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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs NVIDIA Mellanox comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NVIDIA Mellanox
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
20th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 4.9%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NVIDIA Mellanox is 2.1%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Anil Ergunsah - PeerSpot reviewer
Networking capabilities deliver competitive performance for AI data center
I use NVIDIA Mellanox mostly for data center infrastructures. It is used for AI data center infrastructure and primarily focuses on the networking part The biggest advantage is that the vendor is the only one providing no-drop traffic. The performance and price are competitive, and performance is…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Ability to manage FortiAP, FortiClient, and FortiGate all from a single console"
"The policies are very good."
"It is a stable solution from the security front."
"I rate Fortinet support 10 out of 10. Their support is excellent and inexpensive. They respond immediately."
"The visual scope of the solution is very good. It allows me to see and download all of the network information."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access has essential features for managing switches."
"With FortiSwitch, you can easily identify who is connected to each port, disable ports as needed, and retrieve configurations from FortiGate when required."
"The solution is very simple, and it's very easily available."
"It is a very easy-to-use product."
"The tool is very configurable because it runs on a Linux operating system."
"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open. They're using Linux operating system. You can do and install many things, and it performs well."
"The biggest advantage is that the vendor is the only one providing no-drop traffic."
"From what I've been told, a valuable feature of Mellanox switches is they're quite user-friendly."
"The most valuable features of this solution are its functionality."
"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the size, power consumption, and the vast amount of features."
 

Cons

"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is expensive, and this initial cost can be a barrier, especially for new businesses setting up from scratch."
"The reporting capabilities should be included."
"In Fortinet, the packet reconstruction in the SD-WAN solution needs a little bit of improvement. When it comes to the Secure Access to the switches or the mix of Fortinet solution, the very small ones do not have the capability to use fiber cables. So, the small FortiGates have to work with the copper cables and cannot use fiber cables. Even though they have the capacity and throughput on all technical connectors, they don't have the interfaces, which is one of the good things with Cisco. They just add models to it. You buy the independent models, and you add them."
"The introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic directly on the switch."
"We've had some issues with Layer 3 FortiSwitch. We can deploy the device in the cloud. However, we can't deploy this solution in complex environments easily."
"It could be simpler but compared to the competition, it's not so bad."
"The product's end-user protection feature needs improvement."
"FortiSwitch offers eight and 24-port models. They don't have a 16-port model, which can be an issue for some clients."
"The configuration is a bit different from Cisco, and therefore, for me at least, there's a bit of a learning curve."
"Sometimes, it can have some bugs from the past if I am an old user. However, it is stable now."
"Mellanox Switches could improve by adding some features that can make it easier for integrating the switches in some managing and monitoring platforms, such as Elastic or similar software for monitoring data with the data center in a more holistic way."
"Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Ennui, and now they only use Linux. If they returned to their previous CLI it would be a good option for starters. The new CLI is more difficult to use but more powerful than the older one. It has its advantages."
"The scalability is working fine at the moment, but there's always room for improvement. As of right now, I don't know of any improvements to suggest."
"If you compare this solution with Cisco, utilization in Cisco is more popular and it is more friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You can buy this equipment in a multitude of ways. You can buy just the hardware, or you can buy the hardware and the licenses."
"The solution has reasonable pricing. The firewall costs around 500$ annually."
"The pricing is quite high."
"The product's pricing is good."
"The solution is cheaper than Cisco but more expensive than Huawei."
"It's affordable compared to other switching products, like Cisco switches."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch is a pricey solution."
"The tool's pricing is fine."
"The price of Mellanox Switches is reasonable compared to other solutions. The price and quality ratio was very good. There is a one-time license purchase that is needed."
"The pricing is very competitive. The licensing costs are fine."
"There is a license to use the switch ports of Mellanox Switches."
"It's an open-source solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
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 configurations from FortiGate when required.
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 rarely needs replacement, it can be overqualified for some jobs, which affects the re...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mellanox Switches?
The pricing is competitive. For its performance, it's cheaper, so I would rate it a four if cheaper is lower.
What needs improvement with Mellanox Switches?
Sometimes, it can have some bugs from the past if I am an old user. However, it is stable now. I think it's okay; it's the best solution for now for AI data centers. Support could be better, but cu...
What is your primary use case for Mellanox Switches?
I use NVIDIA Mellanox ( /products/nvidia-mellanox-reviews ) mostly for data center infrastructures. It is used for AI data center infrastructure and primarily focuses on the networking part.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Mellanox Switches, Mellanox SN2700
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
CNPC, Korea Consumer Agency, Nutanix, Roxo Systems, StorPool, Atlantic.Net, INFN, StarWind, NYSE Technologies, Creative Consultants, ENKI
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs. NVIDIA Mellanox and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.