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Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] vs ExtremeSwitching comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ExtremeSwitching
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (7th), Data Center Networking (7th), AV Over IP Switching (4th)
 

Featured Reviews

LarsEvans - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and useful for network segmentation
The solution's most valuable feature stands up well. The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time. I think if you speak about the features that have a flow and you can measure, it is hard to say. I don't spend a lot of my time with the tool, but I know that Dell APEX is the solution's cloud. I would say the VLAN features are important. The VLAN features are really useful because network segmentation is important. I would say the tool is easy to program. I don't know if the tool has any security features that I am aware of other than the fact that the solution is for networking. The VLAN and the ability to segment your networks are easy, which is its security feature.
Shrikant Teggi - PeerSpot reviewer
Excellent support and reliable performance drive positive experiences
We have been working with wireless for the last seven to eight years. At the moment, the customer has decided to go with a different brand. We are only dealing with the wired switches, not the wireless ones. We use ExtremeSwitching only, not Enterasys. Enterasys was the old one. I am not a networking person, so at this point in time I do not have much working experience on the switches. We have a separate team here who are working on these products. We have not reached that stage yet, but definitely in the near future we may use this kind of feature. Recently they have introduced platform one, which is an AI-based automation tool. That is definitely on the cards. Maybe in one year, we may start using that option as well. First of all, the product is robust and they are also coming up with new features. The second part is the support is excellent from ExtremeSwitching. They maintain delivery time and follow through on their commitments properly. The performance we expected, we are getting from ExtremeSwitching. All these requirements we have are being met with the product, features, and support. It is cost effective. I rate ExtremeSwitching a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution’s technical support is good."
"It's easy to set up. We can put it in production in a couple of minutes."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is simplicity."
"This solution comes with a lifetime warranty."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerConnect Switches for me is the throughput. I also like that the product has more compatibility with Dell infrastructure, especially with EMC and new generation Dell servers. Dell PowerConnect Switches can also easily integrate with Dell servers, and this is another pro."
"The product is reliable."
"The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time."
"The product is cheap."
"The price is low compared to the competition."
"The solution has inspection firewalls that can do a deep packet inspection on a port basis."
"The performance of ExtremeSwitching is good."
"The solution excels in configuration and other aspects. It offers reliability and performance."
"The product offers a single management platform for multiple models of switches. The tool also allows users to manage multiple sites from a single dashboard."
"ExtremeSwitching switches are highly reliable."
"ExtremeSwitching is a good, stable platform."
"ExtremeSwitching fabric technology is a unique technology used to protect against viruses. ExtremeCloud IQ is a very good and feature-rich solution compared to Cisco, Ruxi Networks, or Huawei."
 

Cons

"Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware."
"The IOS software that is used on the switches could be improved."
"The solution's ROI for generic networking is not extraordinary."
"The one issue you face in the industry there is always some planned obsolescence in these switches."
"A user can take care of the product's installation part, but it may not seem to be an easy process."
"Accessibility and management could be improved."
"I would like to see better scalability and more features on these switches in the future."
"Not a ten because I have to do a lot of testing on it. The correlation is okay."
"ExtremeSwitching's software stability could be improved, as it sometimes crashes."
"The solution as a whole has hardware quality issues."
"ExtremeSwitching should provide command lines more readily without needing in-depth searching on their support portal, especially for unique configurations."
"The interface could be improved."
"The licensing is expensive."
"ExtremeSwitching hardware lacks flexibility compared to some other options."
"We noticed over the years that the price of the Extreme Switches has been rising and this will become a concern in the future."
"It could be cheaper in general."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing for Dell PowerConnect Switches is quite competitive compared to Cisco and HP pricing. Dell has cheaper pricing and the company is trying to push for sales for its switching infrastructure because right now, the current market is dominated by Cisco. In the US market, there's Cisco, HP, Juniper, and Arista which you can buy for data center switching meant for different kinds of enterprises and ISPs. Dell PowerConnect Switches, on the other hand, is a product for people who need smaller setups or individual switches, especially those looking for a cheaper product and basic switching, though you can also buy a complete suite packaged with the switches."
"This solution is much cheaper than comparable products by Cisco."
"I would rate the pricing as a seven or eight."
"In my opinion, it is a product that is priced somewhere in the middle, making it a well-priced solution in the middle. It is not a very cheap product."
"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."
"The price of these switches is okay."
"If you want to purchase a new Dell PowerConnect Switch, you will pay up to $1,600, but I bought them used. I bought the four Dell PowerConnect Switches that I used for $1,000."
"On a scale of one to ten, if one means it is a cheap solution, and ten means it is a very expensive tool, I rate the product's price as seven. The tool is a bit pricey."
"On pricing, ExtremeSwitches are going to beat most of the major competition."
"ExtremeSwitching offers very good pricing plans for their licenses. Compared to their rivals, ExtremeSwitching's prices are very affordable and reasonable. This is why our customers are happy to pay for their service critical support. ExtremeSwitching also offers a great portal to track clients, further satisfying our customers. They are always happy to pay for the service every month. The pricing is very reasonable."
"There is a cost for ExtremeSwitching and if you want the support and maintenance, there are additional costs. My clients typically pay for the support and maintenance annually."
"We paid 25,000 to 30,000 INR."
"There is no license required to use the solution. The hardware controller is expensive, and this is why I prefer controlling ExtremeSwitching on the cloud."
"It is not a subscription-based model, and there is no licensing concept. We have to pay for hardware AMC. We have hardware on our premises and for the hardware support, we have to go for the annual maintenance contract with the partner."
"The price is expensive. We pay for a license, but you have to pay more if you want to increase the number."
"The pricing and licensing are good with the cloud."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
University
8%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
21%
Computer Software Company
12%
Construction Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerConnect Switches?
Dell PowerConnect Switches have a VTL feature similar to Cisco's VSS. With VTL, using this technology, you can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerConnect Switches?
Some proprietary commands available in Cisco are preferred by users accustomed to Cisco systems. These users might hesitate to switch because they want to continue using familiar commands and see t...
What do you like most about ExtremeSwitching?
The product offers a single management platform for multiple models of switches. The tool also allows users to manage multiple sites from a single dashboard.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeSwitching?
I would rate the pricing for ExtremeSwitching six to seven out of ten.
What needs improvement with ExtremeSwitching?
Regarding what could be better with the product, I am not aware of how much AI functionality is provided in ExtremeSwitching. Everyone is talking about AI, so there should be AI facilities provided...
 

Also Known As

PowerConnect Switches
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University
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