

Fortinet FortiManager and Cisco Catalyst Center compete in the network management space. While Fortinet FortiManager offers better pricing and customer service, Cisco Catalyst Center seems to have the upper hand in features and integration.
Features: Fortinet FortiManager provides advanced security management, robust policy control capabilities, and effective network automation. Cisco Catalyst Center offers comprehensive network management, seamless integration with Cisco products, and deep insights through analytics.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiManager features a straightforward deployment model and responsive customer service. Cisco Catalyst Center, despite its more complex deployment due to extensive capabilities, provides substantial resources and professional support for ease of use over time.
Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiManager offers a more economical setup cost and attractive ROI with its affordability and immediate security enhancements. Cisco Catalyst Center, albeit with a higher setup cost, justifies ROI through extensive network management features and long-term benefits.
They have a long life.
The best feature is its availability, easy deployment, and good support for the solution.
Fortinet provides a strong ROI for organizations focused on comprehensive security.
The cost has been reduced for us by 24%.
I had a situation where they were present with us overnight to fix an issue for a customer, demonstrating their dedication.
I would rate technical support nine to nine and a half out of ten.
The software platform is very easy to use.
The people are very good, and they are very attentive.
Fortinet's support has proven to be reliable, particularly as we've been engaged with them since the project's initiation.
They are responsive and resolve issues quickly when I raise a ticket.
They have a feature that allows stacking switches together.
Cisco Catalyst Center is scalable and quite flexible, allowing for specific model choices like the 9,000 or 2,000 series based on the clients' performance requirements and bottlenecks.
It effectively manages all the devices I have, demonstrating its capability to scale.
Whenever you are monitoring or managing more than 10 or 20 firewalls, it is evident that you need a single pane of glass, which Fortinet FortiManager is offering.
You can raise the capacity as you go, and there is no limit for hardware.
The problem is cloud connectivity and roaming profiles are not working, as there is no option for them.
They are very stable, not power cycling, and basically maintaining their stability.
They provide a robust and secure solution for critical workloads.
Cisco Catalyst Center is stable, and I would rate it a nine out of ten for stability.
I rate the solution's stability ten out of ten.
95% of the time, there are no problems interacting with other devices.
It is an absolutely very stable product, and we have not encountered any kind of disruption as far as the product is concerned.
Current pricing is too expensive for features that users may not be sure they will use, pricing the company out of the market.
My customers often complain about numerous software bugs requiring frequent software patches and updates to resolve these issues.
In the current setup, incidents are always reactionary, and it would be beneficial if Cisco Catalyst Center could proactively handle issues such as bandwidth crunches and packet drops.
FortiManager is a good tool, but there is a lack of really advanced documentation.
In such cases, their CPE or other devices on-site may become unreliable, leading to occasional configuration discrepancies.
The graphical user interface could use improvement as it appears complex and not user-friendly.
They are also facing competitive pricing challenges from Huawei.
Cost is a major factor when any company is buying, and Cisco's products are pricier even compared to other US-based solutions.
For a hardware refresh, the site switched to Fortinet switching because the cost difference was approximately six thousand dollars per device compared to other solutions.
I hope that the prices will become more competitive in subsequent releases, as the current pricing is perceived as somewhat elevated.
I would rate the price 8 out of 10 with 10 being the most expensive.
Some competing solutions in the market, like Sophos and SonicWALL, offer lower costs of up to 40 percent.
There is a very wide user base providing support, so I almost never have to contact Cisco support due to the vast accessible knowledge base.
Their threat intelligence platform is excellent, including Talos Intelligence, which provides a good database and strong threat insights.
This dual functionality is crucial for monitoring large enterprises, providing a robust solution for IT teams.
I can automate the installation of configurations using different programming languages like Python or HPE, and it's a GUI solution, so it's pretty easy to use, even for basic users.
Being able to push consistent firewall rules and configuration changes across multiple FortiGates saves a ton of time and reduces errors compared to managing each device individually.
FortiManager captures all devices and provides reports for security analysis.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Catalyst Center | 8.9% |
| Fortinet FortiManager | 4.5% |
| Other | 86.6% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 3 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 12 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 35 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 16 |
| Large Enterprise | 19 |
Cisco Catalyst Center offers a comprehensive platform for network management, providing scalable solutions and advanced analytics for enterprise-level operations.
Focusing on efficient network management, Cisco Catalyst Center effectively addresses dynamic enterprise environments, ensuring operational scalability and actionable insights through its robust feature set. It emphasizes seamless management with an intuitive interface tailored for professional use, facilitating enhanced network visibility and control among IT professionals and service providers.
What are the standout features of Cisco Catalyst Center?Cisco Catalyst Center is widely implemented across industries like finance, healthcare, and education due to its ability to handle complex network requirements. It addresses specific needs by offering tailored solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency and security, catering to professionals managing large-scale IT ecosystems.
Fortinet FortiManager offers centralized management for FortiGate devices, ensuring easy synchronization with cloud accounts, automation, and policy deployment, enhancing network security and performance.
Fortinet FortiManager provides comprehensive oversight and streamlined operations for FortiGate environments. It centralizes the administration of firewalls and other Fortinet devices, simplifying their configuration and deployment. Users benefit from its efficient automation and policy management capabilities, which reduce implementation times and enhance security protocols. FortiManager features seamless integration and robust monitoring within a single interface, offering visibility across network operations. While it requires improvements in documentation, platform integration, and licensing clarity, it remains an essential tool for large-scale network management.
What are the standout features?In the finance and healthcare industries, Fortinet FortiManager enhances security and compliance by streamlining policy management and deployment across multiple sites. Retail sectors benefit from its scalable network management, ensuring continuous and reliable connectivity across branches. Education institutions use it to manage complex security infrastructures, effectively handling multiple devices and networks to safeguard sensitive data.
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