A Comparison of Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX and Fortinet FortiGate 200F

 

N9k-c93180yc-fx and Fortinet FortiGate 200F are two network devices that offer different features and capabilities for enterprise networks. In this article, we will compare them based on their specifications, performance, security, and use cases.

 Specifications

N9k-c93180yc-fx is a 1RU switch that supports 3.6 Tbps of bandwidth and 1.2 bpps. It has 48 x 1/10/25-Gbps fiber ports and 6 x 40/100-Gbps QSFP28 ports, which can be configured as Ethernet or Fibre Channel ports. It also supports wire-rate MACsec encryption and unified ports capability. It can run in either NX-OS mode or ACI mode, depending on the deployment needs.

FG-200F-BDL-950-12 is a 1RU firewall that supports 5 Gbps of IPS throughput, 3.5 Gbps of NGFW throughput, and 3 Gbps of threat protection throughput. It has multiple GE RJ45, GE SFP, and 10 GE SFP+ slots for flexible connectivity options. It runs on FortiOS, which delivers converged networking and security with AI/ML-powered services, deep visibility, and integrated ZTNA enforcement.

 Performance

n9k-c93180yc-fx  delivers high performance and low latency for data center and cloud environments. It supports cost-effective cloud-scale deployments, an increased number of endpoints, and cloud services with wire-rate security and telemetry. It also provides flexible migration options for existing data centers with various speed options and unified ports.

FG-200F-BDL-950-12 delivers high performance and threat protection for campus and branch networks. It combines AI-powered security and machine learning to provide deep visibility into applications, users, and devices before they become threats. It also offers advanced edge protection with web, content, and device security, network segmentation, and secure SD-WAN.

 Security

N9k-c93180yc-fx provides security at the switch level with MACsec encryption, which secures data in motion across the network. It also supports Cisco Tetration Analytics for deep telemetry and Cisco ACI for policy-based automation and segmentation. It can integrate with other Cisco security products to form a comprehensive security fabric.

FG-200F-BDL-950-12 provides security at the firewall level with FortiGuard services, which deliver AI/ML-powered threat intelligence and protection against known and unknown threats. It also supports inline advanced sandbox detection, cloud management, zero day protection, and SASE. It can integrate with other Fortinet security products to form a unified security fabric.

Use Cases

Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX is ideal for data center and cloud networks that require high performance, low latency, scalability, flexibility, and security. It can be used as a spine or leaf switch in a spine-leaf architecture, or as a top-of-rack switch in a traditional three-tier architecture. It can also support hybrid cloud deployments with ACI mode.

FG-200F-BDL-950-12 is ideal for campus and branch networks that require high performance, threat protection, visibility, and control. It can be used as a next generation firewall, a secure SD-WAN appliance, or a ZTNA gateway. It can also support hybrid IT networks with dynamic cloud security.