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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center comparison

Cisco and Fortinet are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8, while Fortinet is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.6. Cisco holds a 11.9% mindshare in ES, compared to Fortinet’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.
Cisco Ethernet Switches
Read 136 Cisco Ethernet Switches reviews
  • 11,920 Views
  • 11,920 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Read 25 Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center reviews
  • 1,533 Views
  • 1,533 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Cisco Ethernet Switches and Fortinet FortiSwitch are prominent competitors in the data center networking sector. While Cisco is favored for its reliability and advanced features, Fortinet stands out for its cost-effectiveness and security integration with FortiGate, giving it an edge for budget-conscious users looking for a powerful solution.

Features: Fortinet FortiSwitch integrates well with Fortinet Security Fabric, provides centralized management, and facilitates seamless control when paired with FortiGate. Cisco Ethernet Switches offer enhanced security with MACSec encryption, robust layer-3 switching, and scalability, including features like Cisco DNA for network automation and advanced redundancy.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Switches require a more user-friendly licensing process and enhanced third-party integration as well as reduced pricing. Fortinet Switches, while cost-effective, would benefit from simpler management and UI improvements to ease initial complexity and better third-party integrations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Switches provide strong technical support, although some customers report inconsistent response quality. Fortinet's service is known for being responsive, yet could improve complexity handling and better integration support. Cisco is typically chosen for complex deployments, while Fortinet appeals due to easier management.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco's higher prices are offset by their long-term reliability and high ROI in stable deployments. Fortinet offers competitive pricing, making it appealing for small businesses or those needing security and functionality on a budget. Despite both providing strong ROI, Fortinet's affordability is a significant advantage.

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Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
September 2025
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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
7.5
Cisco Ethernet Switches enhance uptime and ROI through durability and efficient management, despite renewal costs and scalability concerns.
Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers cost-effective integration and ease of use, with Cisco providing better long-term returns for higher budgets.
No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
The integration of Fortinet infrastructure, including FortiSwitches, is cost-effective compared to Cisco, especially when paired with Fortinet wireless solutions.
For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center report
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Customer service excels, but technical support gets mixed reviews; forums help, yet satisfaction varies with location and agreements.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch support is highly rated for responsiveness and reliability, though some users suggest better speed and consistency.
Currently, we don't have any technical support because our license doesn't allow for direct support.
Cisco support is quick and responsive, often answering within an hour.
It takes two to three days for Cisco support to address issues.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
Technical partners provide responses within a day for any technical queries.
Customer support needs improvement in terms of speed and reliability.
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Fortinet an eight.
For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center report
FawadMirza - PeerSpot reviewer
RO
Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
JK
Vishwajeet Pandey - PeerSpot reviewerRutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Ethernet switches offer scalable and adaptable networking solutions, effortlessly handling large user numbers and accommodating expansion despite costs.
Sentiment score
8.5
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is scalable and cost-effective, ideal for enterprises, with some fiber port limitations noted.
Cisco mainly provides security, patch management, hardware reliability, durability, scalability, and security features supporting my organization's expansion.
The latest products do not allow integration with the earlier environment.
The scalability depends on the model.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
When used in a dedicated Fortinet infrastructure, FortiSwitch scalability is better than some other switches, like Cisco, Meraki, or Arista.
Scalability is generally good, with transitions from gigabit to ten giga, twenty-five giga, and forty giga.
For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center report
Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewerPradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewerFawadMirza - PeerSpot reviewer
JK
Rias Majeed - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
Cisco Ethernet Switches are praised for their reliability, minimal issues, and durable equipment with efficient support.
Sentiment score
7.4
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is highly stable and reliable, with minor issues mainly due to vendor integration challenges.
The switches are very stable, rated ten out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
There is room for improvement as it sometimes takes over an hour to push configurations onto the devices from the management tool.
For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center report
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Ethernet Switches face affordability, complexity, compatibility, and support challenges, prompting calls for better integration and user experience.
Pricing is high; improvements needed in automation, integration, user interfaces, management, certifications, features, support, and performance.
For example, on switches, filtering specific sections isn't supported, whereas, on routers, you can do 'show run' with additional commands to filter.
FortiGate switches are considered more valuable because they have firewall capabilities.
In the data center portion, we need to provide the fiber channel and Nexus switch to use a more reliable solution.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
Sometimes, customer support does not provide prompt assistance, leaving projects hanging.
The commercial aspect presents challenges, particularly with pricing, as customers often ask for Juniper or Cisco, brands they are more aware of, which makes awareness about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center another weak point.
There is room to improve the integration between FortiSwitch and other third-party solutions, as challenges arise when integrating with different vendors.
For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center report
RO
FawadMirza - PeerSpot reviewerMyint Aung - PeerSpot reviewerVishwajeet Pandey - PeerSpot reviewerRutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewerRias Majeed - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Ethernet Switches are costly but valued for quality, reliability, and enterprise discounts despite competitors offering lower prices.
Fortinet FortiSwitch is competitively priced, sometimes seen as expensive, offers no extra licensing with FortiGate, and occasional discounts.
We need to pay for the subscription, as there are extra expenses after purchasing the product.
Cisco Ethernet switches are priced at a rating of nine, indicating they are expensive.
Regarding the cost, Cisco Ethernet Switches have a competitive price.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
Pricing is competitive, although it's not the cheapest option.
For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center report
Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewerPradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
PM
JK
Rias Majeed - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Ethernet Switches provide high performance, scalability, and security, featuring power-saving, VLAN support, and rugged durability for efficient networks.
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers centralized management, enhanced security, and efficient integration with FortiGate for flexible, cost-effective network control.
Their stability and durability are essential features we've been looking for many years, and they are still working fine.
Cisco is mainly known for its security, patch management, hardware reliability, durability, scalability, and security features which support my organization's expansion.
Cisco Ethernet Switches are very reliable and work like a clock once configured.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
The main actual benefit that Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center brought to my customer's environment is secure connectivity while minimizing downtime from unexpected traffic or broadcasting.
This feature allows the switch's ports to be used as firewall ports, enhancing network security by enabling IPS and network profiling directly on the ports.
It allows me to create VLANs, implement security measures, and push configurations using a single tool.
For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center report
PM
Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
RO
Rutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
JK
Vishwajeet Pandey - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
136
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 11.9%, down from 18.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches11.9%
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center2.0%
Other86.1%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptional network support and AI integration drive performance while suggesting enhancements for future use cases
I work with both HyperFlex and other Cisco products. I prefer to make online support available because I can utilize my CCIE architect, solution consultant, and engineer team along with our account manager and product sales team. We can clarify requirements and decide how to support you. We should arrange a conference call about Cisco Ethernet Switches where I can invite my architect and consultant to clarify more about the features that are most beneficial for improving network efficiency. Today is AI day, and all the new firmware includes AI to optimize the performance, traffic, and security of Cisco Ethernet Switches. It's performing very well. With many solutions and vendors available, you have to decide on one. I am extremely satisfied with the licensing cost for Cisco Ethernet Switches. For the price of Cisco Ethernet Switches, I would rate it a 7. My overall rating for Cisco Ethernet Switches is 10 out of 10.
Read full review
Rutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides seamless traffic control and secure connectivity while minimizing downtime and optimizing resource allocation
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular ports. Currently, I am not identifying any weak points of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because it meets the customer's use case. However, the commercial aspect presents challenges, particularly with pricing, as customers often ask for Juniper or Cisco, brands they are more aware of, which makes awareness about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center another weak point.
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business58
Midsize Enterprise36
Large Enterprise53
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
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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...
See all answers
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
See all answers
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The initial setup was simple.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular po...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Aruba Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 19% of the time
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 15% of the time
D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 9% of the time
NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 7% of the time
H3C Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
H3C Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 6% of the time
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Aruba Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center Logo
Aruba Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
Compared 18% of the time
HPE Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center Logo
HPE Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
Compared 15% of the time
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center Logo
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
Compared 7% of the time
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center Logo
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
Compared 7% of the time
Meraki MS Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center Logo
Meraki MS Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
Compared 6% of the time
More Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
September 2025
Cisco Ethernet Switches reportDownload Cisco Ethernet Switches product report
Buyer's Guide
Ethernet Switches
September 2025
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center reportDownload Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
No data available
 

Overview

Cisco Ethernet Switches scale to meet the needs of networks of all sizes. They are Secure, Reliable and Seamless.
Cisco

With 10 or 40 GE access ports and a high-throughput backbone, FortiSwitch Data Center Switches are ideal for the top-of-rack (ToR) server or firewall-aggregation applications. The high-speed switching fabric is also well suited for enterprise network core or backbone network installations.

Fortinet
 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
September 2025
Free Report: Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
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