Aruba Switches Reviews

The 5400 series is a modular chassis-based switch and it allows us to buy parts for different needs, such as 10 gigs, or a one gig ethernet over copper for workstations. It's really our core switch and we actually have a couple of different models.

That's in our headquarters, and then we have some other sites that use Aruba. I think they're the 2600 series or 2700 series, the smaller, modular ones, and stackable ones. Not the chassis-based.

When I first started two years ago, we didn't have these centralized modular switches and we had a bunch of stackable switches and there were many loops in the network.

We had different brands too. HP, Cisco, Linksys, Aruba, we had NETGEAR. There was not a common type of interface. We had network issues almost weekly.

We were able to get it organized and centrally managed, with a spanning tree to detect loops and more.

All of the networking products that we use are Aruba, so we use Aruba Central to manage them. This gives us a single place to look at land switches, wireless switches, and switches in other offices. It makes management a little easier.

It's the same type CLI commands to manage these.

There are many options with the modular switch and you buy cards for it. If you want 48 ports of one gig, you can buy a card for that, but more options would be better.

Right now, there's only eight, an eight-port, 10 gig module and sometimes we need a little denser than eight ports. It would be good if I could get a 24-port, 10 gig module.

We have been using Aruba Switches for two years.

The Aruba Switches are very stable. We keep it up to date.

We update the firmware and software annually, as needed. We haven't had any issues. They are relatively new.

Aruba Switches scale well, because of the modularity of it and to be able to buy different modules and interchange modules. We have a pair of them and they are linked together with 40 gig connections, so all of the cards are interchangeable between the two switches and some of that is just by design.

These are the core switches in our organization and everybody in the office uses them. This includes our remote offices. Everybody passes data through them, albeit this is somewhat less at the moment because of the COVID quarantine.

I have not had to contact technical support.

We had a mix of modular switches at this company. We had some HP, Cisco, NETGEAR, and Linksys. We looked at the switches that can provide us the port density that we needed, in one or two chassis-type units, and was also affordable.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The price point was a big consideration for us and it is reasonable enough that we're able to standardize on Aruba for the networking pieces in our organization. This also includes Wi-Fi and access points.

Generally speaking, the price is good.

Overall, this is a good, solid tool. It doesn't do anything fancy but it does what we need it to do. We don't do any routing through it. We have other routers to do all of that work. Again, the modular flexibility was a big attraction for us.

I've used Switches forever, so I knew what to expect. There was no installation really needed. We knew how to set up VLAN and set up the interfaces. We're happy with it.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

The primary use case of this solution is as the edge and the core switches for our company network.

We are working on an ERP system, domain controller, warehouse management, Salesforce automation, and many other applications.

It's a reliable product that you can depend on. 

You can use it for a long time without any issues.

Visibility needs improvement. We don't have visibility in Aruba Switches and we are thinking of switching to FortiSwitch because it has visibility. 

Currently, we have visibility and compatibility with the firewall. Through the firewall, we can see the entire network.

They are not very active with this solution. There is no followup with the vendors and resellers, they do not contact us to inform us of new technologies as they do with Cisco and Fortinet. Other vendors are more active in the community.

In the next release, I would like to see visibility included, as well as better integration with other platforms. 

I have been working wit Aruba Switches for approximately 11 years.

We are working with the 251 and 190 series.

Aruba switches are stable, but we have a few that are hanging.

Aruba Switches are scalable.

We have more than 1,000 users in our company. We have 15 administrators and four people to maintain the network. 

Technical support is moderate, not excellent. We have been waiting for more than two months for our switches that are hanging to be replaced.

Maintenance and after-sales service are not good.

We started with Aruba a long time ago when they were originally 3Com Switches.

The initial setup is straightforward, not complex.

Cisco is more complex than Aruba is.

We have many resellers and system integrators in our country, including Cisco and Fortinet.

There are no licenses, you just purchase the switch. 

Comparing with Cisco, and some other solutions, it's a cheap product.

We are considering migrating from Aruba to possibly Cisco, or to Fortinet FortiSwitch.

We are comparing and conducting studies in order to move forward.

We have experience working in networking products, high-security products like firewalls, switches, and all data center products.

We would happy to use Aruba Switches in the future if there are new technologies that meet our requirements, and our needs regarding visibility. Having visibility in the entire network and to see all of the parts of the network is something that is important to us.

In general, I recommend Aruba Switches.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We use Aruba switches as part of our network infrastructure.

The most valuable feature is the security that these switches provide.

We would like to see centralized, cloud-based management.

If the price were lower then it would be more competitive with other products by vendors such as Cisco and Ruckus.

I have been working with Aruba switches for more than ten years.

In our experience, this is a stable product. Once they are configured, you rarely get any problems.

We have rarely had problems with our switches. When there is an issue with the hardware, it is replaced on the spot because we bought the lifetime limited warranty for them.

The price of these switches is high.

The most popular vendors for this type of product in the UAE are Cisco, HPE, and Ruckus.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Replacement could be automated.

It is providing better stability to the users.

The solution can scale up with your needs. 

If your company grows, you can add a number of hardware or switches to support your network.

Aruba support is much better than Netgear's.

Positive

The initial setup is straightforward and quick.

The solution is 20-30% costlier than Netgear.

Aruba is more stable than Netgear.

Aruba has helped to improve network efficiency in some ways.

I recommend the solution.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for networking. 

The cloud management is very good. 

Overall, it's a good solution. It is pretty robust.

The monitoring and notifications on offer are very helpful.

It can scale well.

It's stable. 

We've had issues with availability. We cannot source switches right now. They are hard to get. 

There are no missing features. 

The pricing could be lowered. 

Technical support could be improved in terms of dealing with time changes. 

I've been using the solution for three years. I've used it for a while now. 

The solution has been very stable. I'd rate it ten out of ten. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. It is reliable. 

The solution has been scaleable. I'd rate it ten out of ten.

Technical support is helpful or responsive. However, they could always improve their services. The time difference when dealing with support can cause answers get delayed. 

Positive

We also use HP switches. However, we have the same issue in that we are having trouble with availability.

We wanted to move to Aruba based on the simplicity of integration. We can manage all access points with the same interface using Aruba. The monitoring and notifications are also good. 

There only needs to be one engineer involved in the deployment and maintenance. 

We have seen an ROI in terms of stability and the simplicity of monitoring and management. 

The pricing is expensive. It's gone up in price. For 24 ports, we are looking at a cost of $600 annually. I'd rate the affordability of the solution seven out of ten.

I'd recommend the solution to others. 

I would rate it ten out of ten. 

We're a government entity and use Switches for LAN and for pushing up to a router or a firewall. From an infrastructure perspective, we're a medium-sized organization but only have 100 employees. We are customers of Aruba and I'm a network engineer.

Black time warranty is a valuable feature.

Aruba's switches are older so I'd like to see more upgrades. The newer ones may have that built-in. The product could be more user-friendly. 

I've been using this solution for 12 years. 

The solution is very stable.

We scaled up easily and added a couple of blades to it.

I haven't used the tech support with HP but they were helpful when it came to replacing switches.

The initial setup was pretty straightforward; I did everything through the CLI and I'd had previous experience with the process. Aside from the firmware, there's almost no maintenance required. 

Licensing costs are competitive with other solutions on the market. 

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

I find the most valuable feature is it is part of the Aruba family.

I would like to see easier learning and configuration from previous switch deployments.

I have been using Aruba Switches for the past two years.

The stability is very good.

We do see scalability.

Technical support is excellent.

Positive

The initial setup is very straightforward.

We have used a consultant team and it has taken two years to deploy because of the size of the project.

We pay for the clear pass and the controller.

I would rate Aruba Switches an eight out of ten.

We use these switches as part of our network infrastructure. Part of what we do is implement and manage networks for our clients.

Our clients are typically in the manufacturing sector, although we have some in warehouse process management, railway stations, and airports.

The most valuable feature is that we can manage everything centrally using Aruba Cloud Central. This allows us to check the network heartbeat, logs, alerts, finances, and more.

We have had problems with the cooling fans on these switches. They are sometimes erratic and this creates alerts. Otherwise, these devices work fine.

We have been a partner with Aruba Switches and dealing with their products for approximately ten years.

These switches are stable.

This is a scalable product.

The technical support staff is very good. We have a local repair center here in Mauritius and as soon as we request a ticket, we get a call from them.

We have a long business relationship with Aruba and we get VIP service.

We were working with an older version of HPE Switches, and have since moved to Aruba. Currently, we have a mix of older version HPE, current version HPE, and Aruba Switches.

We also work with the Aruba Access Points. We completed a nice job in a huge warehouse, where we covered the entire warehouse with a minimum number of devices.

I also have experience with Cisco switches, which are similarly easy to set up.

The initial setup is quite easy. The setup is somewhat similar to Cisco in this regard.

With respect to the team required for implementation, deployment, and maintenance, I keep it to a minimum of five people because we have quite a lot of users. Our presence is needed in more than four locations, which is why we need a minimum of five engineers. We always have an additional one as a buffer.

The initial investment is quite large. However, the limited lifetime warranty that you get with Aruba is important. Over the years, if you experience an issue, as long as it falls within the scope of the limited warranty, you will get a replacement the next working day. This makes life easier.

Our customers may want better pricing but we are a reseller and a partner, and the pricing that we get is good.

My advice for anybody looking into implementing this product is to first go through the certification process. Get yourself certified and attend all of the webinars that Aruba provides. Also, stay in touch with the product and know it well.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.