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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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch is cost-effective, efficient in network security, and ideal for growing businesses, but not large enterprises.
Sentiment score
1.0
Users reported time and cost savings from NVIDIA Mellanox, highlighting improved performance, reduced latency, increased efficiency, scalability, and reliability.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch support is praised for knowledge and problem-solving, but response speed and direct solutions need improvement.
Sentiment score
7.5
Customers desire multilingual NVIDIA Mellanox support, rating it satisfactory to good, while often relying on peer assistance.
They are knowledgeable, professional, and assist with any issues.
It's a potential area for improvement, possibly in terms of response time or quality.
My local support is working fine, and I have my connection with my account manager in the public company of Fortinet.
I would assess their technical support as good—not the best, but it is good.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers scalable, reliable networking for various organizations, with seamless FortiGate integration, despite occasional pricing challenges.
Sentiment score
5.8
NVIDIA Mellanox's scalable leaf and spine architecture efficiently supports network growth for organizations across various sectors.
With uniform Fortinet FortiGate switches, adding or removing switches without reconfiguring individually is straightforward.
You just need to connect another switch or replace the current one, and it integrates well with the existing setup.
For enterprise solutions, it's extendable easily with options for edge connectivity or stackable devices.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.7
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers reliable performance and security, receiving high ratings despite occasional setup and power issues in enterprises.
Sentiment score
5.8
Users are satisfied with NVIDIA Mellanox for its reliable performance and stability, with improvements noted over time.
The tool is robust and lasts for three to four years without needing replacement.
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
The stability has been good overall.
I would rate it a seven because the old versions were not stable, but it is becoming stable over time.
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiSwitch needs better pricing, support, management, security, interoperability, interface, port variety, and warranty options.
NVIDIA Mellanox needs improved user-friendliness, better integration, enhanced GUIs, faster support, and occasional bug fixes.
The introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic directly on the switch.
The machine is robust and lasts for years with rare technical issues.
I think it's okay; it's the best solution for now for AI data centers.
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiSwitch offers secure access with higher costs but is valued for its reliability compared to competitors.
NVIDIA Mellanox offers competitive pricing, strong performance, and cost-effective licensing, making it a highly-rated, affordable enterprise solution.
It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
The initial cost of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is high compared to other options.
For its performance, it's cheaper.
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiSwitch offers centralized management, strong security, user-friendly administration, and seamless integration with Fortinet's security fabric for scalability.
NVIDIA Mellanox excels in performance, flexibility, and integration with AI systems, making it ideal for data centers.
This centralized management saves time and ensures seamless scalability.
One of the main features is the integration with FortiGate.
The powerful integration capabilities allow us to manage all devices from a single interface through the firewall.
The biggest advantage is that the vendor is the only one providing no-drop traffic.
 

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
4.7
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 4.6%, 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.
Nurudeen Suleiman - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation and integration improve operations efficiently
We wanted to utilize the advanced InfiniBand and Ethernet solutions offered by NVIDIA, but the users are not too familiar with the InfiniBand environment, which is why we are using the Linux Cumulus 5.6, which is usually the normal Ethernet. I am familiar with NVIDIA Mellanox, as I have products from NVIDIA on review here on our website. I use enhanced multi-tenancy features. Currently, within the data center, we have mixtures of both Cisco Nexus switches, NVIDIA switches, and Huawei switches, so eventually, we are changing all the switches to NVIDIA. On a scale of 1-10, I rate NVIDIA Mellanox an eight.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
8%
 

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: July 2025.
864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.