Cisco and HPE both compete in the Ethernet switch market, with Cisco gaining an edge due to its advanced features and robust reliability. However, HPE's affordability and straightforward integration often appeal to those with simpler networking needs.
Features: Cisco Ethernet Switches offer layer-2 and layer-3 switching, advanced QoS, robust security features, and stackable options, all underpinned by DNA Assurance and AI Network Analytics for enhanced network management. HPE Ethernet Switches provide reliable standard functionalities, ease of integration with HP products, and a lifetime warranty on select models, focusing on efficiency at a competitive price point.
Room for Improvement: Cisco faces challenges with high pricing, licensing complexities, and a preference for CLI over GUI management interfaces, with calls for better integration with third-party products. HPE could improve by providing enhanced technical support, integration capabilities, and more advanced features to compete more closely with higher-tier competitors like Cisco.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Switches are typically deployed on-premises and offer robust global support, although some users experience variable customer service response times. HPE emphasizes minimizing setup complexity and earns praise for its responsive customer service, notably with vendor partnerships, making it a strong contender in environments heavily invested in the HP ecosystem.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco's premium pricing reflects its advanced features and long-term reliability, offering a high ROI despite significant licensing costs. Meanwhile, HPE provides a more cost-effective solution with competitive pricing strategies, including free licensing on most models and a lifetime warranty, appealing to smaller budgets with an emphasis on affordability and satisfactory ROI.
Currently, we don't have any technical support because our license doesn't allow for direct support.
Cisco support is quick and responsive, often answering within an hour.
It takes two to three days for Cisco support to address issues.
We attach SKUs that offer an advanced replacement of the hardware in the worst-case scenario.
Their customer service and support are quite good.
Cisco mainly provides security, patch management, hardware reliability, durability, scalability, and security features supporting my organization's expansion.
The latest products do not allow integration with the earlier environment.
The scalability depends on the model.
HPE Ethernet Switches are highly scalable.
The switches are very stable, rated ten out of ten.
HPE Ethernet Switches are very reliable and have high stability.
We had one incident where an electric overload occurred, and it still managed to stay operational.
For example, on switches, filtering specific sections isn't supported, whereas, on routers, you can do 'show run' with additional commands to filter.
FortiGate switches are considered more valuable because they have firewall capabilities.
In the data center portion, we need to provide the fiber channel and Nexus switch to use a more reliable solution.
Incorporating them into an existing infrastructure with competitor products is a challenging task which could be better streamlined.
The price should be reduced in comparison to Cisco, as sometimes we cannot use the HPE one at the core level, where generally public users are using Cisco.
We need to pay for the subscription, as there are extra expenses after purchasing the product.
Cisco Ethernet switches are priced at a rating of nine, indicating they are expensive.
Regarding the cost, Cisco Ethernet Switches have a competitive price.
When compared to Cisco, Aruba is about 40% cheaper.
The price of HPE Ethernet Switches is reasonable and less than other OEM brands.
Their stability and durability are essential features we've been looking for many years, and they are still working fine.
Cisco is mainly known for its security, patch management, hardware reliability, durability, scalability, and security features which support my organization's expansion.
Cisco Ethernet Switches are very reliable and work like a clock once configured.
They are highly scalable and stable, which is vital for large enterprises that require reliable performance.
The security features of the HPE Ethernet Switches are good.
Product | Market Share (%) |
---|---|
Cisco Ethernet Switches | 11.9% |
HPE Ethernet Switches | 2.9% |
Other | 85.2% |
Company Size | Count |
---|---|
Small Business | 58 |
Midsize Enterprise | 36 |
Large Enterprise | 53 |
Company Size | Count |
---|---|
Small Business | 62 |
Midsize Enterprise | 19 |
Large Enterprise | 31 |
HP has created the most open, integrated and software-defined networking portfolio and ecosystem of its kind – driving simplification with networks that understand, adapt to and protect your business applications in real-time. Only HP extends the momentum of software-defined networking everywhere–from the mobile edge to the heart of data centers.
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