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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs HPE Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 12.8%, down from 18.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 4.6%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Ethernet Switches is 2.7%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptional network support and AI integration drive performance while suggesting enhancements for future use cases
I work with both HyperFlex and other Cisco products. I prefer to make online support available because I can utilize my CCIE architect, solution consultant, and engineer team along with our account manager and product sales team. We can clarify requirements and decide how to support you. We should arrange a conference call about Cisco Ethernet Switches where I can invite my architect and consultant to clarify more about the features that are most beneficial for improving network efficiency. Today is AI day, and all the new firmware includes AI to optimize the performance, traffic, and security of Cisco Ethernet Switches. It's performing very well. With many solutions and vendors available, you have to decide on one. I am extremely satisfied with the licensing cost for Cisco Ethernet Switches. For the price of Cisco Ethernet Switches, I would rate it a 7. My overall rating for Cisco Ethernet Switches is 10 out of 10.
Uri Harf - PeerSpot reviewer
Integration with cloud management simplifies network expansion
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is expensive, and this initial cost can be a barrier, especially for new businesses setting up from scratch. Although the machine is robust and lasts for years with rare technical issues, the initial price can be high. Sometimes, I have to offer alternatives like Aruba or HP, which might be cheaper.
Dinesh Upadhyay - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience years of robust features and strong technical support
It is a nice and robust tool where we use HPE Ethernet Switches. It is a lower switch, and we have received good warranty support with HPE switches. The security features of the HPE Ethernet Switches are good. The UI mode is available, and we can easily configure the access list and SNMP. All these configurations can be done here. Users can enable the Layer 3 features.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The quality of service is one of the main reasons we use Cisco in our organization. It's quite high and very reliable. The switches also end up working for a long time, so there's less need to replace them as often as others. We have some switches in our company that has been running since 2006, for example. They are quite old, but they still work."
"The Cisco Ethernet switches are sturdy products that do not require any kind of maintenance."
"The product is pretty much reliable and stable."
"It is very scalable."
"The command-line interface is easy to use."
"The installation is very straightforward."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches is a very stable product."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are pretty reliable, and I have rarely seen one of them break."
"The most valuable feature of FortiSwitch is its user-friendly interface, which facilitates easy management and propagation of rules throughout the network."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access has good scalability."
"The solution is very simple, and it's very easily available."
"I would rate the the ease of management and scalability within our network architecture an eight out of ten, with ten being best."
"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."
"The centralization of control is highly beneficial."
"The most valuable feature is that I can completely isolate devices that are compromising the network."
"My advice those using a firewall Fortigate is: use their APs because they work very well."
"It is a stable product."
"The most valuable features of HPE Ethernet switches include configuring VLAN trunking and the overall ease of configuration."
"You can scale the product as needed."
"The initial setup is straightforward. The steps are simple, and you can always contact support if needed. Overall, it's easy."
"I have found the most valuable feature is stability."
"The performance is great."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is its stability."
"I value that there is a clear place to find a MAC table with HPE Ethernet Switches."
 

Cons

"The technical support should be improved."
"The initial setup can be simplified."
"Technical support could be better. Firmware upgrades should be better. We have an issue with upgrading the firmware. It's not upgradable. I think it should be easy to improve and upgrade the firmware."
"The product could improve in the area of simulated switches."
"Cisco switches are good as they are, but it would be a major feature if they have built-in routers. Some of the Microchip switches have routers built in the same device. They have a router switch. For some of the sites, we deploy such switches because the client does not want a separate router and a separate switch. So, we go for a router switch with maybe 24 ports. Some of them are fiber, and some of them are ethernet. It would be a major improvement to what Cisco is already doing. Behind the scenes, a lot of scripting and stuff like this is happening. A lot of workload can be lifted if Cisco had a good GUI. If you look at Microchip switches, they have a good GUI in addition to the CLI."
"Network setup is quite complicated, particularly if you're implementing in a non-technical environment."
"You have to be Cisco-certified to work on Cisco products, so we can't get into Cisco to do even basic configurations."
"The technical support could improve, they are about average quality."
"If you contact Fortinet, it's a bit difficult. Most of the time, they send you just links and documents to read for troubleshooting. When you contact support, you don't need documents. You want someone that can understand your problem, give a hand, and help you. I'm not impressed by the support really."
"The solution has SD-WAN but it doesn't have SDN. This should be added."
"It could be simpler but compared to the competition, it's not so bad."
"The initial setup is pretty easy; we have built a knowledge base. But there's a learning curve for beginners."
"The reporting capabilities should be included."
"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."
"The product's pricing needs improvement for small and medium businesses."
"I believe that stacking, a feature that is available in Huawei and Cisco, is not available in Fortinet products."
"They should release more updates for the solution."
"The ability to stack, as well as a unified operating system, would be extremely beneficial."
"Price is an area for improvement. Cisco is very competitive on price, considering future business. HPE Ethernet Switches and Aruba need to think about their pricing. Aruba's price was 25 percent higher than Cisco's in a recent Central Bank project in Sri Lanka."
"There is a limitation of capability."
"The tool should be more stable."
"Configuration can be complex."
"We would always be happier if the price were reduced."
"The solution lacks certain protocols and has a limited warranty."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is reasonable so I rate it a six out of ten."
"Users have to pay an annual licensing fee for Cisco Ethernet Switches, which is expensive."
"The solution is highly expensive compared to other solutions. The prices get tripled when they arrived in my country of Angola."
"Cisco products are not cheap, which is something that can be improved."
"Pricing for this product is high but the cost is worth it if you can afford it."
"When we want an extra feature then we need to purchase another license bundle."
"Quality comes at a price. I've been around the block a bit, and I know that good quality comes at a price. However, some of the organizations don't have big budgets, so you have to develop different solutions for them. They don't have the budget to get some of the high-end features. Cisco can consider providing entry-level hardware to suit SMBs."
"Cisco offers annual and three-year license options."
"It's affordable compared to other switching products, like Cisco switches."
"The product's pricing is less compared to other enterprise solutions."
"We have to renew and pay for the licenses."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch is a pricey solution."
"We signed up for a three-year license for support and replacement."
"The product is costly for SMB customers compared to other brands available in the market."
"The price of the solution could improve, it is expensive."
"The solution is expensive but overall the cost makes sense."
"HPE Ethernet Switches is a fairly cheap solution."
"I like HPE switches because you get a perpetual license with the hardware. The initial cost is about the same as other switches, but it starts beating the competitors after three or four years because you don't have to pay for additional annual licensing costs."
"All the solutions have a license for the QSFP. Additionally, there is a one-time license fee to increase the interface speed."
"This is not an expensive solution."
"The tool's pricing is very cheap."
"It is a more expensive solution."
"The licensing cost is set up annually or every three years."
"HPE costs almost the same as Cisco."
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Educational Organization
9%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing func...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet F...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
With FortiSwitch, you can easily identify who is connected to each port, disable ports as needed, and retrieve confi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
The initial cost of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is high compared to other options. Although robust and rarel...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is expensive, and this initial cost can be a barrier, especially for new busines...
What do you like most about HPE Ethernet Switches?
The solution is very stable and easy to use.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Ethernet Switches?
The price of HPE Ethernet Switches is reasonable and less than other OEM brands.
What needs improvement with HPE Ethernet Switches?
The price should be reduced in comparison to Cisco, as sometimes we cannot use the HPE one at the core level, where g...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
No data available
HP Ethernet Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Emirates Palace Hotel
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: July 2025.
864,574 professionals have used our research since 2012.