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

3,332 Views
2,446 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: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Data Center Networking

March 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

"It is very stable. It has good hardware and very stable code. It provides good value for its price. They are a very lean type of organization, so they are very responsive, and they're able to focus more on their platform versus having multiple products out there."

"Arista's customer service is excellent."

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

"We find the CloudVision switching feature of this solution really useful."

"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."

"Arista Networks Platform offers straightforward deployment, and has good features. Support for the platform is also good."

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

"Arista Networks offers similar features to Cisco."

More Arista Networks Platform pros

"PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory."

"It's easy to set up. We can put it in production in a couple of minutes."

"There is high reliability since we have used them for close to twenty years and only had possibly one failure."

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

"Dell offers very good support."

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

"The most valuable feature is its ability to multitask."

"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."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

Cons

"The product fails to offer functions related to cloud orchestration, making it in areas where improvements are required."

"The solution needs to accommodate new features."

"Currently, Arista is too costly for its customers."

"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 overall price of the Arista Networks Platform is expensive. It should be reduced."

"They should have a more stable code."

"The solution’s pricing could be better."

"The intent-based networking management, together with the provider of these solutions that are already free, would be beneficial."

More Arista Networks Platform cons

"The one issue you face in the industry there is always some planned obsolescence in these switches."

"The IOS software that is used on the switches could be improved."

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

"More stable firmware releases would be an improvement because we have had them randomly power on and off."

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

"It would be great to have modules that integrate with SDN solutions such as Cisco ACI, Arista SDN, Huawei Agile, and IBM."

"What's lacking in Dell PowerConnect Switches is SD-WAN integration, and this is what needs to be improved in it. All enterprises now move towards SD-WAN infrastructure, and because Dell PowerConnect Switches don't currently support SD-WAN, the product would be replaced, considered a secondary switch, or linked up to a different switch. Integration or support for SD-WAN is what I'd like to see in the next version of Dell PowerConnect Switches."

"Scalability, especially with the power connect series is something that you have to take into account before starting the project because any changes to an ongoing project can be difficult."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten where ten is high price and one is low price."

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

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

"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."

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

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

"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."

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

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 solution is less expensive and more cost-efficient."

"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."

"This solution is much cheaper than comparable products by Cisco."

"The price of these switches is okay."

"The product has a low price for the features it provides."

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

"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."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

10%

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?

Arista products are perceived as costly, especially compared to competitors like Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?

Currently, Arista is too costly for its customers. Feature-wise, it addresses most customer requirements. However, we sometimes face challenges when integrating with proprietary protocols and solut...

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 10% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 59% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

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

Compared 7% 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

March 2025

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