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Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs Fortinet FortiGate Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
2.2
Cisco Secure Firewall offers good ROI for some users, though opinions vary due to premium pricing and alternative options.
Sentiment score
6.0
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud enhances security management, offering cost savings, reliability, and flexibility, outperforming rivals like Palo Alto and Cisco.
There are a lot of solutions which can provide the same features.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud has improved our clients' cost savings and efficiency.
The cloud aspect provides flexibility in disaster recovery and cost management.
In terms of cost savings or efficiency in our company's IT network management, I would say that the tool is very efficient because we have no problems with it at all.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is praised for its helpful support, though some experience delays and complex documentation.
Sentiment score
7.7
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud support is generally good but has challenges with speed, language proficiency, and room for improvement.
I have received good support from FortiGate, and I would rate it a ten out of ten.
Technically, the support team is good, and they have very good relations with users and even partners.
The team is responsive, and most cases are handled promptly.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is praised for scalable performance, supporting small to large organizations with flexible expansion capabilities.
Sentiment score
8.2
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud excels in scalability, easily supporting diverse organizational sizes and integrating seamlessly with public cloud providers.
I would rate scalability capabilities as ten out of ten.
We plan to deploy VoIP in the future and aim to leverage more VoIP capabilities for our remote operations.
I rate the product's scalability a ten out of ten.
It's very easy to add new devices and push the configuration templates.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is reliable but faces occasional issues with updates, high CPU use, and legacy integrations.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud offers high stability and reliability, with minimal issues and consistently strong user ratings between 8-10.
We weren't bothered even by a single incident for the past three years.
But in three or four years, I only had problems logging in three times.
It is a very stable solution.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center faces challenges in setup, integration, performance, and cost, with better competitor alternatives available.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud users seek better region selection, integration, interface, pricing, features, and improvements in security and support.
I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration.
There's a need to improve or invest more in an application that can follow users wherever they go.
The Linux version currently lacks some of the latest features, notably in the IPv6 tool stack, which is available for Windows clients.
It would be advantageous if it were more cost-effective.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is costly, but offers flexible licensing for feature customization, rated moderate to high.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud pricing is mid-ranged, suiting large enterprises, offering competitive value but with varied affordability opinions.
On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate Fortinet FortiGate Cloud's pricing an eight out of ten.
There are no additional costs.
Therefore, the cost-benefit is quite significant.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure Firewall offers centralized management, integration, and advanced protection features, praised for scalability, stability, and threat intelligence.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud provides centralized management, real-time monitoring, and scalable security features for efficient, cost-effective network protection.
It provides full visibility of my devices, whether I have six or ten devices.
The solution's most valuable feature is log reporting.
The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of use.
The most valuable feature is its user-friendly interface - even those unfamiliar with firewalls can easily manage it.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
78
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate Cloud is 4.7%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
Great dashboard with extensive visibility and good support
I expect more integration with AI. I expect Cisco to be easier for users in India, especially for junior users. For a junior one, it may somehow be complex, especially when configuring something. I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration. The logging of FMC should be improved as it does not offer real-time solutions like DazaSodo.
Martin Ellmann - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers users with a clear-to-understand functionalities
Integrating the tool with other solutions is very easy, so there is no problem with the product. I suggest other people take the best from the product since it is a really good solution. I would not change to a different product extension from Fortinet FortiGate Cloud as it makes you feel safe. If a customer wants to save his or her company, then it is better to get Fortinet FortiGate Cloud because it is one of the best solutions with which you can manage everything, like access points, switches, VLANs, and splitting of NAT, from one place. You can do it all from one point. With FortiGate, you can manage the VLANs, and you have them in every place, every switch, and every port. You can select the VLAN and the tool works. If Fortinet can become better, then it is even better. I rate the tool a ten out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
22%
Computer Software Company
16%
Engineering Company
9%
Performing Arts
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
The platform has significantly enhanced our organization's operations by providing secure communication channels between different office locations.
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
Licensing has been a challenge with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, and personally, I would consider switching to another solution. We are thinking of taking a Fortinet or another solution...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate Cloud?
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud has valuable firewall, SSL VPN, and web filtering features.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate Cloud?
I am very satisfied with the price and licensing cost of Fortinet FortiGate Cloud, rating it an eight out of ten.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate Cloud?
The solution is a bit expensive. Pricing is the only concern as it is too expensive.
 

Also Known As

No data available
FortiCloud, FortiGate Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs. Fortinet FortiGate Cloud and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.