No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Extreme VDX [EOL] vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Extreme VDX [EOL]
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (15th)
 

Featured Reviews

Osama Ahmed LUBBAD - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Support Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A stable, scalable, and problem-free solution
Software needs to be updated regularly in order to maintain security and performance. However, in some cases, it is necessary to stack switches in order to meet the needs of the network. Although Cisco switches are able to stack, other switches are not as simple to stack. I would like the ability to stack with different switch brands.
Rutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Extreme VDX is that we have had no problems and the solution's performance is excellent."
"Its simplicity and web interface were most valuable. I also liked the two-factor authentication."
"The fabric of the solution and the management aspect are the solution's most valuable features."
"The product's most valuable feature is its ability to manage switches from one central point."
"The FortiSwitch is used to manage traffic between our VMs and physical hosts across multiple data centers, and it is part of our network fabric that can support the amount of throughput we need to provide HA to service our clients."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center offers flexibility and control over the entire network from a single pane of management."
"When configuring FortiSwitch with a FortiGate firewall, I can consider all FortiSwitch's ports as a part of the FortiGate firewall."
"FortiSwitch makes it easy to deal with many switches."
"An affordable and stable solution for small-medium companies."
"We are able to monitor everything that is happening on our network."
"If you use FortiGate you should use FortiSwitch; it's very helpful and has a good configuration."
 

Cons

"I would like the ability to stack with different switch brands."
"I don't know if the solution has a future because the company doesn't seem to be investing in updates or improvements."
"Its scalability is quite limited. We had four buildings merging into one building, and scalability was probably the reason why they didn't proceed with buying more Brocade switches and routers."
"Its scalability can be better. If possible, it can have Hyper POE. I am not sure if there is a fiber version."
"The only problem is that at the moment it's an Extreme product and Extreme is not really pushing it. They have to make up for weak innovation and I'm not sure if they want to do that."
"The solution could always benefit from more security. It's of critical importance to organizations right now."
"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."
"We had a slight issue with the device when it was working as a standalone product in an environment where there wasn't any FortiGate in place."
"We need to understand a bit more about certifications and knowledge for understanding capabilities. The solution should make that more clear to its users."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center needs to improve its UI and stability."
"The main difference between FortiSwitch and Aruba Switches is the price. The prices of Aruba are higher and they have unlimited features that FortiSwitch does not, like segmentation and analytics engines."
"The product must improve the latency in the management center."
"The performance is basic only, and we cannot compare Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center with Aruba or Cisco switches."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It was around $1500 a year. It is cheaper than Cisco but more expensive than Ruckus."
"The solution's pricing is a little high. The solution deserves the current price it receives from its users."
"It is reasonably priced."
"This solution is expensive but it does not require a license."
"The solution is not expensive."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution, which is expensive."
"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
15%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
8%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
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.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The performance is basic only, and we cannot compare Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center with Aruba or Cisco switches. Regarding security policies, I did not configure that many policies in Fortinet...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
Currently, we are mostly working with Sophos and Fortinet. Before, we worked with XG, but now they have upgraded to the XGS series, and in Fortinet, we are working with FortiGate Firewall. In some ...
 

Also Known As

VDX, Brocade VDX
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Niagra Falls Bridge Commission, Medien System Partner, CDE Lightband, MaximumASP
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, Cisco, Ubiquiti and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: May 2026.
900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.