We primarily use the solution for networking.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
Great monitoring and notification capabilities with useful reliability
Pros and Cons
- "It can scale well."
- "We've had issues with availability."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The cloud management is very good.
Overall, it's a good solution. It is pretty robust.
The monitoring and notifications on offer are very helpful.
It can scale well.
It's stable.
What needs improvement?
We've had issues with availability. We cannot source switches right now. They are hard to get.
There are no missing features.
The pricing could be lowered.
Technical support could be improved in terms of dealing with time changes.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three years. I've used it for a while now.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been very stable. I'd rate it ten out of ten. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. It is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution has been scaleable. I'd rate it ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is helpful or responsive. However, they could always improve their services. The time difference when dealing with support can cause answers get delayed.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use HP switches. However, we have the same issue in that we are having trouble with availability.
We wanted to move to Aruba based on the simplicity of integration. We can manage all access points with the same interface using Aruba. The monitoring and notifications are also good.
How was the initial setup?
There only needs to be one engineer involved in the deployment and maintenance.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI in terms of stability and the simplicity of monitoring and management.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is expensive. It's gone up in price. For 24 ports, we are looking at a cost of $600 annually. I'd rate the affordability of the solution seven out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I would rate it ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Manager ITS at RTA
It's an affordable, high-quality product that has never failed us
Pros and Cons
- "It's an excellent product. They're high-quality switches, and nothing has failed in the time that we've had them."
- "Aruba's management suite has some room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We use a suite of core, edge, and top-of-rack switches, and all of them do their jobs. We don't have servers anymore, so the top-of-rack switches don't do much, but the core and edge switches are excellent.
What is most valuable?
It's an excellent product. They're high-quality switches, and nothing has failed in the time that we've had them.
What needs improvement?
Aruba's management suite has some room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Aruba Switches for nearly two years. I'm the IT manager. I organize people to install and support solutions. I didn't do it myself, but I was responsible for procuring the switches.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba switches are high-quality products. They're well made and never go wrong. They work 100 percent 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, nonstop, with no failures at all — not even a broken fan. What else could I want from a product?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is not really relevant to us because we only have 250 users. We used to have 250 users on four floors, so we had eight switches. We're on one floor in one building now, but we still use eight switches to spread the users out.
How are customer service and support?
Nothing has ever failed, so I've never used their technical support.
How was the initial setup?
A vendor installed the switches for us, and it was straightforward. It didn't take long to install the first time, and it was done well the second time when we moved buildings.
We have a managed service contract for maintenance. One vendor handles all of our network and desktop support, but I know they only have one network specialist. We had one person perform the installation, and one person provided the support.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba's switches are priced significantly better than Cisco's. They're well placed in the market.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba Switches eight out of 10. I never give any solution a 10. I'm sure they could improve a little bit, but they've been flawless from our point of view.
Aruba is significantly cheaper than Cisco, we've had no issues. Everything about them has been excellent for us.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Aruba Switches
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Aruba Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
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Works at ZENONLINE
Has a large range of options and has decent new switches but areas could be simplified
Pros and Cons
- "It is slightly more price effective than Juniper and it has a slightly larger range."
- "My experience with Aruba's account manager hasn't been the greatest."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution in a hospital setting for switching.
What is most valuable?
The newest switches are pretty decent.
It is slightly more price effective than Juniper and it has a slightly larger range.
What needs improvement?
The solution could always be a bit cheaper.
My experience with Aruba's account manager hasn't been the greatest.
Dealing with the server is very complicated. We'd like it to be simplified.
The setup is complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've used the solution for three to four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I'm pretty new to the solution. It is hard to gauge stability at this time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. It comes in a range of options.
How are customer service and support?
The account managers are not the best. They make you do a lot of running around. A lot of the time, they don't even pick up calls. We don't like the way the business side is handled.
The dealers, however, are very responsive. That said, there are just too many rules and regulations when dealing with Aruba.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As a systems integrator, we work with Aruba, Juniper, and Cisco switches. Aruba has more of a range than Juniper, which is more fixed.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Typically, the solution is paid for annually.
The price could always be improved upon.
What other advice do I have?
We are a system integrator.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Procurement Officer at Emerging Systems
Easy to set up with good support and great reliability
Pros and Cons
- "It is very easy to set up."
- "The biggest issue right now is the delivery timeline. It takes too long to get the product."
What is most valuable?
It is very easy to configure. Aruba and Cisco are more comfortable for us in terms of configurations, including VLAN and most technical things.
Aruba is similar to Huawei or any other brand.
It is very easy to set up.
The solution can scale.
It is very stable.
Technical support has been good.
What needs improvement?
The biggest issue right now is the delivery timeline. It takes too long to get the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for ten to 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It's reliable and free of bugs and glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can scale as needed. It's not a problem at all.
We have two people who directly use the solution in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. it's not bad. We are largely satisfied with their level of assistance.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm familiar with Cisco and Huawei solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It's not complex at all.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Aruba Switch cost is normally high if it is compared to Huawei and many other brands. Typically it is a $500 to $600 difference in price.
What other advice do I have?
We have a partnership with Aruba.
The solution is deployed at an access level.
It's a comfortable switch to use and we don't really have any complaints. Normally they have built-in PoE Switches as well. We can connect an access point to them. There's no major issue in that regard.
I would rate them nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Director of Information Technology at Al Falah University
A cost-effective networking switch that is easy to maintain and configure to your requirements
Pros and Cons
- "I like the number of available throughputs and its ability to have different speeds of ethernet cards or fiber-optic SFPs. It's a core switch, and you can configure it as per your requirements. All the configuration details are well documented on the HP website or Aruba website, and one can easily refer to those and find all the relevant commands from the documentation itself. It's also easy to maintain this solution. It's also cheaper than competing products."
- "I don't think there is much to improve. I have seen that Aruba releases the patches on time, and it keeps upgrading the firmware. I have configured this device on an active basis. I don't think I have any bad reviews about the device's overall performance. In the next release, I would like Aruba to incorporate wireless controllers and build them into the chassis.If we can integrate a wireless module, we can have a segment dedicated to wireless infrastructure."
What is our primary use case?
We got Aruba Switches when we wanted something very redundant. I have two core switches, and both of them are configured for fault tolerance. If one fails, the other one will be able to sustain the load of the network.
How has it helped my organization?
Initially, we had a 1G switch. Now that we have upgraded to Aruba, the infrastructure is on 10G. The throughput has definitely increased, and many people were able to realize the speed of the internet and data sharing immediately.
What is most valuable?
I like the number of available throughputs and its ability to have different speeds of ethernet cards or fiber-optic SFPs. It's a core switch, and you can configure it as per your requirements.
All the configuration details are well documented on the HP website or Aruba website, and one can easily refer to those and find all the relevant commands from the documentation itself. It's also easy to maintain this solution. It's also cheaper than competing products.
What needs improvement?
I don't think there is much to improve. I have seen that Aruba releases the patches on time, and it keeps upgrading the firmware. I have configured this device on an active basis. I don't think I have any bad reviews about the device's overall performance.
In the next release, I would like Aruba to incorporate wireless controllers and build them into the chassis.If we can integrate a wireless module, we can have a segment dedicated to wireless infrastructure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba Switches for nearly three or four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba Switches stable. Until now, I haven't had a chance to restart the device. It's pretty stable and working well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are scalable. The device that I procured is a six-day device. In these six days, you can probably populate any number of ethernet ports or SFP plus ports, or any kind of interface.
How was the initial setup?
It was okay as we had the help of an experienced external team. It took us almost two days to implement this solution. We have two technicians maintaining this solution.
What about the implementation team?
I had an experienced team from outside who got the contract for configuring it. It was a team effort, a team from outside and my own IT department team. Both had to copy the old configuration running on an Extreme Network Switch and configure it on Aruba's high availability platform. As we did it over a weekend, the workers weren't affected.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba Switches are cost-effective.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Aruba is cost-effective. I have a direct account manager who used to visit us to understand the complete requirement. On the other hand, Cisco costs way too much for the same kind of switching device.
I think Aruba did a better job compared to many other vendors. In the end, I just wanted a solution that could serve the university's requirements. We have tested many different products like Alcatel Extreme and others.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Aruba Switches a nine.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Deputy IT Manager at ICAPP (Americana Group)
Reliable, easy to set up, and cost-effective
Pros and Cons
- "It's a reliable product that you can depend on."
- "We don't have visibility in Aruba Switches and we are thinking of switching to Fortiswitch because it has visibility."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is as the edge and the core switches for our company network.
We are working on an ERP system, domain controller, warehouse management, Salesforce automation, and many other applications.
What is most valuable?
It's a reliable product that you can depend on.
You can use it for a long time without any issues.
What needs improvement?
Visibility needs improvement. We don't have visibility in Aruba Switches and we are thinking of switching to FortiSwitch because it has visibility.
Currently, we have visibility and compatibility with the firewall. Through the firewall, we can see the entire network.
They are not very active with this solution. There is no followup with the vendors and resellers, they do not contact us to inform us of new technologies as they do with Cisco and Fortinet. Other vendors are more active in the community.
In the next release, I would like to see visibility included, as well as better integration with other platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working wit Aruba Switches for approximately 11 years.
We are working with the 251 and 190 series.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba switches are stable, but we have a few that are hanging.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba Switches are scalable.
We have more than 1,000 users in our company. We have 15 administrators and four people to maintain the network.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is moderate, not excellent. We have been waiting for more than two months for our switches that are hanging to be replaced.
Maintenance and after-sales service are not good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We started with Aruba a long time ago when they were originally 3Com Switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward, not complex.
Cisco is more complex than Aruba is.
What about the implementation team?
We have many resellers and system integrators in our country, including Cisco and Fortinet.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no licenses, you just purchase the switch.
Comparing with Cisco, and some other solutions, it's a cheap product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are considering migrating from Aruba to possibly Cisco, or to Fortinet FortiSwitch.
We are comparing and conducting studies in order to move forward.
What other advice do I have?
We have experience working in networking products, high-security products like firewalls, switches, and all data center products.
We would happy to use Aruba Switches in the future if there are new technologies that meet our requirements, and our needs regarding visibility. Having visibility in the entire network and to see all of the parts of the network is something that is important to us.
In general, I recommend Aruba Switches.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Chief Information officer at Mobica Advanced
Good GUI, easy to configure and use, and offers a good transfer rate
Pros and Cons
- "Aruba access points have a good transfer rate."
- "They should provide training courses for certification, and have it available on the internet."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is for access points. You can look at any site and take the static ID, or the real ID. It's similar to VPN.
With the access point, you take the real ID and install it in the controller, you then access the site with this access point.
We are interior designers and we have many showroom sites, we use the Aruba controller. We have twenty-five Aruba Switches with fifteen to twenty access points.
We are using the 205 and 215 series. The bandwidth is 1gHz.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the controller and the access points. Aruba access points have a good transfer rate.
It is powerful for the internet, the GUI is good, the configuration is very good, and it is very easy to use. In contrast, the Cisco configuration does not have a GUI.
Aruba has many features that are very good.
What needs improvement?
Managing Aruba Switches is not as good as Cisco Controller.
The switch needs to be bigger than it is now. Increasing the number of gigabytes in the switch would improve the switch interacting. You can download the DBS or the datasheet to see the switch interacting.
The switch interacting is the transfer of data from the port to the switch.
They should provide training courses for certification, and have it available on the internet.
They need to increase marketing for their products, especially for the solutions that are stable and very hard working. They should plan an event to market this solution.
Aruba could consider opening a training center for engineering, or IT students.
A suggestion would be to see the unit have a configuration switch like SMTP to send an email to the users if the performance is delayed or down. That would be very useful.
In the command line, we can configure in SMTP to send an email alert to the user and the support worldwide, so that they can know about the problem before it happens.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
We have two ways to do the configuration. There are the standard way and Care. If you configure Care, we have a controller and things are fine.
We can deploy the configuration by the controller appliance. The access point can be made into a controller.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
With many ports, we blended for the first time and we did not face any problems.
You have to have a plan to expand or increase to a table or other devices.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is okay, I would rate them a four out of five.
We had some issues with resetting the password, it requires a special technique, there is some reconfiguration involved.
The guide on the internet is very helpful and easy. You can do a specific search on the internet describing the error or the problem and you will get a very simple, easy, and quick answer.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have a client who has a nine-story apartment building and in our design, and we researched the internet for different access points.
We presented the client with Cisco and TriCom, but our customer was not satisfied. We then introduced Aruba to the client and he was satisfied with the performance and our design.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It only took fifteen minutes to deploy.
It depends on the number of VLAN, or if there are any rules in the switch. This is all according to the configuration and the settings.
We have three engineers helping with the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use a vendor team to implement this solution. We did it ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution is not cheap and they don't have a plan to certify it as Cisco does. Cisco is a famous vendor with options for certification.
Aruba does not have a certified license in ARC and CNV. Their certification is for the marketing of the device in Cisco.
The license is annual. If you purchase a switch, you get a one-year free subscription.
Aruba has better pricing than Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
We used and configured Tricom Switches. HP merged with Tricom and the company after that Aruba merged with HP.
The switch became very different, it is good and has a different configuration.
We have had a few problems in our company, we have had some conflicts in the configuration.
Aruba was the first company to introduce access points, as far back as ten years ago.
It's a good product, but it's not equal to Cisco. It's better. I compare it with Cisco and Aruba is a better switch. With Cisco, you buy the name, history, and global branding.
If an engineer or any company ask me about network solutions, I recommend Aruba.
I have some concerns because not many engineers write on the command line in Aruba. Not many engineers know the solution, unlike Cisco, which is well known in the education industry and on the market.
If you can configure the Aruba Switch for the very first time without any issues, then you are a very good engineer, you know the solution.
Aruba Access points, controller, and performance are the best!
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Project Manager at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Reliability and pricing advantages improve network efficiency
Pros and Cons
- "The pricing of Aruba Switches is good compared to Cisco."
- "The initial setup is not easy."
What is our primary use case?
The most typical use case for Aruba Switches is its reliability and good pricing compared to other solutions like Cisco.
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba Switches are reliable and easy to install and configure, which greatly helps maintain network integrity and efficiency in our operations.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Aruba Switches include the basic features like STP and RSTP, as well as its reliability and ease of installation. The hardware is also considered better than Cisco, which is a significant advantage.
What needs improvement?
Although the pricing of Aruba Switches is good compared to Cisco, there is room for improvement in further reducing the cost to make it more preferable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience working with Aruba Switches for more than 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Aruba Switches is near perfect, rated nine to ten out of ten. I find it very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of Aruba Switches as high, giving it a score of eight to nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support from Aruba is good. I rarely need to use it due to my expertise; the support is really nice, and the people are experienced.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not easy, so I rate it a five out of ten. It requires prior knowledge of switching instructions, although I find it manageable due to my over 25 years of experience with switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of Aruba Switches is good compared to Cisco. If they further reduce the price, it would be preferable.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Last updated: Oct 22, 2024
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Visibility is not an issue on Aruba switches. Aruba do end to end cloud based management with Aruba Central that has detailed visibility into wifi, switches and sdwan gateways...The 1900 and 2510 switches are very very old switches and have been EoL for many years..