Cisco Nexus vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the LAN Switching category. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Cisco Nexus

Read 104 Cisco Nexus reviews

1,998 Views
1,448 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Read 34 Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] reviews

90% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Nexus and Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others in LAN Switching.

To learn more, read our detailed LAN Switching Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

LAN Switching

December 2024

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Helped 824,053 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Nexus

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

104

Ranking in other categories

LAN Switching (2nd), Data Center Networking (3rd)

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

Joe Benítez

Systems Engineer at GAD Municipal de Guayaquil

Offer high performance capabilities and enables efficient data transmission and processing

Before Nexus, I used to have Catalyst 6500 switches. Those 6500 series chassis gave us a lot of problems. Too many problems, actually. And we had a Cisco ASA firewall blade within those chassis. And they were running outdated software. So, in fact, it was the firewall blade that caused us too many problems instead of the chassis. The chassis itself was working well and performing fine, but the firewall card was not suitable for our needs. That was one aspect. Additionally, those chassis had been in operation for more than five years. As we are a local government, we have a policy to renew hardware every five years. That's because we need to maintain all the hardware and software in the latest versions and keep up with the technology lifecycle of the technology we use.

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Hasan Haseeb

Senior Network Engineer at accrets

Excellent support, good pricing, and easy setup

I expect it to be a zero-touch or a plug-and-play device. To some extent, it is, but we need to know the architecture, and we need to know what exactly we are doing. It is not so easy to implement. It depends on what exactly we are doing and it is still not a plug-and-play or zero-touch device. In the upcoming version, they can make it zero-touch, where we can just power it on and start using it. They can have some templates for different scenarios, such as when you are using it for the data center or adding it to your existing infrastructure.

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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

"The most valuable feature of this solution is stability. We have a pretty large campus."

"It's easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is to segregate the network."

"We have found that logical tenant segregation to be the most useful feature."

"Its low latency is most valuable. Its performance is good, and it is also very stable."

"The setup was very easy, but managing it in operations was very complex."

"The interface is easy to use. It is not much different from iOS, but you can use it on a larger scale in data centers."

"It has improved our organization because we have aggregated ports, we're able to put multiple agencies on the multiple different interfaces that we have going there. We're able to separate them out with the use of VLANs and whatnot."

More Cisco Nexus pros

"This solution comes with a lifetime warranty."

"Dell PowerConnect Switches are very easy to configure with the GUI. Dell supports the solution even though it has been discontinued."

"This is a very reliable solution."

"The tool is very user-friendly, with features catering to beginners and advanced users. For beginners, there are models with interactive and easy-to-navigate GUIs that aid in initial deployment and updates. For advanced users, there is the option to use the CLI."

"The features I've found most valuable are that the product is very easy to configure and inexpensive."

"The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time."

"The technology is good and the interface is simple. We haven't had any bugs, disconnections or delays."

"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerConnect Switches for me is the throughput. I also like that the product has more compatibility with Dell infrastructure, especially with EMC and new generation Dell servers. Dell PowerConnect Switches can also easily integrate with Dell servers, and this is another pro."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

Cons

"The interface integration of Cisco Nexus with AI can be improved for better infrastructure management."

"My only complaint is that not all of the ports on it are enabled from the start."

"Overall, I wish it was a more intuitive OS."

"The initial setup was somewhat complex."

"The price could be better."

"There are too many different model numbers and too much complexity."

"There is limited guidance in terms of the use and configuration of Cisco Nexus for specific use cases. The documentation is not comprehensive, and you have to do a lot of online research."

"I would like to see better collaboration with other, low-end devices."

More Cisco Nexus cons

"The product's infrastructure and connectivity features need improvement."

"I would like to see better scalability and more features on these switches in the future."

"The product needs to improve in terms of reports and backups."

"A big issue with this product is that when our customer migrated the data center, one cluster blocked the whole network and because we had a new approach, some commands were not compatible with the new version."

"The CLI for Dell PowerConnect Switches is sometimes confusing, especially with the LAN, but for the GUI it is simple."

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

"The solution could provide more integration to focus on targeting the network as a whole rather than a unified environment. It is meant for a built environment, so integration with other third-party vendors will likely be necessary."

"Their hardware is not reliable, it's faulty."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is very expensive. Its licensing is on a yearly basis."

"Our licensing fees are approximately $2,000 USD per year."

"We have a virtual license."

"Cisco's licensing structures can be complex across different technologies, for example, unified communications."

"We consider Juniper switches to be more affordable."

"Cisco Nexus is not a cheaply priced product."

"The solution is relatively expensive when compared with Cisco Catalyst."

"Every Cisco product is more expensive than competitors on the market, which is just a fact, but from my perspective, it is worth it."

More Cisco Nexus pricing and cost advice

"If you want to purchase a new Dell PowerConnect Switch, you will pay up to $1,600, but I bought them used. I bought the four Dell PowerConnect Switches that I used for $1,000."

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

"Its price is okay. Sometimes, it is lower than a Cisco solution."

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

"The solution is less expensive and more cost-efficient."

"I would rate the pricing as a seven or eight."

"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."

"Inexpensive"

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

26%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

17%

Government

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Nexus?

The product's initial setup phase is very easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Nexus?

Cisco pricing is at the same level as many competitors, however, due to competition, they sometimes lower prices and offer large discounts.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Nexus?

Cisco's security features are in line with other OEMs, however, for data center security in terms of layer seven security, we prefer to have different OEMs rather than relying solely on Cisco.

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

Juniper QFX Series Switches vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 43% of the time

Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 22% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 18% of the time

ExtremeSwitching vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 4% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Nexus Competitors

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 58% of the time

Arista Networks Platform vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 8% 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 7% of the time

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus

December 2024

Download Cisco Nexus product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

December 2024

Download Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report

Also Known As

No data available

PowerConnect Switches

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Cisco

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Dell Technologies

Overview

The Cisco Nexus family of switches is designed to meet the stringent requirements of the next-generation data center. Not simply bigger or faster, these switches offer the following characteristics: infrastructure that can be scaled cost-effectively and that helps you increase energy, budget, and resource efficiency, transport that can navigate the transition to 10 Gigabit Ethernet and unified fabric and can also handle architectural changes such as virtualization, Web 2.0 applications, and cloud computing and operational continuity to meet your need for an environment where system availability is assumed and maintenance windows are rare if not totally extinct.

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.

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins

Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others in LAN Switching. Updated: December 2024.

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We monitor all LAN Switching reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.