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Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches vs Cisco 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

Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch E...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
22nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
138
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches is 1.4%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 9.1%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches9.1%
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches1.4%
Other89.5%
Ethernet Switches
 

Q&A Highlights

AJ
Co-Founder at Shellios Technolabs
 

Featured Reviews

MK
Operational Manager at Astrah Technologies
Has enabled reliable access control with good scalability
The primary use case is access control and normal LAN usage, including internet and email. For example, I have deployed the solution in airport scenarios where there are many users The most valuable feature for me is the stability of the switches. They do not hang often and are very reliable,…
Sachin-Yadav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd
Network segmentation has improved security and performance across all departments
Cisco Ethernet Switches offer various features such as L3 capable models which help me with my routing requirements, OSPF, EIGRP, and VRF for segmentation, as well as policy-based routing. Additionally, it provides a high layer of enterprise security via 802.1X port-based authentication, DHCP snooping, ARP inspection, IP Guard, ACLs, and integration with Cisco ISE. I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for more than four years, and they have provided me stability, better connectivity, and higher speed. My organization values these switches greatly.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution has a very good web interface, it makes it easy to manage everything, and the command-line interface is very powerful."
"It's easy to extend the stack, We don't use the smaller switches, but it's going well for the rest."
"The solution doesn't have many proprietary protocols like Cisco's. It mainly uses standard protocols like VRRP (similar to Cisco's HSRP), Spanning Tree, and Rapid Spanning Tree, which can sometimes cause integration issues."
"The product's initial setup phase is not complex. It is easy to install the tool."
"OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches' best features are it's easy to deploy, manage, and maintain, with services coming through one vendor."
"Enables direct access to clusters."
"The fibre ports that are 10 Gb capacity helped with the travel of a lot of regular as well as video data. Fibre can handle a lot more virtual data than copper twisted-pair, so we got a lot more data and a lot more traffic signals back through the fibre ports, faster, than with copper."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the wireless access points that enable direct access to clusters, and this is also a very stable and scalable solution."
"This is a very stable solution, you install it and then you don't have to touch it for many years."
"Cisco is our backbone."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches is stable and robust."
"Good and stable operational experience with nearly no loss of hardware and very few software bugs."
"DNA Center is very interesting in automating the setup and monitoring as with each occurrence it gets easier to troubleshoot and provides an impression about what could be the problem."
"This solution covers it all."
"We only deal with Cisco products, they are very good."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable, much more than Jupiter."
 

Cons

"I find the CLI hard to use. I wish we could do more in the GUI interface."
"I could see them possibly creating a more intuitive software. It's very user-friendly, but there are some things that aren't very intuitive when programming the switches."
"OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches would be improved if cloud-based technology was provided in the Gulf region."
"There needs to be better integration with the interface."
"The commands for the switches could be easier as I find them more complex compared to those of Cisco."
"The product would be better if it were completely compatible with other switching products."
"In future versions, I would like to see improvements in networking speed."
"The solution could be more user friendly and there are issues with technical support where the response time is sometimes very slow."
"Cisco's equipment is expensive, especially since it introduced the obligatory purchase of Cisco DNA."
"The initial setup for on-prem versions is complex and requires a trained, certified engineer."
"The platform's management features need improvement."
"Network setup is quite complicated, particularly if you're implementing in a non-technical environment."
"The product is on the expensive side."
"For each of the features that I want to use on a Cisco device, we have to purchase a license."
"An area for improvement in Cisco Ethernet Switches is its command-line interface. It works differently than expected if you want to do some implementation. However, it works if it's a simple integration."
"It could be cheaper, especially the DNA license. One DNA license is around $3,000 for a three-year contract."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive solution."
"The pricing is reasonable compared to Aruba and HPE."
"The licensing for OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches is a one-time purchase with no additional costs."
"Pricing is cheap compared to other vendors. When we benchmark the tool against Meraki, Cisco, and others, it is usually more affordable."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more expensive than Huawei Ethernet Switches."
"I pay a fixed price on it. I'm not the person on the pursing, so I don't really compare."
"These switches are expensive, but they are an excellent buy and definitely have value for the investment."
"The cost of Cisco Ethernet Switches is expensive."
"Quality comes at a price. I've been around the block a bit, and I know that good quality comes at a price. However, some of the organizations don't have big budgets, so you have to develop different solutions for them. They don't have the budget to get some of the high-end features. Cisco can consider providing entry-level hardware to suit SMBs."
"The solution can be comparatively cheaper."
"Cisco products are not cheap, which is something that can be improved."
"We get the SMARTnet and one of the switches has that Cisco ONE licensing. It's probably running about $12,000 a year right now."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

AJ
Co-Founder at Shellios Technolabs
Feb 15, 2022
Feb 15, 2022
My last experience with Netgear wasn't good but it was a long time ago. It may be better now. As for me, it would be Cisco because it is easier to find network engineer with knowledge of Cisco products and many supervision or orchestration tools will support them well. Regarding my experience, they are reliable assets but the cost might be sometime a good reason to go for something else.
2 out of 4 answers
EK
Partner / Owner at Bimel Elektronik Mamuller Paz. Ltd.
Nov 29, 2021
For an Enterprise? I would definitely go with Cisco. Cisco has a wide range of products to accommodate all present and future needs of an enterprise organization.  Cisco support is very professional in case something goes wrong.  Cisco products are very stable, have lots of features to satisfy every need of an enterprise and in my experience, they don't easily fail. 
RI
Technical Support Engineer at provident technology
Nov 29, 2021
cisco ethernet switches
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business60
Midsize Enterprise35
Large Enterprise55
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
In terms of pricing, Alcatel is cheaper than Cisco, however, MikroTik is the cheapest. I cannot comment on the pricing reasonability as I am a technical person, and decisions are made by those who ...
What needs improvement with Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
The commands for the switches could be easier as I find them more complex compared to those of Cisco.
What is your primary use case for Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case is access control and normal LAN usage, including internet and email. For example, I have deployed the solution in airport scenarios where there are many users.
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...
 

Also Known As

Alcatel-Lucent Ethernet Switches, OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches
Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bayonette, California State University (CSU), Centre Hospitalier Carcassonne, Centro Universitšrio de Brasilia (UniCEUB), China Tianchen Engineering Corporation Co. LTD, Citta Della Speranza, City of Frankfurt, City of Ogden, City of Vila Franca de Xira
Linz AG
Find out what your peers are saying about Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches vs. Cisco Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.