Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access Reviews

The platform's most beneficial features for network management are its network access control with 802.1X and its integration into the secure fabric.

One of the main challenges was integrating FortiSwitch with FortiGate, as the switches are managed through FortiGate rather than independently.

I have been using Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access for approximately two years.

I rate the overall stability as a nine. We have experienced very few issues, with only one notable problem occurring after an update.

We have three customers using FortiSwitch, each working with around 500 to 1,000 employees. 

It scales easily, but its scalability may not be as extensive as other solutions. I rate its scalability as a seven.

The technical support services at levels one and two could be more helpful, but tier three support is good.

We also work with Extreme Networks, Cisco, Juniper, and API Enterprise.

The installation process was relatively easy but more complex than other switch access products we have used. Some concepts were handled differently than those in our usual products. It took about two weeks for approximately 15 appliances.

For setup and configuration, three people were involved: two engineers and one operator. We follow the recommended software update path and have maintenance windows approximately six times a year, depending on the firmware update schedule.

Operational costs are lower than solutions like Cisco, and deploying new hardware is straightforward. However, smaller setups may find it less cost-effective due to fixed licensing requirements.

The product pricing seems to be mid-range. The licensing structure is not uniform and can be difficult to understand. 

I rate the pricing around five or six out of ten.

The solution has enhanced network security by integrating access control more seamlessly, reducing overhead, and simplifying the network environment by removing the need for interfaces with other vendors.

Its security features are valuable in the health sector in a campus network with numerous components.

I rate it an eight out of ten.

We are using FortiSwitch as a gateway for our FortiGate firewalls. 

We needed a large PoE switch to connect to the firewall. FortiSwitch is robust and cheaper than Cisco switches. 

We haven't had any problems with FortiSwitch. 

We have used FortiSwitch for three years.

I wouldn't say that FortiSwitch is stable because we've had situations when we lost ports, and I don't know what IP address to switch to or which environment has the lost ports. A storm knocked out the power to the devices, and every attempt to troubleshoot the in-line power didn't work. I think this also happens with Cisco switches. 

FortiSwitch is scalable. You add switches to scale it up. It isn't difficult. 

I rate Fortinet support 10 out of 10. Their support is excellent and inexpensive. They respond immediately. 

Positive

Like most switches, FortiSwitch is plug-and-play. You don't need to do much configuration. You only need to connect it and put in an IP address. It doesn't take long, and one person can do the job alone. 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. 

We pay for a one-time cost for the hardware, but there isn't a license. We only pay for configuration and support. We need to periodically buy new switches and upgrade them. 

It's feasible to use FortiGate with Cisco switches, but it was simpler to buy everything from Fortinet. Cisco and Fortinet switches are both good, but FortiSwitch is cheaper. The Cisco hardware isn't too expensive, but we have to pay for ongoing support. For example, the switch might be 2,000 pounds, but you need to pay an additional 600 pounds for support. Cisco support is excellent but expensive. We end up paying a lot for things we don't need. 

I rate Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access six out of 10. I recommend different solutions depending on the use case. If a customer is using FortiGate firewalls, I would suggest FortiSwitch.

We use the product to connect devices to the network.

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access benefits our organization by providing an easy-to-use interface. Comparatively, deploying policies on FortiSwitch is significantly faster and more efficient than on other platforms. In comparison, it takes only around ten minutes to deploy numerous policies on FortiSwitch; the same task could take days to complete when performed on other platforms. It is a more economical choice in terms of time and resource utilization.

The most valuable feature of FortiSwitch is its user-friendly interface, which facilitates easy management and propagation of rules throughout the network. Deploying rules based on various criteria, such as device type or manufacturer, is easy.

They could provide integration with Fortinet Authenticator.

We have been using Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access for one year. At present, we use the latest version.

I rate the platform's stability a nine out of ten.

We have around 100 Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access users in our organization. It needs to be more scalable. It is challenging in terms of expansion and requires purchasing additional units. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

We have a local team providing technical support. It is quite easy to reach them and raise the queries.

Positive

I have worked with Cisco and HP. We switched to Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access for better pricing.

Deploying FortiSwitch in our network for secure access is facilitated through the FortiSwitch interface. Within the web interface, we can create the necessary rules, which are automatically deployed across all devices in the network.

It is straightforward to deploy and integrate with other systems. We have a team of five engineers working on it. I rate the setup process a ten out of ten.

The platform's most valuable feature in terms of network security is the ability to utilize network access control to identify the device you connect and apply policies directly to the device.

We can link the FortiSwitch with other Fortinet security solutions to create a resilient network. If one device encounters downtime, the traffic is rerouted to another, ensuring continuous operation.

It's a comprehensive solution, and one needs to transition all the infrastructure to Fortinet's ecosystem. Later, managing all the aspects becomes straightforward, with a unified view across the entire network.

I rate it an eight out of ten.

We use the solution for internal networking in an office environment.

FortiSwitch scans for viruses on the network easily. I was using another firewall, but after Fortinet, I don't use any other.

Fortinet infuses the updates regularly. If you get updated, then you are secured. The updates did not cover all the threats. I use the solution in both the field and the main office. It centralizes everything. We had to dig deeper than the graphs or manually check if that device performed well. You can check the server so that you can access it easily. It provides us with the protection that we need.

Fortinet FortiSwitch is easy to configure and simple to use with support.

The product could have better prices, analytics, and better graphs.

I have been using Fortinet FortiSwitch for two years.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

We have 250 users using this solution.

I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.

We have used Cisco and Ubiquiti switches. FortiSwitch frees you every time you set the switches or configure them over and over again. It is much better than other solutions.

The initial setup is simple and takes a few hours to complete.

We have achieved 10% ROI.

The solution is reliable and is working well. It has been a generation of investment. It is not very expensive, not much cheaper.

I recommend the solution.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We are mainly in the SMB market. Our primary use case are for on-site for secure access to the infrastructure. 

For us, visibility is the best feature, with integration to various things. We are pretty happy with it as it is.

The integration with the whole platform, so there's one dashboard for everything. It is one of the most valuable features. 

There is a bit of a learning curve with the initial setup. 

For data centers and large enterprises, Cisco has advantages, but FortiSwitches make a lot of sense for certain applications.

We have been using this product for a couple of years. It has been around three to four years. 

This solution has been very stable.

For us in the SMB market, everything has been working very well. So, we are not doing very big deployments.

e had some support tickets, but they were solved pretty quickly. I haven't had much contact with them, but our issues were resolved well.

Positive

We have worked with Cisco and a few other vendors. The deployment is easier with Fortinet.

In very complex environments, there is an advantage with Cisco switching, but that doesn't affect us much because we are not in that specific market.

We have good experience with setting it up. The initial setup is pretty easy; we have built a knowledge base. But there's a learning curve for beginners.

It went pretty smoothly for us. We have documented the deployment steps in our onboarding procedure.

The deployment takes two to three hours. Normally, there's one technician who does that. We have some maintenance procedures, but it's not difficult. It's pretty straightforward.

For us, the technical training was helpful. We did that. It's not strictly necessary, but it makes things a lot easier, especially to understand best practices.

We are quite happy with it. There are some complaints from our technicians, but overall, we are satisfied. 

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

The solution helps provide a seamless internet connection.

I can't comment much on the valuable features of the solution since I work in a cargo company that has outsourced its IT operations to another company. I can say that the product is easy to use.

I feel that the product's stability is an area where improvements are required.

I have experience with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access. I use an older version of the solution.

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

I don't know about the solution's technical support since Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is a product that is outsourced to others by our company. The product's technical support is good.

The initial setup of the product was easy.

The solution can be deployed in an hour.

There is another external IT team to take care of the deployment process of the tool since my company is only involved in the action of outsourcing the product to other companies.

The initial setup of the product was managed by one of the in-house teams in the company.

Price-wise, I find Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access to be an okay product. It is not an expensive product.

We are using those switches as our main switches on-site. Everything is FortiSwitch, and everything wireless is FortiAP.

The product is very secure. It's enterprise-level. Because we are always upgrading to the latest firmware and stuff, everything is very solid, and our network runs much better than before.

The pricing could be improved, and it could be easier to configure. As Fortinet comes up with different firmware and updates, I am sure these problems will decrease. They will finetune their upgrades and firmware to make upgrading to the next versions easy.

I've used the solution for about two years, and we're using the latest version.

The product is stable and reliable. It's an enterprise-grade switch. If you plug anything into any outlet in the office, it gets connected to a switch, and you'll be able to get analytics.

We used to get issues where people bring in their own devices, and once they get access to a network cable, they just plug into the network point and had access to browse the Internet. Now, even though all ports are connected to switches, you won't get anything if the port is not enabled.

About 500 people at our company use the solution.

We have managed service providers who have support licenses with Fortinet. We normally have a three-year support license with Fortinet, so anything beyond that is good. On-site, we are the first line of support, the managed service providers are the second line, and Fortinet will be the third line, in that order.

Before this, we were using Ubiquiti wireless access points. However, because that was not enterprise-level, the company policy changed that we should only use enterprise-level devices, and Fortinet was chosen over Cisco. We changed all the Ubiquiti access points to FortiAPs and all the switches that used to be HPE to FortiSwitches, and the firewall also is FortiGate so that they'll all work together to get alerts.

The setup is a bit complex, but it works once you get it right.

During deployment, we first deployed the firewalls before we came to the switches and the APs. We were fully set up for the firewalls and switches within three months. After that, it took a week to change all the APs to FortiAPs.

We have a managed service provider, so they are the ones we work with. They manage our backend systems, so they are the ones that did the deployment.

I have seen an ROI. My investment is very good because security is key for us. Our network is secure from the firewall down to the AP, and we have peace of mind.

We signed up for a three-year license for support and replacement. We've had one situation where one switch we were upgrading to the latest firmware failed after I rebooted. Fortinet came in to try and troubleshoot. They tried everything, but it still wasn't working, so they replaced the switch. The pricing is expensive.

We have cloud solutions as well, where we have FortiCloud, a cloud solution around our switches.

I rate the product a ten out of ten for reliability and scalability. It's sometimes a bit difficult to configure. If we want to add another FortiSwitch to uplink on another one, it is difficult to remember where we have to go to tell the other switch to also talk to the FortiLink. However, I am confident that that is a security feature because it means nobody can just get on and do anything. Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten.

To anyone planning to use the product, we are scaling it to other mining sites as well. Because this is the first location, we've done everything here. Once everything is deployed here successfully, we will scale it onto the other sites. We are ready to install the product onto another site, which we have already put in the firewall. But instead of the switches, we went with the APs first and have deployed about 165 APs. Now, we are waiting for the switches to come in so we can also put in the switches to complete the work. We will then scale from there to the next site.

It is a multi-location solution used for security purposes.

The solution's most valuable features are ease of deployment and manageability.

They should enhance the solution's orchestration level. Also, they should integrate it with other Fortinet solutions. In addition, they should improve the cloud features and certain functionalities on the switching front.

I have been using the solution for more than eight years.

It is a stable solution from the security front. But there is still time to say for the switch as they are relatively new in the market. It may take a year or two for us to completely vouch for Fortinet from a switching or a wireless front, but they are working on it.

We have three to four customers using the solution.

The solution's technical support team is good. They provide round-the-clock support. But they need to scale up a bit more to reach the levels of tech support provided by LiveOps.

The solution is very straightforward to use and implement. The deployment takes 30-45 minutes. Once you plug it into the environment and remotely switch to FortiManager, it manages all the infrastructure.

We have to pay for the solution's subscription.

If someone is looking for a stable and cost-effective solution to secure the environment at the gateway, then Fortinet FortiSwitch is the right choice. It has a good lead time, is easy to deploy, and provides fast delivery. Also, locally certified resources are available for implementation purposes.

I rate the solution as a six.