How is Arista for campus networking and central management?

Take a close look at the operating model, not just the switch features. Arista campus designs can use MLAG between independent switches rather than relying on traditional stacks or chassis. That changes how you manage redundancy and configuration.

If you're used to a stack behaving like one managed unit, work through how configuration management will keep both switches consistent. In the lab, test a switch failure, an uplink failure, and the process for replacing a failed unit. Also check how much of that workflow you can comfortably maintain without a dedicated network engineer.

Use the test gear to run through a real branch rollout. Try provisioning a switch from scratch, applying the site configuration, upgrading it, and then replacing it. Zero-touch provisioning is worth testing end to end, including what services and configuration it needs before the switch can join management.

Central management can look great in a demo, but the day-to-day workflow matters more. Check what you can monitor and change centrally, what still needs individual configuration, and how you recover when provisioning doesn't go as planned.

I'd separate the switch decision from the firewall and SD-WAN decision. The available discussion doesn't establish whether VeloCloud is a suitable FortiGate replacement for your security requirements.

Write down the security and SD-WAN functions you actually use, then ask for a feature-by-feature comparison and test the critical paths. Don't assume a single management story means the products are interchangeable.

Don't forget licensing and support costs when you compare vendors. Ask for a quote that covers the switches, management tools, subscriptions, and support for the period you expect to keep them. A familiar platform can still be frustrating if the licensing is hard to understand.