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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
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Huawei Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
11th
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 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 2.9%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Ethernet Switches is 3.4%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Huawei Ethernet Switches3.4%
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center2.9%
Other93.7%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Rutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
CXO at Aariha Enterprise Private Limited
Provides seamless traffic control and secure connectivity while minimizing downtime and optimizing resource allocation
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular ports. Currently, I am not identifying any weak points of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because it meets the customer's use case. However, the commercial aspect presents challenges, particularly with pricing, as customers often ask for Juniper or Cisco, brands they are more aware of, which makes awareness about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center another weak point.
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

"A valuable feature of FortiGate is its management integrity."
"FortiSwitch Data Center allows for centralized management of both Fortinet switches and firewalls from a single interface."
"The initial setup was simple."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is very easy to configure."
"The FortiSwitch is used to manage traffic between our VMs and physical hosts across multiple data centers, and it is part of our network fabric that can support the amount of throughput we need to provide HA to service our clients."
"It is very stable."
"The technical support has been very good; they are responsive and helpful, and I would recommend this support to anyone using their solutions."
"If you use FortiGate you should use FortiSwitch; it's very helpful and has a good configuration."
"We came to the realization that Huawei provides much better performance for the same price, even when taking into account very aggressive commercial policies."
"The HTTP features for security are very good, and we use all of the regular features."
"They are very user-friendly. Handling Huawei is very easy."
"The CLI syntax."
"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 tool's valuable features are easy to deploy and troubleshoot with available documentation. They are cost-effective and can reduce operational expenses. Huawei Ethernet Switches have built-in AI features for monitoring and analytics. These are the tool's solutions, not third-party integrations."
"Scalability isn't an issue."
 

Cons

"Does not have as many features as other solutions, such as segmentation and analytics engines."
"There is room to improve the integration between FortiSwitch and other third-party solutions, as challenges arise when integrating with different vendors."
"Fortinet could have the ability to authenticate users like Aruba offers because managing ten or twelve SSIDs for different clients is complicated."
"We need to understand a bit more about certifications and knowledge for understanding capabilities. The solution should make that more clear to its users."
"Before using FortiSwitch, you need several certifications."
"Managing the VLANs is an area where the solution lacks and needs to improve."
"The solution can improve by upgrading QSFP+, it is very limited and must be supported more than it is now."
"There could be more porting software options for easy deployment in the product."
"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 company needs to provide more on hand training on the product."
"The knowledge base needs to be improved and expanded."
"Huawei should focus more on security. They need more products on the security side to improve the security portion."
"The solution needs to be more user-friendly."
"The web interface is poor, it could be improved."
"The performance has been slow at times."
"There could be improvements in Huawei, such as adding features that Cisco has and Huawei currently lacks."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"The product is less expensive than one of its competitors."
"The solution's pricing is a little high. The solution deserves the current price it receives from its users."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution, which is expensive."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"It is reasonably priced."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"This solution is expensive but it does not require a license."
"This is an affordable solution."
"The solution's price is reasonable compared to other products like Cisco."
"We only pay one-off instead of paying recurring license fees."
"The tool's price is affordable and I would rate it a five out of ten. The prices are fixed with no additional cost involved."
"The product is competitively priced in its market."
"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."
"The pricing is good so is rated an eight out of ten."
"Huawei has the same licensing model as Cisco, so both are working on the subscription model."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

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 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 2026.
884,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.