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Cisco Prime [EOL] vs Fortinet FortiManager comparison

Cisco and Fortinet are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Additionally, 91% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.
Cisco Prime [EOL]
Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews
    91% willing to recommend
    Fortinet FortiManager
    Read 67 Fortinet FortiManager reviews
    • 881 Views
    • 667 Comparison Views
    94% willing to recommend
     

    Comparison Buyer's Guide

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    Executive Summary
    We performed a comparison between Cisco Prime [EOL] and Fortinet FortiManager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

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    To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: May 2025).
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    May 2025
    Download the complete report
    Helped 851,604 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:
     

    Categories and Ranking

    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Average Rating
    7.8
    Reviews Sentiment
    6.5
    Number of Reviews
    35
    Ranking in other categories
    No ranking in other categories
    Fortinet FortiManager
    Average Rating
    8.0
    Reviews Sentiment
    7.1
    Number of Reviews
    67
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (4th)
     

    Featured Reviews

    Mohammed Junaid Khatib - PeerSpot reviewer
    If an AP or any wireless device goes into critical mode, the solution sends an alert
    As engineers, we cannot physically monitor all the devices. We cannot go and roam all the floors of every building. For example, say there is a city with four or five companiesthere. An engineer cannot run around to check that all the devices are up and stable. With Cisco Prime, we can go to the monitor tab and check the physical devices. It shows you a list. For example, it will say that there are 10 APs in critical mode at the Las Vegas building. At the New York City site, there are five devices. You can dispatch the engineers to troubleshoot the problem. There's no need to send someone to check every floor. If there is a new deployment, you don't need to physically check the old setup. We only need to add the sitemap to Cisco Prime, input the model numbers of the devices, and verify where each device is located, so we can upgrade.
    Read full review
    Damitha Anuradha - PeerSpot reviewer
    Manage multiple devices with ease but experience complexity in deployment and limited AI features
    I use Fortinet FortiManager to manage multiple devices in a single location. Although it does not provide a security posture itself, it depends on the firewall policies and settings in their respective firewalls. Fortinet FortiManager is primarily meant for the management of devices Fortinet…
    Read full review

    Quotes from Members

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

    Pros

    "It helps us manage and monitor analytics and fix issues."
    "The interfaces are a valuable feature."
    "If an AP or any wireless device goes into critical mode, Cisco Prime sends an alert. That is the most helpful feature."
    "The technical support team is very good."
    "The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management."
    "Cisco Prime is user-friendly, so we are comfortable using it."
    "The hardware Cisco provides is excellent. It's a well-made product."
    "It gives you the ability to upgrade switches remotely, schedule the upgrade time, perform backups, and monitor the health of all networks."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
    "For the whole security fabric from Fortinet, with a simple click you can see if some workstations or services are affected by an attack. You can really easily quarantine it, check the solution, and fix it."
    "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiManager are the overall management it provides and its ease of use."
    "Fortinet FortiManager allows a full view of all the devices on the network from one location."
    "The solution has the best stability for application control and inspections."
    "The solution brings device management into one single pane of glass and is a pretty good product."
    "It has multiple features in one box, which helps to avoid needing a lot of equipment. This is something that makes them unique."
    "It is easy to deploy to licenses."
    "The central management feature is the most valuable to me."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pros
     

    Cons

    "The solution needs to include centralized management that aligns with the Greenfield network and its focus on real-time, scenario-based applications."
    "The onboarding process could be improved and developed to enhance compatibility for non-Cisco devices."
    "This solution could be improved if it could monitor configuration changes."
    "Cisco Prime needs to have lower prices and more customization options."
    "Maybe it could be a little cheaper."
    "The product needs to improve its interface and reporting."
    "I want the tool to improve data visibility."
    "I would love for Cisco Prime to show bandwidth usage and consumption, but I can't monitor bandwidth usage at a given time."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
    "The documentation could be better."
    "There are a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, for example, the ZTP."
    "There is room for improvement in Fortinet FortiManager because there is no option for roaming profiles, and the cloud console is not available, which is different compared to Cisco Meraki, and the cloud connectivity is not sufficiently good."
    "FortiManager could be more user-friendly."
    "The graphical user interface could use improvement as it appears complex and not user-friendly."
    "Issues arise when customers experience unstable electricity or poor grounding conditions."
    "The presence of Fortinet in our region (Nigeria) needs to be stronger."
    "Configuring Fortinet without internet access is challenging."
    More Fortinet FortiManager cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."
    "If we have a license for Cisco DNA, we can use the same license for Cisco Prime."
    "The cost is quite high."
    "You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."
    "Cisco Prime is an expensive solution."
    "The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    "I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
    "The license model they use depends on the size and is not limited to the users."
    "Fortinet FortiManager is a low-priced product."
    "On a scale from one to ten with one being the highest price and ten being the lowest price, I would rate FortiManager's price at three."
    "Our organization pays a monthly license fee for the solution."
    "This is an affordable solution, and its licensing model is based on the number of devices."
    "The solution requires you to have a license for every device, as well as for any advanced features being used, which makes it costly for high-volume users. However, for a large-scale environment with a lot of customers we have found it to be a worthwhile investment."
    "The price point is very good."
    "FortiManager isn't expensive, but its cost is dependent on which services are required."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pricing and cost advice
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Computer Software Company
    16%
    Government
    14%
    Manufacturing Company
    8%
    Educational Organization
    6%
    Computer Software Company
    16%
    Financial Services Firm
    10%
    Manufacturing Company
    9%
    Comms Service Provider
    7%
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
     

    Questions from the Community

    What do you like most about Cisco Prime?
    The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Cisco Prime?
    The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive.
    See all answers
    What is your primary use case for Cisco Prime?
    We use Cisco Prime for centralized configuration management backups and monitoring.
    See all answers
    What do you like most about Fortinet FortiManager?
    The most valuable feature is the centralized management console.
    See all answers
    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiManager?
    I find Fortinet FortiManager to be a bit more expensive, especially when considering the environment. It shows cost-effectiveness when managing more than ten devices, whereas it is less effective w...
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiManager?
    The deployment of Fortinet FortiManager is quite complex and should be easier. It requires improvement in vulnerability management and should integrate automated AI features to enhance its reliabil...
    See all answers
     

    Comparisons

    Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 40% of the time
    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 19% of the time
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 12% of the time
    Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 12% of the time
    NetMaster Network Intelligence vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    NetMaster Network Intelligence vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 8% of the time
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] Competitors
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 68% of the time
    Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 9% of the time
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 7% of the time
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 4% of the time
    Fortinet FortiWeb vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiWeb vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 3% of the time
    More Fortinet FortiManager Competitors
     

    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    May 2025
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiManager
    May 2025
    Fortinet FortiManager reportDownload Fortinet FortiManager product report
     

    Also Known As

    Cisco Prime Infrastructure
    No data available
     

    Overview

    Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

    Cisco

    Fortinet FortiManager is used for centralized management of FortiGate firewalls, utilizing zero-touch deployment techniques to optimize configuration and deployment, reducing installation time and errors while improving network security and efficiency.

    By centralizing policy management and monitoring across devices and locations, Fortinet FortiManager enhances security and operational efficiency. Automation tools simplify management, control, and consistent configuration across environments. It offers scalability for managing large numbers of devices, beneficial for organizations seeking unified threat protection and streamlined administration from one console. The platform integrates effortlessly with Fortinet products, supporting zero-touch provisioning, SD-WAN, and traffic analysis. Although intuitive, the graphical interface and overall performance require refinement, alongside enhanced support and documentation for troubleshooting and configuration.

    What are the key features of Fortinet FortiManager?
    • Centralized Management: Streamlines device configuration across multiple systems.
    • Automation Tools: Simplifies implementation and maintenance of configurations.
    • Zero-Touch Provisioning: Reduces setup time and minimizes errors.
    • SD-WAN Support: Enhances wide-area network efficiency and effectiveness.
    • Traffic Analysis: Monitors network traffic for improved security insights.
    • Policy Pushing: Facilitates efficient deployment of security rules.
    What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?
    • Operational Efficiency: Reduces installation time and configuration errors.
    • Scalability: Supports management of numerous devices.
    • Improved Security: Centralized management enhances threat protection.
    • Time Savings: Automation reduces manual intervention needs.
    • Cost-Effectiveness: Simplified administration can lower management costs.

    Fortinet FortiManager is implemented across diverse industries like telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, where centralized management and enhanced security are crucial. Its ability to streamline processes and integrate with existing Fortinet products makes it ideal for organizations looking to maintain robust network security standards.

    Fortinet
     

    Sample Customers

    Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare
    Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    May 2025
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