What users are saying about
Top Rated
346 Ratings
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Based on 346 reviews and ratings
FortiGate
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Top Rated
254 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 8.8 out of 100
Based on 254 reviews and ratings
Feature Set Ratings
Firewall

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Feature Set Not Supported
N/A

9.1
FortiGate
91%
Fortinet FortiGate ranks higher in 11/11 features
Fortinet FortiGate ranks higher in 11/11 features
Identification Technologies

N/A
0 Ratings

9.1
91%
34 Ratings
Visualization Tools

N/A
0 Ratings

8.9
89%
33 Ratings
Content Inspection

N/A
0 Ratings

8.5
85%
35 Ratings
Policy-based Controls

N/A
0 Ratings

9.0
90%
36 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP

N/A
0 Ratings

9.2
92%
34 Ratings
Firewall Management Console

N/A
0 Ratings

9.4
94%
36 Ratings
Reporting and Logging

N/A
0 Ratings

8.7
87%
36 Ratings
VPN

N/A
0 Ratings

9.6
96%
36 Ratings
High Availability

N/A
0 Ratings

9.3
93%
31 Ratings
Stateful Inspection

N/A
0 Ratings

9.2
92%
33 Ratings
Proxy Server

N/A
0 Ratings

8.9
89%
26 Ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Cisco Catalyst Switches is rated higher in 1 area: Support Rating
- Cisco Catalyst Switches and Fortinet FortiGate are tied in 1 area: Likelihood to Recommend
Likelihood to Recommend

9.1
Cisco Catalyst Switches
91%
64 Ratings

9.1
FortiGate
91%
62 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew

Cisco Catalyst Switches
N/A
0 Ratings

9.9
FortiGate
99%
4 Ratings
Usability

Cisco Catalyst Switches
N/A
0 Ratings

10.0
FortiGate
100%
6 Ratings
Availability

Cisco Catalyst Switches
N/A
0 Ratings

10.0
FortiGate
100%
4 Ratings
Performance

Cisco Catalyst Switches
N/A
0 Ratings

10.0
FortiGate
100%
2 Ratings
Support Rating

9.0
Cisco Catalyst Switches
90%
1 Rating

8.8
FortiGate
88%
49 Ratings
In-Person Training

Cisco Catalyst Switches
N/A
0 Ratings

10.0
FortiGate
100%
1 Rating
Implementation Rating

Cisco Catalyst Switches
N/A
0 Ratings

8.0
FortiGate
80%
8 Ratings
Product Scalability

Cisco Catalyst Switches
N/A
0 Ratings

9.8
FortiGate
98%
2 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco Catalyst Switches
There are so many scenarios where Cisco Catalyst Switches are well suited like if the switch needs to move multiple frames in the same port, switch the frames directly to the memory, sending them one at a time, thus avoiding collisions. Selecting specific endpoints prevents Ethernet collisions from happening. The switch is very secure, as it makes any hole directly in contact with any other port. The cost of the number of ports is relatively high.
Executive Assistant
MultitechserversInformation Technology & Services, 11-50 employees
FortiGate
For FortiGate Firewall, the basic functionality and requirement is met easily as Fortigate is among market leaders in NGFW. There are some extra points that inclined us to use Fortigate as our main Firewall. [Fortinet]Fortigate has a very well refined and functional SD-WAN solution when it comes to load balancing for normal Internet Traffic. SD-WAN - Load balancing of Internet traffic is a USP of Fortigate and makes it stand tall in the competition. Be it 3 or more Internet Links, multiple Subnets/segments of users to distribute and bandwidth load balancing for links and users. SLA based monitoring of Internet Links / MPLS links, makes it even better to choose the links on the basis of performance (Latency, packet loss, Jitter etc). SSL VPN configuration - The deep CLI-level debugging is also very helpful in troubleshooting. Type of tunnel can be easily configured - Full Tunnel or Split Tunnel for SSL. Though, I think Fortigate is one of the best options for small and mid-sized organizations, there are some areas for improvement. First, the CLI interface is very hard to adapt as the commands and directory hierarchy is very different for common syntax and standards.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Computer Software Company, 501-1000 employeesPros
Cisco Catalyst Switches
- Stability and Reliability - We have not had many failures over the past years using Cisco Catalyst switches.
- Flexibility - Cisco Catalyst switches offers a wide portfolio of switching equipment which can address a variety of needs. This includes switches with stacking and non-stacking capability, fixed rackmount and chassis options which can be mounted in data centre racks and and also compact switching which may be more feasible for small SOHO offices.
- Scalable Performance - Cisco Catalyst switches offers various port speeds from 1Gbps 10Gbps, 100Gbps etc. This is available in both copper (RJ45) and fibre (SFP). Many models also offer a variety of uplink speed options which future proofs the invest in Cisco technologies allowing us to upgrade depending on our changing business requirements and available budgets.
Solutions Architect
Baraka Technology GroupInformation Technology and Services, 51-200 employees
FortiGate
- It is the most reliable NGFW that we have ever been touch with it.
- You can easily upgrade the firewall cluster firmware without user attention!!!
- User IDentity based feature is fantastic and intrusion prevention just works with least false-positive possible.
- Very reachfull and intuitive GUI, just love it
Network Administrator
CalSpas - Lloyd's Material SupplyRecreational Facilities & Services, 501-1000 employees
Cons
Cisco Catalyst Switches
- Would like to see a second power supply so it can get power from two different sources.
- Hard to find a USB flash drive that will work when loading images for upgrade.
- IOS upgrades are a pain to perform. Upgrades should be an easy process. Would like to perform the upgrade through a web browser.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Company, 10,001+ employeesFortiGate
- When we switched to Fortinet Fortigate, it took some time getting used to and become familiar with the new interface. Being used to strictly command-line interfaces, a full GUI-based firewall was something brand new. Careful planning had to be done when creating rules to ensure we didn't miss anything. However, once we got used to the new GUI interface, going from one Fortinet product to another was simple, as Fortinet used the same interface for all of its devices.

Verified User
C-Level Executive in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 51-200 employeesPricing Details
Cisco Catalyst Switches
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—FortiGate
General
Free Trial
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Likelihood to Renew
Cisco Catalyst Switches
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
FortiGate
FortiGate 9.9
Based on 4 answers
Fortinet's products have kept improving with new software releases and they continue to deliver great value. Their support is also very good. I believe that as a small enterprise, their products have given us competitive advantage delivering features and functionality that enable us to innovate and do things better. They also continue to be a leader in the markets they serve.
Manager, IT Operations
Cidel Bank & Trust IncFinancial Services, 51-200 employees
Usability
Cisco Catalyst Switches
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
FortiGate
FortiGate 10.0
Based on 6 answers
The user interface shared among many simultaneous users is very easy to get around. With shared favorites among users, most tasks are easily bookmarked and can quickly be found and edited. Their strategy for web filter integration is easy to understand and manage as well. With some general direction, setup and maintenance were easy to do and easy to teach others in the organization to do as well.
IS Director
City of Hot SpringsGovernment Administration, 501-1000 employees
Reliability and Availability
Cisco Catalyst Switches
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
FortiGate
FortiGate 10.0
Based on 4 answers
We had didn't any hardware failures at our two main office locations and upgraded our units last year after using them for about 5-6 years
Manager, IT Operations
Cidel Bank & Trust IncFinancial Services, 51-200 employees
Performance
Cisco Catalyst Switches
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
FortiGate
FortiGate 10.0
Based on 2 answers
Good performance and really good integration. We have integration with Microsoft AD.
Supervisor IT Operations
Laureate International UniversitiesEducation Management, 10,001+ employees
Support Rating
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Cisco Catalyst Switches 9.0
Based on 1 answer
We rarely have issues with the product. I have only had to contact support one time since we put it in and that was to see if another vendor was giving me accurate information on an issue I was having.
Systems Administrator II
Vast BroadbandTelecommunications, 201-500 employees
FortiGate
FortiGate 8.8
Based on 49 answers
We live in Turkey. Fortinet's Turkey office [dealt] constantly with us in our every problem or our experience. In addition, global support teams also supported every ticket we opened in every problem we encountered. They support innovative approaches and evaluate and offer solutions. In this context, they were very supportive of the problems we encountered in previous versions.
Senior Security Supervisor
N11.comRetail, 201-500 employees
In-Person Training
Cisco Catalyst Switches
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
FortiGate
FortiGate 10.0
Based on 1 answer
I received it a couple years afters use it and it was just to confirm my knowledge about the tool.
Supervisor IT Operations
Laureate International UniversitiesEducation Management, 10,001+ employees
Implementation Rating
Cisco Catalyst Switches
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
FortiGate
FortiGate 8.0
Based on 8 answers
Make sure that you have the most current version of FortiOS. Make sure all Fortigates are on the same version
Systems Architect
Browns Hill Engineering and ControlsMechanical or Industrial Engineering, 51-200 employees
Alternatives Considered
Cisco Catalyst Switches
D-Link switches are nice switches with many features. They are also less expensive as compared with other options in the market. However, they are not built to handle large amounts of traffic in large enterprise networks or ISPs networks. Cisco Catalyst switches on the other hand are enterprise-grade switches which perform really well under heavy loads.
Network Administrator
Pak Suzuki Motor CompanyAutomotive, 1001-5000 employees
FortiGate
[Fortinet] FortiGate is not only cost effective but it gives the comprehensive security against the APT attacks and gives the complete traffic visibility and granular control. You can easily create the VDOMs (Virtual firewall) within a Fortigate firewall and customize the dashboard as per your requirement if you have multiple VDOMs within a single firewall.
Shift Supervisor
MattsenKumar LLCInformation Technology & Services, 501-1000 employees
Scalability
Cisco Catalyst Switches
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
FortiGate
FortiGate 9.8
Based on 2 answers
My environments are pretty small (less than 100 users per location) so no issues here.
Manager, IT Operations
Cidel Bank & Trust IncFinancial Services, 51-200 employees
Return on Investment
Cisco Catalyst Switches
- Cisco catalyst switches have allowed our networks to run smoothly with no interruptions.
- These switches are scalable so we were able to add more switches as needed, without interrupting the network activity.
- Automation techniques allowed us to deploy configuration with minimum effort.
Principal Network and Security Engineer
Cheetah DigitalMarketing & Advertising, 1001-5000 employees
FortiGate
- Fortigates have an interesting bundle model for support and subscription services that make it an attractive option to deploy Firewall, IDS, Ant-virus, anti-SPAM in a single device. The cost of the bundle is pretty much what you pay for the device, not requiring huge expenditures on it's time to renew the hardware.
Information Technology Manager
Corporation of the Township of EsquimaltGovernment Administration, 51-200 employees