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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Huawei Ethernet Switches comparison

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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 - Data...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Huawei Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
14th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 2.8%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Ethernet Switches is 3.2%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Huawei Ethernet Switches3.2%
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center2.8%
Other94.0%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Sujith Pazhancheeri - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Infrastructure Engineer at REYADA IT SOLUTIONS CO. LLC
Integrated firewall connectivity has simplified on-premises projects and supports reliable SMB switching
The performance is basic only, and we cannot compare Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center with Aruba or Cisco switches. Regarding security policies, I did not configure that many policies in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center. Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is on-premises, and the negative of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is that it is costly compared to other switches. In Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center, I did not see that many features compared to Cisco and Aruba.
Muhammad Kabir Salihu - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Director at NITDA
Cost-effective performance enhanced by security features with easy configurations
I mainly use Huawei Switches and also work with Huawei Wireless. I deal with both Huawei and Cisco Switches, and I find Huawei to be more cost-effective Huawei has helped to save costs and is cost-effective, which also helps save time for the company. The performance of Huawei is good, and it…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"FortiSwitch Data Center allows for centralized management of both Fortinet switches and firewalls from a single interface."
"The main actual benefit that Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center brought to my customer's environment is secure connectivity while minimizing downtime from unexpected traffic or broadcasting."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is very easy to configure."
"The initial setup was simple."
"It is very stable."
"We have the entire Fortinet FortiSwitch system - Secure Access, firewalls, and everything, and it integrates well into the entire Fortinet fabric."
"If you use FortiGate you should use FortiSwitch; it's very helpful and has a good configuration."
"Configurations between FortiGate and FortiSwitch have to link to each other. We need configuration. The configuration is not like a Cisco switch. It has a unique configuration."
"Huawei switches come in small, medium, and large capacities and can be used for monitoring and switching."
"The solution is easy to set up."
"The most valuable features are that it is easy to use, easy to configure, it's priced well, and the operating system is easy to understand."
"I was using Cisco Aruba HP Engine previously and switched because Huawei Ethernet Switches are user-friendly."
"I advise people to use this solution because it's very conducive to tropical environments and can withstand very hot weather conditions."
"The most valuable features are the ease of configuration, availability of a GUI apart from the command line, and basic features such as VLAN configuration and routing between VLANs."
"The solution has been pretty solid so far."
"The solution is very inexpensive, the documentation is very good, and technical support is also very good."
 

Cons

"There is room to improve the integration between FortiSwitch and other third-party solutions, as challenges arise when integrating with different vendors."
"The solution can improve by upgrading QSFP+, it is very limited and must be supported more than it is now. If we need FortiSwitches to support all the QSFP ports our budgets would have to be very large."
"FortiSwitch should improve the FortiGate map. The diagram cannot move automatically to show the switch. The map does not map the physical location. It cannot move or touch the diagram."
"The main difference between FortiSwitch and Aruba Switches is the price. The prices of Aruba are higher and they have unlimited features that FortiSwitch does not, like segmentation and analytics engines."
"There could be more porting software options for easy deployment in the product."
"Routing is an area in Fortinet FortiSwitch with certain shortcomings where improvements are needed."
"The stability of the solution is impacted when integrating parts from different vendors such as Cisco, which can lead to performance problems and disconnections."
"With IT products, there is always room for improvement."
"The initial setup is not like Cisco. If I had a problem with Cisco devices, I can look at the documentation and come up with a solution."
"The graphical user interface could be much better."
"Connectivity is an area that needs improvement in the solution. Interconnectivity with third-party versions or Cisco Meraki should be made available to users in future releases of the solution."
"But you might be sacrificing security or risking involvement in a politically unstable situation."
"I've found that the Huawei switches around the core fail, or at least the 9300 series do. I've had to move to Cisco."
"The tech support is not very good. It's a bit hard to get tech support for Huawei products."
"The solution's marketing could be better. It spends money on marketing but doesn't highlight the most important features. Sometimes, it provides too much information, which can confuse customers."
"I had issues with patching the IOS. But right now I think Huawei has improved very much in the advanced technology and is more stable now. I think patch and bug fixes should be announced on a scheduled basis."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is expensive but it does not require a license."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"It is reasonably priced."
"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"The solution is not expensive."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution, which is expensive."
"This is an affordable solution."
"We only pay one-off instead of paying recurring license fees."
"The exact pricing varies based on how many units you purchase."
"The price of Huawei ethernet switches is cheap."
"The product is competitively priced in its market."
"Compared to other brands, I think that the price is quite fair."
"It is cheaper than Cisco."
"Huawei provides much better performance for the same price, even when taking into account very aggressive commercial policies."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
15%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The performance is basic only, and we cannot compare Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center with Aruba or Cisco switches. Regarding security policies, I did not configure that many policies in Fortinet...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
Currently, we are mostly working with Sophos and Fortinet. Before, we worked with XG, but now they have upgraded to the XGS series, and in Fortinet, we are working with FortiGate Firewall. In some ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Ethernet Switches?
Huawei Ethernet Switches offer very competitive and aggressive product pricing compared to other brands.
What needs improvement with Huawei Ethernet Switches?
Huawei should focus more on security. They need more products on the security side to improve the security portion.
What is your primary use case for Huawei Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case for Huawei Ethernet Switches is for network purposes, including SaaS services.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Newcastle University, Jingyang District of Deyang City in Sichuan Province, Southwest China, Glasgow Rangers Soccer Team, RMIT, Insurance Industry Association of Zhejiang Province, China, APT Satellite Holdings Limited (APT)
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs. Huawei Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
911,549 professionals have used our research since 2012.