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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 15.6%, down from 18.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 5.1%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network security enhancement with sturdy switches despite high costs
The Cisco Ethernet switches are primarily used as regular core switches for networking, distribution, and access levels. We also utilize Cisco Wi-Fi, VPN, and Wi-Fi controllers The Cisco Ethernet switches have improved our network's security, ensuring it is 100% secure by not allowing any…
SherifAbdelrahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient integration allows streamlined network management with a straightforward setup
I use it for retail business. We are using the FortiSwitch solution for our voice switches and access points as well It has helped us by providing easy management from a single platform through the firewall interface. It's very easy to manage and provides all the insights and vulnerabilities,…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Cisco switches have several valuable features like VLAN mapping. We seldom use that, but we find the security configurations helpful, like high availability with trading port channels and MAC filtering."
"Cisco is the world leader in these systems. The expertise they have is very good compared to others. We can trust Cisco from a technical perspective."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches have a lot of valuable features. One that stands out to me is its ease of implementation."
"Multicast is an advanced feature that helps alleviate some of our work challenges."
"It's for industry products, so it's easy to use."
"These switches help to build the best network, the way we want it."
"The product offers very good customer support. It's likely the best in the industry."
"The solution is extremely stable."
"What I really love in FortiSwitch: its usability, the graphical user interface, and the ability to be managed by FortiGate."
"The main benefit of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is its integration with FortiCloud, which allows me to manage all appliances in a single interface."
"It works really well, I think the equipment is solid, and the help is great."
"It is a stable solution from the security front."
"The software is very stable."
"The policies are very good."
"The visual scope of the solution is very good. It allows me to see and download all of the network information."
"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."
 

Cons

"Network setup is quite complicated, particularly if you're implementing in a non-technical environment."
"It could be cheaper, especially the DNA license. One DNA license is around $3,000 for a three-year contract."
"Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately."
"Very highly priced in comparison to other similar products."
"We'd like the pricing to be lowered."
"Setting up Cisco Ethernet Switches is not very easy; I'd rate it around four out of ten in terms of ease."
"It would be nice if they had higher wattage for PoE+."
"The platform's management features need improvement."
"An area for improvement would be the segmentation and network in logic networks."
"Its cloud features could be better."
"When we started using the solution, it was quite complex but then it became easier to use. It takes a while to get used to the interface."
"The product's pricing needs improvement for small and medium businesses."
"The solution could provide an active VPN."
"In the next release, I would like to see more outdoor products."
"The scalability and technical support can be improved."
"FortiSwitch requires periodic firmware updates. It can be a little difficult because the switches aren't connected to the internet, so you cannot upgrade the firmware remotely. You need to go to the site and do it manually because it's a closed network."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This is an expensive solution, but you are paying for stability."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more expensive than Huawei Ethernet Switches."
"We get the SMARTnet and one of the switches has that Cisco ONE licensing. It's probably running about $12,000 a year right now."
"There is a license required for this solution and the price could be better."
"It is very expensive."
"The price of this solution is fair."
"The solution does not require a license. However, it is expensive and the price could improve."
"It is an expensive product."
"It's affordable and there are no additional costs, just regular support, and license fees."
"Licensing is easy: FortiCare and that's it."
"The price is good."
"The solution has reasonable pricing. The firewall costs around 500$ annually."
"The solution is cheaper than Cisco but more expensive than Huawei."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch is a pricey solution."
"The price of the solution could improve, it is expensive."
"Licensing is billed annually and contracts are either one or three years in length."
report
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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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 ...
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...
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...
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?
Currently, I don't have an opinion about the price as I focus on implementation and am not informed about pricing in comparison to other vendors.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
Currently, compared to other vendors, there isn't a feature that stands out as needing improvement. However, the introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic dire...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.