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Aruba Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Aruba Switches support varies; some find quick and helpful service, while others report slow responses or regional inconsistencies.
Sentiment score
6.5
Cisco Ethernet Switches customer service is efficient and reliable, though occasionally slow, especially for complex issues.
It takes two to three days for Cisco support to address issues.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
4.5
Aruba Switches need better network access, stability, user interface, documentation, integration, and security, with management and pricing improvements.
Sentiment score
4.7
Cisco Ethernet Switches are criticized for high costs, complexity, and compatibility issues, with calls for improved support and features.
Improving the distribution network across regions would be beneficial.
The pricing and hardware warranty renewal costs are more expensive than other products.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Aruba Switches are praised for scalability, flexibility, and adaptability, supporting various configurations while enabling seamless integration and future growth.
Sentiment score
8.5
Cisco Ethernet Switches are globally preferred for their resilience, scalability, modular integration, despite cost and configuration challenges.
I would rate the scalability of the product an eight out of ten.
The latest products do not allow integration with the earlier environment.
 

Setup Cost

Sentiment score
4.7
Aruba Switches are generally more affordable than Cisco, with competitive pricing and simpler licensing, although costs can vary.
Sentiment score
5.4
Cisco Ethernet Switches are costly but valued for reliability; competitors like HPE offer cheaper alternatives, influencing budget-focused buyers.
The pricing of some products, such as the 6300M switch, is considered a significant cost.
Cisco Ethernet switches are priced at a rating of nine, indicating they are expensive.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Aruba Switches are highly rated for their stability and reliability, performing well with minimal issues and no crashes.
Sentiment score
8.9
Cisco Ethernet Switches are praised for their reliability, durability, and stable performance, scoring high in user satisfaction ratings.
I have sites that have been running for many years with no issues.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
7.8
Aruba Switches offer easy deployment, robust management, high reliability, scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness, integrating well with ClearPass.
Sentiment score
8.3
Cisco Ethernet Switches are valued for reliability, scalability, power-saving features, advanced security, and efficient management with user-friendly interfaces.
In the hotel sector, IGMP 3 is particularly valuable for IPTV.
The Cisco Ethernet switches are sturdy products that do not require any kind of maintenance.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
81
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
132
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 13.3%, up from 12.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 19.3%, down from 20.1% 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.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
816,816 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

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
8%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
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 needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
The power supplies are generally susceptible to power fluctuations and failure due to these fluctuations.
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: October 2024.
816,816 professionals have used our research since 2012.