Meraki MS Switches and Aruba Switches compete in the cloud-managed network switch category. Meraki appears to have the upper hand with superior cloud management and ease of use, despite Aruba's reputation for stability and integration.
Features: Meraki MS Switches include powerful cloud management capabilities that allow for remote management and network visibility, making global site management seamless. They offer zero-touch deployment and virtual stacking, enhancing efficiency. Aruba Switches boast a user-friendly GUI, stability, and excellent integration with tools such as ClearPass, providing strong performance and ease of use in secure environments.
Room for Improvement: Meraki MS Switches face challenges with their pricing model and reliance on cloud connectivity, which can be restrictive during downtime. Enhancements are needed in licensing flexibility and local management options. Aruba Switches could improve documentation and make configuration management simpler, while also offering more competitive pricing, especially versus Cisco.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Meraki MS Switches are applauded for their simple deployment and excellent cloud-based management tools, although support responsiveness can vary. Cisco's high-quality support is noted but expensive. Aruba Switches are praised for straightforward on-premises deployment and generally receive favorable customer support reviews.
Pricing and ROI: Meraki MS Switches are viewed as costly due to their comprehensive cloud management and support licensing model. Some users prefer a one-time cost over annual licensing. Aruba Switches offer a more cost-effective solution with a good price-to-feature ratio, often seen as more affordable than Cisco alternatives, making Aruba attractive for budget-conscious buyers.
Their tech support is good.
When we talk about performances, Aruba Switches are very good and the technical support is okay as well.
I find that technical support is available, especially during the warranty period.
The support is excellent and rated ten out of ten.
If the devices are licensed, the support team will assist you depending on the severity level of the case.
Cisco's tech support is pretty good, and I would rate it an eight out of ten.
The scalability offered by Aruba Switches is similar to Cisco, demonstrating options for enterprise networking.
I would rate the scalability of the product an eight out of ten.
We can install them in organizations where we have up to three hundred people.
They're quite scalable for my environment.
I have sites that have been running for many years with no issues.
The stability of Aruba Switches is very good, and I would rate it between eight and nine out of ten.
Once we install Aruba Switches, we can forget about them for years and years.
If something happens to the device or hardware, Cisco will automatically change the device by the next business day.
We faced issues following firmware updates, which we now handle by performing updates outside of working hours.
Improving the distribution network across regions would be beneficial.
There are more centers of knowledge for Cisco than for Aruba here.
The only problem with Aruba Switches is the pricing.
Meraki should also consider improvements in stacking features, particularly in the lower-end models like NS130, where stacking isn't supported, unlike with Cisco traditional switching.
When a switch disconnects from the internet, you can't make any changes to that switch.
There are compatibility issues with certain Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, which we would like to see resolved.
From my experience, the pricing of Aruba Switches is competitive.
A high-end model with Aruba is about five thousand.
The pricing of some products, such as the 6300M switch, is considered a significant cost.
Meraki MS Switches, including their licensing, are somewhat expensive, particularly when compared with competitor solutions like HP.
Pricing is affordable, and licenses for the cloud need to be purchased every three to five years.
Meraki pricing is a little premium compared to other vendor products.
One of the most valuable features of Aruba Switches is the security and cybersecurity features they have.
Scalability is significant since you can start from an economical product to a very high-end option, accommodating growth.
The features I find most valuable in Aruba Switches are their flexibility, reliability, and affordability.
The control plane is in the cloud, and the data plane is local, allowing manageability from anywhere.
The most valuable feature is the ability to access devices from anywhere in the world through the cloud.
One of the most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches is its precise traffic analytics capabilities, allowing us to query the system for any place at any time.
Aruba Switches is a network creation solution that enables users to easily manage every aspect of their networks.
Benefits of Aruba Switches
Some of the benefits of using Aruba switches include:
Reviews from Real Users
Aruba Switches are cutting-edge network creation tools that stand out among their competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are the warranty that guarantees them and the intuitive way in which they are designed. Aruba Switches are protected by lifetime warranties. If a switch malfunctions or is rendered inoperable, it can be quickly replaced. If the line of switches are still available, HPE will send the user the necessary replacement. Aruba Switches are built to be intuitive for users to customize and manipulate. This allows users to make full use of the solution without requiring them to devote a significant level of resources to training.
The head of technical support at a real estate law firm writes, “One valuable feature about HP is the warranty. All switches are very similar when it comes to most functionalities. Most switches provide a one-year warranty, but with HPE switches, if there's a unit that malfunctions, we call them and they replace it the next business day if that line is still available. We had a switch we reported the other day, it was a 25-10, which we procured way back, around 2014, and they replaced it. In general, HP provides a lot of support for its products. We will be doing some tinkering on the VLAN soon, first the layer two, and then connecting the layer three functionalities for some other departments. The advantage of Aruba compared to other switches is their reliability. If the product is trustworthy, I'll continue to use it.”
A network systems engineer at a financial services firm writes, “Their technical support is great. I have used Cisco products, and as compared to Cisco, Aruba's command-line syntax is not as complex. The command-line interface of Aruba switches is quite intuitive. It also has a graphical user interface. With Cisco, using the graphical user interface for configuration can be complex, whereas Aruba simplifies it, and you can easily use the graphical user interface. The configuration is secured. Their graphical user interface is quite robust.”
Meraki MS Switches are first-line cloud-managed access and aggregation switches that combine the benefits of cloud-based centralized management with a reliable access platform. With cloud management, thousands of switch ports can be configured and monitored instantly over the web.
Meraki MS Switches Features
Meraki MS Switches have many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
Meraki MS Switches Benefits
There are many benefits to implementing Meraki MS Switches. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Meraki MS Switches is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are its accessibility, application visibility, and flexibility features.
Jóhann T., IT Manager at Sund Upper Secondary School, says, “Accessibility is what I find most valuable in Meraki MS Switches, because I'm able to check things and see if they're working, without being on-site at all times.”
A Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company mentions, "The top feature of Meraki MS switches for me is Layer 7 application visibility. Another positive in general is that you don't need to set up a console to the switch itself; it dials into a single dashboard where you can completely manage all your network devices."
John M., user at Baseline Consulting, LLC, comments, "I like the flexibility of the Meraki firewall. It gives you the ability to lock things down. Having multiple VLANs is helpful for the switching infrastructure and firewall. It's crucial when you have a public-facing VLAN, a private-facing VLAN, and a secure VLAN."
PeerSpot user William M., Consulting Engineer at IV4, expresses, "It is easy to deploy, maintain, and update. It has been trouble-free so far. I am still a Cisco command-line bigot, but the web interface makes it a lot easier for our help desk to interact with a client. When the clients call in and say that they aren't able to connect, it takes the help desk 10 minutes or less to look at everything in the enterprise or location. They can look at the firewall, switches, or access points in the dashboard. That's why I like the dashboard."
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