Cisco Catalyst Switches and Fortinet FortiSwitch compete in the network switching category. Cisco Catalyst tends to have an advantage in reliability and feature set, whereas Fortinet FortiSwitch excels in integration with security solutions, particularly when paired with FortiGate.
Features: Cisco Catalyst Switches are known for their rich feature set including VLAN management, PoE capabilities, and advanced security options. User reviews often mention their ease of configuration and strong technical support. Fortinet FortiSwitch focuses on seamless integration with FortiGate, providing robust security features, centralized management, and straightforward usability.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Catalyst Switches are often criticized for their high cost and complex licensing models, with suggestions to simplify licensing and reduce prices. Fortinet FortiSwitch users suggest improved integration of wireless products and enhancing the user interface. Both products could improve in terms of operational streamlining and cost-effectiveness.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Catalyst Switches are typically deployed on-premises, though some users choose cloud setups. Technical support is generally well-received, albeit with occasional reports of delays. Fortinet FortiSwitch users benefit greatly from its integration with FortiGate, supporting hybrid and on-premises deployments. Fortinet's customer service is praised for its responsiveness and reliability, although integration challenges with non-Fortinet products persist.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Catalyst Switches are perceived as expensive with a complex licensing model, yet users view them as a worthwhile investment due to their reliability and features, though the ROI may be prolonged. Fortinet FortiSwitch is considered more cost-effective, especially in FortiGate-based environments. Users find that FortiSwitch offers good value for money with a quicker ROI than Cisco. While both solutions incur high initial costs, they ultimately provide solid returns over time.
From an investment standpoint, deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches offers tangible benefits, including cost reductions.
The integration of Fortinet infrastructure, including FortiSwitches, is cost-effective compared to Cisco, especially when paired with Fortinet wireless solutions.
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Cisco at 10 out of 10.
Cisco support is very good and responsive.
Cisco's support is good, one of the best supports that you will get.
Technical partners provide responses within a day for any technical queries.
Customer support needs improvement in terms of speed and reliability.
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Fortinet an eight.
The scalability of Cisco Catalyst Switches is very much scalable, as it supports the stacking feature and growth; for instance, with 94K modular switches, based on the requirement, we can even increase modules for more bandwidth.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable, and I would rate them eight to nine out of ten for scalability.
When used in a dedicated Fortinet infrastructure, FortiSwitch scalability is better than some other switches, like Cisco, Meraki, or Arista.
Scalability is generally good, with transitions from gigabit to ten giga, twenty-five giga, and forty giga.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
There is room for improvement as it sometimes takes over an hour to push configurations onto the devices from the management tool.
Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement.
There could be improvements in the repeat configuration with some file integration that is currently missing.
The configuration options on the Cisco Commerce website could be more efficient.
Sometimes, customer support does not provide prompt assistance, leaving projects hanging.
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.
There is room to improve the integration between FortiSwitch and other third-party solutions, as challenges arise when integrating with different vendors.
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
Pricing is competitive, although it's not the cheapest option.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization.
The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support.
The main actual benefit that Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center brought to my customer's environment is secure connectivity while minimizing downtime from unexpected traffic or broadcasting.
This feature allows the switch's ports to be used as firewall ports, enhancing network security by enabling IPS and network profiling directly on the ports.
It allows me to create VLANs, implement security measures, and push configurations using a single tool.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Catalyst Switches | 2.8% |
| Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center | 1.9% |
| Other | 95.3% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 78 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 29 |
| Large Enterprise | 78 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 16 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 5 |
| Large Enterprise | 4 |
Cisco Catalyst Switches are a reliable and scalable network switching and routing solution, focusing on VLANs and VLAN switching. They are used as access switches, distribution switches, and core switches in various environments, deployed on-premises, and used for long connections. The switches are easy to configure, install, and upgrade and offer good pricing.
The most valuable features include warranty and firmware support, stability, security, good performance, flexibility, etc. The Cisco Catalyst Switches have provided a stable solution for the organizations and are widely used, trusted, and well-known in the networking industry.
With 10 or 40 GE access ports and a high-throughput backbone, FortiSwitch Data Center Switches are ideal for the top-of-rack (ToR) server or firewall-aggregation applications. The high-speed switching fabric is also well suited for enterprise network core or backbone network installations.
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