H3C
China's H3C builds switches, Wi-Fi, SecPath firewalls and UniServer servers, plus its own CAS virtualization and UIS hyperconverged platforms. It is a major player at home and growing in Southeast Asia.
- Headquarters
- China
- Positioning
- EntryMid-marketEnterprise
- Official website
- www.h3c.com
Who it suits
Projects needing data-center switching and HCI without VMware licensing, at a lower budget than the US brands.
Overview
Who H3C is
H3C began in 2003 as a joint venture between Huawei and 3Com, and later came under HP and then HPE. Today New H3C Group is headquartered in Beijing and Hangzhou, China, and Unisplendour holds more than 80% of it. HPE, which once owned 49%, has been selling its stake in stages to Unisplendour and other Chinese buyers since 2024. H3C is a major player in China and is expanding in Southeast Asia.
How the product families fit together
- S series switches run from access to core and data center. They use the Comware operating system, the same OS that ran on many HPE FlexNetwork switches.
- WA series access points, including Wi-Fi 7 models such as the tri-radio WA7338-HI and the dual-radio WA7320i.
- SecPath firewalls and security appliances.
- UniServer x86 servers for the data center.
- CAS, H3C's own KVM-based virtualization platform.
- UIS, a hyperconverged (HCI) platform that combines servers, storage and virtualization in one cluster.
- Cloudnet manages APs, switches and gateways from the cloud, with a service node in Singapore for Asian customers. Larger networks can run iMC on-premises instead.
Who it suits
Since Broadcom moved VMware to subscription-only licensing, many organizations are looking for a way out. What sets H3C apart from other network brands is that it sells switches, servers and HCI with its own virtualization in one project.
H3C fits projects that need data center switching and HCI without VMware, on a lower budget than the US brands, with a team willing to learn a new platform.
Strengths
- Switches, servers, HCI and virtualization come from one vendor, so when something breaks nobody argues whether it is the hardware or the hypervisor.
- CAS and UIS are VMware alternatives that don't depend on Broadcom's licensing.
- Engineers who have used Comware-based HPE switches will recognize the H3C command line straight away.
- A broad range of Wi-Fi 7 APs and high-speed data center switches, usually priced below the US brands.
Things to know before choosing
- The installed base in Laos is still small, so engineers who know CAS and UIS are few. Plan a support contract and training for your in-house team.
- Moving VMs from VMware to CAS or UIS needs planning and testing. Your current backup software may not support CAS, so check that first.
- Some foreign parent companies and project funders have policies on Chinese vendors. Check before you write the specification.
- Confirm that quoted models are international versions with English documentation and regional support, not China-market units.
Using it in Laos
In Laos H3C is still less common than Huawei, but it is starting to appear in data center and Chinese-funded projects. Ordering goes through distributors in Thailand or elsewhere in the region. Servers and HCI clusters are usually built to order and take several weeks.
What to plan for:
- Server room: HCI nodes and servers run much hotter than switches. A room with a single air conditioner needs a second unit and temperature sensors.
- Power: evening sags and sudden outages are dangerous for HCI storage. Use an online UPS that can shut the cluster down cleanly.
- Spares: keep spare disks and power supplies in Laos instead of waiting for an RMA from abroad.
- People: make the installer hand over documentation and train your team on VM backup and restore.
Sectors that fit: government, education, energy, and companies leaving VMware on a limited budget.
Compared with alternatives
Huawei covers similar ground and has a larger user and engineer base in Laos. If HCI is the main goal and you want a bigger global user community, Nutanix is the enterprise option, while Proxmox suits small budgets and Linux-literate teams. Pick H3C when you want switching and HCI from one vendor on a controlled budget.
Product lines
- H3C S Series Switches
- H3C WA Access Points
- H3C SecPath
- H3C UniServer
- H3C CAS
- H3C UIS
Solutions that use this brand
Enterprise LAN & SwitchingA core–access LAN with VLANs, redundant uplinks and enough PoE. One looped cable no longer takes down the whole building.
Enterprise Wi-FiWi-Fi 6/6E/7 with APs placed from real measurements. Works in a full meeting room, holds calls while you walk, secured with WPA3.
Fiber Backbone & Campus LinksFiber between floors, buildings and sites at 10–100 Gbps. It doesn't conduct, so lightning can't ride it from one building to the…
Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)A firewall that knows which app and which user, with IPS, web filtering, HTTPS inspection and VPN, sized on real all-features-on…
Server VirtualizationCollapse a room of ageing servers into one cluster on VMware, Proxmox, Nutanix or Hyper-V, so one dead host no longer stops the…
Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI)Compute, storage and virtualization in the same nodes; add a node when you need more. Built for 1–3 person IT teams with no SAN…FAQ
Is H3C still part of HPE?
No. HPE once held 49% but has been selling it down in stages since 2024. H3C is now a Chinese company majority-owned by Unisplendour. Support and warranty come from H3C directly, not from HPE.
How hard is it to move VMs from VMware to H3C CAS or UIS?
Standard Windows and Linux VMs can be converted, but test drivers, downtime and any application licences tied to hardware. Check whether your backup software supports CAS. We recommend moving non-critical systems first, then the core ones.
Can H3C switches work with another brand of firewall?
Yes. VLANs, LACP, OSPF and BGP are open standards. Many projects pair H3C switching and HCI with a different firewall brand. What you lose is combined management and reporting in one system.
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