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Arista Networks Platform vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (12th), Data Center Networking (4th)
Dell PowerConnect Switches ...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Nimit Puvar - PeerSpot reviewer
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Automation and visibility have simplified data center operations and improved network control
I see some areas for improvement, particularly with pricing. I think that not all features that are needed are already in Arista. AI power is required nowadays. AI would be needed for understanding data traffic flowing in my network. Sometimes I have a vision of what data traffic is flowing in my network and I want to capture that data. Using AI, I can understand how my entire organization operates and what kind of applications are being used, what the peak times are, where there is a bottleneck if any exists. This kind of report should automatically generate and provide clear-cut visibility.
LarsEvans - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Technology Officer / Chief Information Security Officer at Lorton Data, Inc.
Reliable and useful for network segmentation
The solution's most valuable feature stands up well. The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time. I think if you speak about the features that have a flow and you can measure, it is hard to say. I don't spend a lot of my time with the tool, but I know that Dell APEX is the solution's cloud. I would say the VLAN features are important. The VLAN features are really useful because network segmentation is important. I would say the tool is easy to program. I don't know if the tool has any security features that I am aware of other than the fact that the solution is for networking. The VLAN and the ability to segment your networks are easy, which is its security feature.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's an extremely reliable platform for the network switches we use."
"Arista Networks Platform offers straightforward deployment, and has good features."
"Technical support has been very good."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"The product's implementation phase was easy."
"Arista Networks Platform is comfortable, easy to deploy, and easy to manage, with non-blocking technology, and it has a useful CloudVision platform and automation capabilities."
"We use Arista products not only because they are so stable, easy to adopt and configure, but also because they have high throughput ratings (e.g. 40 / 100 / 400 gigabits), making them very scalable."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Its throughout and compatibility are the most valuable."
"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."
"We have these switches installed in an environment with hardware from many other vendors, and so far, so good."
"PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory."
"Their support has been excellent, and it has been quite stable and easy to set up."
"It's easy to set up. We can put it in production in a couple of minutes."
"The support is just so good that there is no reason to re-evaluate because of the impact on the trust structure of operations."
"Dell PowerConnect Switches are easy to configure and fully integrate into our Cisco switches without any problem."
 

Cons

"The solution needs to accommodate new features."
"Something that you will often hear about Arista products is that the price is a bit too high and, like with Cisco, we sometimes have problems with our customers because of its pricing."
"Something that you will often hear about Arista products is that the price is a bit too high and, like with Cisco, we sometimes have problems with our customers because of its pricing."
"In my opinion, the solution for network monitoring is quite expensive."
"I know that Arista is more expensive than the Catalyst or Nexus."
"They should expand further into campus networks."
"My company does face issues in terms of interoperability when it comes to the product, making it an area that needs to be fixed."
"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."
"I do not like this solution. It runs ok but we have had problems."
"The configuration should be improved."
"The CLI for Dell PowerConnect Switches is sometimes confusing, especially with the LAN, but for the GUI it is simple."
"Because of the stackings, you lose some boards and the two switches."
"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."
"Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware."
"I would like to see better scalability and more features on these switches in the future."
"The product needs to improve in terms of reports and backups."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is pretty pricey for a networking platform. It is on par with Cisco."
"There is an annual license required to use the Arista Networks Platform."
"Arista Networks Platform was cheaper than Cisco. I have heard that the product is affordable for enterprise-sized companies."
"The price of the Arista Networks Platform could be less expensive for the hardware and license."
"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."
"Arista is very expensive. Not everybody is in a position to spend $70,000 to $80,000 for one switch."
"Network devices are generally expensive. However, during the evaluation, Arista was the most inexpensive vendor."
"The product is cheaper than Cisco and licensing is yearly. We have to pay additional costs for support."
"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."
"Inexpensive"
"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."
"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."
"I would rate the pricing as a seven or eight."
"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."
"Its price is okay. Sometimes, it is lower than a Cisco solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Construction Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?
I do not handle the pricing for Arista Networks Platform as other departments handle the costing. I am a network engineer in my company.
What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?
I see some areas for improvement, particularly with pricing. I think that not all features that are needed are already in Arista. AI power is required nowadays. AI would be needed for understanding...
What is your primary use case for Arista Networks Platform?
We are still using Arista Networks Platform as system integrators. We sold the product and my customer is using this product. Mostly we sold Arista Networks Platform in data centers where customer ...
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.
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...
 

Also Known As

7000 Series
PowerConnect Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Internet Services
Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Dell Technologies, Arista and others in Data Center Networking. Updated: March 2026.
886,077 professionals have used our research since 2012.