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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs H3C 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 - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
H3C Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
21st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 4.1%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of H3C Ethernet Switches is 2.8%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access4.1%
H3C Ethernet Switches2.8%
Other93.1%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Uri Harf - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
Integration with cloud management simplifies network expansion
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is expensive, and this initial cost can be a barrier, especially for new businesses setting up from scratch. Although the machine is robust and lasts for years with rare technical issues, the initial price can be high. Sometimes, I have to offer alternatives like Aruba or HP, which might be cheaper.
KanwarArsalan - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Pre Sales at Business It Solutions
Offers all routing protocols, functionality, and capabilities
H3C switches have strong port aggregation features including dynamic, static, and device aggregation. They also offer broadcast, multicast, or unique system suppression for PPS and BPS. These features are versatile and adaptable to various organizational scenarios, complemented by VLAN support. H3C switches offer VPN support along with various VLAN options like port-based, MAC-based, and protocol-based VLANs, including VLAN mapping and voice VLAN features. They support VLAN interfaces for both IPv4 and IPv6, ensuring compatibility and configuration flexibility. H3C switches are up to date with current market trends, offering features, routing protocols, capabilities, and functionalities that correspond to new trends in networking solutions. I strongly recommend that future users consider H3C switches for their designs, given their performance, specific features, and strong capabilities compared to competitors like Cisco. Overall, I would rate H3C Ethernet Switches as a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool provides a firewall and good performance."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the MAC feature."
"What stands out is the effective management and enhanced security provided by the solution's function as an extension of the firewall."
"The visual scope of the solution is very good. It allows me to see and download all of the network information."
"The solution is easy to scale."
"The solution is very simple, and it's very easily available."
"The product is a total solution with the FortiGate, switch, and access point. It is integrated with FortiGate, allowing us to manage all the equipment through it. You can handle everything from a single point."
"What I really love in FortiSwitch: its usability, the graphical user interface, and the ability to be managed by FortiGate."
"A good high-performance solution."
"The IMC feature is valuable."
"H3C Ethernet Switches have a fast delivery time."
"Offering a five-year warranty, compared to competitors' one-year warranties, is a unique advantage of H3C switches."
"We can configure the switch stack on the internet. Other vendors do not offer this facility. It is fast and easy to manage."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is a cheap solution."
"To date, it has proven to be highly reliable. We have encountered no issues or challenges with it thus far."
"Network performance is very good, suggesting that stability has not been an issue."
 

Cons

"One of the main challenges was integrating FortiSwitch with FortiGate, as the switches are managed through FortiGate rather than independently."
"I believe that stacking, a feature that is available in Huawei and Cisco, is not available in Fortinet products."
"Its cloud features could be better."
"The tool should improve its CLI."
"The installation is not difficult. However, some features have to be activated from the CLI."
"I feel that the product's stability is an area where improvements are required."
"I would like Fortinet to make this product easier to configure."
"An area for improvement would be the segmentation and network in logic networks."
"H3C Ethernet Switches could improve by widening their product range."
"To enhance H3C switches for the next release, improving the user interface is crucial."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"Lacks decent cloud management."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"There should be more public tools for configuration and comparing products."
"The solution’s stability could be improved."
"GUI needs to merge with CLI."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is billed annually and contracts are either one or three years in length."
"The tool's pricing is fine."
"I rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten."
"The solution is cheaper than Cisco but more expensive than Huawei."
"The cost appears to be high in comparison to other competing products although with this product you are paying for what you get."
"It's affordable and there are no additional costs, just regular support, and license fees."
"The solution is expensive but overall the cost makes sense."
"The product's pricing is good."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are reasonably priced."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is targeted for SMBs because it's cheaper compared to Huawei switches."
"The pricing is very affordable, making it a not-so-expensive choice. On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I would rate it a seven."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are priced at around $500 per unit, which is very cheap and one of the most competitive prices out there."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Comms Service Provider
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
With FortiSwitch, you can easily identify who is connected to each port, disable ports as needed, and retrieve configurations from FortiGate when required.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
The initial cost of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is high compared to other options. Although robust and rarely needs replacement, it can be overqualified for some jobs, which affects the re...
What needs improvement with H3C Ethernet Switches?
There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized.
What is your primary use case for H3C Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case is about managing network infrastructure. The H3C Ethernet Switches are used internally as switches in the system.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Ying Wa College, Centro Digital Pictures
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs. H3C Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.