Aruba Airwave vs HPE Intelligent Management Center comparison

Aruba Airwave and HPE Intelligent Management Center are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Aruba Airwave is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3, while HPE Intelligent Management Center is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.5. Aruba Airwave holds a 4.9% mindshare in NMA, compared to HPE Intelligent Management Center’s 5.6% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Aruba Airwave users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of HPE Intelligent Management Center users who would recommend it.

Aruba Airwave

Read 26 Aruba Airwave reviews

1,316 Views
1,198 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

HPE Intelligent Management ...

Read 7 HPE Intelligent Management Center reviews

1,134 Views
1,055 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Aruba Airwave

HPE Intelligent Management ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

Aruba Airwave and HPE Intelligent Management Center are competitors in network management. While Aruba distinguishes itself with pricing and support, HPE is regarded as a better choice for extensive network features, offering significant benefits to tech buyers.

Features: Aruba Airwave offers excellent visibility into network performance, simplifies troubleshooting with its Live Heat Map, and supports zero-touch provisioning. It also boasts multivendor interoperability, which is beneficial for managing equipment from various brands. HPE Intelligent Management Center features comprehensive analytics, infrastructure monitoring, and a user-friendly interface, providing a vast range of management options including automation and application monitoring, which are valuable for complex setups.

Room for Improvement: Aruba Airwave could benefit from enhanced reporting customization, improved integration with certain non-Aruba devices, and better visualization tools for data representation. HPE Intelligent Management Center might need to offer more straightforward deployment processes, increased user support for the initial setup, and optimization for mid-sized network environments, which can be resource-intensive.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Aruba Airwave is praised for its simple and resource-light deployment model, which minimizes setup time and effort. Its customer service is noted for being supportive. In contrast, HPE Intelligent Management Center involves a more complex deployment due to its broad feature set, though its customer service is responsive and provides substantial support during the setup phase.

Pricing and ROI: Aruba Airwave is generally cheaper to implement, making it attractive for those with budget constraints and offers a quicker ROI. HPE Intelligent Management Center, though more expensive initially, delivers a more robust ROI with its wide array of features and long-term operational benefits, making it a preferred choice for organizations seeking comprehensive network management solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Airwave vs. HPE Intelligent Management Center Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. HPE Intelligent Management Center

September 2025

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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

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HPE Intelligent Management ...

Ranking in Network Management Applications

8th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 4.9%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Intelligent Management Center is 5.6%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Aruba Airwave	4.9%
HPE Intelligent Management Center	5.6%
Other	89.5%

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Ahmet Bulbul

Senior Network Consultant at Data Market

Reports generation remains efficient while support and updates require attention

The biggest problem for not using Aruba Airwave extensively now is that HP is not upgrading this tool. They're not investing money and time into it, which is why we're not using it. I find the price of Aruba Central compared to Aruba Airwave to be more expensive. Customers start to complain and get annoyed about the license price. For example, when customers have 500 access points and features about access point licenses, moving to Central requires purchasing new licenses. This makes customers annoyed and complaining about this situation. It's hard to move from on-premises to Central because they always compare costs. If Aruba gave free licenses, they could move. But going to cloud and Central means more investment, and their budget doesn't cover the new investment. This creates problems for local partner companies.

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Muhammad_Faisal

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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The powerful features we can put forward in Aruba Airwave are clarity, report creation, and VisualRF."

"The most beneficial feature for network monitoring in Aruba Airwave is the Live Heat Map. It helps identify interferences, coverage issues, and user connectivity issues. The device management capability of Aruba Airwave is good. It provides end-to-end visibility from the user to the access point, the switch, and the internet breakout. From a monitoring, management, and orchestration standpoint, it is very effective and can manage any scale of deployment."

"The most valuable features of the solution are its dashboard and simplicity."

"The feature that proved most beneficial for our organization's network monitoring is the virtual four, which we use frequently when working with Aruba."

"This solution gives you a lot of reporting capabilities, and it has a very good interface."

"The solution's most valuable features are its usage, bandwidth existence, device capacity, and utilization."

"One of the main advantages is its ability to draw building floor plans and analyze Wi-Fi signal behavior in real-time."

"The Clarity feature makes it easy to use and understand what is going on with your network in a nice dashboard."

More Aruba Airwave pros

"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."

"The most useful feature is infrastructure monitoring including switches and servers."

"It's a very complete product with a lot of functionality."

"One of the notable advantages is its ability to provide quick responses, especially in critical situations."

Cons

"I would like to see is “AAS”. Not only Aruba APs with central, but NAC/ClearPass, AirWave, and everything licensed as a Service."

"We sometimes have problems with troubleshooting between the GUI and the CLI manipulation."

"I would like to see an integration of services into one system, rather than having multiple systems to do multiple things."

"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."

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."

"The main challenge we've faced with Aruba Airwave is its high cost, especially regarding high availability and failover licenses, which can be relatively expensive for customers. As for recommendations for improvement, considering that Aruba is planning to retire Airwave soon and introduce a new solution, it's crucial that the new product meets or exceeds the current Airwave's feature set. Customers expect a seamless transition without losing any functionality, so Aruba needs to ensure that the new solution is ready with all the essential features and capabilities from day one to avoid any gaps or dissatisfaction among users and partners."

"The integration with other platforms like Cisco needs to be improved."

"More devices or vendors should be onboarded to Aruba Airwave."

More Aruba Airwave cons

"HPE Intelligent Management Center is a bit slow."

"One notable deficiency is the lack of online support for the product."

"I would like to see additional modules included."

"The integration with other network devices needs improvement."

"I face the issue with the integration with links on Fortinet Firewall."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six."

"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."

"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."

"The cost is perfect because the devices have a lifetime warranty, and the licensing is good as well."

"This product is not expensive."

"AirWave is a very expensive solution. If you implement it in a wide range network, it will cost a lot. There is no option to sell it outside that price segment, which is a problem."

"It is an expensive solution."

"Aruba Airwave's licensing cost is not that expensive."

More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Educational Organization

Government

17%

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Airwave?

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?

I think the solution is quite affordable.

See all answers

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....

See all answers

What do you like most about HPE Intelligent Management Center?

One of the notable advantages is its ability to provide quick responses, especially in critical situations.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco DNA Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 27% of the time

Aruba ClearPass vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 26% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 10% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 7% of the time

More Aruba Airwave Competitors

Cisco DNA Center vs HPE Intelligent Management Center

Compared 37% of the time

ExtremeCloud IQ vs HPE Intelligent Management Center

Compared 9% of the time

Huawei eSight vs HPE Intelligent Management Center

Compared 9% of the time

H3C intelligent Management Center vs HPE Intelligent Management Center

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Tivoli NetCool vs HPE Intelligent Management Center

Compared 7% of the time

More HPE Intelligent Management Center Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave

September 2025

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

August 2025

HPE Intelligent Management Center report

Download HPE Intelligent Management Center product report

Also Known As

No data available

HPE IMC

Overview

Offering granular visibility into wired and wireless networks, AirWave is the only management platform designed with mobile devices and apps in mind. By proactively monitoring the health and performance of all things connected, AirWave lets IT gain the insights they need to support the digital workplace.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

HPE Intelligent Management Center (IMC) is a comprehensive management platform that was built from the ground up to support the Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security (FCAPS) model. It provides features and functions that are designed for comprehensive management of the network infrastructure. IMC was designed to provide the following functions:

Supports the ITIL operational center of excellence IT practices model.
Uses a single-pane management paradigm to enable end-to-end business management of IT services

Provides scalability by supporting distributed and hierarchical system architectures, through additional operating system and database support.

Uses an SOA model to provide full resource, service, and user management.
Enables integration of traditionally separate management tools using a modular design.
Enables enterprises to expand their infrastructure management in scale and to seamlessly accommodate new technologies at the same time.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. HPE Intelligent Management Center

September 2025

Free Report: Aruba Airwave vs. HPE Intelligent Management Center

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