Nov 25, 2020
I definitely recommend Fortinet. The Meraki firewall is more intended to be integrated into a Meraki SDWAN infrastructure, with very basic firewall options.
Fortinet FortiGate and Cisco Meraki MX are competitive network security options. Cisco Meraki MX holds an edge in functionality due to its feature-rich platform.
Features: Fortinet FortiGate excels with advanced threat protection, VPN capabilities, and high-throughput performance. Cisco Meraki MX stands out for its cloud-based management, seamless integration with other Cisco products, and powerful security features.
Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiGate could enhance ease of setup and cloud management. Cisco Meraki MX might improve on providing cost-effective solutions and more robust on-premise features.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki MX offers straightforward deployment with excellent cloud management tools, whereas Fortinet FortiGate requires a more involved on-premise setup. Cisco's customer service is known for its efficiency.
Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate is typically valued for its lower initial costs and high ROI for performance-intensive tasks. Cisco Meraki MX, though it may have higher initial expenses, delivers ROI through its streamlined management and operational efficiency.
I have seen a return on investment with Cisco Meraki MX because of the time saved through cloud management.
You can eliminate some positions because it manages itself.
It greatly helps out when I am moving away from the expensive MPLS circuits or MPLS hardware.
The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.
It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.
When investing in cybersecurity with Fortinet FortiGate 200, which costs more than $10,000, companies that are growing directly can expect ROI within 1.5 to 3 years.
When we raise a ticket with Meraki MX, they instantly become available to support us for configurations or troubleshooting.
Cisco's TAC support for Cisco Meraki MX is excellent because no other OEM provides support at this level.
Cisco is one of the best vendors in the market.
The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.
I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.
When you have hundreds of thousands of people it is very difficult to scale in Meraki.
The scalability of Cisco Meraki MX is rated 10 out of 10; you can scale up and scale down with no effort.
Cisco Meraki MX scales with my growing needs for my organization very well because they are easy to deploy.
They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.
We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.
There have been no outages, no stability issues, and we have not found any vulnerabilities during security audits.
I have had zero downtime at all with Cisco Meraki MX.
I assess the stability and the reliability of Cisco Meraki MX as good, and I have experienced no downtime, crashes, or performance issues.
We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.
It should automatically remediate and find out the issue and then resolve it on its own without interrupting the work of the employees.
Data is the only path, so optimization is essential.
An improvement would be to use Cisco Meraki MX as a software solution as well, which might reduce the cost.
It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.
It is how quickly each of these companies adapts to that and brings in more value to the customer.
The main area for improvement in Fortinet FortiGate is the firmware versions, as we face uncertainties regarding upgrades and frequent bugs that require self-fixing of problems.
I get it for $25,000, a device that can connect up to 75-100 users, whereas in Meraki MX, it goes to 75,000-80,000 per access point.
The price could be reduced by around 30% to make it more comfortable.
If Cisco can make the pricing less, customers can purchase more licenses.
It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.
It is about 20% cheaper.
The advantages of Fortinet FortiGate over its competitors include good pricing and meeting our requirements at a lower cost.
Meraki MX is among those top solutions in their exceptional approach towards VPN-less, Zero Trust client access to office private networks.
Advanced security is the second tier of Cisco Meraki MX. It brings you the main next-generation firewalling features such as URL filtering, advanced malware protection, and threat protection.
Cisco Meraki MX API makes it really easy for me to automate a lot of changes over several thousand devices.
They put in a thing called the FortiCookbook, which is very easy to read with real-life scenarios that make networking tasks like joining networks very straightforward.
The firewall and VPN features are the most valuable in protecting our customers' networks.
The most valuable feature is the deep inspection for traffic, which is capable of identifying zero-day attacks.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiGate | 15.1% |
| Cisco Meraki MX | 3.4% |
| Other | 81.5% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 43 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 22 |
| Large Enterprise | 19 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 369 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 139 |
| Large Enterprise | 195 |
Cisco Meraki MX offers cloud-managed security with user-friendly setup and efficient management, enhancing VPN and firewall functionalities for businesses.
Cisco Meraki MX is known for its robust cloud-based network management, featuring AutoVPN, SD-WAN, and advanced security. Its centralized control over firewall, traffic shaping, and monitoring ensures excellent connectivity and security. The interface allows easy management by non-technical staff, offering remote access and seamless network performance through real-time alerts and troubleshooting. It supports global connectivity with minimal effort, addressing needs across small to enterprise environments. Despite its strengths, users point out areas needing improvement like load balancing, VPN features, more flexible logging, and session capabilities. Pricing, integration limits, and licensing need enhancement.
What are the key features of Cisco Meraki MX?In industries like retail, finance, and education, Cisco Meraki MX provides enhanced security and connectivity. Retail chains benefit from easy VPN setups for secure multi-site networking, while educational institutions find value in its ability to manage large campuses efficiently. Financial services leverage its robust security features to protect sensitive data, ensuring compliance and trust.
Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.
Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.
What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.
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