Fortinet FortiSwitch and Ubiquiti UniFi Switches compete in the network switch category. Fortinet FortiSwitch appears to have the upper hand in terms of security features and integration capabilities, while Ubiquiti UniFi Switches stand out with their cost-effectiveness and user-friendly management interface.
Features: Fortinet FortiSwitch excels in network management, tight integration with FortiGate, and offers potent security features, including device isolation and extensive analytics through its unified platform. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are notable for their centralized management, intuitive graphic interface, and capability to incorporate the latest technologies swiftly, providing a versatile and cost-efficient solution.
Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiSwitch can improve its standalone flexibility, enhance scalability, and better integrate firmware updates. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches need simpler VPN management, improved network visibility, and more advanced security options. Additionally, the dual management interface can complicate settings, and support may lack robustness without a paid plan.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both Fortinet FortiSwitch and Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer extensive deployment options. Fortinet favors on-premise environments and has reliable, though sometimes slow, customer service. Ubiquiti supports hybrid and cloud deployment but is highly dependent on community support, limiting immediate live assistance.
Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiSwitch is a mid-to-high cost option but is more affordable than brands like Cisco, delivering clear ROI through operational savings and dependable security, with licensing costs potentially deterring small setups. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer a cost-effective one-time payment model without recurring fees, which appeals to budget-conscious users, especially small to medium-sized businesses, despite some concerns about supply and warranty constraints.
Another solution offered to us was more than double the price, making UniFi a cost-effective choice.
We saw a return on investment within a year, although I believe there's more potential to be leveraged.
They are knowledgeable, professional, and assist with any issues.
My local support is working fine, and I have my connection with my account manager in the public company of Fortinet.
It's a potential area for improvement, possibly in terms of response time or quality.
The team is knowledgeable and efficient.
the manuals, installation videos, and resources on the website are very good and straightforward.
They have a large customer base that sometimes faces issues due to a lack of know-how in managing the devices.
For enterprise solutions, it's extendable easily with options for edge connectivity or stackable devices.
You just need to connect another switch or replace the current one, and it integrates well with the existing setup.
With uniform Fortinet FortiGate switches, adding or removing switches without reconfiguring individually is straightforward.
I rate the scalability as nine out of ten.
If planning for future scalability, choosing switches that support extra modules for fiber optics is advisable.
The solution is sufficiently scalable because the switches can be stacked.
The tool is robust and lasts for three to four years without needing replacement.
The stability has been good overall.
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
I did not experience any problems the whole year.
We have never experienced any problems with Ubiquiti UniFi Switches as they are consistently stable.
The switches are stable and there have been no outages.
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.
The current setup is closed and does not allow for integration with non-Ubiquiti VoIP devices or providers outside their ecosystem.
Recent updates have removed many options available in earlier versions, simplifying the interface but limiting control.
The choice depends on the network architecture and planning for the future scalability requirements.
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.
Many vendors mark up prices significantly.
Pricing is very favorable, with minimal licensing involved.
Our investment in Ubiquiti is about £30,000, and it's a cost-effective solution since there is no subscription fee.
This centralized management saves time and ensures seamless scalability.
The powerful integration capabilities allow us to manage all devices from a single interface through the firewall.
One of the main features is the integration with FortiGate.
I can manage user connectivity, limit bandwidth, apply MAC address filtering, and it offers POE capabilities.
The switches enable management from anywhere using the cloud controller, making configuration changes and management easier.
I was involved in Kenya's last general elections where we used Ubiquiti equipment, both wireless and switching, which performed excellently.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Ubiquiti UniFi Switches | 7.7% |
| Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access | 4.5% |
| Other | 87.8% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 37 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 7 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 45 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 8 |
| Large Enterprise | 1 |
Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access is a secure, high-performance, and easy-to-manage switch. Fortinet FortiSwitch is the best solution for threat-conscious enterprises of all sizes because it is secure, simple, and scalable. Secure Access, which is tightly integrated into the Fortinet Security Fabric via FortiLink, may be handled directly from the FortiGate interface.
Regardless of how people and devices connect to the network, this single-pane-of-glass administration provides total visibility and control. This makes the Fortinet FortiSwitch perfect for SD-Branch and campus deployments, allowing enterprises to combine their security and network access with applications ranging from desktop to data center aggregation. Fortinet FortiSwitch's Secure Access is the most adaptable security platform with end-to-end protection in the industry.
Switches for Secure Access: Small to medium-sized businesses, scattered organizations, branch offices, and industrial control systems can all benefit.
Switches for Data Centers: Ideal for users requiring high-performance 10 GE or 40 GE.
Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access Features
Fortinet FortiSwitch has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access Benefits
There are many benefits to implementing Fortinet FortiSwitch. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Fortinet FortiSwitch stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its stability and its VLAN setup. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:
Rutul S., CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited, writes of the product, “The most valuable feature is the SD-WAN support. This device is easy to use.” He adds, “Stability-wise, this product is better than others that are on the market.”
Emil V., System Consultant at I team, notes, “I like the VLAN setup of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access has very good scalability.” He adds, “Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is easy to set up. It only takes minutes to deploy this product, because it is mostly boxes.”
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are managed Gigabit switches (Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports) designed to meet all your network needs while delivering excellent performance. The switches’ excellent network performance is combined with fiber connectivity that includes two SFP ports and the ability to process traffic without putting packet loss at risk.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Are:
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Output Modes:
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Input Modes:
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Features:
Benefits of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches:
Reviews from Real Users
A PeerSpot user who is a Director of Technical Operations/CTO at a consultancy says "The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."
"The integration with the controller is one of the most valuable features of these switches. They are also very stable. For example, we have some equipment that we haven't touched for four years that is still reliable," says Doru I., Senior solutions architect at Aplix Technologies
Murali S., Management Consultant at a consultancy, explains that “For the world where you have to balance traffic and traffic loads and bandwidth, their GUI makes it really easy because the switches, though they are enterprise grade level two or level three switches, the GUI is designed so that it's easy to set up VLANs where you need to control your traffic so that your phones don't break up and get choppy because of other people loading the network down too heavily."
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