policies are not as flexible and scalable as the Internet Service Database feature of Fortinet provides. The struggles encompass policy writing, logging capabilities, traffic visibility, and complex configuration. There is also the issue of load balancing. We have faced considerable challenges with traffic load balancing between the links. Although the SLA targets are configurable, understanding how traffic flows is challenging, making troubleshooting exceedingly difficult. Overall, I find it a quite complicated solution with not that much operational usability.

Read full review

reviewer2706744

Cybersecurity Analyst at a government with 201-500 employees

Navigating documentation challenges leads to reduced incidents with strong setup

The areas that need improvement include documentation/customer support and cross-communication between the support teams. The documentation tends to be outdated, often directing us to resources that are no longer accurate or available, and this is one of the reasons we are potentially looking at alternatives. In terms of the Prisma SD-WAN security integrations, we have seen some benefits, but part of our difficulty is trying to get all of that information on what it does and set up properly. Because we've had issues in the past with getting devices set up properly, scalability is a significant concern for us due to the poor documentation that limits our ability to understand and utilize their system effectively.

Read full review

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Legal Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	189

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	44

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	13

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...

See all answers

What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...

See all answers

What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?

When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significant...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?

The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?

I have found some other solutions more insightful and user-friendly as compared to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, but the bas...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Prisma SD-WAN?

Regarding whether Prisma SD-WAN is an expensive solution, I would say the price is competitively high. Everything dep...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Prisma SD-WAN?

I am still working on what should be improved in Prisma SD-WAN to make this product better, and I cannot give any upd...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Prisma SD-WAN?

Our customers' main use cases for Prisma SD-WAN are to connect multiple branches since they have numerous locations t...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 6% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 6% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 5% of the time

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 5% of the time

Peplink SpeedFusion vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Competitors

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 11% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 10% of the time

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 5% of the time

BigLeaf vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 5% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 5% of the time

More Prisma SD-WAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

January 2026

Download Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Prisma SD-WAN

January 2026

Download Prisma SD-WAN product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Cisco SD-WAN

CloudGenix

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN offers centralized management and integrates seamlessly with existing Cisco ecosystems. It simplifies deployment with zero-touch provisioning, delivering robust security and optimized application routing.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN provides essential capabilities for organizations seeking secure remote connectivity and cost reduction, notably through its support of hybrid environments. While pricing and complexity present challenges, its advanced application control and cloud compatibility make it a valuable asset for connecting branches and data centers. Users benefit from enhanced security, network assurance, and simplified management, driving operational efficiency.

What are the key features of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN?

Centralized Management: Streamlines network operations through a single interface.
Zero-Touch Provisioning: Simplifies deployment, reducing manual setup efforts.
Application-Aware Routing: Enhances performance by prioritizing critical applications.
Robust Security: Integrates strong security measures for data protection.
Hybrid Environment Support: Facilitates connectivity across various environments.
Integration with Cisco Products: Ensures seamless operation within existing networks.

What benefits can users expect from Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces networking expenses by optimizing resource usage.
Operational Simplicity: Streamlines processes, reducing resource strain.
Enhanced Security: Strengthens defenses with integrated security features.
Improved Connectivity: Ensures reliable communication for remote sites.
Scalability: Supports varying enterprise sizes with tailored solutions.

In banking, retail, and enterprise sectors, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN facilitates effective network management by enhancing connectivity between branches and data centers. Its security features and zero-touch deployment are particularly valued, providing scalable solutions for locations that demand reliable, application-prioritized networking.

Cisco

Simplify management, enable app-defined SD-WAN policies and deliver a secure, cloud-delivered branch today with the Industry’s first next-generation SD-WAN.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates

Open Networking User Group, Columbia Sportswear Company, Coca Cola

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN

January 2026

Free Report: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN report.

See our list of best Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions vendors and best WAN Edge vendors.

We monitor all Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.