Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Fortinet FortiGate comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
2nd
Ranking in WAN Edge
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (5th)
Fortinet FortiGate
Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
1st
Ranking in WAN Edge
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
316
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (2nd)
 

Q&A Highlights

NC
Aug 23, 2021
 

Featured Reviews

MOHAMEDELSHERIF - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 17, 2023
Good centralization and manageability for edge routers but quite expensive
Our company uses the solution to provide secure connections for customers.  We have a hybrid data center model that bridges the gap between cloud and on-premises for customers. It is a mixed design to consolidate resources.  We also replace expensive NBLS lines with SDN and the internet to provide…
DineshKumar28 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 25, 2024
Effective threat prevention with responsive customer support
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall Fortinet FortiGate has been invaluable. It has helped save costs due to its various features, reliable performance, very good UI, low latency, and stability. The Threat Intel engine in Fortinet FortiGate is highly rated for its effectiveness in…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The centralized management is the most important feature. We can monitor what is going on at every location in our network with just one center."
"When we have had power outages for a few hours we have had no issue with Cisco SD-WAN coming back online and functioning."
"Cisco SD-WAN's best features are the development of network links, application control, and bandwidth monitoring."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of central management."
"The primary advantage we've observed is the simplification of deployment, leading to decreased IT costs and enhanced operational efficiency."
"It is very stable with very good firmware."
"The product is stable."
"One of the most valuable features is that they have multiple SD-WAN options: you have Meraki for simple management solutions, you have Viptela, and you have the option of having any type of WAN interfaces. Presently, you can also have a single combined solution for both WAN as well as for voice, so you can have a voice bundle as well. These are major unique points of this solution."
"The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring."
"Web filtering and two-factor authentication are great features."
"The solution is stable."
"The scalability is good in Fortinet FortiGate."
"All of the features of Fortinet FortiGate are useful and the security protection is good."
"Reliability is the best feature. We faced some issues when we were setting it up, but the service, portal, and administration are good."
"The SD-WAN function is very developed. It has SD-WAN functionality with security features in one device. We can manage from one single console SD-WAN and the security policy."
"We are very happy with the general bandwidth agility we have seen from one website to another website."
 

Cons

"Better pricing and greater security would be nice to see."
"Cisco's router and voice gateway has not been available since the launch of SD-WAN."
"Cyber security should also be implemented in the solution, along with maybe implementation of AI/ML."
"Cisco SD-WAN is not as easy to deploy as the Meraki and FortiGate solutions. The zero-touch deployment could be a lot better. The deployment and initial setup are complicated and could be better."
"The product's application delivery feature needs improvement."
"We had some issues with Cisco SD-WAN but somehow we troubleshot it and things are going well. The issues have not been a large problem."
"Cisco could do more to offer bundling of the SD-WAN and other solutions."
"It is expensive."
"Lacks training for new features."
"They have to just improve its performance when we enable all UTM features. When you enable all the features, the performance of FortiGate, as well as of Sophos and SonicWall, goes down."
"Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve to be on par with its competitors, such as Palo Alto and Sophos. They are the market leaders. Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve its capabilities. However, we are happy with Fortinet FortiGate."
"FortiGate can improve its token system, as it requires a purchase before use."
"The advanced models are expensive."
"Technical support needs to be improved."
"WAN load-balancing could be a lot better at detecting when a link is poor or inconsistent, and not just flat out dead."
"The pricing could always be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The costs are a bit on the high side."
"The price of Cisco SD-WAN is expensive. We pay approximately $50 monthly for the use of the solution."
"In the Russian market where we operate, this solution is expensive."
"This is not a cheap option but if you move from Capex to Opex, I expect you should have lower costs."
"Cisco is more expensive than some competing products."
"It's expensive. If you compare Cisco with Fortinet and Juniper, you'll find that Cisco is more expensive than other vendors."
"It is expensive."
"It is much cheaper than other solutions. Most of our clients are the top 500 companies, and they all have a corporate contract."
"Fortinet bundles FortiGate with other products and because of this, the price is a little expensive to some SMB enterprises."
"Licensing for Fortinet FortiGate is on a yearly basis. Pricing for it is a bit high. It could be cheaper."
"The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors."
"Compared to Palo Alto, which we have used in the past, pricing and licensing are okay."
"The pricing of the solution is very competitive."
"Its pricing is competitive with other solutions."
"These boxes are not that expensive compared to what they can do, their functionality, and the reporting you receive. Fortinet licensing is straightforward and less confusing compared to Cisco."
"Pricing is good. They offer a lot of things, the most important is the support. Every time you upgrade your license, you also get insurance for the equipment. If you have any problem with equipment, they send in new equipment."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions solutions are best for your needs.
812,628 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 3, 2016
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate
I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
41%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Educational Organization
22%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The product pricing is high. Fortinet is cheaper than Cisco. I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?
When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too...
What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know the firewalls change every 5 to 7 years as stated but you really do need to upg...
What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?
As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Fortinet FortiGate and other solutions. Updated: September 2024.
812,628 professionals have used our research since 2012.