Arista Networks Platform vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] comparison

Arista and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Data Center Networking category. Additionally, 100% of Arista users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Arista Networks Platform

Read 27 Arista Networks Platform reviews

3,863 Views
2,826 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Read 34 Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] reviews

90% willing to recommend

Arista Networks Platform

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Arista Networks Platform and Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Arista, Dell Technologies and others in Data Center Networking.

To learn more, read our detailed Data Center Networking Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Data Center Networking

February 2025

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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

Arista Networks Platform

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (10th), Data Center Networking (2nd)

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

MarekSzafrański

Senior Core Network Engineer at Eurofins

Affordable for enterprise-sized companies

Speaking about whether the product enhanced our company's data center scalability, I would say that it was a solution that was used in a banking company, where it served as a replacement for Cisco. Though Arista Networks Platform is similar to Cisco IOS CLI, I feel that the former product offers better prices compared to the latter tool. Arista Networks Platform office is more efficient at a lower cost. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. The tool is stable and cheaper than Cisco. I would say that Arista Networks Platform is 100 percent compatible with the existing infrastructure in my company. The impact of the tool's network telemetry on our company's troubleshooting practices was just good for the scope for which I need the product. I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

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MOHAMEDELSHERIF

Senior Technical Consultant at International Turnkey Systems - ITS

You can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment

You can carry on a project without any consultation. Since the VxRail solution is experiencing significant growth and demand, integrating Dell PowerConnect switches becomes crucial. This integration enhances the VxRail server by offering three distinct solutions. Thus, this gives Dell PowerConnect an edge over Cisco. If you want to connect your virtualized environment and networks to your physical environment and users. In that case, Dell PowerConnect Switches, with VxRail, is the best choice for integrating such features into the hypervisor environment. This product is mainly targeted to virtualization environments. Therefore, Dell has considered this product's scalability, reliability, and robustness. If someone wants the server with VxRail as a free solution, I recommend going with the Dell PowerConnect. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Arista Networks Platform has a feature that helps with monitoring and management."

"The configuration capabilities were good."

"The most valuable features of Arista include low latency, scalability, and sustainability of the products."

"It provides telemetry and visibility for many metrics that are not supported by most of the other vendors. Out of the box, no third party solutions are needed."

"I like the spine as a leaf model and low latency. The hardware is robust and meets expected latency in all environments, mainly if you belong to the media or trading industry. For multicast-based solutions, Arista is number one."

"The solution has good load latency. They're the market leader in this aspect right now."

"The most valuable feature is the Linux shell, which is useful for troubleshooting or capturing traffic."

"The platform is easy to scale."

More Arista Networks Platform pros

"We have these switches installed in an environment with hardware from many other vendors, and so far, so good."

"The most valuable features are the jumbo frames and the stacking."

"The solution’s technical support is good."

"The security is the most valuable aspect of this solution. It also has good storage and resource handling."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is simplicity."

"This is a very reliable solution."

"Its throughout and compatibility are the most valuable."

"Dell PowerConnect Switches are very easy to configure with the GUI. Dell supports the solution even though it has been discontinued."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

Cons

"My company does face issues in terms of interoperability when it comes to the product, making it an area that needs to be fixed."

"The solution needs to accommodate new features."

"In my opinion, the solution for network monitoring is quite expensive."

"They should expand further into campus networks."

"An area for improvement in Arista Networks Platform is its integration, e.g. it needs to have more integration with its new products. Incorporating more security and cloud is also another area for improvement in the platform."

"From VMware, I think the cost of the tools is very high."

"A smoother transition between ISPs during failover would improve the user experience by reducing unnecessary notifications and interruptions."

"The CVP management platform needs to be improved."

More Arista Networks Platform cons

"I expect it to be a zero-touch or a plug-and-play device. To some extent, it is, but we need to know the architecture, and we need to know what exactly we are doing. It is not so easy to implement. It depends on what exactly we are doing and it is still not a plug-and-play or zero-touch device. In the upcoming version, they can make it zero-touch, where we can just power it on and start using it. They can have some templates for different scenarios, such as when you are using it for the data center or adding it to your existing infrastructure."

"When it comes to the configuration, there should be documentation and interactive help available to assist people who have experience with products from other vendors."

"The product's infrastructure and connectivity features need improvement."

"The network features are not good."

"Because of the stackings you lose some boards and switches."

"I can't think of what we would want in the next release."

"The configuration should be improved."

"The product needs to improve in terms of reports and backups."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is an annual license required to use the Arista Networks Platform."

"I remember that when our customers were offered the Arista Networks Platform, they used a checklist to compare the prices between Arista and Cisco for their requirements, and found that the prices were almost the same."

"The price of the Arista Networks Platform could be less expensive for the hardware and license."

"Cost wise, Arista Networks Platform is more expensive than other networking solutions."

"Specific tools definitely require a license for the subscription. But we are not using these tools in our environment. In terms of licensing, you need to spend approximately $10,000 per month."

"Arista is very expensive. Not everybody is in a position to spend $70,000 to $80,000 for one switch."

"The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000."

"If one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the product price as seven out of ten."

More Arista Networks Platform pricing and cost advice

"In my opinion, it is a product that is priced somewhere in the middle, making it a well-priced solution in the middle. It is not a very cheap product."

"The price of these switches is okay."

"The initial cost was high but since they have lasted for over ten or twenty years they are worth it."

"Its price is okay. Sometimes, it is lower than a Cisco solution."

"Pricing for Dell PowerConnect Switches is quite competitive compared to Cisco and HP pricing. Dell has cheaper pricing and the company is trying to push for sales for its switching infrastructure because right now, the current market is dominated by Cisco. In the US market, there's Cisco, HP, Juniper, and Arista which you can buy for data center switching meant for different kinds of enterprises and ISPs. Dell PowerConnect Switches, on the other hand, is a product for people who need smaller setups or individual switches, especially those looking for a cheaper product and basic switching, though you can also buy a complete suite packaged with the switches."

"On a scale of one to ten, if one means it is a cheap solution, and ten means it is a very expensive tool, I rate the product's price as seven. The tool is a bit pricey."

"If one is the cheapest price and ten is the most expensive, I rate the product price as an eight or nine. The tool is not cheap."

"Cheaper than its competitors"

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Arista Networks Platform?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?

Compared to Cisco, Arista routers are significantly cheaper. The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?

Arista Networks is currently less popular as they were initially more focused on data centers than campus networks. They should expand further into campus networks.

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Dell PowerConnect Switches have a VTL feature similar to Cisco's VSS. With VTL, using this technology, you can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerConnect Switches?

The solution is cheaper than Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Some proprietary commands available in Cisco are preferred by users accustomed to Cisco systems. These users might hesitate to switch because they want to continue using familiar commands and see t...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 21% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 10% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 7% of the time

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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 58% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 12% of the time

Dell PowerSwitch N-Series vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 9% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

HPE ProCurve vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 6% of the time

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform

March 2025

Download Arista Networks Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

March 2025

Download Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report

Also Known As

7000 Series

PowerConnect Switches

Overview

Arista Networks Platform is a stable and reliable solution for data center features, specifically for non-blocking switches used for spine-leaf connectivity with servers hooked to these switches. It also provides multi-layer switches for client networks, particularly in the banking sector.

Arista products are preferred for their stability, good hardware, ease of adoption and configuration, responsive and helpful support, and high throughput ratings. The solution has helped prevent screen loss and business outages in the media industry and is designed for next-generation data centers.

Arista

PowerConnect Switches family offers a set of flexible, manageable and comprehensive switch solutions supporting up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and optimized Internet iSCSI (iSCSI) performance with Dell Storage solutions, ideal for enterprise and campus LAN environments alike.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

American Internet Services

Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University

Buyer's Guide

Data Center Networking

February 2025

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