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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Fortinet FortiManager comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
4.3
Cisco Catalyst Center improves network stability and efficiency, offering significant cost benefits and ROI despite high adoption costs.
Sentiment score
4.9
Fortinet FortiManager offers cost-effectiveness with 24% reduced administration costs and high ROI through integrated security and centralized management.
They have a long life.
Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Imagine if you are troubleshooting an issue where traditionally it would take one hour and out of that one hour, 15 to 20 minutes was just to identify the area of concern rather than the issue itself.
Principal Solution Architect at EchoStor
The best feature is its availability, easy deployment, and good support for the solution.
Consultant at TECVA
Fortinet provides a strong ROI for organizations focused on comprehensive security.
Network Security Engineer/ Firewall Engineer at Charter Communications
The cost has been reduced for us by 24%.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
Cisco Catalyst Center is praised for its reliable customer service and effective technical support, despite occasional hardware replacement delays.
Sentiment score
7.0
Fortinet FortiManager is efficient and reliable, though improvements in wait times, technical depth, and local support are desired.
I had a situation where they were present with us overnight to fix an issue for a customer, demonstrating their dedication.
Cyber Security Architect at Spie Ics
I would rate technical support nine to nine and a half out of ten.
Lead Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
For example, when I had some troubles with a customer's Cisco ISE, I created a task at eight p.m. and the customer had a maintenance window at eleven p.m. A TAC engineer called me one hour after creating the ticket.
Senior Network System Engineer at Soitron
The people are very good, and they are very attentive.
Engineer of Preventa Sir at InterNexa S.A
They are responsive and resolve issues quickly when I raise a ticket.
Senior Associate at City Union Bank Ltd
Fortinet support is responsive and helpful.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.3
Cisco Catalyst Center offers highly rated scalability, supporting diverse needs and seamless expansion, despite some integration limitations.
Sentiment score
7.2
Fortinet FortiManager is praised for scalability and centralized management, supporting various environments while requiring potential licensing upgrades.
They have a feature that allows stacking switches together.
Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
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.
Solution Architect at HCLSoftware
It effectively manages all the devices I have, demonstrating its capability to scale.
Lead Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
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.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
You can raise the capacity as you go, and there is no limit for hardware.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
The problem is cloud connectivity and roaming profiles are not working, as there is no option for them.
Network engineer at JOYALUKKAS
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco Catalyst Center is highly stable, with minimal downtime, though some users note occasional glitches and documentation issues.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiManager is stable and reliable with proper hardware, though performance slightly varies; maintenance and updates are crucial.
They are very stable, not power cycling, and basically maintaining their stability.
Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
I have not experienced any downtime, crashes, or other problems with Cisco Catalyst Center.
Network Engineer at CHEROKEE NATION
They provide a robust and secure solution for critical workloads.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
95% of the time, there are no problems interacting with other devices.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
It is an absolutely very stable product, and we have not encountered any kind of disruption as far as the product is concerned.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Catalyst Center struggles with complexity, limited integration, and needs improvements in documentation, security, deployment, and user accessibility.
Fortinet FortiManager needs better documentation, UI, third-party integration, and improved performance amidst pricing, licensing, and support challenges.
Current pricing is too expensive for features that users may not be sure they will use, pricing the company out of the market.
Network Engineer at Edmonton Catholic School Board
Cisco Catalyst Center is not integrated well with third-party vendors because it can only work with Cisco products.
Systems Technician. IT Office at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
I would also appreciate some unification, or unifying GUI, that would be similar for all Cisco products.
Senior Network System Engineer at Soitron
FortiManager is a good tool, but there is a lack of really advanced documentation.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
The graphical user interface could use improvement as it appears complex and not user-friendly.
Senior Network Engineer at SP SYSNET PTE. LTD.
Fortinet FortiManager could benefit from integrations with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions.
Senior Associate at City Union Bank Ltd
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Catalyst Center is costly, with varied pricing views, complex licensing, and potential alternatives despite reliable service.
Fortinet FortiManager's pricing is competitive, with varying opinions, cost-effective for larger deployments, and negotiable for existing customers.
They are also facing competitive pricing challenges from Huawei.
Deputy Director at NITDA
Cost is a major factor when any company is buying, and Cisco's products are pricier even compared to other US-based solutions.
Sr. Executive Design Engineering Team at Wateen Telecom (pvt.)
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.
Network Engineer at Edmonton Catholic School Board
I find Fortinet FortiManager to be a bit more expensive, especially when considering the environment.
Head of Presales at AcSys Networks Private Limited
I am satisfied with the licensing cost, and I would rate it an 8.5.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Center enhances network performance and user convenience through automation, scalability, security, and seamless management integration.
Fortinet FortiManager offers centralized management, automation, scalability, and integration, enhancing security and efficiency across complex network environments.
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.
Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Their threat intelligence platform is excellent, including Talos Intelligence, which provides a good database and strong threat insights.
Analyst at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
This dual functionality is crucial for monitoring large enterprises, providing a robust solution for IT teams.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
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.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
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.
Network Security Engineer/ Firewall Engineer at Charter Communications
I centrally log in to one portal, which is Fortinet FortiManager, and after that, I can access any FortiGate devices and manage them.
Technical Manager at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiManager
Ranking in Network Management Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Center is 4.2%, down from 9.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiManager is 4.1%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Center4.2%
Fortinet FortiManager4.1%
Other91.7%
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AadishBahati - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Solution Architect at EchoStor
Unified automation has transformed network operations and simplifies multi‑site management
The learning curve is better with Cisco compared to other products. Everyone has a learning curve because everyone is bringing new technologies, new interfaces, and new ways of doing things. The other products have a steeper learning curve. When comparing Cisco with VMware, I am not comparing Cisco with Arista, Juniper, or HP because those are companies which are doing a very basic level of automation. Cisco is doing way more advanced things. In terms of advanced handling and the advanced orchestration and advanced management plane control that Cisco is delivering, the only competitiveness in advancement is VMware NSX. However, it is really complex. Cisco's platforms are much easier to understand and learn compared to VMware.The only disadvantage with Cisco would be their services and licensing, which is a bit complex and a bit too expensive. Because their services are so expensive, companies end up buying Cisco, but they end up not buying Cisco services to do it. When they turn to external partners, not many people outside know the technology as well as Cisco does. People deploy it, but they do not get the right resources to deploy it.
SudeepMaydeo - PeerSpot reviewer
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
Ensures seamless integration and centralized visibility for network security operations
The version upgrade from a single dashboard for all the firewalls in one click is the beauty of Fortinet FortiManager as the most impactful feature in managing our network security. Fortinet FortiManager's policy management enhances our security protocols by enabling us and giving integrated centralized visibility, which has proven to be very healthy. Because of this, we have identified some of the vulnerabilities in our systems, and we mitigated them through Fortinet FortiManager. The central dashboards and the visibility are what appealed to us to go with Fortinet FortiManager. Fortinet FortiManager has adapted to changes in our network scale and complexity as we have geographically 18 international locations, all equipped with firewalls and some cybersecurity initiatives and IT infrastructure initiatives.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Government
11%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise21
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Center?
Cisco is always expensive. Cisco Catalyst Center's price rating is eight.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Center?
There are areas for improvement with Cisco Catalyst Center, and I can discuss what could be improved. Additional features could be added to Cisco Catalyst Center in the future, and it is unclear wh...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Catalyst Center?
As a customer, the major use case for Cisco Catalyst Center is that it is easy to configure and troubleshoot, which are definitely the advantages of the product. If there are any specific challenge...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiManager?
I am satisfied with the licensing cost, and I would rate it an 8.5.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiManager?
I think Fortinet FortiManager can be improved as the web page loading is slightly slow.
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiManager?
My main use case for Fortinet FortiManager is to manage multiple FortiGate devices. I can confirm that I use Fortinet FortiManager perfectly in my main use case.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Center vs. Fortinet FortiManager and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.