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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Huawei Ethernet Switches 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Huawei Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
13th
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 March 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 1.7%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Ethernet Switches is 3.0%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Rias Majeed - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables easy management of traffic and enhances security
FortiSwitch Data Center allows for centralized management of both Fortinet switches and firewalls from a single interface. This integration makes network management streamlined and secure. Additionally, the controllers are built into the firewall, which enables easy management of traffic and enhances security. Unlike some solutions, a Fortinet firewall is not just a firewall; it also acts as a full-fledged router.
Mr. Qalat Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution is power efficient, stable, and provides free-of-cost batch upgrades
The solution can improve by adding virtualized switch functionality. Huawei mentioned virtual switches in one of the product sheets, but when we got to the deployment phase, it turned out that they didn't actually include virtual switching functionality. Other than that, the switch and network are performing well and meeting our requirements.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is very stable."
"FortiSwitch Data Center allows for centralized management of both Fortinet switches and firewalls from a single interface."
"What I like about the solution is that it can be accessed anywhere."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center's scalability is good."
"Using Fortinet's whole range, including FortiSwitches, is cost-effective compared to Cisco and beneficial for network security."
"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."
"I have found the solution to be scalable."
"The single pane of glass that helps us manage everything through FortiManager is the most important feature."
"It is cheap."
"What we like the most is that the price is reasonable and it's easy to manage."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches also have effective network switching features."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches come with native ACs."
"I use it on a daily basis and I find it to be quite stable."
"The technical documentation available is very good. The technical support for the customer is also good - I would give it 8 out of 10."
"Huawei offers a wide range of products to choose from, which provides flexibility in deployment."
"They have the ability, since they have a very big R&D team, to create an upgrade for any feature or patch very easily."
 

Cons

"The stability of the solution is impacted when integrating parts from different vendors such as Cisco, which can lead to performance problems and disconnections."
"Managing the VLANs is an area where the solution lacks and needs to improve."
"We need to understand a bit more about certifications and knowledge for understanding capabilities. The solution should make that more clear to its users."
"Does not have as many features as other solutions, such as segmentation and analytics engines."
"Fortinet could have the ability to authenticate users like Aruba offers because managing ten or twelve SSIDs for different clients is complicated."
"The product must improve the latency in the management center."
"Compatibility with infrastructure from other vendors like Cisco and Sophos can be further improved."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center needs to improve its UI and stability."
"The product’s pricing needs improvement. It could be more stable as well."
"One of the problems with Huawei is that when you receive a product quote from one of the vendors, you cannot get prices from the other ones because they register your request with Huawei."
"The technical support is technically savvy, but the communication via English is not so easy."
"We would like to see additional backup solutions, since we have several degrees of backup."
"The product's stability has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."
"We had a few issues with integration."
"There could be improvements in Huawei, such as adding features that Cisco has and Huawei currently lacks."
"Huawei should focus more on security."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is not expensive."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution, which is expensive."
"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
"The solution's pricing is a little high. The solution deserves the current price it receives from its users."
"It is reasonably priced."
"The solution's pricing is in the middle, but you will be charged when you upgrade the tenant."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches are very competitively priced, almost 4 out of 10.However, the low price point may sometimes raise concerns about quality for some companies."
"It is cheaper than Cisco."
"It's a reasonable price, cheaper than some other vendors."
"The licensing costs depend on the negotiations that a user has with Huawei...There is a need to make some additional payments apart from the licensing costs attached to the solution."
"Huawei provides much better performance for the same price, even when taking into account very aggressive commercial policies."
"Huawei comes with a lot of features out of the box that you have to pay extra for with other products. They do charge extra in the licensing for certain additional features."
"The price is one of the only issues I have regarding this solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
Compatibility with infrastructure from other vendors like Cisco and Sophos can be further improved. Sometimes there are bugs when integrating with Sophos and other products.
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.
 

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: March 2025.
841,004 professionals have used our research since 2012.