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Aruba Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch 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

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
88
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
22nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
3.1
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 8.9%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nokia Ethernet Service Switch is 1.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Aruba Switches8.9%
Nokia Ethernet Service Switch1.0%
Other90.1%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Aneesh K - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Solution Analyst II at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Has supported dynamic user segmentation and centralized management across campus networks
The best features of Aruba Switches are their stability and reliability. Hardware failures are rare because the switches have been running for years, and it is uncommon to encounter hardware issues or impacting bugs. From an operational perspective, Aruba Switches are stable and easy to configure through centralized management solutions. Initially managed through AirWave and now through Central, the configuration can be managed easily with audit records and visibility to switch health and other parameters. Another advantage is that Aruba Switches work seamlessly with ClearPass as a NAC server. This integration allows for dynamic policies, dynamic downloadable user roles, and enables seamless segmentation of users for network security. The real-time analytics provided by Aruba Switches for network efficiency are valuable when needed. All information visible in the analytics dashboard is truly helpful. With Aruba Central's migration to AI capability, additional value is being provided, offering more information and making troubleshooting easier with user-friendly features where you can search for anything and receive relevant results.
L.
Project Manager and Assistant General Manager at tele
Ensures network reliability and meets compliance requirements
We can understand the customer network better and propose products accordingly as areas for improvement. Engaging with customers directly would improve how that could be done easily. Many times there is a requirement for very low-end products, which Nokia Ethernet Service Switch is not currently marketing many of the lower-end products.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Licensing costs are competitive with other solutions on the market."
"The most valuable features of Aruba Switches are the routing protocol and the basic functionality."
"It is a very good device for our company. It is stable and very scalable."
"Aruba's centralized management solution is truly helpful, as direct CLI access to switches is avoided in most situations and configuration, reporting, and other features are excellent."
"The most valuable Aruba switch feature is the lifetime warranty. It is a plus point in the budget."
"What I like about the product is its open architecture, the API based line of thought, so to speak, with plenty of options and possibilities for automation and programming, which we see as the way forward for networking as a whole."
"I find the most valuable feature is it is part of the Aruba family."
"The Aruba care support and the lifetime warranty are very valuable aspects."
"The most valuable features are user functionality and interoperability."
"The performance and reliability are the solution's most valuable features."
"The performance and reliability are the solution's most valuable features."
"On several occasions we encountered major issues with the solution and have found the Nokia technical support to be quite supportive."
"The solution saves time and money for my customer in terms of reliability and product durability."
"The highest value lies in aggregating the data to improve both traffic management and device utilization, emphasizing the importance of engagement and liability."
"The most valuable feature is the product's availability."
"Despite initial hindrances, once understood, these differences help in forming a good career foundation."
 

Cons

"There is room for improvement in the pricing because the Aruba Central licenses add a high cost."
"In my opinion, Aruba's new features, like the new firmware, need to be improved."
"I am forced to consider changing products because other solutions have a better dashboard and a user-friendly interface."
"It takes a long time to import Aruba switches to Ecuador."
"The endpoint capabilities could be improved."
"We don't have visibility in Aruba Switches and we are thinking of switching to Fortiswitch because it has visibility."
"I would like to see them integrate a monitoring solution."
"I would like to see easier learning and configuration from previous switch deployments."
"The segment routing could be improved, and they could also transfer a lot of legacy to the cloud domain."
"The solution needs more monitoring tools."
"The documentation needs improvement for better accessibility, as there isn't proper documentation currently available."
"I would like to see more collaboration with advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) vendors, such as Itron."
"The release is not very stable. You should have stability in the card."
"I would suggest improvements regarding enhancing support response times and implementing user interface modifications for quicker and more user-friendly interactions."
"I would prefer that all the licenses be open for our use."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba Switches are cost-effective."
"The price of these switches is high."
"I am paying for the hardware and Aruba Central licenses, but I would like a version of Aruba Central to come out with a light version with a few features turned off. Ubiquiti and other vendors have free tools. I believe they're looking at that, but it's not out yet. I hope they will release that to make it competitive because I'm using an enterprise-class switch for small businesses. We're looking for some of those capabilities, but not all of them."
"There is not a switch that I would give more than six out of ten for pricing because, over the last year, the prices have been increasing very high."
"Typically it is a $500 to $600 difference in price."
"This is an expensive product, costing about double what most competitors do."
"We pay for the clear pass and the controller."
"There are no licensing costs for the Aruba Switches."
"It is quite expensive compared to alternative technologies."
"The price of the solution is very competitive in comparison with that of the competition."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Construction Company
6%
Performing Arts
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Educational Organization
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business50
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Switches?
In terms of pricing for Aruba Switches, I would rate it a five. They are quite expensive devices.
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
Technology is constantly advancing, and although more security is always needed, our networks are still old, so we mostly need to modernize our installations. Regarding integration capabilities, th...
What needs improvement with Nokia Ethernet Service Switch?
We can understand the customer network better and propose products accordingly as areas for improvement. Engaging with customers directly would improve how that could be done easily. Many times the...
What is your primary use case for Nokia Ethernet Service Switch?
I am a system integrator working for different customers. My clients use this product for their network, either for network upgrade or new rollout.
What advice do you have for others considering Nokia Ethernet Service Switch?
This possibility could be provided by the vendor. I advise people looking to use Nokia Ethernet Service Switch to always look for reliability rather than going for cheaper Chinese products. On a sc...
 

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
Nokia ESS, Nokia 7450 Ethernet Service Switch, Nokia 7450 ESS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. Nokia Ethernet Service Switch and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.