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Aruba Airwave vs HPE Intelligent Management Center comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

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

Aruba Airwave
Ranking in Network Management Applications
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
HPE Intelligent Management ...
Ranking in Network Management Applications
9th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 3.1%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Intelligent Management Center is 3.8%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Aruba Airwave3.1%
HPE Intelligent Management Center3.8%
Other93.1%
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Edward Zeng - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology
Troubleshooting obstacles occur but technical support excels
My general opinion on Aruba Airwave is that it's acceptable, but it's not ideal because we are accustomed to Cisco. We didn't use Aruba much, but once you set it up, you probably don't need to worry about it too much. The version we are using is quite old now, probably around version four. I can't remember the version exactly because a lot of the products require Aruba Central, but we haven't used Aruba Central yet. I face challenges with Aruba Airwave, particularly with troubleshooting. When someone has a problem, we try troubleshooting, but the end-to-end users' messages show some details that are not always up-to-date, and sometimes the information from the GUI is not exactly aligned with what's on the website. If Aruba Airwave can apply AI capabilities, that would be even more perfect. I'd appreciate integration with Aruba Central; it would be great if they could incorporate it into Airwave.
Muhammad_Faisal - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager ITSM at Lucky Cement Limited
Achieve seamless network and link monitoring with comprehensive device management
The most valuable function is that the IMC takes an entire backup of my network devices, and I can also redeploy them. The really beneficial feature is the link monitoring. I had checked Check Point's product, however, my requirements are better fulfilled by IMC. The main feature is that IMC automatically configures the device for my use. I have over 200 features in my network, and IMC manages the complete environment. Automation is good, but I mainly use it for monitoring. I am too satisfied with this product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The feature that proved most beneficial for our organization's network monitoring is the virtual four, which we use frequently when working with Aruba."
"It has improved my organization by increasing troubleshooting opportunities which makes things more efficient."
"The Clarity feature makes it easy to use and understand what is going on with your network in a nice dashboard.​"
"This solution is definitely stable."
"The powerful features we can put forward in Aruba Airwave are clarity, report creation, and VisualRF."
"The technical support services are good."
"The cost is perfect because the devices have a lifetime warranty, and the licensing is good as well."
"I would rate the overall solution nine out of ten."
"We chose HPE for its interoperability with non-Cisco equipment, interoperability with non HP equipment, and customizable, and a deep feature set that Cisco Prime just didn't have because it's focused on Cisco stuff only."
"One of the notable advantages is its ability to provide quick responses, especially in critical situations."
"The most valuable feature is the interface and its ease of use."
"The most valuable function is that the IMC takes an entire backup of my network devices, and I can also redeploy them."
"This is far and away the best tool of this type I have ever used."
"The most useful feature is infrastructure monitoring including switches and servers."
"It's a very complete product with a lot of functionality."
 

Cons

"Stability of GUI Stability of instant access point management"
"More devices or vendors should be onboarded to Aruba Airwave."
"The integration with other platforms like Cisco needs to be improved."
"I would like to see an integration of services into one system, rather than having multiple systems to do multiple things."
"Sometimes there are some glitches; some access points will behave a little differently, but it is manageable."
"We sometimes have problems with troubleshooting between the GUI and the CLI manipulation."
"Support is good, but it is not as good as Cisco. Cisco's support is faster."
"Whenever you get an error it doesn't immediately tell you what the thing is that is causing the error. You have to sit down and research it. If it could say what error is causing the issue, it would make my troubleshooting a lot quicker."
"Technical support is the one area where I have to rate HPE fairly poorly; when we have encountered issues, particularly around inconsistencies in the topology views, getting them fixed can be a cumbersome process."
"HPE Intelligent Management Center is a bit slow."
"One notable deficiency is the lack of online support for the product."
"I face the issue with the integration with links on Fortinet Firewall."
"I would like to see additional modules included."
"The integration with other network devices needs improvement."
"It's horrible. 90% of the time we're figuring out the solution ourselves."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."
"The licensing cost for Aruba Airwave increased from $72 to $210 within a few months. It would be better if the pricing for the solution were cheaper."
"The licensing is on an yearly basis."
"The cost is perfect because the devices have a lifetime warranty, and the licensing is good as well."
"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."
"It is an expensive solution."
"It's device-based licensing. One device requires one license."
"This product is not expensive."
"There are licensing costs and they are quite expensive."
"The price of this solution is not at all cheap, but it's reasonable compared to SolarWinds."
report
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920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?
They have other sensors which can manage and control all the sites. There is an IoT component where we can restrict internet services such as Facebook and YouTube. These things can also be managed....
What is your primary use case for Aruba Airwave?
For Aruba Airwave, I am using the wireless devices for the Wi-Fi for the full company with access points. This is the top product I feel, and I see in the Gartner also. It is a good product and eas...
What needs improvement with HPE Intelligent Management Center?
I face the issue with the integration with links on Fortinet Firewall. This will be sorted out with the help of IMC, and now I have a modem dialing as per my needs.
What is your primary use case for HPE Intelligent Management Center?
I am using this solution for network monitoring, links monitoring, and complete monitoring of my infrastructure. I also deploy FortiVAF, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiManager as part of a complete securi...
 

Also Known As

No data available
HPE IMC
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Airwave vs. HPE Intelligent Management Center and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.