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Senior Pre-sales consultant at Businesscom BV
Reseller
Professional support, scales well, simple to use, and suits many needs for many customers
Pros and Cons
  • "The support organization behind this product is extremely professional."
  • "Having a wizard for customers who are just starting might be helpful."

What is our primary use case?

We are a distributor and ExtremeCloud IQ is one of the products that we have experience with. It is primarily used by bigger companies in industries such as healthcare.

What is most valuable?

The support organization behind this product is extremely professional.

This is a product that suits the many needs of many customers.

We are happy with the interface.

What needs improvement?

First time users may find it difficult to get going into the right direction. After registering for a new CloudIQ, where to start. Some guidance would be helpful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with ExtremeCloud IQ for two years.

Buyer's Guide
ExtremeCloud IQ
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about ExtremeCloud IQ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's extremely stable. Most of the time, it works like a charm.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a very scalable product. It works fine with two or three access points, but also in an environment where you have hundreds or even thousands of them.

How are customer service and support?

We have had no issues with technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. If you want to have a straightforward network, it's extremely simple to set up.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is not the cheapest product but I think that the price is reasonable because you get a lot of support of it's needed. This is a professional access point.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

There are many alternatives that we evaluated, and we chose ExtremeCloud.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, we are definitely satisfied with this product. They are well ahead of what I want to see. Sometimes, when I think that a new feature might be nice, it's there already.

My advice for anybody who is looking at this product is that there may be a small barrier to getting started, but just jump over it and you will definitely be surprised by the simplicity of the whole product.

The autopilot version of Cloud IQ is coming, and it has a lot of artificial intelligence in it. It will handle jobs that the normal IT person does. You can just leave it alone, close the door and throw away the key.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Distributor
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Jr. IT Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Easy and consistent deployments allow for a seamless user experience and lowers the chances for administrative mistakes.

What is most valuable?

  • HiveManager has been a valuable tool to manage/troubleshoot Access Points, Branch Routers, and connected clients.
  • Easy and consistent deployments allow for a seamless user experience and lowers the chances for administrative mistakes.

How has it helped my organization?

We are able to provide wireless service while leveraging security mechanisms and utilizing some web filtering such as blocking torrent traffic.

What needs improvement?

  • Hivemanager NG does not support all devices.
  • Policy management - objects become tied together so you have to dismantle a policy to be able to delete it. They can not be renamed.
  • There are also configuration sections that require you to scroll through a list instead of just giving you an "edit" button.

For how long have I used the solution?

5 years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Deployment was smooth. Being able to use the planning tool helped create the layout for AP's in the building and the best signal coverage.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Generally no however there are 2 occasions that caused us some problems.

AP120 back on hivemanager 4 ran into a buffer issue where clients would just stop communicating even though they remained connected. This was a driver buffer overflow issue fixed with a newer firmware and AP121s.


We had issues on hivemanager 6 where the roaming capabilities between access points stopped working. Also fixed with an update provided by Aerohive.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No, we have many AP's and 100 branch routers. The hivemanager design makes it easy to add a new piece of hardware and just send an update with the existing policy to get it configured.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Customer service meets expectations however there is room for improvement. Sometimes the communication occurs via email and can try your patience.

Technical Support:

Technical support has declined in recent years. Fairly functional however much more difficult than in the past to get escalated to someone that can help investigate specific issues. There also may be language barriers that require someone else to relay information.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

No. We researched multiple vendors however the controller-less system and hivemanager capabilities won. Why is there a minimum character of 120 if the answer is No.

How was the initial setup?

Setup is fairly straightforward. Our initial deployment included using the Aerohive AP's to authorize radius requests which made it more complex for setup.

What about the implementation team?

In house, Hivemanager makes policy configuration and deployment simple enough that engineers were able to design and configure the initial settings and have support staff deploy the equipment.

What was our ROI?

We are able to increase employee productivity and provide guest internet services.

We no longer need ethernet ports/switches in the conference rooms.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Hardware is more expensive than a home router but there is a reason. In addition to the feature sets that hivemanager provides having a maintenance agreement allows us to provide better service to the end users.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Meraki/Aruba.

What other advice do I have?

Buy it!

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
ExtremeCloud IQ
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about ExtremeCloud IQ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,660 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user171972 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at a university with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
A bit pricey but worth it because of the features and support

Valuable Features

Since these APs are controller-less they are very dependable and easy to configure. Other features that add value to our institution include deployment planning tools, load-balancing, auto-channeling, auto-power, Cooperative Control Protocols, Firewalls, QoS, to mention a few.

Improvements to My Organization

Ease of use and features are its strongest points.

Room for Improvement

Sometimes, packing a wide array of feature into these APs might overtax them. They would benefit from creating more powerful APs (Processing-wise)

Use of Solution

4 years

Deployment Issues

We started with a small deployment of 300 APs in 2010. Our campus now has ~1400 and we plan to expand to 2000 in the next 2 years.

Stability Issues

When we installed the latest firmware versions on these APs, sometimes we encountered major/minor bugs that would force us to roll back until an appropriate patch was released. Also, with some bleeding-edge AC units we had some problems when they were under high client-loads were new clients would be unable to associate to the APs.

Scalability Issues

Not really. We simply had to buy a more powerful Hive Manager appliance when we went over the 1000 AP mark, but other than that, this product scales very easily.

Customer Service and Technical Support

Customer Service:

I would rate it at 10 out of 10 as their staff is very polite with customers.

Technical Support:

I would rate their TAC team at 9 out of 10 as some of their Tier 1 engineers needed more experience and/or training.

Initial Setup

The initial setup is very easy. the APs automatically find our local Hive Manager and make it very straight-forward to configure.

Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing

Day to day cost is minimal, as these APs don't fail very often. The initial setp was a bit pricey as well as our expansion (if you calculate at around $1200 per newly deployed AP, including wired lines)

Other Solutions Considered

I'd highly recommend this product if they're looking for feature-rich APs that are easy to deploy & manage.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user326337 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user326337Customer Success Manager at PeerSpot
Consultant

Hieu, what are your main use-cases for Aerohive?

See all 3 comments
Bharath Poovaiah - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Head at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Reseller
Excellent cloud management solution with quality data storage and other features not offered by other vendors
Pros and Cons
  • "ExtremeCloud offers features that not a lot of other vendors do like their data storage and the ability to swap licenses."
  • "I would like to see more security features such as NAC integrated to the solution. This would allow customers to be able to control all other users under one dashboard."

What is our primary use case?

We are partners and distributers for ExtremeCloud and we sell the solution to a lot of our customers. It is a cloud management solution that provides management and access control in a centralized environment with complete control over your network.

What is most valuable?

ExtremeCloud offers features that not a lot of other vendors do like their data storage and the ability to swap licenses.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more security features such as NAC integrated to the solution. This would allow customers to be able to control all other users under one dashboard.

I am excited for the SD-WAN pieces to be added as well but I believe that there are already plans for this to happen.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for the past seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product, I have not had any issues regarding stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The main reason why a lot of customers choose this solution is because of how scalable it is. You can scale as you grow by just adding more products.

How are customer service and support?

We have had good experiences with respect to support.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is easy for customers to use this product because they are able to interchange the license depending on their usage rather than having to buy individual licenses for each asset.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this product to anyone who does not have it.

I would rate it a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
it_user527943 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Admin at a engineering company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
Distributed networking with centralized management

What is most valuable?

Their distributed model - they call it cooperative control - rather than a controller-based system, has permitted a centralized management control plane with HiveManager while data flows just as it does over any LAN. They also have robust troubleshooting tools available.

How has it helped my organization?

We have been able to deploy complex wireless solutions to our users with minimal difficulty.

What needs improvement?

Aerohive's new version of HiveManager, known as NG, while offering new features, still needs development and an ability to migrate from "classic" versions of HiveManager.

NG is a step in the right direction towards both an improved interface (interface being a deficit noted by other reviewers) and SDN. After years of development on "classic" versions of HiveManager, NG is still a work in progress. As of 2016, they have yet to add support for their line of BR routers and CVG VPN Gateway to HM NG. HiveManager 6 is still required to centrally manage these devices. As a result, we are currently running both HM "classic" and NG in our environment.

I have been assured support is on the way, but other features, such as open API support, seem to be taking precedence in development.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used it since 2008.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

There have been minimal issues, usually when updating to new versions of Hive OS.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

One HiveOS release, we downgraded until the next revision was released.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have never hit a ceiling, although I feel confident we would have if a controller-based solution had been deployed.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

They have been very eager to please us.

Technical Support:

As with any other IT vendor I've worked with over 20 years, some are better than others. Again, they seem eager to please and resolve any issues we've encountered.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Symbol/Motorola. We switched due to scalability and management issues.

How was the initial setup?

It can be as simple or complex as you wish.

What about the implementation team?

An in-house team implemented it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Without needing to pay for controllers, we were able to invest in better wireless hardware. License and maintenance costs were minimal.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before choosing, we also evaluated Cisco, Aruba, Meru, Meraki, Ruckus, and Motorola.

What other advice do I have?

We integrated Aerohive into our Cisco-centric environment in 2008 and never looked back. Subsequently, when Aerohive offered other layer two devices, specifically switches, we opted to begin to upgrade our older Cisco access switches with Aerohive devices.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user527943 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user527943IT Admin at a engineering company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor

By downgrading to an older Hive OS, we do not feel we have missed out on improvements in the platform that would be critical to us. Although we view this as a temporary solution and will continue to test as newer versions are released.

See all 3 comments
PeerSpot user
Information Technology Associate at a library with 51-200 employees
Vendor
The controller-less device management, built-in captive web portal, and reporting are the most valuable features.

Valuable Features:

The controller-less device management, built-in captive web portal, and reporting.

Improvements to My Organization:

We moved from 6 individual consumer-grade APs to the Aerohives.  Keeping the devices up to date and obtaining usage info from them was a never ending ordeal.  I didn't have 1 controller to deal with I had 6.

Room for Improvement:

The reporting, while a great improvement, is limited, at least in my experience, to the preconfigured charts and templates for those charts.  Obtaining raw data from the Aerohive units for use in other applications requires Tech Support intervention.

The Charts are nice for the circumstances for which they are developed. We just happen to be slightly outside of that so we have to hand write the data to enter elsewhere. 

To start with I work at a Library watching and running reports on clients is not really in our best interest.  So  many of the charts don’t help much at all and only if we are making a presentation to the board or something like that.  Which doesn’t happen very often.

We are really just after usage numbers to justify the money being spent.  To be very specific all we need is the number of unique clients we get per day totaled up for the month.  There is one report that gives us a bar graph showing unique clients each day of the month.  However, since we can’t get those numbers in any other form we have to total them up by hand to get the total for the month.

Not very difficult I admit.  However, we need to do this every month for 7 different libraries.  It would save us several minutes on the first of each month if we could just pull a report that could sum up those numbers for us or transfer the numbers into a preconfigured spreadsheet and then just send that to each library.  The first of the month is typically so busy every extra minute helps.

I can also imagine where some places would not want graphs or charts at all, just the raw data.  They could then use the data they need in reports or other applications that they already use.

The way it is now is still do-able and much better than it was.  That was merely the only gripe I really had about Aerohive for which I have yet to find a resolution.  


Deployment Issues:

We've had no issues with deployment.

Stability Issues:

We've had no issues with stability.

Scalability Issues:

We've had no issues with scalability.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1989660 - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees
Real User
Reliable, easy to install, and technical support if helpful
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution's most valuable feature is its short deployment time."
  • "Pricing could be improved. It could be lower."

What is our primary use case?

I am not using it right now because I am an integrator working on projects for my customers.

ExtremeCloud IQ is used to manage many types of Extreme Network devices. Only Extreme Networks are used. WiFi access points, switches Switches, and wifi access points are the most common.

What is most valuable?

This solution's most valuable feature is its short deployment time. 

You can install certain equipment without it, but make it a template first and then connect the device. And the device will already be configured, after connecting to the internet.

What needs improvement?

Pricing could be improved. It could be lower.

In terms of technical features, there are a lot of them. I don't see the need for any new features at this time. It's a complete product.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with ExtremeCloud IQ for approximately a year and a half.

We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

From my perspective, ExtremeCloud IQ is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

ExtremeCloud IQ is very scalable.

As we were using it for testing purposes in our company, we had two or three people who were using this solution.

I am responsible for configuring and designing all the networking. 

I am the Solutions Architect, and I conduct the implementation as well.

How are customer service and support?

When you want assistance, the technical support team is both responsive and helpful.

I would rate their technical support a five out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I did not use any other solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy.

It took 30 minutes to deploy.

This solution can be maintained by one person.

What about the implementation team?

The installation was done in-house. We completed it ourselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am not involved in the price, but I am sure that it is not cheap. 

I am not responsible for the project's pricing. I can't tell you the numbers.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I don't have any experience with Cisco DNA Center, so I just wanted to confirm and compare the differences between Cisco DNA and the other solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely, recommend this product to others who are interested in using it.

I would rate ExtremeCloud IQ a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Level 3 Support Technician at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
I like the ability to connect unconfigured Branch Routers to the internet and they find there way back to our system so we can set them up.

What is most valuable?

The ability to connect unconfigured Branch Routers to the internet and they find there way back to our system so we can set them up. The way Access points work together to hand users off when moving around building so they never lose connection

How has it helped my organization?

With the Branch Router able to be factory reset and still able to be connected to internet and it finds its way to our system allows us to get sites back online with out having to configure a new device and ship it to them for longer down times.

What needs improvement?

The web UI could be designed for more organization for the administrators and maybe a more customization for the views.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Aerohive for over 5 years while the company I work for has had it for longer.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Was not here when deployed for the first time. When we deployed at other sites we recently acquired we had no issues.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have run into some stability with older firmware on Access Points but that is very rare usually there is a update that fixes it or we roll back if it an update issue.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

So far no issues have come up with scalability. we have installed these in around 40 nursing homes and they are working great.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

3 out of 5, depending on the technician you get some want to troubleshoot over email other will actually call or ask you to call them.

Technical Support:

3 out of 5, majority of the issues we report they want us to factory reset which was already done and o the basic troubleshooting which I have already done.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I came onboard with company using this system so we have not even looked at any other systems or even had another system at the time

How was the initial setup?

Setup seems to be pretty straightforward, I was not here for initial setup that was handle by other techs. Setups I have done have been very simple and straight forward.

What about the implementation team?

I was not here when this was implemented for the first time. have not worked with a vendor team or in house team. When troubleshooting issues been working with Aerohive directly.

What was our ROI?

That I am not sure about our ROI, but these devices have held up very well and with how old some of these devices are (4 or more years old) they're still working.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't handle pricing or licensing. Some of the devices seem pricey but quality seems to be top notch because we don't have devices coming back to be returned all the time.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Was not apart of team that was choosing wireless options at the time. Have not even heard or seen any other wireless system that was before this.

What other advice do I have?

This system has been very decent system and has held up through the 5 years I have been here. I believe we will continue to use Aerohive when we go to upgrade.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user