HPE Ethernet Switches Reviews, Competitors and Pricing

CTO at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Aug 21, 2014

Converging our voice and data networking reduced costs, improved responsiveness to customers and achieved fast ROI.

Here at ECS, we provide business-critical technology solutions for Fortune 500 and mid-level companies. We are an HP Elite Partner that also uses HP solutions to optimize our own business efficiency. Recently, we replaced an outdated voice network with an end-to-end networking and telephony service from the HP and Microsoft Frontline Partnership. The results include lower costs, better internal collaboration and enhanced customer service.

Networking and telephony services are critical – our company’s highly mobile field sales team travels and needs to collaborate quickly and easily with customers as well as with colleagues at our headquarters. We were challenged by an 18-year-old voice and voicemail solution that had grown costly and difficult to maintain. The telephone system, discrete from our data network, was supported by analogue T-1 PRI voice circuits with high monthly voice network charges from a nationwide telecommunications provider.

We sought a more cost-effective IP telephony solution to replace the existing telecommunications system. We needed a proven solution to replace our legacy voice and voicemail system that would ensure our customer communication would continue without disruption. We also wanted to provide our employees with additional capabilities not present in our traditional phone system.

We aimed to convergeour legacy voice system onto our current, highly available HP data network; unify multiple voicemail systems into the company’s Microsoft® Exchange 2010 cluster; and eliminate use of costly third-party Web and audio conferencing tools. In searching for a new solution, we wanted full integration capability with Microsoft® Office; high resilience and performance; sufficient capacity to support IP telephony and other applications; and scalability to support growth.

We considered IP telephony solutions from Avaya, Cisco and others but found them expensive and lacking functionality. We chose HP and Microsoft Unified Communications and Collaboration with Microsoft® Lync™ Instant Messaging, Presence, Web Conferencing and Converged Voice.

Through their worldwide Frontline Partnership, HP and Microsoft have designed and engineered this solution to work seamlessly. We trust the HP/Microsoft Frontline Partnership to provide fully engineered and tested solutions, supported by two outstanding vendors.

The backbone of our end-to-end networking and telephony solution is HP Converged Infrastructure, which brings together server, HP Converged Storage and networking resources with holistic management tools.

We leveraged our existing HP infrastructure with modest additional investments in a third HP ProLiant DL380 Server, a minor upgrade to HP Networking 2910 PoE Switches, and HP 4120 IP phones. The environment runs on Microsoft Windows® 2008 and is virtualized with VMware® vSphere software in a DRS cluster on the ProLiant servers. HP StoreVirtual 4000 Storage provides robust storage with a three-node, scale-out iSCSi cluster; HP Data Protector Software with Veeam backup; an HP StoreEver MSL Tape Library; and HP UPS power protection. HP Intelligent Management Center (IMC) software provides end-to-end management. In addition to Lync, this infrastructure runs all our business applications including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server® and, soon, Microsoft SharePoint®, for approximately 30 workers.

The new communications system simplifies how everyone here works. Frequently on the road, instead of punching in long conference line data I hit “join now” on my smartphone application for fast connections to branded conferences.

At customer sites, I use my HP Spectre Notebook PC for Web Conferencing and Instant Messaging. The Frontline solution improves customer service and enhances internal collaboration—all at a cost of less than half the previous service. We expect to achieve Return on Investment (ROI) in less than two years.

We were able to add capacity to our existing HP Converged Infrastructure to accommodate the new Lync environment. This simple expansion of our virtual environment had the added benefit of providing for a highly- available telephony solution. We then could collapse our separate voice and data networks into single-provider network that provided us with a lower cost solution to meet our overall communications requirements. Our team is rarely in the office together during the day. The HP and Microsoft Unified Communications solution allows us to collaborate very effectively whether in the office, mobile or remote.

Disclosure: PeerSpot has made contact with the reviewer to validate that the person is a real user. The information in the posting is based upon a vendor-supplied case study, but the reviewer has confirmed the content's accuracy.

it_user137460

Head of Technical Services with 51-200 employees

Jul 23, 2014

Takes away a lot of the manual labor by allowing us to identify and block threats and enable secure BYOD

Our K-12 school has an extensive campus which hosts 250 faculty and 1500 students, with over 240 students living in boarding houses. Our senior students and faculty members each have a school-provided laptop, while also allowing BYOD access to the network in boarding houses, and throughout the campus for select users.

Our IT team faced numerous security challenges associated with allowing unmanaged devices onto the network. We needed a solution that could accurately and reliably prevent and report threats to the network, no matter who the user or what the device is. Despite implementing measures such as installing local antivirus software on the school-owned machines and intrusion prevention on the firewall, our team was still bogged down with hours of manually identifying and eliminating network threats such as botnets, spyware, and malware—issues that were also impacting student and faculty productivity.

When we approached HP with our challenges, HP delivered the Network Protector SDN Application to identify and block network threats and enable secure BYOD. HP Network Protector Security, running on the HP Virtual Application Networks SDN Controller, enables automated network posture assessment and real-time security across OpenFlow-enabled network devices such as switches.

One of the concerns with implementing an SDN solution is knowing where to start. We were able to implement an SDN solution quickly because of our investment in OpenFlow-enabled hardware. We were able to take advantage of the Network Protector SDN solution by downloading a free software upgrade for our existing switches to enable OpenFlow, eliminating the need for a costly rip-and-replace of our network infrastructure.

Network Protector leverages the Virtual Application Networks SDN Controller and OpenFlow to program the network infrastructure with security intelligence from the TippingPoint RepDV Labs database. This effectively turns the entire network infrastructure into security-enforcement devices, providing unprecedented threat protection and visibility.

We installed the solution during a school break, and saw instant results when students and faculty returned. Immediately, thousands of threats were automatically identified and blocked by HP Network Protector, and our IT team was able to proactively address network vulnerabilities.

HP Network Protector takes away a lot of the manual labor that we used to do; we now know exactly where the infections are and how many there are—we can detect threats and respond in a proactive manner. That saves us hours of work every week.

We use Network Protector to help us with challenges around sites like Facebook, which are a distraction during class. With the DNS Blacklist feature, we restrict access to websites like that, which encourages the staff and students to engage more with one another during class. It’s hard for us to measure the return on investment that we’ve had with HP Network Protector, but there’s no doubt that it gives us the power to help staff and students be more productive in the classroom; and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all about.

Buyer's Guide

HPE Ethernet Switches

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Hoang Nguyen Pham Duc

Presales Engineer at Elite Technologies Jsc

Jul 28, 2022

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Easy to use for switch management and provides great performance

Pros and Cons

"The performance is great."

"The solution could be more stable."

What is our primary use case?

It's easy to use for switch management. There are about 15 people using this solution in my company.

What is most valuable?

The performance is great.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be more stable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for more than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable, but it could be better.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable.

How are customer service and support?

My company is an authorized support center of Aruba and HP, so we provide the customer and technical support.

How was the initial setup?

It's easy to install. It took one day to deploy on site.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution nine out of ten.

I would recommend this solution for those who are interested in using it.

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

reviewer1567812

Senior Manager, Information Technology at a university with 201-500 employees

Jan 12, 2022

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Some of the best features are the interface and configuration

Pros and Cons

"The most valuable features of this solution are the interface and configuration. It's very easy to use."

"The only improvement I can think of is that it could be better with less updates."

What is our primary use case?

We use HPE Ethernet Switches for network switching.

This solution is deployed on-premise.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of this solution are the interface and configuration. It's very easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The only improvement I can think of is that it could be better with less updates.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with HPE Ethernet Switches for more than 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The performance is fine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is easily scalable.

In my organization, there are maybe 200 end users of this solution.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is really good. They're fast, knowledgeable, and customer-ready.

How was the initial setup?

The installation took one hour, and I was involved in the process. For deployment, we had a team of two engineers.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution through an in-house team.

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

There are no licensing costs for this solution. It's lifetime, so it's okay.

What other advice do I have?

I rate HPE Ethernet Switches a 10 out of 10, and recommend this solution to others. To those considering implementation, I would say: if you want a lifetime solution, then go with HPE.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

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

reviewer1188324

IT PM at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Feb 9, 2021

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Reliable ethernet switches that come with excellent support

Pros and Cons

"I like that these switches are reliable, and the support is good."

"It would be better if they improve the implementation of SD-WAN."

What is our primary use case?

We use a lot of these switches because it's a university. We use a lot of access switches and wireless switches. They're excellent.

What is most valuable?

I like that these switches are reliable, and the support is good.

What needs improvement?

It would be better if they improve the implementation of SD-WAN. There could be improved automation as well.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using HPE Ethernet Switches for seven or eight years.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is excellent.

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

Previously, we used Cisco switches. We still use some, and they probably make up about 5% overall.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of HPE Ethernet Switches is straightforward. We installed over 1500 switches, across eight different locations, in six weeks, and it went very smoothly. At present, we have about 35,000 users, and integration with other platforms is fine.

What about the implementation team?

An in-house deployment team of five implemented these switches.

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

The price is fair.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend these ethernet switches to potential customers.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give HPE Ethernet Switches an eight.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

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

Tarun Jain

Director at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

Jan 23, 2021

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Good initial setup and decent scalability, but is expensive

Pros and Cons

"The scalability is very good."

"The solution is a bit expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily sell the solution to our client base. The customers are typically telecom operators or enterprise-level companies. It's used primarily for data center applications and connectivity solutions.

What is most valuable?

The initial setup isn't too bad.

The scalability is very good.

What needs improvement?

The solution is a bit expensive.

The stability needs to be improved upon. It's not as good as it could be.

The solution should offer more automation. It's not good compared to Cisco, or any other brand.

The company needs to offer much better local support. Right now, it's not great in terms of technical support.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been dealing with the product for a long time. It's been over a decade. Likely, we've been selling HP for 12 years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability isn't ideal. It could be much better. It's an aspect of the solution they could work on.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is not an issue. The solution expands well. If a company needs to build it ut and scale it, they should be able to do so pretty easily.

I'm not sure how many people within our company actually use the solution, or how many of our clients have it. I don't know that we have around 20 technical people that work with the solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

I don't find the technical support aspect of the solution very helpful. I'm not satisfied with the level of support provided.

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

We're also using Cisco switches. We also an Indian brand known as Edge Appeal.

This solution lacks the automation that Cisco, for example, offers.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward for the most part. It's not too complex.

I didn't personally handle the implementation myself, as I'm not very technical. I couldn't comment on how long the deployment takes as I wasn't directly involved.

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

You do need to pay quite a bit for the license.

The pricing could be a little bit less, to be honest. As a product that's made in Taiwan, you would assume it would be cheaper than it is.

What other advice do I have?

We're resellers of the solution.

I'm not really on the technical side.

I'd recommend the solution for the most part. It's fine to use.

Overall, the solution is average, which is why I would rate it at a five out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller

it_user339819

Founder and Principal Analyst at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Jun 23, 2017

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They have focused on building a highly programmable and open OS, but the technical support needs improvement.

What is most valuable?

They've had a commitment over the last five years to be amongst the most open out there. They are very easy to deploy and manage, and offer a lifetime warranty. Most other vendors who have tried this, have shied away from it. I think recently they have focused on building a highly programmable and open OS so you can create a very large ecosystem around it.

What needs improvement?

Building a bigger ecosystem around them, not just wired/wireless, but there's being able to bring other HP areas such as server and storage groups. At the moment, they operate as separate business areas, and they could clean that up a bit. Also, the technical support needs improvement,

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

They've been doing it for 15 years and have a very reliable product. The fact that they offer a lifetime warranty in some ways is a testament to the stability because if they were constantly failing and churning them out, it would be reflected in their financials.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Since the acquisition of 3COM they have data center equipment that can scale to the largest data centres out there. I think they were the first to offer 40GB and 100GB. This is some big iron stuff.

How is customer service and technical support?

They've had their ups and downs. I think this is one area they can improve in. For a while, you used to get thrown into the queue with printers and all sorts of other stuff. So they've fixed that, and it's better, but still needs to be improved.

How was the initial setup?

It's easy to get going. You can unbox it, plug it in and have it running quickly, but if you go into the advanced settings it can take longer.

What other advice do I have?

They've got a good product, but there's still room for improvement. I would be insistent that they help you integrate it with the non-HP services you have through their professional services.

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

it_user362733

Manager Networks and Infrastructure at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Dec 31, 2015

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We use different modules and you can just configure on top of it.

Valuable Features

Throughput is the most valuable feature for me, and penetration in the central data center. We use different modules and you can just configure on top of it. We have a fiber channel because my building is tethered with five, six floors. I need to get all this fiber to be connected to the switches. One switch solved the issue with high availability. The second connected all our server devices. We sliced it to our switch based on our requirement.

Room for Improvement

They need to improve the GUI interface for the switches, the access layer switch in particular, with complete details so we can track each and every port. This will make it easier to find the gaps in performance.

Also, on two or three occasions, heat distribution caused a problem because we penetrate this to a different floor and a fan got damaged, stopped, and emitted a lot of heat.

Use of Solution

We've been using it for four years.

Deployment Issues

I've had no issues deploying it.

Stability Issues

I haven't had any issues with instability.

Scalability Issues

The upgrades are all pretty easy. We do the frequent upgrades based on the release notes of HP and it's going well for us.

Customer Service and Technical Support

Technical support is very good from HP especially because they give a lifetime warranty for the hardware. It depends on the support of what you've taken, for example, if you've been highly response level of followers. Now in Saudi Arabia, you can say the after-sales support has improved a lot. It's not only HP switching part, to be frank, it's HP with servers and anytime we open a case we can order pretty quickly as consultants.

Initial Setup

The initial setup was simple because initially I used to have a Cisco switches, which was four years ago, and an old model. Configuration and backups are easy. Backups we configure on the solar vents and they're very much pretty integrated with the solar vents.

Other Advice

You need to analyze and observe the performance.

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