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Extreme VDX [EOL] vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Extreme VDX [EOL]
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (15th)
 

Featured Reviews

Osama Ahmed LUBBAD - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Support Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A stable, scalable, and problem-free solution
Software needs to be updated regularly in order to maintain security and performance. However, in some cases, it is necessary to stack switches in order to meet the needs of the network. Although Cisco switches are able to stack, other switches are not as simple to stack. I would like the ability to stack with different switch brands.
Rutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited
Provides seamless traffic control and secure connectivity while minimizing downtime and optimizing resource allocation
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular ports. Currently, I am not identifying any weak points of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because it meets the customer's use case. However, 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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The fabric of the solution and the management aspect are the solution's most valuable features."
"Its simplicity and web interface were most valuable. I also liked the two-factor authentication."
"The most valuable feature of Extreme VDX is that we have had no problems and the solution's performance is excellent."
"We are able to monitor everything that is happening on our network."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center offers flexibility and control over the entire network from a single pane of management."
"The solution has made configuration and setup very, very easy."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center's scalability is good."
"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."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is very easy to configure."
"The product's most valuable feature is its ability to manage switches from one central point."
"Based on my use cases, Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center was a great product that was easy to manage and work with while being a powerful tool."
 

Cons

"Its scalability can be better. If possible, it can have Hyper POE. I am not sure if there is a fiber version."
"I would like the ability to stack with different switch brands."
"The only problem is that at the moment it's an Extreme product and Extreme is not really pushing it. They have to make up for weak innovation and I'm not sure if they want to do that."
"There is room for improvement in customer support and device speed. Sometimes, customer support does not provide prompt assistance, leaving projects hanging."
"Managing the VLANs is an area where the solution lacks and needs to improve."
"The stability of the solution is impacted when integrating parts from different vendors such as Cisco, which can lead to performance problems and disconnections."
"The solution could always benefit from more security. It's of critical importance to organizations right now."
"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."
"Fortinet could have the ability to authenticate users like Aruba offers because managing ten or twelve SSIDs for different clients is complicated."
"The solution can improve by upgrading QSFP+, it is very limited and must be supported more than it is now. If we need FortiSwitches to support all the QSFP ports our budgets would have to be very large."
"FortiSwitch should improve the FortiGate map. The diagram cannot move automatically to show the switch. The map does not map the physical location. It cannot move or touch the diagram."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It was around $1500 a year. It is cheaper than Cisco but more expensive than Ruckus."
"The solution is not expensive."
"The product is less expensive than one of its competitors."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"The solution's pricing is a little high. The solution deserves the current price it receives from its users."
"This solution is expensive but it does not require a license."
"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The performance is basic only, and we cannot compare Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center with Aruba or Cisco switches. Regarding security policies, I did not configure that many policies in Fortinet...
 

Also Known As

VDX, Brocade VDX
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Niagra Falls Bridge Commission, Medien System Partner, CDE Lightband, MaximumASP
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ubiquiti and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: February 2026.
883,044 professionals have used our research since 2012.