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Cisco Prime [EOL] vs Fortinet FortiManager comparison

Cisco and Fortinet are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Additionally, 91% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.
Cisco Prime [EOL]
Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews
    91% willing to recommend
    Fortinet FortiManager
    Read 67 Fortinet FortiManager reviews
    • 854 Views
    • 616 Comparison Views
    94% willing to recommend
     

    Comparison Buyer's Guide

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    Executive Summary
    We performed a comparison between Cisco Prime [EOL] and Fortinet FortiManager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

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    To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: May 2025).
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    May 2025
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    Helped 857,028 peers since 2012

    Review summaries and opinions

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

    Categories and Ranking

    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Average Rating
    7.8
    Reviews Sentiment
    6.5
    Number of Reviews
    35
    Ranking in other categories
    No ranking in other categories
    Fortinet FortiManager
    Average Rating
    8.0
    Reviews Sentiment
    7.1
    Number of Reviews
    67
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (4th)
     

    Featured Reviews

    ZeeshanAli1 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Robust, cost-effective, and provides good visibility, but the scalability could improve
    We are extremely satisfied with the reliability and robustness of Cisco Prime Infrastructure, which we have been using for many years. Compared to newer products such as DNS centers or others, it has proven to be much more stable, which is important for large-scale operations. Stability is a primary concern for us, and we are glad that Cisco Prime Infrastructure meets our expectations in that regard. Furthermore, in regards to Legacy Plus new hardware, Cisco Prime has proven to be a reliable and adaptable solution thus far. Not only can it support older hardware, but it also has the capability to handle new features with the latest updates. If we consider new solutions such as DNS Center, we may have to sacrifice some legacy features that we still rely on. We may need to continue using these legacy features for a few more years due to various reasons such as budget constraints or the site not being a high priority. However, if we switch to a new product at this stage, we may lose a lot of the monitoring and other capabilities that we have with Cisco Prime. We have a close relationship with Cisco and understand that they are not prioritizing investments in Cisco Prime as they are encouraging customers to adopt the Cisco DNA Center. This means that we don't anticipate many new features to be added to the product in the future. While we know that we will eventually have to transition to a new solution, in the meantime, we plan to do a quick refresh of our legacy products.
    Read full review
    Damitha Anuradha - PeerSpot reviewer
    Manage multiple devices with ease but experience complexity in deployment and limited AI features
    I use Fortinet FortiManager to manage multiple devices in a single location. Although it does not provide a security posture itself, it depends on the firewall policies and settings in their respective firewalls. Fortinet FortiManager is primarily meant for the management of devices Fortinet…
    Read full review

    Quotes from Members

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

    Pros

    "The most valuable is the assistance for network support."
    "I have found the solution to be scalable."
    "The product's most valuable features are monitoring and configuration."
    "We use Cisco Prime for network mapping and surveys."
    "The solution helps with the management and support of the enterprise network."
    "The solution's configuration management tool is amazing because it centralizes and pushes configurations which saves a lot of volume and effort."
    "The most valuable feature of Cisco Prime is its excellent audio and video conferencing with clear quality and no interruptions."
    "The installation is easy."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
    "The central management feature is the most valuable to me."
    "The most valuable features are the centralized management of the firewalls."
    "The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiManager, in my opinion, are SD-WAN and the manageability console."
    "The centralized management of policies and certificates, coupled with the capability to handle multi-site deployments effectively, provides streamlined operations."
    "A fully integrated solution."
    "The solution has the best stability for application control and inspections."
    "The user interface, along with user-friendly planning features, makes it straightforward to configure desired settings."
    "The solution is very stable."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pros
     

    Cons

    "We would like to see the inclusion of detailed alerts."
    "The solution has issues with real time monitoring of devices and NetFlow such as inadequate visualization for reports, sources, and destinations."
    "The solution can be slow at times."
    "The product needs to improve its stability."
    "The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    "There is room for improvement in the Access layer."
    "This solution could be improved if it could monitor configuration changes."
    "If you look at some of the wireless site-survey tools that are available in the commercial space, Cisco should include similar solutions, which would help our on-plant engineers when they're doing a site survey."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
    "The GUI is not ideal."
    "I would like to be able to manage other products such as Endpoint and FortiAnalyzer through FortiManager. That is, the integration with other solutions needs to be improved."
    "FortiManager could be more user-friendly."
    "The GUI could be updated. It's not as good as it could be and is something the solution should improve in an upcoming release."
    "Issues arise when customers experience unstable electricity or poor grounding conditions."
    "The price is a bit too high."
    "It requires a lot of resources. This is the main challenge."
    "The reporting details have room for improvement."
    More Fortinet FortiManager cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments."
    "I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."
    "We update the license every five years."
    "The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."
    "I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    "You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."
    "Cisco Prime is an expensive solution."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
    "Fortinet FortiManager is not expensive at all if you compare it with other vendors like Check Point and Cisco. Fortinet products are the least expensive on the market in the category of firewalls."
    "The pricing is based on a licensing model by feature."
    "FortiManager is a bit expensive - I would rate its pricing three out of ten."
    "The license model they use depends on the size and is not limited to the users."
    "Fortinet FortiManager is costly."
    "FortiManager is reasonably priced - I pay around US$40,0000 per year, which covers fifty locations."
    "Fortinet FortiManager can be expensive."
    "FortiManager isn't expensive, but its cost is dependent on which services are required."
    More Fortinet FortiManager pricing and cost advice
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Computer Software Company
    17%
    Government
    14%
    Manufacturing Company
    8%
    Educational Organization
    6%
    Computer Software Company
    16%
    Financial Services Firm
    10%
    Manufacturing Company
    8%
    Comms Service Provider
    8%
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
     

    Questions from the Community

    What do you like most about Cisco Prime?
    The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Cisco Prime?
    The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive.
    See all answers
    What is your primary use case for Cisco Prime?
    We use Cisco Prime for centralized configuration management backups and monitoring.
    See all answers
    What do you like most about Fortinet FortiManager?
    The most valuable feature is the centralized management console.
    See all answers
    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiManager?
    Regarding the price of Fortinet FortiManager, I need to get that information from my management, as they handle purchasing.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiManager?
    There is room for improvement in Fortinet FortiManager because there is no option for roaming profiles, and the cloud console is not available, which is different compared to Cisco Meraki, and the ...
    See all answers
     

    Comparisons

    Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 39% of the time
    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 19% of the time
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 13% of the time
    Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 10% of the time
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] Competitors
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 69% of the time
    Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 9% of the time
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Cisco DNA Center vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 7% of the time
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    AlgoSec vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 4% of the time
    Zabbix vs Fortinet FortiManager Logo
    Zabbix vs Fortinet FortiManager
    Compared 3% of the time
    More Fortinet FortiManager Competitors
     

    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    June 2025
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Fortinet FortiManager
    June 2025
    Fortinet FortiManager reportDownload Fortinet FortiManager product report
     

    Also Known As

    Cisco Prime Infrastructure
    No data available
     

    Overview

    Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

    Cisco

    Fortinet FortiManager is used for centralized management of FortiGate firewalls, utilizing zero-touch deployment techniques to optimize configuration and deployment, reducing installation time and errors while improving network security and efficiency.

    By centralizing policy management and monitoring across devices and locations, Fortinet FortiManager enhances security and operational efficiency. Automation tools simplify management, control, and consistent configuration across environments. It offers scalability for managing large numbers of devices, beneficial for organizations seeking unified threat protection and streamlined administration from one console. The platform integrates effortlessly with Fortinet products, supporting zero-touch provisioning, SD-WAN, and traffic analysis. Although intuitive, the graphical interface and overall performance require refinement, alongside enhanced support and documentation for troubleshooting and configuration.

    What are the key features of Fortinet FortiManager?
    • Centralized Management: Streamlines device configuration across multiple systems.
    • Automation Tools: Simplifies implementation and maintenance of configurations.
    • Zero-Touch Provisioning: Reduces setup time and minimizes errors.
    • SD-WAN Support: Enhances wide-area network efficiency and effectiveness.
    • Traffic Analysis: Monitors network traffic for improved security insights.
    • Policy Pushing: Facilitates efficient deployment of security rules.
    What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?
    • Operational Efficiency: Reduces installation time and configuration errors.
    • Scalability: Supports management of numerous devices.
    • Improved Security: Centralized management enhances threat protection.
    • Time Savings: Automation reduces manual intervention needs.
    • Cost-Effectiveness: Simplified administration can lower management costs.

    Fortinet FortiManager is implemented across diverse industries like telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, where centralized management and enhanced security are crucial. Its ability to streamline processes and integrate with existing Fortinet products makes it ideal for organizations looking to maintain robust network security standards.

    Fortinet
     

    Sample Customers

    Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare
    Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    May 2025
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