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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs HPE Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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

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
HPE Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
103
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 15.6%, down from 18.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Ethernet Switches is 2.4%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Q&A Highlights

AS
Jul 26, 2014
 

Featured Reviews

Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network security enhancement with sturdy switches despite high costs
The Cisco Ethernet switches are primarily used as regular core switches for networking, distribution, and access levels. We also utilize Cisco Wi-Fi, VPN, and Wi-Fi controllers The Cisco Ethernet switches have improved our network's security, ensuring it is 100% secure by not allowing any…
LuisSilva6 - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides ease of management and has an easy initial setup process
Primarily, we use the product for network and VLAN segmentation across our hospitality property. It forms the backbone of our network, providing connectivity to devices like TVs, phones, access points, and even electrical switches within guest rooms The product's most valuable feature is the ease…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"A stable product that is absolutely dependable."
"Technical support is excellent. They are very helpful."
"This product is widely available and the warranty is very good."
"The tool is easy to use, offering numerous options in terms of server connection."
"We don't need any support from Cisco since there are a lot of materials and training about Cisco available online. I feel Cisco's support is good."
"We use Cisco Ethernet Switches to configure VLANs in the VPN network."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco Ethernet Switches is their capacity."
"The brand name and the service support by Cisco are most valuable."
"The most valuable features of HPE Ethernet switches include configuring VLAN trunking and the overall ease of configuration."
"We also get a couple of reports about the user or connected devices for prioritization."
"They are affordable and very stable. They also have good performance."
"It's stable and performing well."
"I like that these switches are reliable, and the support is good."
"What I like the most is the management system integrated with the HP system."
"he stability is very good on this solution. There have been no bugs, glitches or crashes."
"A very robust solution."
 

Cons

"There is a need for improvement on the ordering and delivery side for Cisco Ethernet switches."
"Cisco can improve its stability for the BGP protocol. It is not stable while recalculating the BGP table. Its price should also be improved. It is very expensive."
"The solution should offer a method for user-based load balancing."
"In the case of an already existing network, we encounter technical issues related to following protocols."
"The price could be improved by being reduced."
"You do have to buy into the Cisco architecture to be able to use them."
"The price is an area with a shortcoming in the solution."
"The installation is difficult and requires further training documentations."
"In the next release, I would like to see them include more features like the Aruba solution, to have more possibilities concerning the software design."
"The next release would benefit from adding a central management that could be deployable on premise and allow you to see the layout of topology."
"We'd like better support for situations where we need troubleshooting."
"We would always be happier if the price were reduced."
"When we have a lot of clients on the system, we lose signal and have to restart our antenna."
"There is room for improvement in the update process, especially the web UI update process."
"The security of the solution always has room for improvement."
"The installation can be quite complex. However, that may not be the fault of HP and is rather more related to the way our infrastructure is arranged."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"Price is a pain point for us. We've lost a lot of bids, and the reason has been that we majorly quoted Cisco devices. Some of our competitors quoted other devices like Ubiquity or Microchip. Some even quoted this Chinese product TP-Link, and they won the bid over us because we quoted Cisco. Meanwhile, the major reason why we quoted Cisco is reliability and stability from day one. They also last longer. The prices could be worked on so that they become more affordable. We had to deploy a city-wide WiFi network, and we were working in conjunction with Google. Because of the price, even Google recommended a product called Ruckus, so we used Ruckus over Cisco. Its price and license were the main reasons. You have to pay to renew the license every year. Even though you also renew the licenses for Ruckus, but they are much cheaper than Cisco. So, while I would recommend Cisco any time, the trouble remains with the pricing."
"It is an expensive product."
"While Cisco's pricing can be a concern, particularly with support fees, its overall features and support community make it a solid choice."
"When we want an extra feature then we need to purchase another license bundle."
"It is expensive. There are additional costs besides the license cost."
"Not inexpensive. Price will vary widely depending on the chosen product and size of the deployment."
"The cost of the solution is by unit."
"HP switches are priced well."
"It would be great if certain features, like licensing, were included in the base price of the switches."
"The licensing cost is yearly, and there aren't any additional costs on top of the standard fee."
"We have to pay for a yearly license for HPE Ethernet Switches."
"The price could be more competitive."
"HPE Ethernet Switches is a fairly cheap solution."
"This is an expensive product."
"The price of the solution is expensive."
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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…
 

Answers from the Community

AS
Jul 26, 2014
Jul 26, 2014
We have used Zyxel and Netgear, Frankly the stability of Cisco, the scalability and ease of integration with other Vendors e.g VMware along with the training available make them far superior.
2 out of 9 answers
it_user110388 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 15, 2014
Hi When you buy something for Yourself using your Own money then you buy the product your utility plus approx 20% extra features and some extra money for brand. Now change the scenario when you are a I T manager in an organization then you buy as per your understanding Best whether exploring those best feature will take 10,years before the technology reaches to your device and moreover you are not paying from your pocket per se then what is the harm if some one says and appreciate that hey buddy you belong to High brand category. ROI & TCO is not their concern.
it_user98859 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 15, 2014
I have tried a few other vendors on the Ethernet switch market, especially HP, Huawei and SMC switches. Haven’t used Alcatel personally, but have had interesting feedback for them from colleagues. Regarding Cisco however, I believe there are three main reasons for it: 1) Integration on the “cisco environment”, with a structured offer from basic switches, up to multi-layer equipment, allowing a consistent platform all through the enterprise. 2) Management interface – ranging from graphic management (through local web interface, CiscoWorks modules, etc.), to CLI, with the Cisco IOS, provides great flexibility for remote management, configuration backup, and monitoring. 3) Expertise of in-house personnel – Both the training provided by Cisco itself, and the fact that Cisco has a strong base for the remaining network infrastructure (routers, and other network devices). There is also the issue that, sometimes, some mixed vendor environment can bring issues with 802.1q trunking (I’ve seen issues with HP Switches while having problems with a VLAN 1 on the HP mixing with a native VLAN on Cisco for instance…), and other proprietary protocols (CDP for instance) that can have implications with the way management or configuration is done… Also, in some cases, the use of other technologies that cisco has brought along over the years – Network access control, that interfaces with Cisco switches for instance, and the buildup of different interactions with other technologies, ends up creating a technical barrier on top of the barrier for change on things like: “our other 30 switches are Cisco, and now I’ll place another vendor one?”. And on that question, price is not likely to be the most important factor, but TCO, existing expertise, and applications running on the network (that need QoS for instance), and integration with existing monitoring, configuration management, and infrastructure, may be the most important factor on the decision…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Educational Organization
8%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What do you like most about HPE Ethernet Switches?
The solution is very stable and easy to use.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Ethernet Switches?
When compared to Cisco, Aruba is about 40% cheaper. However, Huawei would be even cheaper than Aruba. We can't compare HPE Ethernet Switches with Huawei directly because of different price ranges.
What needs improvement with HPE Ethernet Switches?
HPE Ethernet Switches have room for improvement in the initial setup and integration process, especially when incorporating them into an existing infrastructure with competitor products. It's a cha...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
HP Ethernet Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Emirates Palace Hotel
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. HPE Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
848,716 professionals have used our research since 2012.