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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 (13th), Data Center Networking (5th)
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

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"As a reseller and partner of Arista, the biggest advantages of Arista Networks Platform are ease of use, ease of configuration, and excellent support from Arista in terms of configuration."
"The product's implementation phase was easy."
"If someone uses Arista Networks Platform, I believe they are secured."
"The feedback from customers using Arista Networks Platform APs that we deployed has positively impacted our organization, as they have provided good service and a good customer experience compared to what they used before."
"I find the operational system used by Arista to be very valuable, and the hardware is exceptionally nice. Arista has a unified operational system called EOS that is easy to set up and replicate on other devices. The ease of configuration and transition between devices is a significant advantage for me."
"The most valuable features of Arista include low latency, scalability, and sustainability of the products."
"It's an extremely reliable platform for the network switches we use."
"PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory."
"The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time."
"This solution comes with a lifetime warranty."
"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."
"The most valuable features are the jumbo frames and the stacking."
"The solution’s technical support is good."
"The most valuable feature is stability."
"When the price is competitive the customers tend to choose the cheaper brand and then look at the features. So having a competitive price is a plus."
 

Cons

"They need to enhance their code and their EOS. They need to improve some security features, and there are quite a number of bugs in their system. So, they need to work on that piece. In the next release, we need to have a modular feature. Instead of providing an integrated solution, they should go for something modular. They need to come up with modular highly scalable models. Even at the chassis layer, I want to see some improvement."
"A weakness would be that in our company, we don't have many people within our team who support the product because there are different vendors, and most of them are not tier-one vendors, so the skills required sometimes are just not there."
"The solution’s pricing could be better."
"They should expand further into campus networks."
"The overall price of the Arista Networks Platform is expensive. It should be reduced."
"The intent-based networking management, together with the provider of these solutions that are already free, would be beneficial."
"I want the solution to include a unified controller."
"The solution is a bit pricey."
"A user can take care of the product's installation part, but it may not seem to be an easy process."
"Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware."
"We've only been using the solution for half a year. We haven't run into any issues, but maybe over time, that may change. It's too soon to tell. Offhand, there aren't any features that are lacking."
"The CLI for Dell PowerConnect Switches is sometimes confusing, especially with the LAN, but for the GUI it is simple."
"An area for improvement would be that it's very hard to configure if you're not familiar with the UI or CLI of the product. The UI itself could also be improved."
"I would like to see better scalability and more features on these switches in the future."
"It would be great to have modules that integrate with SDN solutions such as Cisco ACI, Arista SDN, Huawei Agile, and IBM."
"I can't think of what we would want in the next release."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Network devices are generally expensive. However, during the evaluation, Arista was the most inexpensive vendor."
"It is pretty pricey for a networking platform. It is on par with Cisco."
"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."
"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."
"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten where ten is high price and one is low price."
"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."
"The initial cost was high but since they have lasted for over ten or twenty years they are worth it."
"The product is cheaper than Cisco and licensing is yearly. We have to pay additional costs for support."
"I would rate the pricing as a seven or eight."
"Cheaper than its competitors"
"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."
"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."
"The solution is less expensive and more cost-efficient."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
10%
University
9%
Energy/Utilities Company
9%
 

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 do you like most about Arista Networks Platform?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
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 have not had any issues with Arista Networks Platform in terms of improvements. I would only advise that they should dive deeper into the Nigerian market and make it easily accessible.
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, Juniper and others in Data Center Networking. Updated: February 2026.
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