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Aruba Orchestrator vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.8
ROI occurs by year four via savings in MPLS, Unity Edge Connect investments, and reduced internet expenses with Aruba Orchestrator.
Sentiment score
4.9
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN enhances bandwidth and deployment speed but poses challenges in quantifying exact ROI and productivity gains.
I have seen a return on investment and financial benefit from using Aruba Orchestrator.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
We don't see return on investment, but we love the technology, so we purchase because of the technology.
CTO, Co founder at IT-Guru
The deployment time with VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN saves 50 percent compared to traditional MPLS networks.
Senior Manager at NOVA Global
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Aruba Orchestrator offers highly rated customer service, with efficient support, though expertise can be challenging for complex issues.
Sentiment score
6.2
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN support is generally knowledgeable, with varied responsiveness and options from basic to mission-critical support models.
The technical support of Aruba is very supportive and excellent.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
I would rate my experience with technical support from Aruba as eight out of ten.
Senior IT Officer at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
I appreciate having dedicated service engineers who manage our account and ensure any technical issues are addressed efficiently.
Senior Manager at NOVA Global
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Aruba Orchestrator is scalable, managing numerous devices efficiently, suitable for enterprises, but some suggest simpler scaling.
Sentiment score
7.1
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is praised for scalability, suitable for all business sizes, despite higher complexity and cost as it expands.
The customer base for VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN has been growing 30 to 40 percent per year when transitioning from traditional MPLS networks.
Senior Manager at NOVA Global
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.7
Users report Aruba Orchestrator's enhanced stability, improved performance, and high satisfaction after switching from Cisco, with no significant issues.
Sentiment score
7.7
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is praised for stability, reliability, and support, with some minor issues related to updates and internet connectivity.
We had Cisco infrastructure in the past before we replaced it with Aruba, and our experience is much better with Aruba compared to Cisco—far, far better.
Senior IT Officer at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
The technical team from VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN addresses these issues promptly, making us very happy with their support.
Senior Manager at NOVA Global
Overall, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is a stable solution.
Senior Network Engineer at evolved systems
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Orchestrator needs improved security, cost effectiveness, training, and user-friendly features, particularly in deployment and analytics.
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN requires improved security, integrations, cost efficiency, support, scalability, and more user-friendly reports for better access.
The price should be improved as it is very high.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
It would be great if they would have a fully multi-tenant solution on their Orchestrator.
CTO, Co founder at IT-Guru
I would like to see improved security features, such as adding more SASE functions.
Senior Manager at NOVA Global
Unlike the comprehensive reports we receive from Palo Alto for our firewalls, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN doesn't offer detailed reports that effectively convey the solution's benefits to management.
At Messer Manager, Network & Communications (Americas) at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Orchestrator's pricing is mid-range and variable, rated between three and eight out of ten by users.
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN pricing is comparable to competitors but considered high due to complex licensing and additional fees.
Regarding my experience with the pricing and setup costs, I find it expensive software compared to others.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
The pricing is high, making the margin thin, which limits mark-up opportunities from the wholesale price.
Senior Manager at NOVA Global
The pricing involves licensing for the VeloCloud gateway based on the bandwidth used.
At Messer Manager, Network & Communications (Americas) at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Orchestrator streamlines network management with advanced features, reducing operational costs and supporting hybrid environments.
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN offers easy setup, advanced security, cloud integration, and real-time monitoring for improved connectivity and scalability.
Integration capabilities with cloud and on-prem environments help my organization maintain a hybrid approach.
Systems and support engineer at Lan to Wan
It also gives a lot of troubleshooting ideas when we are trying to troubleshoot any issues with the wireless network or the wired network.
Senior IT Officer at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
It's really great that it connects today all the gateways and SD-WAN solution with the SASE and the zero trust network access.
CTO, Co founder at IT-Guru
Its proprietary Dynamic Multipath Optimization (DMP) technology is regarded as the most powerful and valuable function by VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN.
Senior Manager at NOVA Global
Previously, organizations used MPLS links for 1 MB at around $200, but now they can use 4G or 5G SIM cards for half that price while achieving more bandwidth.
Senior Network Engineer at evolved systems
Real-time application prioritization offers MPLS-like quality of service using internet circuits, resulting in a cost-effective network solution.
At Messer Manager, Network & Communications (Americas) at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Orchestrator
Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
WAN Edge (4th), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category, the mindshare of Aruba Orchestrator is 1.5%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is 7.7%, down from 10.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN7.7%
Aruba Orchestrator1.5%
Other90.8%
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2733462 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior IT Officer at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
User interface boosts network management efficiency
I use Aruba Orchestrator's advanced analytics tools. Aruba Orchestrator's analytics tools are great tools to use. We were using Cisco, but when comparing it with Cisco, Aruba is far better. The security features of Aruba Orchestrator are really good; I don't think there is any issue with security. It's a good tool in terms of the security aspects. My experience with Aruba Orchestrator is that it's a great tool to use to manage the network. Its user interface is very user-friendly; in fact, the management interface is very user-friendly. It also gives a lot of troubleshooting ideas when we are trying to troubleshoot any issues with the wireless network or the wired network. It's a very useful tool. I can say that 100% the ROI from Aruba Orchestrator is really good because we have reduced the number of people needed. There is no need to have a team of people to manage the huge network, and with a relatively smaller number of resources, we are able to manage.
Mohammed Gawas - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at evolved systems
Enhancements in deployment and monitoring simplify network implementation experience
We are dealing with VMware products including VMware VeloCloud, Cisco Catalyst, and Fortinet FortiGate as a system integrator, handling customer requests.We utilize VeloCloud's centralized orchestration for traffic prioritization. The impact of VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN's Dynamic Multi-Path Optimization on network application performance has been significant. We have tested this feature multiple times, and it was really powerful for steering traffic and packet regeneration, resulting in better flow. We have leveraged the automatic link resiliency feature in VeloCloud SD-WAN, conducting a VoIP test scenario that involved disconnecting link A and seamlessly shifting traffic to link B without any packet loss. However, we have not sold any CPE for VeloCloud in the last one and a half years due to the impact of Broadcom's acquisition. The significance of VeloCloud SD-WAN's deployment flexibility in an organization's network strategy is critical now, as every organization needs to reduce costs and undergo digitalization. SD-WAN provides security and quality of service without needing costly links such as MPLS, and using this CPE from VMware meets the SLA the customer needs. I evaluate VeloCloud's comprehensive visibility into network traffic as enhancing the network security posture. It provides detailed information such as user IP addresses, MAC addresses, and operating systems, giving us visibility for everything related to which customer, end user, application, and link are involved. On a scale of one to ten, I rate VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN a nine.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
17%
Computer Software Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Media Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Silver Peak Unity Orchestrator?
Regarding my experience with the pricing and setup costs, I find it expensive software compared to others.
What needs improvement with Silver Peak Unity Orchestrator?
It would be great if they would have a fully multi-tenant solution on their Orchestrator. Aruba SD-WAN solutions are always expensive. I don't think that it will change. It's an argument for many y...
What are the biggest differences between Fortinet Fortigate and VMware SD-WAN?
One of our favorite things about Fortinet Fortigate is that you can deploy on the cloud or on premises. It is a very stable, reliable, and consistent solution. We like that we can manage the entire...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware SD-WAN?
When it comes to setup cost and licensing cost for VMware, it is on the expensive side relative to the market. We are struggling to sell VMware as Fortinet offers SD-WAN with no additional costs. T...
What needs improvement with VMware SD-WAN?
The improvement needed for VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is in the security area. The security part is the main issue for us when selling VeloCloud compared to Fortinet and Cisco.
 

Also Known As

Silver Peak Unity Orchestrator, Unity Orchestrator
VMware SD-WAN, VeloCloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Redmond, Coca Cola, Roka Bioscience, MetTel, Deutsche Telekom, Rockford Construction,  The Bay Club, tru Independence, Triton Management Services, DevCon, AXPM
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Orchestrator vs. VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.