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Aruba Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 13.5%, up from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 18.9%, down from 20.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Michael-Sugg - PeerSpot reviewer
As a managed service provider, it's important to have a solution that can manage everything from one console
There are some growing pains with Aruba Central. When you first launch the wireless access points or switches, a lot of updates are needed to get Aruba Central ready, especially on the access points, so the initial deployment time could improve. I would hope that I could just turn it on and leave the updates until later on. The switches themselves probably did okay. I'm primarily referring to the wireless access points. There was a lot of back and forth before everything was in sync. It took hours. I can't think of any missing features, but it would be nice if there were a free version of Aruba Central for my small business clients that doesn't have as many features.
Ronald Van Rees - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers a power stacking feature and enhances port speed with impressive stability
The vendor is presently working with large digital network architectures and additional software, as it is now willing to become a software-focused company instead of a hardware one. Cisco Ethernet Switches presently provide two options, either the user can utilize the basic features or the advanced software. Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately for an extensive period of three or five years. As part of the advanced features in the solution, there is Digital Network Architecture (DNA) that provides insights, multiple dashboards and monitoring capabilities over Nexus and Catalyst switches from Cisco. Sometimes, customers need to buy features for Cisco Ethernet Switches that they do not require or use. The basic switches like the C1000 from the vendor don't have the DNA feature, but advanced version switches like Cisco Ethernet Switches have made the add-on purchases mandatory to avail certain features, which makes it difficult for several users.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The cloud configuration is the most valuable feature of this solution. Watching in the cloud, propagating the actual devices themselves and the management of devices that are remote."
"It is slightly more price effective than Juniper and it has a slightly larger range."
"The most valuable feature is the security that these switches provide."
"Aruba Central is valuable."
"The most valuable feature of Aruba Switches is security."
"We like that it is very easy to manage the product through the cloud."
"Aruba is very easy to use, the GUI is very good and the command line is quite similar to Cisco, so it is very easy to configure."
"It allows us to manage the switches through the cloud, which is good."
"The layer-2 switching is very fast."
"The solution offers great bandwidth and speed."
"This solution is overall a high-grade solution compared to others."
"I'm satisfied with Cisco switches. It's stable and beautiful."
"Cisco switches have several valuable features like VLAN mapping. We seldom use that, but we find the security configurations helpful, like high availability with trading port channels and MAC filtering."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco Ethernet Switches is their capacity."
"The product offers very good customer support. It's likely the best in the industry."
"Technical support is excellent. They are very helpful."
 

Cons

"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."
"We have had problems with the cooling fans on these switches."
"It's a little less convenient for more simplified management needs."
"The element of security always can be improved. If the solution continues to improve its security functionality, it will continue to be a great product."
"I would like to see easier learning and configuration from previous switch deployments."
"Aruba Switches could improve the monitoring and increase the scope of their online portal to cover cloud and on-premise deployments."
"The software materials could be improved."
"The delivery time for this product is slow and is something that needs to be improved."
"The current state of Cisco Ethernet Switches leaves room for improvement, particularly in regard to central management and security. While they possess the capability to function as owners of Layer Two, they fall short in regard to security awareness. While there are some supplementary products available that can provide additional security measures, such as the deployment of virtual machines, these solutions are external and not integrated within the switch itself. For this reason, Cisco Ethernet switches could benefit from incorporating the same centralized management and security features as other companies, such as Fortinet, offer in their FortiSwitches. By being aware of potential threats such as MAC spoofing and ARP poisoning, the switch can provide a more comprehensive level of security."
"Up to a certain network size, it is easy to scale, but after that, it becomes difficult."
"We've had hardware problems like SSDs, ports, networking, things like that."
"The product could improve in the area of simulated switches."
"It could be cheaper, especially the DNA license. One DNA license is around $3,000 for a three-year contract."
"I don't like that you have to have a license of 10 years to use the switch. I don't understand that policy."
"Cisco products are expensive compared to any other solution. Now, there are many competitors that give the same level of services - such as Juniper or Aruba."
"An area for improvement in Cisco Ethernet Switches is its command-line interface. It works differently than expected if you want to do some implementation. However, it works if it's a simple integration."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is not a switch that I would give more than six out of ten for pricing because, over the last year, the prices have been increasing very high."
"Our customers may want better pricing but we are a reseller and a partner, and the pricing that we get is good."
"Aruba Switches are less expensive than Cisco."
"The cost depends on the requirement. An extensive network will expand the budget. The price will be lower if there is a small requirement of one to ten switches. In comparison, Aruba is less costly than Cisco by about 10-20%."
"Aruba switches work without a license."
"The product is a bit expensive."
"I don't know the exact cost of the licensing, but based on what I have heard from my sales team, Aruba is affordable. Aruba switches are cheaper than the switches from Cisco and other vendors."
"The pricing is perfect."
"Its price is very high, but it is a good device. Cisco must work on its price. Other solutions provide a better price for similar functionalities."
"The product is very expensive"
"Users have to pay an annual licensing fee for Cisco Ethernet Switches, which is expensive."
"Price-wise, Cisco Ethernet Switches is a product that falls a little bit on the expensive side."
"Cisco is quite expensive. In our market, a lot of customers are forced to go with something else because they cannot afford a brand-new Cisco even though they know a Cisco switch will be more reliable."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"When we want an extra feature then we need to purchase another license bundle."
"The solution is not too expensive."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Switches?
Most Aruba Switches come with a one-time licensing fee, and we pay for support annually. The pricing of some products, such as the 6300M switch, is considered a significant cost.
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
There are issues with the distribution side of Aruba Switches. For instance, the distributor in our country cannot sell to neighboring countries, creating complications in project execution. Improv...
Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
 

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Linz AG
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. Cisco Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
825,399 professionals have used our research since 2012.