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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access 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 - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
48
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 May 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 5.0%, down from 5.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Ethernet Switches is 3.2%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Uri Harf - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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

"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access has essential features for managing switches."
"You can hook all the other components to be monitored. You can create policies and block certain people from accessing the Internet."
"What I really love in FortiSwitch: its usability, the graphical user interface, and the ability to be managed by FortiGate."
"The solution is easy to scale."
"The product is very secure."
"The tool provides a firewall and good performance."
"The most valuable feature of this product is its simplicity."
"Stability and scalability for this product are very good. Setup is easy and deployment can be completed within minutes. The technical support for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is good."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches are functional. It has a good response to resolve issues."
"The Huawei switches are stable, easy to set up, and cheap."
"Easy to use, flexible, stable, and offers great performance."
"They have the ability, since they have a very big R&D team, to create an upgrade for any feature or patch very easily."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches are both scalable and stable."
"It is a stable product. I rate it a nine out of ten...It is a scalable solution."
"The tool’s pricing is reasonable. It has a high throughput capacity."
"We use Huawei Ethernet Switches for business networks and connectivity."
 

Cons

"I would like Fortinet to make this product easier to configure."
"In the next release, I would like to see more outdoor products."
"The solution has SD-WAN but it doesn't have SDN. This should be added."
"If you contact Fortinet, it's a bit difficult. Most of the time, they send you just links and documents to read for troubleshooting. When you contact support, you don't need documents. You want someone that can understand your problem, give a hand, and help you. I'm not impressed by the support really."
"The product could use more security related features."
"The installation is not difficult. However, some features have to be activated from the CLI."
"The central management needs improvement. The initial setup could be easier."
"More integration would be helpful, especially since we sometimes have devices from other companies. Improved interoperability would be very beneficial."
"The solution needs to be more user-friendly."
"The solution needs to provide GUI commands."
"It could potentially be difficult to get parts depending on where you live."
"The interoperability of the devices, in general, on the Huawei switches is not good and is known to be not good. Maybe they can improve this a bit."
"Huawei Switch can make further advancements, as the current CLI lacks functionality. The majority of tasks are performed through the CLI, making it difficult for those without technical expertise to work with. They should enhance the CLI of the access switches to make them more user-friendly. The GUI of the Ethernet Switches should also be improved to allow non-technical users to perform technical tasks with ease. Additionally, the documentation of the solution could improve."
"Huawei should focus more on security. They need more products on the security side to improve the security portion."
"The configuration is very difficult even for someone who is already familiar with the configuration process."
"Certain regulatory issues in a lot of countries cause limitations ."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiSwitch is a pricey solution."
"Licensing is easy: FortiCare and that's it."
"Price-wise, I find Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access to be an okay product. It is not an expensive product."
"It's affordable compared to other switching products, like Cisco switches."
"The cost appears to be high in comparison to other competing products although with this product you are paying for what you get."
"The product is costly for SMB customers compared to other brands available in the market."
"The pricing for Fortinet FortiSwitch is not expensive."
"I rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten."
"The pricing is good. Still, I can choose a cheaper solution that offers a good value."
"The initial setup is straightforward."
"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."
"It is cheaper than Cisco."
"This is an affordable solution."
"From the initial purchase, you will pay for a license and you do not need to pay for a license again. The price depends on the size of the infrastructure."
"It's a reasonable price, cheaper than some other vendors."
"The solution's pricing is in the middle, but you will be charged when you upgrade the tenant."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Educational Organization
6%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 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 - Secure Access vs. Huawei Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.